World

NEW YORK — Donald Trump and Megyn Kelly appear to have called a truce.

The two sat down for a much-ballyhooed interview that was the culmination — at least for now — of the frequent sparring between the now-presumptive Republican presidential nominee and one of the biggest stars on the conservative-friendly Fox News Channel. It was taped last month and aired Tuesday night on the Fox broadcast network.

Their fight began last August, in the first GOP debate, when Kelly lobbed several tough questions at Trump, including one about how he has publicly talked about women. Trump escalated the feud over Twitter for months.

But the brash celebrity businessman appeared somewhat sheepish in the interview when Kelly asked him about some of the insults he tweeted — or retweeted — her way, frequently including "bimbo".

"Uh, that was a retweet. Did I say that?" Trump asked.

"Many times," Kelly responded.

"Ooooh. OK," said Trump, who insisted that he didn't want his followers bombarding Kelly with ugly social media posts.

Kelly made a clandestine visit to the Trump Tower in April to negotiate the interview.

Trump praised her for that, saying he had "great respect" for Kelly's willingness to make the initial approach. He also turned, at times, somewhat introspective, saying "he could have done without" his retweet of a post that mocked the appearance of Heidi Cruz, the wife of former rival Ted Cruz.

"The thing that gets me in trouble is the retweet," Trump said. "The retweet is really more of a killer than a tweet. I seem to do pretty well with the real tweet."

But he largely defended his attacks as counter-punching and "not bullying".

"When I'm wounded, I go after people hard. I try to un-wound myself," said Trump.

"I'm responding," he added. "Now, I then respond times 10, I don't know. I then respond pretty strongly."

At the conclusion of the interview, Trump tweeted "Well done Megyn — and they all lived happily ever after!" But he told Kelly that he sometimes stays angry and appeared to hint that their feud could re-ignite someday.

"This could happen again with us," he said.

But the proceedings clearly lacked any of the fiery denunciations Trump has been lobbing at Kelly since the night of the first debate, beginning with a tweet that declared Kelly was "not very good or professional”.

The relationship only worsened from there. Trump skipped the second Fox News-sponsored debate because of Kelly (though he attended the third) and kept up a steady stream of insults on Twitter. He unleashed screeds about her "dopey lies" and how her show was better when she was on vacation. He later called her "highly overrated and crazy", retweeted a follower who called her a "bimbo" and called for a boycott of her show.

Kelly, meanwhile, told Vanity Fair that she could never be intimidated or "be wooed" by the celebrity businessman and insisted her coverage of Trump was fair.

Even as that largely one-sided feud raged, Trump enjoyed rather warm coverage from other hosts at Fox News. Kelly is in the final year of her contract with the network and has been non-committal about returning.

Trump had pledged to live-tweet the taped interview Tuesday night but instead largely engaged with followers who praised the show, all while insisting the interview "was not soft at all!" He also posted "I like Michael Douglas!" in praise of one of the other guests on Kelly's hour-long special.

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would speak with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in what would be a dramatic shift in US policy.

"I would speak to him, I would have no problem speaking to him," the Republican presumptive presidential nominee told Reuters in an exclusive interview.

Until now, the US strategy has been to try and isolate Pyongyang.

"I would put a lot of pressure on China because economically we have tremendous power over China. People don't realize that," Trump added, talking about China as North Korea's lone ally. 

"They are extracting vast billions of dollars out of our country. Billions. And we have tremendous power over China. China can solve that problem with one meeting or one phone call."

Asked how that could unfold, Trump said: "Because they have tremendous power over North Korea."

Reminded that North Korea has nukes, Trump replied: "I know that. So does China, by the way."

The Republican also called for a renegotiation of the Paris climate accord, saying he is "not a big fan", and voiced disapproval of Russian President Vladimir Putin's moves in eastern Ukraine, the report said.

The Paris deal stipulates agreed carbon emissions reductions by more than 170 countries. He said he would want to renegotiate the deal because it treats the United States unfairly and gives favourable treatment to countries such as China.

"I will be looking at that very, very seriously, and at a minimum I will be renegotiating those agreements, at a minimum. And at a maximum I may do something else," Trump said.

