North Korea crisis: North in another 'failed' missile launch

Breaking News: North Korea crisis: North in another 'failed' missile launch.

North Korea has test-fired another ballistic missile, South Korean and US military officials say.

The missile exploded shortly after take-off, they said - the second failed launch in the past fortnight.

US President Donald Trump accused North Korea of showing "disrespect" towards China and its president.

The missile was fired from a site in South Pyeongan province, north of Pyongyang, in the early hours of Saturday local time, South Korea said.

It came just hours after the United Nations Security Council discussed North Korea's missile program.

Mr Trump tweeted: "North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!"

Mr Trump recently hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and praised him for "trying very hard" on North Korea.

Trump fears 'major major' conflict with North Korea

North Korea crisis: Why now?

How mixed signals could spell disaster

North Korea's missile program

Tensions in the region have increased lately, with both North and South Korea conducting military exercises.

North Korea is believed to be continuing efforts to miniaturize nuclear warheads and fit them on long-range missiles capable of reaching the US.

It is not known what kind of missile was unsuccessfully launched on Saturday, however, one official told Reuters it was probably a medium-range missile known as a KN-17.

The land-based, anti-ship ballistic missile has already had two failures, but its message is that US, South Korean and Japanese ships should beware.

Meanwhile, an American aircraft carrier - the USS Carl Vinson - has reportedly arrived in the region after it was sent to the Korean peninsula as part of Mr Trump's "armada".

The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) said in a statement that the "unidentified missile" was fired "from a site in the vicinity of Bukchang in Pyeongannam-do (South Pyeongan Province)" early on Saturday.

Commander Dave Benham, a spokesman for US Pacific Command, also said the launch had occurred near the Bukchang airfield.

He added that the missile did not leave North Korean territory.

'A clear challenge'

After Saturday's failed launch, the Japanese government condemned the test and said it had lodged a strong protest with North Korea through its diplomatic channels.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is currently in London, said it was a "clear challenge against the international community".

He added: "Since it is fully conceivable that there'll be possibility for further provocation, we'd like to maintain a close co-ordination with the United States, our ally, to maintain a high status of alert. We'd like to be watertight to ensure safety for our citizens."

Hours earlier, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had called on the rest of the world to help force North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Mr Tillerson warned of "catastrophic consequences" if the Council did not act, saying it was "likely only a matter of time before North Korea develops the capability to strike the US mainland".

The US would use military force if necessary, he said.

Mr Tillerson accused Council members of not fully enforcing existing sanctions against the North, and called on China in particular to use its trade links as influence.

But Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the key to solving the problem did not lie with his country.

How else has tension risen?

Among other developments in recent weeks:

North Korea carried out an earlier failed missile launch and held a massive military parade in an apparent show of strength

The US deployed a group of warships and a submarine to the region

Pyongyang reacted angrily, threatening a "super-mighty pre-emptive strike"

The US began installing a controversial $1bn (£775m) anti-missile system called Thread in South Korea - which Mr Trump said South Korea should pay for. Seoul said on Friday there was "no change" in its position that the US would pay for it

Mr Tillerson and US Vice President Mike Pence visited South Korea, reiterating that "all options were on the table" in dealing with the North

More Details:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39750240

Only 37 percent say Trump should repeal and replace Obamacare (POLL)

Update News: Only 37 percent say Trump should repeal and replace Obamacare (POLL)

As President Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress gear up for another attempt at repealing and replacing Obamacare, an ABC News/Washington Post poll finds broad public preference for keeping and improving it -- including high levels of support for some of its key components.

See PDF with full results here.

Just 37 percent of Americans in the national survey say Obamacare should be repealed and replaced; 61 percent say it should be kept and fixed instead. Even more broadly, the public by 79-13 percent says Trump should seek to make the current law work as well as possible, not to make it fail as soon as possible, a strategy he’s suggested.

These lopsidedly pro-Obamacare views are far different from the results of an ABC/Post poll in mid-January asking if Americans supported or opposed repealing Obamacare, 46-47 percent. That question did not offer “keeping and improving” it as an alternative -- and it was asked before the contours of the first failed effort to repeal the law were known.

Obamacare’s rising fortunes are reflected in support for two key provisions of the law that Republicans have proposed changing in recent months. Americans by 70-26 percent say coverage for pre-existing conditions should be mandatory nationwide rather than left up to the states. Similarly, 62 percent prefer nationwide minimum insurance coverage standards (for e.g., for preventive services, maternity and pediatric care, hospitalization and prescription drugs); just 33 percent would leave such standards up to the states.

