On Friday Kim Foxx, Chicago's top prosecutor, released more than 2,000 pages of documents in Jussie Smollett's case and again explained her recusal.
Acting U.S. Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Sunday that it was not necessary to resume major joint military exercises with South Korea that were suspended in the last year to support diplomatic efforts with North Korea. The United States and South Korea have suspended a number of combined military exercises in the past year after talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen said on Sunday the United States overestimates the trade deficit between the two countries and China should not be blamed for job losses in the U.S. manufacturing sector. Wang told a news conference the U.S. goods and services deficit with China is actually closer to $150 billion and not the $410 billion quoted by U.S. officials. China's processing trade with the United States should not be included in trade deficit calculations, he added.
Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe said Sunday that the deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square 30 years ago was “correct” and that it had ensured years of stability in the country. Mr Wei was responding to questions posed by the Telegraph at an annual security summit in Singapore. It is extremely rare for Chinese officials to acknowledge the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, which ended when soldiers opened fire on thousands. Even three decades later, the crackdown remains one of the most sensitive topics in China, and is subject to extensive government efforts to erase it from history. “Everybody is concerned about Tiananmen after 30 years,” Mr Wei said Sunday at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. “China under the Communist Party has experienced many changes in those 30 years – how can we say that China did not handle the Tiananmen incident well? There was a conclusion to the incident. The central government took measures to stop that political turbulence.” “Due to that, China has enjoyed stability and development. If you visit China, you can better understand that part of history.” In the weeks leading up to the 30th anniversary this Tuesday, Chinese authorities have launched “pre-emptive strikes” by detaining, interrogating, and placing under house arrest former protest leaders and their relatives, according to the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a coalition of human rights groups. Muslims in China have faced a long battle against discrimination Credit: Guang Niu/Getty Images Mr Wei also defended China’s policies in Xinjiang as “absolutely right,” where US officials estimate three million Uighur Muslims are being held in internment camps. His remarks echoed what the government has said – that the authorities are running “vocational education centres to help these people deradicalise and learn skills to better reintegrate into society.” Eight former detainees interviewed by the Telegraph however have said they didn’t learn “skills,” and were subjected to physical and psychological torture, such as body-cavity searches, electrocution by cattle prods, and solitary confinement. In a strong, sweeping speech, a uniformed Mr Wei spoke regarding China’s position, making clear Beijing stood ready to defend its interests on all fronts, from trade to territories to Taiwan. “On the trade friction started by the US: If the US wants to talk, we will have the door open; if they want to fight, we are ready,” he said. Chinese Minister of Defence General Wei Fenghe salutes Credit: WALLACE WOON/EPA-EFE/REX He also stressed that Huawei didn’t cooperate with the Chinese military, echoing the government’s long-held position despite allegations from the US of espionage risks if nations were to continue using the Chinese telecoms firm’s equipment in its mobile and data networks. Under Chinese law, even private firms like Huawei are obliged to assist the government. China will also “fight at all costs” if anyone attempted to separate Taiwan, a democratically self-ruled island that Beijing has long regarded as a runaway renegade province. He exercised the same hardline tone on issues in the South China Sea, where China has claimed disputed islands as their own, and intimidating US and UK warships when they sail through the region. Mr Wei is the first defence minister to attend the Shangri-La dialogue since 2011, and met with his counter part, US acting defence secretary Patrick Shanhan on the sidelines Friday.
Imagine the day when you’ll unroll or unfold your smartphone to answer it. If things go to plan, this day may be sooner than you think.And we’re not just talking flip-phones here, but smartphones where the actual screens are flexible, not just the handset.Okay, so Samsung’s plans to launch its Galaxy Fold phone might be on hold after a few early reviews reported cracks in the screen, but 2019 is said to be a year when many of the major mobile phone manufacturers aim to release their new foldable phones.The promise of technology as intelligent as our smartphones that can simply be folded up like a piece of paper sounds amazing. So what are the challenges in making flexible technology?How flexible?To answer this we need to understand what is meant by flexible.Do we need something that can be deformed without breaking (so it’s okay if you sit on your phone, as it will only bend and not break)? Maybe we want to roll it up into a cylinder with the ease of rolling a piece of paper? Or even to fold it like the Galaxy Fold?These are very different scenarios, with each putting a greater performance requirement on the device and the materials within.
The captain of a river cruise ship that collided with a smaller sightseeing vessel was charged Saturday over the accident in Budapest that killed seven South Korean tourists and left 21 missing. The Mermaid carrying mainly South Korean tourists overturned and sank late Wednesday, seconds after colliding with the Viking Sigyn cruise ship on a busy stretch of the Danube in the heart of Budapest. Strong currents have hampered the search for those missing -- 19 South Koreans and two Hungarians -- preventing divers from reaching the submerged boat.