Reworking or scrapping the pact would be a big setback for what was touted as the first global climate pact.

KANO, Nigeria — The first schoolgirl abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, more than two years ago has been found, the military and activists said Wednesday, raising hopes for the release of 218 others still being held.

Amina Ali was discovered on Tuesday in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno state by civilian vigilantes assisting the military and brought back to her hometown of Mbalala, near Chibok. 

"She met her parents, who recognised their daughter before she was taken to the military base in Damboa," Ayuba Alamson Chibok, a community leader in Chibok, told AFP. 

"Her father's name is Ali and the girl's name is Amina. I know the family very well because I have worked with them, being a spokesman for the families of the Chibok girls." 

Yakubu Nkeki, the head of the Abducted Chibok Girls Parents' group, also confirmed her name and said she was 17 when she was abducted. 

He added: "She's the daughter of my neighbour... They brought her to my house."

Tsambido Hosea Abana, a Chibok community leader in the capital, Abuja, from the BringBackOurGirls pressure group, also gave an identical account.

All three men said the teenager appeared to have given birth while in captivity while Abana said she had told family there were other kidnapped girls in the forest, but "six were already dead”.

The Sambisa Forest has long been known to contain Boko Haram camps. Other abducted women rescued from the former game reserve over the last year have reported seeing some of the Chibok girls.

Army spokesman Cl. Sani Usman confirmed the girl's rescue, although he gave a different name — Falmata Mbalala — and said she was found by troops in Baale, near Damboa.

Manaseh Allan, a Chibok youth leader, said it was not uncommon for children in the town to use different names at home and at school.

The leader of the BringBackOurGirls group in Abuja, former education minister Oby Ezekwesili, tweeted: "It is OFFICIAL. OUR #ChibokGirlAminaAli of Mbalala village is BACK!!!!!!!

"#218ShallBeBack because #HopeEndures... Thanks #CivilianJTF and @HQNigerianArmy."

The group has mounted daily vigils in the capital since the abduction calling for the release of the schoolgirls and hundreds of other hostages.

Boko Haram seized 276 students from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on the night of April 14, 2014. Fifty-seven managed to escape in the immediate aftermath.

The abduction sparked outrage worldwide and brought global attention to the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 people and made more than 2.6 million homeless since 2009.

Nothing had been heard from the 219 still held captive since a video published by the extremists in May 2014, until an apparent "proof of life" message was sent to the Nigerian government earlier this year.

Fifteen of the girls, wearing black hijabs, were seen in the video, which was purportedly shot on December 25, Christmas Day, last year.

But despite the identities of the girls being confirmed by mothers and a classmate, the government said it was cautious about raising hopes of their release.

There have been previous claims of talks with Boko Haram, whose leader Abubakar Shekau has said he would release the hostages if militants held in Nigerian custody were released.

But the talks appear to have been with factions of the group, without the approval of the high command.

The video gave weight to theories the girls were split up after the abduction and were being held in separate locations, complicating any possible talks or a rescue bid.

The girls were taken as Boko Haram captured swathes of territory in northeastern states in 2014. But the insurgents have been pushed out by a military fight-back in the last 15 months.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, who has said Boko Haram is "technically" defeated, has said success in the campaign would be measured on the return of the Chibok girls and other abductees.

OTTAWA — Wildfires continued their devastating advance on Tuesday, leading authorities to order more evacuations in Canada's oil sands region surrounding the city of Fort McMurray.

In total, about 8,000 people were forced to leave some 20 camps and facilities north of the city in Alberta province due to thick smoke and flare-ups.

The evacuation order was issued late Monday (0200 GMT Tuesday) for the area connected by a 50km stretch of highway between Fort McMurray and the town of Fort MacKay, in the heart of the oil sands.

"The evacuation zone has increased north of the city of Fort McMurray due to evolving fire conditions," the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo said.

"Several camps are affected by this evacuation. Approximately 8,000 people impacted," the statement read.

Some 100,000 residents and oil workers had already been evacuated from Fort McMurray and its surroundings two weeks ago.