Even among Republicans and conservatives, majorities support a nationwide standard for coverage of pre-existing conditions (54 and 55 percent, respectively). A narrow majority of conservatives (53 percent) and a substantial share of Republicans (46 percent) also support a national standard for minimum coverage in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates.

Further, just 20 percent of conservatives, a quarter of Republicans, and 28 percent of Trump’s own voters say he should try to encourage failure of the existing law.

In an additional expression of support for the law, Americans by 43-26 percent say they’d rather see Trump work with Democrats than with conservative Republicans in Congress to change it. Twenty-four percent prefer him to work with both.

Groups

These results reflect the near-universal sentiment among Democrats in favor of the law, majority preference among independents and moderates to keep and improve it, and, as noted, divisions within the GOP and related groups.

For example, 93 percent of Clinton voters and 88 percent of Democrats support keeping Obamacare and trying to improve it, as do two-thirds of independents and even 21 percent of Republicans and 18 percent of Trump voters. Eighty percent of Trump voters and 76 percent of Republicans prefer repeal and replace, as do 71 percent of strong conservatives -- but just 46 percent of “somewhat” conservatives.

There are similar partisan and ideological patterns in support for the key Obamacare provisions tested, nationwide coverage for pre-existing conditions and minimum coverage standards. Large majorities of Democrats, independents, liberals and moderates support these, while Republicans, conservatives and Trump voters are more closely divided.

Similarly, it’s notable that even among Republicans and Trump supporters, only about half favor Trump working with conservative congressional Republicans rather than with the Democrats in Congress on health care. The rest in these groups say he should work with both (30 to 35 percent) or with the Democrats (14 to 11 percent).

Other groups

Among other groups, support for a nationwide standard for covering pre-existing conditions peaks at 78 percent among 50- to 64-year-olds, the age group most likely to need care but generally lacking access to Medicare. Support for this standard is lowest, but still at 62 percent, among under-40s.

In terms of nationwide minimum coverage requirements, support is lowest, 49 percent, among Medicare-covered seniors, vs. 66 percent among all others.

In another age gap, repeal and replace is least popular among under-40s (30 percent) vs. 40 percent among those 40 and older. Support for repeal also rises with income, from 31 percent among those in less than $50,000 households to 41 percent in those with higher incomes.

Men are 7 points more likely than women to favor repeal, and 9 points less likely to support nationwide minimum coverage requirements. Finally, in one of the sharpest splits (beyond partisanship and ideology), nearly half of whites support repealing and replacing the law, while only 16 percent of nonwhites, including 11 percent of blacks and 15 percent of Hispanics, agree.

Methodology

This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone April 17-20, 2017, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 1,004 adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 points, including the design effect. Partisan divisions are 31-24-36 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents.

The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates of New York, New York, with sampling, data collection, and tabulation by Abt Associates of Cambridge, Massachusetts. See details on the survey’s methodology here.

Details:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/appetite-repealing-obamacare-large-majorities-support-key-provisions/story?id=46989828

Turkey targets Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria

Breaking News : Turkey targets Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria

Air strikes kill at least 24 Kurdish fighters in Iraq and Syria, Turkish officials say, in fresh offensive against PKK.

Turkish military jets have carried out air strikes against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters in northern Iraq and northeast Syria, killing at least 24 people, Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said.

A statement released by Turkey's air force said that it carried out the air strikes against PKK targets located in the Sinjar Mountain region in northern Iraq, and in Karachok mountains in northeastern Syria on Tuesday.

The targets were hit to prevent the PKK from sending "terrorists, arms, ammunition and explosives to Turkey," the statement said, adding that the operation was conducted "within the scope of the international law".

The PKK are Kurdish fighters operating in Turkey, while the Rojava Defence Units (YPG) are Kurdish fighters operating in Northern Syria and the Peshmerga fighters are in charge of security in Iraqi Kurdistan. The three groups are currently fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

At least six people were killed, five from the Peshmerga and a sixth from Asayish (Rojava)," Lieutenant General Jabbar Yawar, secretary-general of the Peshmerga ministry in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish government, told AFP news agency.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group which tracks the Syrian war, said that at least 18 YPG fighters were killed in the air strikes in Syria's Hasakah province.

