Trump still wants Us-russia-china to agree on nuclear arms pact
Two charged in multimillion-dollar prostitution operation in Colorado
DENVER – A Colorado woman and an Israeli man were charged with laundering millions of dollars that U.S. prosecutors say came from a high-end prostitution operation. Tracy Reynolds of Alamosa, Colorado, and Izhak Cohen, 53, of Israel, ran VIP Escorts in 2012, according to prosecutors. Their prostitutes charged between $700 and $1,000 in New York and other locations, with more than $10 million passing through bank accounts controlled by Reynolds. Reynolds then sent more than $1 million to Cohen in Israel in small transactions.
WASHINGTON – The White House has not made a decision about extending the only treaty that constrains U.S. and Russian nuclear forces because administration officials want more time to coax China to join a three-way arms pact. China, which is poised to at least double its nuclear stockpile in the next decade, has not expressed any interest in such talks. American allies, however, also are concerned that the Trump administration will not take Moscow up on its offer to extend the New START treaty which expires in February 2021.
Iran: Trump wrong if he thinks Tehran regime will collapse
MUNICH – Iran’s foreign minister said Saturday that President Donald Trump is receiving bad advice if he believes the “maximum pressure” campaign will collapse the government in Tehran. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said at the Munich Security Conference that information provided to the president has dissuaded Trump from accepting offers from other leaders to mediate between Washington and Tehran. Zarif also said the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani only galvanized support for Iran.
Indonesia rebels say they took weapons from crashed chopper
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Rebels in Indonesia’s Papua province said Saturday they seized weapons and ammunition from a military helicopter that crashed eight months ago in jungle-covered mountains. The cause of the crash that killed a dozen soldiers on board the Russian-made Mi-17 remains under investigation. Papua’s military chief, Maj. Gen. Herman Asaribab, acknowledged that 11 weapons – assault rifles, pistols and a grenade launcher – were stolen from the crash site, but disputed that the rebels looted the scene.