Oil company workers had just started trickling back to an area to the north when the latest evacuation was ordered late Monday. 

Canada's largest petroleum company, Suncor, was forced to shutter its oil operations almost immediately after getting them back up and running.

Suncor said it "is in the process of transporting personnel from the lodges on Aostra Road and near its base plant facility to other lodges further north".

And as a precautionary measure, "we have started a staged and orderly shutdown of our base plant operations. There has been no damage to Suncor's assets," the company added in a statement.

Another oil company, Syncrude, also operates in the area.

Forest fires that were beaten back last week were once again threatening oil facilities, while releasing a massive cloud of thick, black smoke stretching across the horizon.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police responded by closing Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray — the main route in and out of the oil patch.

In their latest bulletin, fire officials reported 19 active fires in Alberta, four more than announced on Monday. Some 2,000 firefighters are battling the blazes, including four that are out of control.

Thick smoke 

The largest fire near Fort McMurray has scorched nearly 2,900 sq.km. of forests around the city, fuelled by hot, dry weather and gusts of wind up to 40 kilometres per hour.

Firefighters have been battling around the clock to safeguard Fort McMurray and nearby oil facilities, and stall the fire's advance eastward towards neighbouring Saskatchewan province. It was a mere 10km away from the border as of Monday.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley mentioned difficult conditions throughout the area, with intense fire producing thick smoke.

Workers in the Fort McMurray area may need gas masks due to the risk posed by the fumes from the fire, Notley said, adding that the air quality is three times worse than acceptable levels.

These conditions would delay repairs to city water and gas infrastructure and push back the return of residents, Notley said.

The worsening situation, after a glimmer of hope last week that the worst was over after one of the largest evacuations in Canadian history, is expected to have a significant economic impact too.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, oil production was reduced by 1.2 million barrels per day on average, depriving government coffers of an estimated $1 billion in oil royalties.

PARIS — French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday the battle against unemployment was not yet won as he vowed to stick with his controversial attempts to reform the labour market.

The reforms have sparked two months of street protests and led to an unsuccessful attempt to bring down the government.

But Hollande said he placed the need to reform over his personal popularity even as he weighs a possible bid for re-election next year.

“I will not give way because too many [previous] governments have backed down,” Hollande said in an hourlong interview with Europe 1 radio.

“I prefer that people have an image of a president who made reforms rather than a president who did nothing,” he said.

Truck drivers obstructed roads in western France on Tuesday as a week of strikes kicked off in protest at the package of reforms. 

The government argues the changes will make the notoriously rigid labour market more flexible, but which opponents say will erode job security.

‘No alternative’

Hollande has pledged to decide at the end of this year whether to stand for re-election next May, but he said Tuesday he saw “no alternative” to himself on the left of French politics.

“If I am not there... if the left is not re-elected, the right or the extreme-right will win,” he said.

Hollande is staking his bid on bringing down unemployment, stuck stubbornly at above 10 per cent, and at nearly 25 per cent for young people.

“It takes time for those reforms to take effect,” Hollande said.

“The battle is not won. It will only be won when we have, over several months, a sustained fall in unemployment,” he said. “I am fighting the battle every day.”

The Socialist government last week survived a vote of non-confidence, which was called by the centre-right opposition, after it forced through the labour market reform bill without parliament’s approval.

The draft law will now be debated in the senate, the upper house of parliament.

Many unions and students’ groups say the reforms will do little to address France’s jobless rate and many employers fear they have been so watered down in the face of opposition that they will fail to have any effect.

But a defiant Hollande said the draft law “is going to go through because it has been debated, agreed on and amended”.

The president also promised tougher action against troublemakers who have infiltrated street protests against the reforms, damaged property and provoked confrontation with riot police.

Many of the demonstrations against the reforms have descended into violence.

“It will not be accepted,” Hollande said, promising more arrests and bans on protesting for others.

“Demonstrating is a right, but smashing things up is a crime,” he said.

The president said more than 1,000 people had already been arrested and that 350 police officers had been injured in the violence.

LONDON — UN special envoy Angelina Jolie Pitt urged the international community on Monday to respond to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II with generosity and not the "politics of fear".

