Exclusive-US panel divided over Nippon Steel bid for US Steel but path forward seen, says official
WASHINGTON :A powerful national security panel was divided in its recommendation to President Donald Trump on the national security implications of Nippon Steel's bid for U.S. Steel, a White House official told Reuters on Thursday.
However, a majority of the agencies that make up the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. believe that any national security risks posed by the deal can likely by addressed through mitigation, the person said, declining to be named because the recommendation was not public.
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Americans march in nationwide protest ahead of Trump's military parade
Hundreds of thousands of Americans protested at rallies and marches in major cities from New York to Los Angeles on June 14. PHOTO: AFP WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK - Hundreds of thousands of Americans protested President Donald Trump at rallies and marches in major cities from New York to Los Angeles on June 14, a day marred by the assassination of a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota and conflict in the Middle East. The protests marked the largest outpouring of opposition to Mr Trump's presidency since he returned to power in January, and came the same day that thousands of military personnel, vehicles and aircraft will roll through and fly above Washington, D.C., in a unusual display of American might. The parade will honour the US Army's 250th anniversary as well as the president's 79th birthday. But Mr Trump's hopes for a day of celebration have been punctuated by violence and discord. National Guard troops and US Marines are on guard in Los Angeles, having been ordered there by Mr Trump to secure the heavily Democratic city amid protests over his immigration policies - a deployment that California Governor Gavin Newsom has challenged in court. Meanwhile, Israel on June 14 pounded Iran with a second barrage of strikes in a bid to destroy its nuclear program after Iran retaliated with strikes the evening before, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations. Anti-Trump groups planned nearly 2,000 demonstrations across the country to coincide with the parade. Many are taking place under the theme 'No Kings', asserting that no individual is above the law. All planned 'No Kings' protests in Minnesota were cancelled following that Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said was the 'politically motivated assassination' of one Democratic lawmaker and wounding of a second. Authorities in Minnesota said that flyers promoting the protests were found in the suspected gunman's car. A massive manhunt was under way. Mr Trump condemned the shootings, saying in a social media post: 'Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America.' The Texas Department of Public Safety said in a statement it had identified a credible threat against state lawmakers planning to attend a June 14 protest, and had evacuated the state capitol and its grounds. People in Washington for the parade encountered a massive security presence, with some 30km of 2.4-m-high black fencing, much of it reinforced with concrete traffic barriers, cordoning off streets and surrounding landmarks including the Washington Monument. The celebrations will cost the US Army between US$25 million (S$32 million) and US$45 million, US officials have told Reuters. That includes the parade itself as well as the cost of moving equipment and housing and feeding the troops. Critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially given Mr Trump has said he wants to slash costs throughout the federal government. Mr Bryan Henrie, a Trump supporter, flew in from Texas to celebrate the Army's anniversary and did not see any issues with tanks rolling down the streets of Washington. 'I don't see a controversy. I will celebrate safety and stability any day over anarchy,' 61-year-old Henrie said. 'Shame! Shame!' In Los Angeles, a large crowd of protesters faced a large contingent of Marines guarding the Roybal federal building downtown, the site of clashes between protesters and officers earlier this week. Standing about 10 feet away from the Marines, the crowd yelled in unison, 'Shame! Shame!' and 'Marines, get out of LA!' Despite rain, thousands of people of all ages turned out in and around Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, many carrying homemade signs that played off the 'No Kings' theme. 'No crown for a clown,' said one. Actor Mark Ruffalo was among the demonstrators, wearing a hat that read 'immigrant.' 'We're seeing dehumanizing language towards LGBT people, towards people with autism, towards people with other disabilities, racial minorities, undocumented people,' said Mr Cooper Smith, 20, from upstate New York. 'Somebody's got to show that most Americans are against this.' Thousands packed Chicago's Daley Plaza and surrounding streets on June 14 under the iconic Picasso statue. Some chanted 'Lock him up!' in reference to the president. Mr Allan Hallie, a 70-year-old retired gastroenterologist, travelled from the northwest Indiana town of Ogden Dunes to protest policies of the Trump administration. 'I am quite afraid of the direction of this country,' he said. Members of the far-right Proud Boys, ardent Trump supporters, appeared at an Atlanta 'No Kings' protest, wearing the group's distinctive black and yellow colors. About 400 protesters, organised by a group called marched through Washington and gathered for a rally in a park opposite the White House. Mr Trump had warned people against protesting at the parade itself, saying that 'they're going to be met with very big force'. Sunsara Taylor, a founder of RefuseFascism, told the crowd, 'Today we refuse to accept Donald Trump unleashing the military against the people of this country and in the streets of this country. We say, 'hell no.'' Rare spectacle Military parades in the United States are rare. Other countries usually stage them to celebrate victories in battle or showcase military might. In 1991, tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in the Gulf War. Thousands of agents, officers and specialists will be deployed from law enforcement agencies from across the country and drones operated by the Secret Service will keep watch overhead. The US Army has brought nearly 7,000 troops into Washington, along with 150 vehicles, including more than 25 M1 Abrams tanks, 28 Stryker armoured vehicles, four Paladin self-propelled artillery vehicles, and artillery pieces including the M777 and M119. The flyover will include Apache and Black Hawk helicopters along with Chinooks. Older aircraft like the World War Two-era B-25 bomber and P-51 Mustang will also take part. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Israel and Iran strike at each other in new wave of attacks
