President set to host Japanese leader again
President Donald Trump will welcome Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Mar-a-Lago this week in an effort to shore up their relationship amid strains in the U.S.-Japan alliance ahead of Mr. Trump’s potential summit with the leader of North Korea.
Mr. Abe is scheduled to arrive Tuesday at Trump’s winter resort in Palm Beach, Fla., for two days of meetings as concerns mount in Tokyo that Mr.Trump’s risky diplomatic gambit with Kim Jong Un could undermine Japan’s security. Mr. Abe also was blindsided by Mr. Trump’s decision not to grant Japan a waiver on new steel and aluminum tariffs, as he did for other U.S. allies and partners.
The double-whammy amounted to a gut punch for Mr. Abe and left some in Tokyo questioning his strategy of cozying up to the mercurial American president. Mr. Abe was the first foreign leader to visit Mr. Trump after the election, and the two have met and spoken 20 times — more interactions than Mr. Trump has had with any other world leader.
Now, the question is whether Mr. Abe’s influence will endure in the face of the whirlwind geopolitical maneuvering of East Asian leaders, including South Korean President Moon Jaein, a liberal who has led the push for more diplomatic engagement with the Kim regime, to the consternation of Tokyo. Mr. Moon and Mr. Kim are scheduled to meet later this month, and Mr. Kim recently visited President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Farewell to Winnie Mandela
South Africans bid farewell to liberation fighter Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Saturday in a stirring funeral service at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, with power salutes, tribute songs, tears and cheers.
The funeral ended more than a week of mourning for Ms. Madikizela-Mandela, one of the last of the generation of revered anti-apartheid leaders who won freedom for their people.
The succession of memorials and parades since she died April 2 recalled the outpouring of grief in 2013 after the death of her former husband, Nelson Mandela, who became the face of the South African liberation struggle, partly because of her efforts.
Hungarians lodge protests
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Thousands of Hungarians took to the streets Saturday, calling for Prime Minister Viktor Orban to step down just days after he was elected to a third consecutive term.
The protests, held in Budapest and several other cities, are unlikely to prompt the newly elected government to change course, but they reflect the deep divisions in this Central European country that has been at the forefront of a regional drift away from liberal Western values.
“Democracy is just inconceivable without the rule of law and free media,” said one protester, Levente Biro, 24. “We’ll march as long as needed.”
Not overruling Bible
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis may be pushing the envelope on interpreting Catholic doctrine, but he hasn’t asserted that his words overrule the Bible.
False reports that have been trending online claim Francis made the assertion in response to criticism that his teachings “contradict Bible teaching.” Many of the sites posting the story deal in fake news.
The article on the Yournewswire site also makes another false claim that the pope has developed a “habit” of hiding the crucifix he wears around his neck in public. The article includes one photo of Francis with the cross tucked inside his sash at a 2014 luncheon with Jewish leaders. But it’s clearly visible in other photos from the same event.