USA

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — A bomb threat forced the evacuation of the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, a day of memorial services and moments of silence to mark the sixth anniversary of the massacre of 20 first-graders and six educators.

Teachers and students at the school were sent home for the day after the threat was called in around 9 a.m., and police did a sweep of the building. But they said they did not believe the threat was a credible. Authorities said it specifically referenced the anniversary.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In back-to-back votes against Saudi Arabia, the Senate delivered an unusual rebuke of President Donald Trump’s response to the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and signaled new skepticism from Capitol Hill toward the longtime Middle East ally.

Although the resolutions are largely symbolic — because it’s unclear if they will be considered by the House — passage Thursday showed senators seeking to assert oversight of Trump administration foreign policy and the relationship with Saudi Arabia.

UN, December 12. /TASS/. The UN Secretariat cannot investigate the activity of Iran without a permission from the UN Security Council, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said.

CHICAGO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- "We would much rather have the trade and be able to grow a crop for a fair price," said Lynn Rohrscheib, chairwoman of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), in an interview with Xinhua.

Besides being ISA chairwoman, Rohrscheib herself farms near Fairmount, a village in Illinois. As a ninth generation farmer, she grows corn, soybeans and a little wheat.

13 Dec 2018; DW: The Turkish president has announced a fresh offensive against Kurdish fighters in Syria is just around the corner. But the US has warned that such action would harm efforts to destroy the "Islamic State" in the region.

The US on Wednesday warned Turkey against launching an operation targeting Kurdish militias in northern Syria, saying such action would be "unacceptable."

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the government agency that monitors climate change says that in nearly two years he has never discussed the issue with President Donald Trump.

Acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Adm. Timothy Gallaudet said in a press conference at a scientific meeting this week, “I personally have not briefed the president on climate change.”

Gallaudet said he doesn’t know if others had briefed the president. He did note that he was in the room when Trump signed a bill aimed at keeping plastic trash out of the ocean.

HONOLULU (AP) — Authorities say the pilot of an airplane that crashed off Hawaii during a military exercise is in serious condition.

Honolulu Emergency Services spokesman Dustin Malama says the 47-year-old appears to have traumatic injuries and was taken to a hospital.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the pilot is a civilian contractor for the Hawaii Air National Guard who was participating in a military exercise called Sentry Aloha at the time of the crash.

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

BEIJING (AP) — China is playing hardball with the detention of a former Canadian diplomat days after Canada arrested a leading Chinese executive.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration wants to see an increase in U.S. investment and trade in Africa as part of a new strategy aimed at countering China’s growing influence on the continent

National security adviser John Bolton is expected to lay out priorities Thursday for what the administration calls “the continent of the future” during remarks at the Heritage Foundation. Critics are skeptical because it has taken so long into the presidency to announce the initiative and Trump has made disparaging remarks about a region that is home to 1.2 billion people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are expected to vote Thursday on a resolution that would call on the U.S. to pull assistance from the Saudi-led war in Yemen, a measure that would rebuke Saudi Arabia after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.