TEL AVIV: Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other late on Saturday (Jun 14), stoking fears of a wider conflict after Israel expanded its surprise campaign against its main rival with a strike on the world's biggest gas field. Tehran called off nuclear talks that Washington had said were the only way to halt Israel's bombing, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were nothing compared with what Iran would see in the coming days. Israel's military said on Saturday that more missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel, and it was working to intercept them. It also said it was attacking military targets in Tehran. Iranian state television said Iran had launched missiles and drones at Israel. Several projectiles were visible in the night sky over Jerusalem late on Saturday. Air raid sirens did not sound in the city, but were heard in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Israel's ambulance service said 14 people were injured, including one critically, at a two-storey house in northern Israel following an Iranian missile strike. Israeli media reported that one person had been killed in the strike. US President Donald Trump had warned Iran of worse to come, but said it was not too late to halt the Israeli campaign if Tehran accepted a sharp downgrading of its nuclear programme. A round of US-Iran nuclear talks due to be held in Oman on Sunday was cancelled, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying the discussions could not take place while Iran was being subjected to Israel's "barbarous" attacks. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Iran partially suspended production at the world's biggest gas field after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on Saturday. The South Pars field, offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province, is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran. Fears about potential disruption to the region's oil exports had already driven up oil prices 9 per cent on Friday even though Israel spared Iran's oil and gas on the first day of its attacks. An Iranian general, Esmail Kosari, said on Saturday that Tehran was reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz controlling access to the Gulf for tankers. IRAN SAYS SCORES KILLED Iran said 78 people were killed on the first day of Israel's campaign, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. Iran had launched its own retaliatory missile volley on Friday night, killing at least three people in Israel. With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and Netanyahu urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. B'Tselem, a leading Israeli human rights organization, said on Saturday that instead of exhausting all possibilities for a diplomatic resolution, Israel's government had chosen to start a war that puts the entire region in danger. Tehran has warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Israel sees Iran's nuclear programme as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Israel and Iran strike at each other in new wave of attacks
Israel and Iran strike at each other in new wave of attacks TEL AVIV/DUBAI - Israel and Iran launched fresh attacks on each other late on June 14, stoking fears of a wider conflict after Israel expanded its surprise campaign against its main rival with a strike on the world's biggest gas field. Tehran called off nuclear talks that Washington had said were the only way to halt Israel's bombing, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were nothing compared with what Iran would see in the coming days. Israel's military said on June 14 that more missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel, and it was working to intercept them. It also said it was attacking military targets in Tehran. Iranian state television said Iran had launched missiles and drones at Israel. Several projectiles were visible in the night sky over Jerusalem late on June 14. Air raid sirens did not sound in the city, but were heard in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Israel's ambulance service said 14 people were injured, including one critically, at a two-storey house in northern Israel following an Iranian missile strike. Israeli media reported that one person had been killed in the strike. US President Donald Trump had warned Iran of worse to come, but said it was not too late to halt the Israeli campaign if Tehran accepted a sharp downgrading of its nuclear programme. A round of US-Iran nuclear talks due to be held in Oman on June 15 was cancelled, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi saying the discussions could not take place while Iran was being subjected to Israel's 'barbarous' attacks. In the first apparent attack to hit Iran's energy infrastructure, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said Iran partially suspended production at the world's biggest gas field after an Israeli strike caused a fire there on June 14. The South Pars field, offshore in Iran's southern Bushehr province, is the source of most of the gas produced in Iran. Fears about potential disruption to the region's oil exports had already driven up oil prices 9 per cent on June 13 even though Israel spared Iran's oil and gas on the first day of its attacks. Iranian general Esmail Kosari said on June 14 that Tehran was reviewing whether to close the Strait of Hormuz controlling access to the Gulf for tankers. Scores killed, says Iran Iran said 78 people were killed on the first day of Israel's campaign, and scores more on the second, including 60 when a missile brought down a 14-storey apartment block in Tehran, where 29 of the dead were children. Iran had launched its own retaliatory missile volley on the night of June 13, killing at least three people in Israel. With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, and Mr Netanyahu urging Iran's people to rise up against their Islamic clerical rulers, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. B'Tselem, a leading Israeli human rights organisation, said on June 14 that instead of exhausting all possibilities for a diplomatic resolution, Israel's government had chosen to start a war that puts the entire region in danger. Tehran has warned Israel's allies that their military bases in the region would come under fire too if they helped shoot down Iranian missiles. However, 20 months of war in Gaza and a conflict in Lebanon last year have decimated Tehran's strongest regional proxies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, reducing its options for retaliation. Israel sees Iran's nuclear programme as a threat to its existence, and said the bombardment was designed to avert the last steps to production of a nuclear weapon. Tehran insists the programme is entirely civilian and that it does not seek an atomic bomb. However, the UN nuclear watchdog reported it this week as violating obligations under the global non-proliferation treaty. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