In a speech in London, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actress said there was a "duty that falls on all of us" to help those fleeing their homes, warning the alternative was "chaos".

The American star also had criticism for US presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has proposed building a wall to stop Mexican immigrants and called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

"It is hard to hear that this is coming from somebody who is pressing to be an American president," she said in a question and answer session after her speech.

"America is built on people coming together for freedom, especially freedom of religion."

Conflicts, including the five-year war in Syria, have fuelled a global refugee crisis, with 60 million refugees and displaced people across the world.

Jolie Pitt, a United Nations special envoy for refugees, said she recognised that some people felt "angry" about the numbers of people on the move, and no longer had faith that institutions could deal with the issue.

"It has given space to a false air of legitimacy to those who promote the politics of fear and separation," she said.

"It has created the risk of a race to the bottom, with countries competing to be the toughest in the hope of protecting themselves whatever the cost or challenge to their neighbours, and despite their international responsibilities."

However, she warned: "If your neighbour's house is on fire you are not safe if you lock your doors. Strength lies in being unafraid."

Jolie Pitt called on the international community to be more generous towards refugees, who were each "a person with an equal right to stand in dignity on this planet".

"This is a duty that falls on all of us, to the next UN secretary general, to all governments, to civil society, to everyone of us," she said.

"Whether we succeed will help define this century. The alternative is chaos."

The UN set out a plan last week that aims to resettle at least 10 per cent of the global refugee population every year, as it tries to tackle the crisis.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hopes the new "global compact on responsibility-sharing" will lift some of the burden on developing countries. 

BRASÍLIA — Street protests and controversy over the absence of female ministers clouded Brazilian acting President Michel Temer's political honeymoon Monday as he began his first full week in power.

Temer took over from president Dilma Rousseff last week after the senate voted to open an impeachment trial on charges that she illegally manipulated the budget. The 75-year-old centre-right leader has vowed to reverse Rousseff's leftist course in an attempt to haul Brazil back from its deepest recession in decades.

Although a Cabinet — which will be reduced from a bloated 32 ministries to 23 — has already been named, there was a delay to the nomination in the key post of central bank head.

New Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles, whose early pronouncements are being carefully watched by the markets, had been due to announce the nominee Monday but put it off for a day, Brazilian newspapers reported.

In a television interview late Sunday, Temer vowed to unite Brazil after months of increasingly divisive debate over the impeachment of Rousseff, who accuses Temer of leading a coup.

"Unification of the country means unifying political parties, employers and workers, and making a joint effort in Brazilian society so that we can get out of the crisis we find ourselves in," he said on Globo television.

Jeers

But just days into the job, Temer finds himself under steady attack from the left.

Jeering and pot banging could be heard in parts of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo during his television interview, a form of protest that used to dog Rousseff to the point where she began avoiding broadcast appearances.

Street protests also took place Sunday in several cities, including the capital Brasilia and the financial centre Sao Paulo.

Another was held Monday in Rio de Janeiro, which hosts the Olympics in less than three months. Activists occupied offices of the education and culture ministries, which are being merged under Temer's plan.

Although the scale of opposition demonstrations is so far modest, Rousseff's fight against impeachment in the senate trial, which could take as long as six months, means that Temer is having trouble settling in.

"The popular reaction to the coup continues and the protests should continue," Rui Falcao, president of Rousseff's Workers' Party, said Monday.

Unpopular 

Polls show Temer is almost as unpopular as Rousseff.

His naming of a Cabinet comprised entirely of white men has put him on the defencive.

In his Sunday interview he looked to sidestep the controversy, insisting that women would be given powerful posts, although not at ministerial level. But his reference to women as "representatives of the feminine world" prompted derision on opposition social media.

Another hurdle facing Temer is to make good on his promise to cut costs and streamline the overburdened state budget. He has promised to slash up to 5,000 civil service jobs and says that he, unlike Rousseff, is in a position to deal with congress over unpopular budget reductions.

Temer was due to meet Monday with the main unions to discuss social security reforms. But one of the biggest groups, the CUT, boycotted the session.

