Trump’s ‘chess moves’ on Kim Japan sends huge warship
DALLAS: AT least 12 people have been killed by tornadoes or flooding in the USA’s south and midwest by a storm that also dumped a rare late-season blizzard in western Kansas. Three people were killed by flooding and winds in Arkansas, a woman drowned in her car in Missouri and a two-year-old girl died after being struck by a metal goalpost. DONALD Trump has labelled North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un a “smart cookie” but refused to confirm if the US sabotaged the rogue state’s missile tests.
The despotic regime suffered its second failure in a month on Saturday – adding to speculation that America has used cyber warfare against Kim.
Asked why the North Korean missiles keep blowing up, Mr Trump told the CBS program Face the Nation: “Well, I’d rather not discuss it. But perhaps they’re just not very good missiles. But eventually, he’ll have good missiles.”
Pressed again on the issue, the US President would not deny his country had something to do with it.
“I just don’t want to discuss it,” he said. “And I think you know me very well, where you’ve asked me many times over the last couple of years about military (activity) …
“It is a chess game. I just don’t want people to know what my thinking is. So eventually, he will have a better delivery system. And if that happens, we can’t allow it to happen.”
However, Mr Trump did deliver some backhanded compliments to tubby tyrant Kim, saying he had no idea whether he was sane or not but calling him a “smart cookie”. BAMAKO: French soldiers killed or captured about 20 jihadists in Mali’s restive north where a French soldier was killed on April 5. French Mirage fighter jets bombed several arms depots in the forest, a sanctuary for armed terrorist groups. The operation deployed troops across five countries in west Africa. JAPAN dispatched its biggest warship since World War II to protect a US supply ship, as tensions mount in the region over North Korea.
The helicopter carrier left the mother port of Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, yesterday to join the US supply ship to escort it further into the western Pacific.
The US supply ship is expected to support America’s naval fleet in the Pacific, possibly including the aircraft carrier USS
which remains on high alert over North Korea’s ballistic missile firings, the reports said.
He said Kim had faced a formidable challenge in taking over the country at a reported age of 27 after his father’s death in 2011.
“He’s dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. And at a very young age, he was able to assume power,” Mr Trump said. “A lot of people, I’m sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it.
“So obviously, he’s a pretty smart cookie.” LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair says he is plunging back into politics in order to fight against Brexit. Blair who led the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007 said he wanted to build a political movement to shape the policy debate as Britain starts negotiations to leave the EU. MANILA: The White House has defended President Trump’s decision to invite controversial Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to Washington, saying his cooperation was needed to counter North Korea. Trump issued the invitation after a phone conversation with Duterte on Saturday. LOS ANGELES: Val Kilmer has confirmed reports that he battled cancer. The actor had never acknowledged the rumours as legitimate, but has revealed during a Q&A session on discussion website Reddit that he has had a “healing of cancer”. Michael Douglas first revealed Kilmer’s oral cancer diagnosis last year when speaking about the pair’s film The Ghost and the Darkness. ROME: Former PM Matteo Renzi won the leadership of Italy’s ruling Democratic Party (PD) in a primary election, propelling him back to the forefront of the national political scene. Renzi, 42, resigned as prime minister in December after Italians overwhelmingly rejected a constitutional referendum aimed at streamlining parliament.