President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has ``complete power‘’ to issue pardons, an assertion that comes amid investigations into Russian interference in last year‘s presidential election. It was one of many topics that appeared to occupy the president’s mind as the day broke.　On a day when most people are ready to forget about the issues that nagged them during the week, Trump revved up. In an early morning flurry of 10 tweets, he commented about pardons, former presidential rival Hillary

South Korea‘s Park Sung-hyun won her first major golf title Sunday, firing her second consecutive five-under par 67 to capture the US Women’s Open as US President Donald Trump watched.　Park, the event’s seventh South Korean winner in 10 years, finished 72 holes at Trump National on 11-under 277 to defeat 17-year-old South Korean amateur Choi Hye-jin by two strokes.　“I am excited and happy,” Park said through a translator. “It feels unreal to a certain extent.”　Deadlocked for the lead with Choi,

Why, yes, that was Ivanka Trump briefly filling her father’s seat at the Group of 20 summit, an international gathering that turned out to be quite the family affair for the Trumps.　The president’s daughter attracted particular attention after a member of the Russian delegation tweeted a photograph of her sitting in her father’s chair during an official summit event on Saturday. 　A White House official said the president had stepped out of the room and that Ivanka Trump, a senior adviser, moved

Qatar on Saturday denounced a sweeping list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies in an escalating Gulf diplomatic crisis as unreasonable and an impingement on the emirate’s sovereignty.　Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt want Qatar to meet the 13-point ultimatum in return for an end to a nearly 3-week-old diplomatic and trade “blockade” of the emirate.　Qatar has been given 10 days to meet the demands, which apparently includes a call to close down broadcaster Al-Jaz

Britain ordered soldiers to key sites Wednesday and raised the terror alert to maximum after the Manchester concert suicide bombing by a local man of Libyan origin who may have been radicalized in Syria.Security services believe the suspected bomber, Salman Abedi, was likely to have had help from others in staging the massacre that killed 22 people including one girl aged just 8.　Interior Minister Amber Rudd said the 22-year-old had been on the radar of the intelligence community before the atta

　BEIJING  -- China touted on Sunday its new Silk Road as “a project of the century” at a summit highlighting its growing leadership on globalization, but a North Korean missile test intruded on the meeting.　President Xi Jinping greeted leaders from 29 nations for the two-day summit in Beijing after US and South Korean military officials confirmed that Pyongyang had launched a ballistic missile.　Delegations from North Korea and the United States attended the forum, though not their leaders. Few W

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (The Star) -- Photos of shark hunting and finning in Sabah, known as a dive paradise for its idyllic islands, that surfaced on socail media have led to renewed calls for an industry ban.　Yet another picture has emerged of shark hunting and finning in Sabah, known as a dive paradise for its idyllic islands.　 A fisherman lays out shark fins and tails at the Semporna jetty in Sabah. The StarThe Danau Girang Field Centre has put up a picture of rows of shark fins being laid o

VIENTIANE, Laos (Vientiane Times) -- An office worker taps into her passion for handmade mementos to create appealing souvenirs that also provide employment opportunities to those who may otherwise be marginalized through disability.　Kheuavanh Phanthaboun’s business not only provides extra financial security for herself and her household, but also assists people with disabilities and other artisans to access the market and fashion more sustainable livelihoods from their craft.　 Kheuavanh Phantha

Hong Kong's new leader Carrie Lam pledged Sunday to mend political rifts after winning a vote dismissed as a sham by democracy activists who fear the loss of the city’s cherished freedoms.　Hong Kong has been semi-autonomous since it was handed back to China by colonial ruler Britain in 1997.　But 20 years on, there are serious concerns Beijing is disregarding the handover agreement designed to protect Hong Kong‘s way of life. 　 epa05871204 Hong Kong Chief Executive Election candidates John Tsang

Does Hillary Clinton understand that the biggest divide in American politics is no longer between the right and the left, but between the antiestablishment and the establishment?　I worry she doesn’t -- at least not yet.A Democratic operative I’ve known since the Bill Clinton administration tells me, “Now that she’s won the nomination, Hillary is moving to the middle. She’s going after moderate swing voters.”　Presumably that’s why she tapped Tim Kaine to be her vice president. Kaine is as vanilla