Jordan gets more U.S. aid despite rancor
AMMAN, Jordan — President Trump has threatened to retaliate against aid recipients like Jordan for having denounced his decision in December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. But on Wednesday, his top diplomat gave Jordan more money.
In a remarkably cordial reception that contrasted sharply with Vice President Mike Pence’s visit last month, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson signed an agreement that guarantees Jordan nearly $1.3 billion in annual assistance from the United States for the next five years.
The increase partly reflected Jordan’s longtime role as an important partner in fighting extremism in the region and housing millions of refugees from the Syria war.
Chile sex abuse probe
VATICANCITY — When a Vatican court convicted a Chilean predator priest of sex crimes, it went out of its way to affirm the credibility of his victims. Their testimony had been consistent and corroborated, while their motives in coming forward had been only to “free themselves of a weight that had tormented their consciences,” the tribunal said.
One key witness in the Rev. Fernando Karadima’s 2010 trial is preparing to testify again, this time in a spinoff case with potentially more significant consequences. Juan Carlos Cruz’s allegations of a cover-up raise questions about Pope Francis’ already shaky track record on preventing clergy sex abuse and concealment.
After the pope’s defense of Bishop Juan Barros sparked an outcry during his recent trip to Chile, Francis did an about-face and asked Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, a former Vatican sex crimes investigator, to gather testimony about Bishop Barros and then report back. Mr. Cruz, who now works in communications in the U.S., is his first witness Saturday.
Algerian strike
ALGIERS, Algeria — Publicservice labor unions have gone on strike in Algeria, paralyzed education, health, vocational training and the telecommunicationsindustries.
Meziane Meriane, the head of the SNPEST teachers union, denounced workers’ sinking purchasing power and told The Associated Press the protests Wednesday aimed to force the government to begin negotiations on “urgent pay rises.”
Most schools in Algiers, the capital, were shut down amid the strike, there were long queues at hospitals and people struggled to withdraw money at cash machines.
Kim Jong Un impersonator
Theman who showed up at the Pyeongchang Olympics opening ceremony dressed as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not Korean, does not speak Korean and is not from either Korea. According to Yahoo’s Eric Adelson, the impersonator gave his name as “Howard” and said he’s from Australia and of Chinese descent. After getting the bum’s rush out of the opening ceremony along with his partner, a President Donald Trump impersonator, he was back Wednesday for the women’s ice hockey game between the unified Korean team and Japan.
And again, Fake Kim was escorted roughly from the premises.
Apparently officials on the scene thought Howard was trying to rile up the North Korean cheerleaders on hand, and indeed, he told Mr. Adelson that one of his goals was to “meet the cheerleaders.” And he kind of did, though they didn’t exactly look altogether happy at his presence.