READ MORE: Turkey ends 'Euphrates Shield' operation in Syria

The YPG in Northern Syria, said on their Twitter account that Turkish war planes targeted the headquarters of the General Command of the YPG in Mount Karachok near the city of Derik in Hasakah province.

The YPG also reported that a media centre, a local radio station, communication headquarters and some military institutions were also hit.

The group forms a key component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and have been closing in on ISIL in Raqqa.

The PKK established a presence in Iraq's Sinjar after coming to help the region's Yazidi population when ISIL overran the area in the summer of 2014.

ANALYSIS: What's next for Turkey in Syria

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahebarra, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkey-Syria border, said the air strikes come at a moment of strained ties between Turkey and Iraq.

"The Turkish ministry says the air strikes were precise and successful. The Turkish military tipped up its campaign against the PKK on the border area and said it killed a dozen PKK fighters in the past days."

Turkey sent tanks into the town of Bashiqa in northern Iraq in 2015, saying it was providing military assistance and training for the Peshmerga fighters against ISIL, Ahebarra explained.

"The Iraqi government, on the other hand, has been asking the Turkish government to pull out the tanks threatening more confrontations," he added.

The PKK is designated a "terrorist group" by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Details:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/turkey-targets-kurdish-fighters-iraq-syria-170425081224935.html

Latest News 

China urges restraint in dealing with North Korea

Tensions have recently soared between North Korea and the US over missile tests [File: EPA]

The appeal comes during Xi phone call to Trump following rising speculation N Korea may hold a sixth nuclear test this week.

China's President Xi Jinping has called for restraint when dealing with North Korea during a telephone call with US President Donald Trump, according to Chinese state media.

The official broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi on Monday as telling Trump that China strongly opposed North Korea's nuclear weapons program, which is in violation of UN Council resolutions, and hoped all parties will exercise restraint and avoid aggravating the situation" on the Korean Peninsula.

The Trump administration has warned that all options, including a military strike, are "on the table" to halt North Korea's ambitions of developing a nuclear-tipped missile that could reach the US mainland.

The phone call, which took place on Monday morning Beijing time, came amid speculation that North Korea could hold a sixth nuclear test this week.

More Details

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/china-urges-restraint-north-korea-trump-call-170424055213006.html 

Afghan defence chiefs resign over deadly Taliban attack

Asia News: Afghan defense chiefs resign over deadly Taliban attack

Afghanistan's defense minister and army chief of staff have resigned in the wake of a Taliban attack that left scores of soldiers dead, the presidential palace says.

The attack happened on Friday at an army base near Mazar-e Sharif.

Insurgents targeted troops leaving Friday prayers at the base's mosque and in a canteen, the army said.

It was the Taliban's deadliest attack on the armed forces since US-led forces drove them from power in 2001.

The resignations coincided with the arrival of US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on an unannounced visit to Kabul. He is due to meet both Afghan officials and US troops.

Insurgents are also reported to have attacked a base in Khost, in eastern Afghanistan on Monday. A car bomb detonated at the entrance to Camp Chapman, a US-operated base, and there were a number of Afghan casualties, Reuters news agency reported.

How did the Mazar-e Sharif attack unfold?

A group of about 10 Taliban insurgents dressed in Afghan military uniforms and driving military vehicles made their way into the base in the northern city and opened fire.

Many of those who died were young recruits training at the base. Witnesses described chaotic scenes as the young soldiers struggled to work out who was friend or foe.

The attackers were armed with guns, grenades and some were wearing suicide vests, reports said. The defense ministry said the attackers were all killed.

It is not clear exactly how many soldiers died. The Afghan defense ministry has not released firm casualty figures, only saying more than 100 people were killed or injured.

Other officials have told BBC that at least 136 people died - 124 coffins had been sent out to different parts of the country and 12 soldiers had not yet been identified, they said.

But some sources say the toll was even higher. One eyewitness told the BBC he counted 165 bodies.

At the scene today - By Justin Rowlatt, BBC News, Mazar-e Sharif

The bodies have all been removed but the scale of the carnage still is horrifically apparent. Buildings are pock-marked with bullet holes and there are sprays of blood on the walls and floors.

A few workers are cleaning up. They wear face masks against the smell and I notice that among the rubble they are shoveling are shoes and pieces of fabric.

A team of forensics officers from America and Germany cluster around one of the two pick-up trucks the Taliban fighters used to enter the base. They are collecting blood and other samples.

