International

Top US general says Trump never intended to attack China

AFP

Top US General Mark Milley testified Tuesday that calls he made to his Chinese counterparts in the turbulent waning months of Donald Trump’s administration were intended to “deescalate” tensions and the former president had no intention of attacking China.

“I know, I am certain, President Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“My task at that time was to deescalate. My message again was consistent: stay calm and steady and deescalate. We are not going to attack you,” he said.

The calls between Milley and his Chinese counterpart, General Li Zuocheng, were first revealed in the book “Peril” by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.

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The first call was on October 30, four days before the US presidential election, and the second was on January 8, two days after supporters of Trump stormed the US Capitol in an effort to prevent certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.

Some Republican lawmakers have accused Milley of overstepping his authority and called for him to resign.

In his Senate testimony, Milley defended his actions and said the calls were coordinated with the then-secretaries of defense.

“The specific purpose of the October and January calls was generated by concerning intelligence which caused us to believe the Chinese were worried about an attack by the US,” Milley said.

“These military-to-military communications at the highest levels are critical to the security of the United States in order to deconflict military actions, manage crisis, and prevent war between great powers armed with nuclear weapons,” he said.

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“At no time was I attempting to change or influence the process, usurp authority, or insert myself into the chain of command,” Milley added.

“I firmly believe in civilian control of the military as a bedrock principle essential to this Republic and I am committed to ensuring the military stays clear of domestic politics.”

– ‘He doesn’t launch them alone’ –

Milley also addressed a phone call he had with Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, in which — according to “Peril” — she sought reassurances that there was no danger of Trump unilaterally launching a nuclear strike.

“I sought to assure her that nuclear launch is governed by a very specific and deliberate process,” Milley told the Senate committee.

“She was concerned and made various personal references characterizing the president,” Milley said. “I explained that the president is the sole nuclear launch authority but he doesn’t launch them alone.”

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According to the book, Pelosi, referring to Trump, said: “You know he’s crazy. He’s been crazy for a long time” and Milley responded: “Madam Speaker, I agree with you on everything.”

In his testimony Milley said he told Pelosi that he was “not qualified” to determine a president’s mental health.

International

Chile declares state of catastrophe as wildfires rage in Ñuble and Biobío

Wildland firefighting crews are battling 19 forest fires across the country, 12 of them concentrated in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, located about 500 kilometers south of Santiago.

“In light of the severe fires currently underway, I have decided to declare a state of catastrophe in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío. All resources are now available,” the president announced in a post on X.

Authorities have not yet released an official report on possible casualties or damage to homes.

According to images broadcast by local television, the fires have reached populated areas, particularly in the municipalities of Penco and Lirquén, in the Biobío region, which together are home to nearly 60,000 people. Burned vehicles were also reported on several streets.

“The Penco area and the entire Lirquén sector are the most critical zones and where the largest number of evacuations have taken place. We estimate that around 20,000 people have been evacuated,” said Alicia Cebrián, director of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), in an interview with Mega TV.

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In recent years, forest fires have had a severe impact on the country, especially in the central-southern regions.

On February 2, 2024, multiple wildfires broke out simultaneously around the city of Viña del Mar, located 110 kilometers northwest of Santiago. Those fires resulted in 138 deaths, according to updated figures from the public prosecutor’s office, and left approximately 16,000 people affected, based on official data.

International

Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison

Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.

The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.

Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.

International

U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster

A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.

On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.

This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.

The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.

The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.