WATCH: California man accused of murdering 5-year-old son laughs and jokes in court

A California man accused of murdering his 5-year-old son laughed and joked in front of a judge at his extradition hearing on Tuesday.

Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35, did not contest his extradition at a Wednesday court hearing. Before being arrested on murder charges, Andressian Sr. had spent 47 days in Las Vegas, NV after his son, Aramazd Andressian Jr. went missing.

“It may seem unusual to file murder cases when we have not yet found the child’s body, but rest assured, my office has successfully prosecuted such cases before,” Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacy told NBC Los Angeles “I am confident, however, that the evidence proves that Mr. Andressian committed this horrible crime.”

The case has received dramatic media attention as the defendant allegedly killed the boy to get back at his ex-wife.

KTLA noted the defendant, “laughed and smiled, and even tried to crack a joke with the judge.”

“If California wants me, they can come get me,” NBC reported the defendant told Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman.

The location of the arrest was of great interest to investigators.

“I can only speak for myself. If my son was missing, I would be doing things that (the boy’s mother) was doing. Circulating fliers, looking for your son,” Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Lt. Joe Mendoza explained. “He was not doing that. He was socializing in Vegas.”

“No justice in the world will bring my Piqui back,” said the victim’s mother, Ana Estevez, told NBC LA while using her son’s nickname. “However, Ara will pay tenfold for all that he has done.”

“This is one of those cases that tore at many people’s hearts,” said LA County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Christopher Bergner.

Watch NBC LA interview the victim’s mother:

Woman says she was kicked out of apartment’s pool over fears her swimsuit would ‘excite’ teen boys

An East Tennessee woman claims that she was kicked out of her apartment complex’s pool over fears that her swimsuit would “excite” teenage boys who lived there.

Tori Jenkins tells local news station WTVR that she was asked to leave the pool recently by a woman who complained about her pink one-piece bathing suit.

“She basically told me that if I didn’t have kids, I wouldn’t understand,” Jenkins explains. “If her kids were at the pool she wouldn’t want me in that swimsuit, how inappropriate I looked.”

She claims the woman then told her she needed to either put on shorts or go to a part of the pool where she was less visible.

Tyler Newman, Jenkins’ fiance, first drew attention to the incident when he posted about it on Facebook.

“She was told that her body because it’s built more curvy than others, is too inappropriate for children to be around,” Newman told WTVR. “She was told there are a lot of teenage boys in this complex, and you don’t need to excite them.”

In a statement given to WTVR, the apartment complex denied that any of its representatives had ever told her that her swimsuit would “excite” teenage boys, and only said that “one of our leasing consultants requested Ms. Jenks wrap a towel around herself when she was walking around the pool.”

Watch WTVR’s video report of the incident below.

Narendra Modi-Donald Trump meet: Camaraderie between India, US rattles China, Pakistan

In a stern warning to Pakistan, India and the US on Tuesday asked Islamabad to ensure that its soil is not used for cross-border terror.

China and Pakistan seem to be rattled by the bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

While a a state-run Chinese Daily said on Tuesday that any attempt by India to become US ally to counter China will not be in its interests and could even lead to 'catastrophic results', Pakistan today slammed as 'completely unjustified' the decision by United States to declare Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a 'global terrorist'.

"Washington and New Delhi share anxieties about China's rise. In recent years, to ratchet up geopolitical pressure on China, the US has cozied up to India," an article in the Global Times said.

Underlining that India is not a US ally like Japan or Australia, it said, "To assume a role as an outpost country in the US' strategy to contain China is not in line with India's interests. It could even lead to catastrophic results."

The Daily said if India regresses from its non-alignment stance and becomes a 'pawn' for the US in countering China, it will be caught up in a strategic dilemma and new geopolitical frictions will be triggered in South Asia.

With an eye on China and the disputes in the South China Sea, PM Modi and Trump after their meeting in the White House called for freedom of navigation and resolving of territorial and maritime disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.

A joint statement on the meeting said as responsible stewards in the Indo-Pacific region, Trump and PM Modi agreed that a close partnership between the US and India is central to peace and stability in the region.

The Chinese Daily in the article said both former Soviet Union and the US under Kennedy presidency tried to pit India against China but the results were not 'satisfactory'.

"From the end of the 1950s to the beginning of the 1960s, both the Soviet Union and the US wanted to play the India card to check China. Then the Kennedy government supported India's Forward Policy. But the result wasn't what was expected. India isn't able to balance China, which has been proved by history," it said.

Asserting that India should avoid being roped into a 'geopolitical trap', the Daily said despite New Delhi's anxieties over Beijing's rise, maintaining a stable relationship with China is of more importance to its security and development.

'US designating Salahuddin as global terrorist unjustified'

On the other hand, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said in a statement in Islamabad today without naming Salahuddin, "Pakistan shall continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support for the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for the realisation of the right to 'self-determination' and the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir 'dispute' in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions. The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to 'self-determination' as terrorists is completely unjustified," as per PTI.