The floor of the vehicle is littered with spent cartridges, the windscreen is shattered and there is also evidence of the deadly subterfuge the Taliban team used to enter the base.

They were wearing Afghan army uniforms and one was pretending to be injured with a bloodied bandage on his head and a drip in his arm. The tube from that drip is still on the back seat.

The commander of the base, General Katawazai, said the long battle to regain control of the base was the most difficult he had ever experienced. He had to make sure he didn't fire on his own troops.

But, when I asked what impact it had had on morale he surprised me. He said the attack had actually raised morale: "Now my men are even more determined to fight the Taliban," he said.

Why have officials stepped down?

The resignations of Defence Minister Abdullah Habibi and army chief Qadam Shah Shaheem were announced in a one-line statement from the presidential palace.

No explanation was given but the attack has caused widespread anger in Afghanistan, with many questioning the government's ability to counter the Taliban insurgency.

It comes just weeks after the assault on the military hospital in Kabul, which left dozens of people dead.

That attack was blamed on the so-called Islamic State, but many have questioned the official narrative, saying the attackers shouted pro-Taliban slogans.

In both recent attacks, people have questioned the inability of the authorities to prevent them, the lack of clarity regarding death tolls and the possibility of insider involvement.

The recent fall of Sangin in the south - a strategically important center - has also shaken confidence in the defense establishment.

So the security situation is deteriorating?

Since the US-led Nato troops ended their mission, the Afghan military has struggled to contain the insurgents.

According to a US government estimate in November 1016, the government had uncontested control of only 57% of the country, down from 72% a year earlier. Since then, Sangin has fallen in the south.

Militants from the so-called Islamic State group have also established a small stronghold in the east and have carried out attacks in Kabul, including targeting Shia communities.

Earlier this month the US dropped its largest ever conventional bomb on suspected IS fighters, killing dozens. But Mirwais Yasini, an Afghan MP from the east, said the US focus on IS was misguided when the Taliban was the biggest threat.

"You drop your biggest bomb on Daesh [IS], but what about the Taliban who kill dozens of our people every day?" Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.

What is the US doing?

There are still about 8,400 US troops and 5,000 Nato troops in Afghanistan helping to build local forces.

In February the top US commander in the country, General John Nicholson, said several thousand more were needed. "Offensive capability is what will break the stalemate in Afghanistan," he said.

But White House policy on the Afghan conflict remains unclear. Donald Trump's administration has not yet appointed an ambassador to Afghanistan or set out its strategy for the region.

Recent visits, however, could signal new engagement. Earlier this month, National Security Adviser HR McMaster visited Kabul and said that officials would present Mr Trump with a "range of options".

The surprise arrival of Mr Mattis could suggest new focus from the White House on this long-running conflict.

Details: BBC News.

Al Jazeera and news agencies

Afghan officials resign after Taliban attack

Army chief and defense minister forced to step down as the country mourns a loss of 130 lives in Taliban assault on Army base.

Afghanistan's army chief and defense minister have resigned following a Taliban attack on an army base over the weekend that killed more than 100 people, as the US defense secretary arrived in Kabul on an unannounced visit.

The attack, the biggest ever by the Taliban on a military base in Afghanistan, involved multiple attackers and suicide bombers in army uniforms who penetrated the compound of the 209th Corps of the Afghan National Army in northern Balkh province on Friday.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault, which according to some estimates killed over 130 people.

President Ashraf Ghani accepted the resignations of Qadam Shah Shahim, the army chief of staff and Abdullah Habibi, the country's defense minister, on Monday, according to a statement from the president's office.

Jim Mattis was expected to meet Afghan officials and US troops, but his arrival coincided with the Friday's Taliban assault. Sources told Al Jazeera that his arrival is to determine role and goals of the US troops in Afghanistan. 

"It is not an easy time. An attack of this scale has affected many people in this country and of course us as well, but these resignations did not affect our morale," General Dawlat Waziri, a spokesperson of the Afghan Ministry of Defense, told Al Jazeera.

"We will make sure that whoever is responsible for this attack will face our wrath, they [attackers/Taliban] need to get ready now."

IN PICTURES: The Afghans on the front lines fighting the Taliban

Protesters gathered outside the presidential palace in Kabul on Monday mounting pressure for officials to held accountable, but not many did not participate in the demonstration due to high-security alert in the area.

"Our government is responsible for what happened to our soldiers in Balkh and we want accountability, we demand it," Mustafa Aminizada told Al Jazeera.