A constitutional lawyer who was Rousseff's vice president thanks to an uneasy coalition between his PMDB party and the Workers' Party, Temer says he feels free to act in the interests of the country because he likely won't seek election in the scheduled 2018 presidential vote.

"I realise I don't have popular backing," he said. But "I don't have to make gestures or do things leading to an eventual re-election. I can even be, let's say, unpopular, because as long as I produce benefits for the country that's enough for me." 

CARACAS — Venezuela's opposition on Saturday slammed a state of emergency decreed by President Nicolas Maduro and vowed to press home efforts to remove the leftist leader this year amid a grim economic crisis.

Maduro on Friday night declared a 60-day state of emergency due to what he called plots from Venezuela and the United States to subvert him. He did not provide specifics.

The measure shows Maduro is panicking as a push for a recall referendum against him gains traction with tired, frustrated Venezuelans, opposition leaders said during a protest in Caracas.

"We're talking about a desperate president who is putting himself on the margin of legality and constitutionality," said Democratic Unity coalition leader Jesus Torrealba, adding Maduro was losing support within his own bloc.

"If this state of emergency is issued without consulting the National Assembly, we would technically be talking about a self-coup," he told hundreds of supporters who waved Venezuelan flags and chanted "he's going to fall."

The opposition won control of the National Assembly in a December election, propelled by voter anger over product shortages, raging inflation that has annihilated salaries, and rampant violent crime, but the legislature has been routinely undercut by the supreme court.

‘A time bomb’

Protests are on the rise and a key poll shows nearly 70 per cent of Venezuelans now say Maduro must go this year.

Maduro has vowed to see his term through, however, blasting opposition politicians as coup-mongering elitists seeking to emulate the impeachment of fellow leftist Dilma Rousseff in Brazil.

Saying trouble-makers were fomenting violence to justify a foreign invasion, Maduro on Saturday ordered military exercises for next weekend.

"We're going to tell imperialism and the international right that the people are present, with their farm instruments in one hand and a gun in the other... to defend this sacred land," he boomed at a rally.

He added the government would take over idled factories, without providing details.

Critics of Maduro, a former union leader and bus driver, say he should instead focus on people's urgent needs.

"There will be a social explosion if Maduro doesn't let the recall referendum happen," said protester Marisol Dos Santos, 34, an office worker at a supermarket where she says some 800 people queue up daily.

But the opposition fear authorities are trying to delay a referendum until 2017, when the presidency would fall to the vice president, a post currently held by Socialist Party loyalist Aristobulo Isturiz.

"If you block this democratic path we don't know what might happen in this country," two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said at the demonstration.

"Venezuela is a time bomb that can explode at any given moment."

MANCHESTER, England — Police evacuated Manchester United's home stadium on the final day of the English Premier League season and dismantled a fake bomb Sunday just days after Britain raised its terror alert against Irish extremism.

Police initially described the device as "incredibly lifelike" as Manchester United's planned match with Bournemouth was cancelled, to the boos of some fans. Four hours later, bomb technicians reported that the device was a hoax.

The security alert reflects increased security at Premier League stadiums following last year's Paris attacks that targeted the Stade de France sports stadium as well as cafes, bars and a concert hall. It followed the British government's announcement Wednesday that it was raising the nation's threat level due to intelligence indicating the "strong possibility" of attacks in Britain by factions of the outlawed Irish Republican Army.

Local media reported there were no telephoned warnings in advance of Sunday's alert, and no group claimed immediate responsibility for causing the disruption at Old Trafford Stadium. IRA factions typically issue telephone warnings when placing bombs or hoax devices in civilian areas.

It was the first Premier League match to be postponed because of a bomb threat. An exhibition football game between Germany and the Netherlands was cancelled in November after police said they received a bomb threat. No explosives were found.

On Sunday, security staff escorted fans from the stadium about a half hour before the scheduled 3pm (1400 GMT) kickoff. Soldiers were deployed as part of the security sweep of the 75,635-seat stadium.

Nearly four hours later, Greater Manchester Police announced that the suspect item was not a "viable device".

"Full assessment now concluded and found device wasn't viable," the Greater Manchester Police said on its Twitter page. "A full search of the stadium is ongoing."