"This can not keep going on, it is too much for us. The government needs to make some serious changes."

Al Jazeera's Rob McBride, reporting from Kabul, said they were forced to resign and their positions were "untenable".

"Given the scale of the attack, which has been described as nothing short of a massacre, there have been growing calls on social media, the local media, the streets and even in parliament for both of these men to go," he said.

"Both of these men were under pressure for a similar attack just over a month ago when infiltrators managed to get inside a hospital and claimed more than 50 lives."

"The defense minister managed to escape a vote of no-confidence in parliament and narrowly held on to his job. So, both men have now taken a logical step."

On Sunday, Afghanistan marked a day of national mourning, with memorial services held at mosques and the Afghan flag flying at half-staff on government buildings and offices across the country.

READ MORE: Hamid Karzai calls MOAB 'brutal act against innocent people'

The attack in Balkh raises serious questions about the Afghan military's capability to stand on its own in the civil war following the withdrawal of foreign combat forces at the end of 2014.

"We're also approaching a sensitive time when the Taliban launches its spring offensive. The military has to be on its guard," our correspondent said.


"This attack further undermines the military. There has already been talked about corruption and allegations of poor leadership. This does nothing to strengthen the army at this time."

Al Jazeera's political analyst, Hashmat Moslih, said the attack highlighted the continuous failure of military intelligence as well as the wider intelligence gathering of security forces.

"While the Taliban have homed in on toppling the government, the government's efforts are scattered," he said.

"The government is predominantly engaged in undermining its political rivals within the power-sharing government."

The American and other foreign troops remaining in Afghanistan are now mostly acting in an advisory and training role, with some combat assistance.

North Korea threatens to sink US aircraft carrier

Last Update: North Korea threatens to sink US aircraft carrier

    Updated 0854 GMT (1654 HKT) April 24, 2017

North Korea on Sunday threatened to sink an American aircraft carrier that is beginning joint drills with two Japanese destroyers in the western Pacific Ocean.

The USS Carl Vinson will be joined by the Ashigara and Samidare destroyers in "tactical training" drills near the Philippines, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force said.

North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial the country is ready to illustrate its "military force" by sinking a "nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a single strike."

The state newspaper claimed to have weaponry which "can reach continental US and Asia Pacific region" and the "absolute weapon," hydrogen bomb.

CNN cannot independently verify the claims.

In the face of recent saber-rattling from North Korea, US President Donald Trump had said the Vinson carrier group was being deployed to waters off the Korean Peninsula

The location of the Vinson has dominated headlines after Trump's remark on April 12.

Trump said he was sending "an armada" to Korean waters potentially to deal with threats from North Korea. The statement came after Pyongyang said it had successfully launched a new ballistic missile.

"We are sending an armada. Very powerful," Trump told Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo. "We have submarines. Very powerful. Far more powerful than the aircraft carrier. That I can tell you."

But it turned out the carrier group was not actually steaming toward the peninsula, but rather heading to joint exercises with the Australian navy.

The US Pacific Command said Tuesday that training with the Australian navy had been completed, and that "the Carl Vinson Strike Group is heading north to the Western Pacific as a prudent measure."

US defense officials told CNN the Vinson and its carrier group would arrive off the Korean Peninsula by the end of April.

News by CNN.

Polls open for first round of French presidential vote

Polls open for first round of French presidential vote

Al-Jazeera News:

Any two of the four leading candidates could reach the second round in a vote that could determine the fate of the EU.

Polls have opened in France for the first round of the presidential election, in a vote that could not only have significant consequences for the country but also the future of the European Union.

Four candidates in Sunday's election have a realistic chance of reaching the second round run-off on May 7, with just 5 percentage points separating them according to the latest opinion polls.

They are Emmanuel Macron, a former minister, and leader of the centrist En Marche! party; Marine Le Pen, president of the far-right National Front; Francois Fillon, a former minister and leader of the conservative Republican party; and Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left La France Insoumise party.

At least two candidates, Le Pen and Melenchon, have promised to review the country's ties with the EU and have raised the prospect of leaving the bloc.

However, the EU is not the only dividing line, with candidates holding sharply contrasting views on immigration, economic policy, and the country's Muslim population.

Le Pen has promised to halt immigration and strengthen the country's borders, while her centrist rival Macron supports the open-door policies of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which have allowed more than a million refugees and migrants from the Middle East into Europe.

On economic policy, Macron favors cut to public spending, as does his conservative competitor, Fillon.

Melenchon, on the other hand, wants a 100 percent tax on earnings above $429,000 a year.

Security will also be a concern, as France has experienced a number of attacks by supporters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. 

Most recently, a police officer was shot to death and two others injured on Paris' Champs Elysees in an attack on Thursday evening that was also claimed by ISIL, also known as ISIS.

Before official campaigning ended on Friday, candidates were battling not just against each other but also against the apathy that has taken hold among large sections of the French population.

Incumbent President Francois Hollande decided not to stand because of his low poll numbers, and Benoit Hamon, the candidate for Hollande's Socialist party, trails way behind the four frontrunners.

Polling companies put the number of those planning not to vote or to cast blank ballots at nearly 30 percent, with many others, half the electorate according to some estimates, undecided about who to vote for.

Voters in French South American and Caribbean territories, including Guiana and Martinique, went to the polls on Saturday, a day before voting in mainland France.

Al Jazeera's Shafik Mandhai, reporting from Paris, said many people had already cast their votes as they headed off to work.

"There's a very slow but steady stream of voters at a polling station in the 19 Arrondissement," he said.

"Many of those we've spoken to in this racially diverse neighborhood say they fear the policies of Marine Le Pen."

Jean Edouard, a taxi driver, told Al Jazeera that he was supporting Macron out of fear of both Le Pen and Melenchon.

"Le Pen for her closeness to racist views but also Melenchon because he acts like people are not able to think of themselves," he said.

Many of those who told Al Jazeera they would not be voting for any candidate said their decision was based on a general distrust of politicians, a feeling shared even by some of those who have decided on a candidate.

Speaking to Al Jazeera before Sunday's election, Jeanie, a pensioner from Paris. said that she would vote for Fillon despite the corruption scandal that has engulfed his campaign.

"When we vote in France, we do so reluctantly," she said next to her husband who pinched his nose as he gestured dropping a ballot into a box.

The polling stations will remain open until 8 pm on Sunday, with the Ministry of the Interior announcing results shortly afterward.

Details Video:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/polls-open-french-presidential-vote-170422215132793.html

Timeline of administration's statements shows confusion about location of US aircraft carrier.

Breaking News: Timeline of administration's statements shows confusion about location of US aircraft carrier

ABC News:

The White House today tried to clarify a series of confusing and possibly misleading statements about the location of a nuclear-capable aircraft carrier it initially said was headed north to the Korean Peninsula in the face of recent military provocations by North Korea.

The USS Carl Vinson was actually headed south from Singapore to participate in a four-day military exercise with the Australian Navy that only ended Tuesday. The carrier group is not expected in the Sea of Japan until the end of the month.

"Well, I mean I -- PACOM [U.S. Pacific Command] put out a release talking about the group ultimately ending up in the Korean peninsula. That's what it will do," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at a press briefing this afternoon.

President Trump said in an interview last week that "we are sending an armada."

When asked whether the president may have spoken too quickly on the ship’s whereabouts before it actually headed north, Spicer replied, "The president said we'd have an armada going towards the peninsula. That's a fact. It happened. It is happening, rather."

But last week multiple senior administration officials indicated it was happening then, not now.

Spicer referred reporters to PACOM and the Department of Defense for details on the timing of the carrier group's arrival to the Korean Peninsula.

Here is a breakdown on how U.S. military and administration officials’ statements about the Vinson contributed to the confusion.

April 8

U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) issued a statement on behalf of the Third Fleet that Admiral Harry Harris had "directed the Carl Vinson Strike Group to sail north and report on station in the Western Pacific Ocean after departing Singapore April 8."

The statement said that the Vinson would head north "rather than executing previously planned port visits to Australia."

It made no mention of the Sea of Japan or North Korea, though a U.S. official told ABC News that the intended redirection of the Vincent was to the Sea of Japan east of the Korean Peninsula.

The decision to change the course of the Vinson rested with Admiral Harris, who commands PACOM.

April 9

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster was asked why the Vinson strike group was moving to the Korean Peninsula.

"Well, it's prudent to do it, isn't it?" McMaster told Fox News Sunday. "I mean, North Korea has been engaged in a pattern of provocative behavior. This is -- this is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime, and President Xi and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And so, the president has asked to be prepared to give him a full range of options to remove that threat the American people and to our allies and partners in the region."

April 11

Tensions continued to escalate between North Korea and the Trump administration. The president tweeted early in the morning that North Korea was "looking for trouble."