Players from both teams were taken off the pitch during the warm-up and kept in the changing rooms. Some fans booed as a stadium announcer instructed them to exit the building.

"We are doing everything we can to investigate this item as quickly as possible, however our priority is obviously to ensure the safety of everyone in the stadium and surrounding area," said John O'Hare, assistant chief constable of Greater Manchester Police.

United said the package was found on the northwest end of Old Trafford. Fans sitting in other stands initially had been allowed to stay inside the stadium.

Police maintained a strong presence outside Old Trafford as fire engines attended the scene. Sniffer dogs were also seen inside the stadium.

Greater Manchester Police said on its Twitter page that people should "avoid the area if possible".

The match was one of 10 taking place on the final day of the Premier League season. The other nine matches went ahead.

United was vying with Manchester City to finish in fourth place in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. City drew 1-1 at Swansea, effectively ending United's top-four chances.

The Premier League said in a statement it would reschedule the Manchester United-Bournemouth match as quickly as possible.

"It is always the last resort to abandon one of our fixtures and while we apologise for the inconvenience caused to fans, we are sure, in the circumstances, they will appreciate the need to do so," the Premier League said.

United is scheduled to play Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London.

Sunday's security scare rekindled memories of April 1997, when the dominant Provisional faction of the IRA used a telephoned bomb warning to force the evacuation of the Grand National horse race in Liverpool being attended by 60,000 fans, many of them Irish. That disrupted race eventually went ahead two days late in front of relatively few fans.

Manchester United also enjoys a huge following in Ireland.

The Provisional IRA has observed a cease-fire since July 1997 and renounced violence in 2005, but several rival factions continue to plot attacks in the British territory of Northern Ireland.

On Wednesday, Home Secretary Theresa May told lawmakers in the House of Commons that the domestic intelligence agency MI5 had decided to raise its threat level of an IRA attack in Britain to "substantial", the third-highest level. That means MI5 — responsible for monitoring IRA splinter groups in Northern Ireland — considers an IRA attack in Britain a "strong possibility".

BEIJING — China condemned the US Defence Department's annual report on the Chinese military on Sunday, calling it deliberate distortion that has "severely damaged" mutual trust.

In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military activities, the US Defence Department said on Friday that China is expected to add substantial military infrastructure, including communications and surveillance systems, to artificial islands in the South China Sea this year.

China's defence ministry spokesman, Yang Yujun, expressed "strong dissatisfaction" and "firm opposition" to the Pentagon report and said it has "severely damaged mutual trust", state news agency Xinhua reported.

The report "hyped up" China's military threat and lack of transparency, "deliberately distorted" Chinese defence policies and "unfairly" depicted Chinese activities in the East and South China seas, Yang was quoted as saying.

"China follows a national defence policy that is defensive in nature," Yang said, adding that the country's military build-up and reforms are aimed at maintaining sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and guaranteeing China's peaceful development.

It is the United States that has always been suspicious and flexing its military muscle by frequently sending military aircraft and warships to the region, Yang said.

Despite its calls for freedom of navigation and restraint for peace, the US has pushed forward militarisation of the South China Sea with an "intention to exert hegemony", Yang added.

Reclamation work

The Pentagon report said the planned addition of military infrastructure would give China long-term "civil-military bases" in the contested waters.

It estimated that China's reclamation work had added more than 1,300 hectaresof land on seven features it occupied in the Spratly Islands in the space of two years.

The report said China had completed its major reclamation efforts in October, switching focus to infrastructure development, including 3,000 metre airstrips that can accommodate advanced fighter jets.

Yang defended the construction, saying it serves mostly civilian purposes and helps fulfil China's international responsibilities and obligations by providing more public goods.

The Pentagon report comes at a time of heightened tension over maritime territories claimed by China and disputed by several Asian nations. Washington has accused Beijing of militarising the South China Sea while Beijing, in turn, has criticised increased US naval patrols and exercises in Asia.

The US report renewed accusations against China's government and military for cyber attacks against US government computer systems, a charge Beijing denies. The Pentagon said attacks in 2015 appeared focused on intelligence collection.