"If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them!" the tweet read.

Later that day, White House press secretary Sean Spicer seemed to acknowledge the Vinson was headed to the Sea of Japan, saying, “The forward deployment is deterrence, presence. It’s prudent. But it does a lot of things. It ensures our -- we have the strategic capabilities, and it gives the President options in the region.”

Asked specifically about the Sea of Japan, Spicer said, “I think when you see a carrier group steaming into an area like that, the forward presence of that is clearly, through almost every instance, a huge deterrence. So I think it serves multiple capabilities.”

Then-Defense Secretary James Mattis told reporters during a Pentagon news conference that the Vinson was “on her way up there because that's where we thought it was most prudent to have her at this time.” He added that the ship's role in an Australian exercise had been canceled.

     Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, April 11, 2017.

It would later be revealed that the ship did participate in those exercises with the Australian Navy. The Pentagon issued a correction to the transcript one week later, on April 18, saying the ship's port visit to Fremantle, Australia, was canceled but the exercises proceeded as planned.

At the time, however, Mattis gave the impression that the Vinson strike group was on its way to the Korean Peninsula.

April 12

In an interview with Fox Business Network, President Trump says the United States is "sending an armada" after a question about North Korea.

“We are sending an armada, very powerful. We have submarines, very powerful, far more powerful than the aircraft carrier," he said.

Later that day, U.S. Pacific Command tweeted photos of the USS Carl Vinson "on patrol in the Western Pacific, ready for any contingency." It was heading south from Singapore through Indonesia for exercises with the Australian military that were set to begin on April 15.

April 14

North Korea holds a big military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 105th birthday of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung. The parade featured intercontinental ballistic missiles and previously unseen canisters that could hold a long-range missile.

April 15

The Vinson transited south through the Sunda Strait in Indonesia, thousands of nautical miles from the Sea of Japan. The U.S. Navy released a photo of the transit two days later.

The Vinson participated in exercises with the Australian Navy off the coast of northwestern Australia. It has not yet left for the Sea of Japan.

Early Saturday evening Eastern Standard Time, North Korea conducted a failed ballistic missile test. The missile exploded immediately after liftoff.

April 17

Vice President Mike Pence, who landed in Seoul on Sunday, told CNN that "North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region."

Pence cited the "Mother of all Bombs" dropped in Afghanistan days prior, even though that bomb was not intended by the White House to send a message to North Korea.

The decision to drop the bomb on ISIS fighters was made by commanders in Afghanistan.

April 18

U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) announced that the Vinson was heading to the Western Pacific, as ordered.

“The USS Carl Vinson Strike Group is proceeding to the Western Pacific as ordered," the news release said. "After departing Singapore on April 8 and canceling a scheduled port visit to Perth, the Strike Group was able to complete a curtailed period of previously scheduled training with Australia in international waters off the northwest coast of Australia. The Carl Vinson Strike Group is heading north to the Western Pacific as a prudent measure.”

The location of the "Western Pacific" did little to clear up the Vinson's location because PACOM had tweeted six days earlier that the Vinson was "on patrol in the Western Pacific."

April 19

Vice President Pence was asked about whether the military and administration's comments regarding the Vinson's location were deliberately misleading.

"Oh, I think not," he said. "We have an extraordinary commitment of U.S. Forces in the region. The 'Carl Vinson' and that battle group are be deployed to the Sea of Japan and will likely arrive here in the coming weeks."

Defense Secretary Mattis was also asked to clear up the confusion about the Vinson's redirection. Mattis, talking to reporters from Saudi Arabia, said the ship is "doing exactly what we said."

"The bottom line is in our effort to always be open about what we’re doing, we said that we were going to change the Vinson’s upcoming schedule," Mattis said. "The Vinson, as I’ve said on the record, was operating up and down the Western Pacific. And were doing exactly what we said. And that is we are shifting her, instead of continuing her in one direction, as she pulled out of Singapore she’s is going to continue part of her cruise down in that region. But she was on her way up to Korea.

"We don’t generally give out ship schedules in advance but I didn’t want to play a game either and say we’re not changing a schedule when in fact we had," Mattis continued.

The Carl Vinson's own Facebook page posted today that the seven-month deployment of the ship had been extended by 30 days for "persistent presence in the waters off the Korean Peninsula."

News Reference:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/timeline-administrations-statements-shows-confusion-location-us-aircraft/story?id=46888209