"Pakistan has demonstrated a longstanding commitment of combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The people and government of Pakistan have rendered immense sacrifices in both blood and treasure to end this scourge, which has been acknowledged by the international community," the spokesperson added.

The US yesterday declared Salahuddin as a 'global terrorist', dealing a major blow to Pakistan.

In a notification, the US State Department said Salahuddin, who hails from Kashmir and is based in Pakistan for the last 28 years, "has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism."

The US took the step against the militant group's 71-year-old head, whose original name is Mohammed Yusuf Shah, as he had "vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir Valley into a graveyard for Indian forces".

PM Modi, Trump decide to broaden Indo-US strategic, defence, trade ties; boost fight against terror

Meanwhile, in a stern warning to Pakistan, India and the US today asked Islamabad to ensure that its soil is not used for cross-border terror with PM Modi and President Trump vowing to boost their fight against terror groups like ISIS, JeM, LeT and D-Company.

As the two leaders held their maiden meeting at the White House and displayed a lot of chemistry, the two countries also called on Pakistan to 'expeditiously' bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai, Pathankot attacks and other cross-border terrorist assaults by Pakistan-based groups.

PM Modi and Trump also decided to broaden the Indo-US strategic, defence and trade ties.

"Our robust strategic partnership is such that it touches upon almost all areas of human endeavor. In our conversation today, President Trump and I have discussed all dimensions of India-US relations at length. Both nations are committed to a bilateral architecture that will take our strategic partnership to new heights," PM Modi told reporters in his joint press statement with Trump at the White House Rose Garden.

"Eliminating terrorism is among the top-most priorities for us," PM Modi said.

Trump on his part, said, "During my campaign, I pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. And that is now exactly what you have - a true friend. Working together, I truly believe our two countries can set an example for many other nations, make great strides in defeating common threats, and make great progress in unleashing amazing prosperity and growth."

"I would say the relationship between India and the United States has never been stronger, has never been better. I look forward to working with you, Mr prime minister, to create jobs in our countries, to grow our economies and to create a trading relationship that is fair and reciprocal," the US President told PM Modi.

Trump said both nations are 'determined' to destroy terrorist organisations and the radical ideology that drives them.

The leaders also affirmed their support for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism that will advance and strengthen the framework for global cooperation and reinforce the message that no cause or grievance justifies terrorism, the joint statement said.

The Trump administration also confirmed that it had given its approval to the multi-million dollar sale of a transport carrier to India, along with a separate purchase of around 20 Guardian drones. 

Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, while briefing reporters on the meeting, later said that the two nations noted that in their joint statement that terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought in every part of the world, and the US and India would do it together.

PM Modi today met Trump for their first summit today in Washington. The two leaders had spoken over phone thrice before this meeting.

Declare Pakistan state sponsor of terrorism: US lawmaker

The Trump administration should cut off military aid to Pakistan, declare it a "state sponsor of terrorism" and revoke its non-NATO ally status, a top American lawmaker has said.

"Quit giving them military aid. Quit giving them money. Designate them as a state sponsor of terrorism, and remove Pakistan's status as major non-NATO ally to the US," Congressman Ted Poe said on the floor of the US House of Representatives last week.

In his speech, Poe said, "There needs to be consequences for this long history, that most Americans are not aware of, where Pakistan says one thing and, does something else."

"Those consequences need to come down to get attention. The longest war in American history continues today, and it is a war supposedly against terrorism," he said.

"There is a laundry list of evidence of Pakistan's support for terrorist groups, and I think a little more history is in order because this activity by Pakistan has been going on for years and has been below the radar," Poe said.

Poe alleged that since 1990, Pakistan has been supporting terrorist groups in Kashmir like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in its proxy war with India.

These terror groups, he said, have carried out attacks inside India, such as the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament.

"Since the 1990s, Pakistan has allowed these terrorist groups to openly raise funds in the country," he said.

Beginning in the 1990s, Pakistan provided training, advisers, intelligence, and material support for the Afghan Taliban, a specific terrorist group that operates in Afghanistan based in Pakistan, he said.

Last week, a bipartisan bill seeking to revoke Pakistan's status as major non-NATO ally to the US was introduced in the House of Representatives by Republican Congressman Poe and Democratic lawmaker Rick Nolan.

The legislation calls for revoking MNNA status of Pakistan, which was granted to it in 2004 by the then president, George Bush, in an effort to get the country to help the US fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

'India-US alliance to check China's rise will be catastrophic'

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held their maiden meeting at the White House, a state-run Chinese daily said that any attempt by India to become US ally to counter China will not be in its interests and could even lead to catastrophic results.

 As Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump held their maiden meeting at the White House, a state-run Chinese daily said that any attempt by India to become US ally to counter China will not be in its interests and could even lead to catastrophic results.

"Washington and New Delhi share anxieties about China's rise. In recent years, to ratchet up geopolitical pressure on China, the US has cozied up to India," an article in the Global Times said.

"To assume a role as an outpost country in the US' strategy to contain China is not in line with India's interests. It could even lead to catastrophic results," it said underlining that India is not a US ally like Japan or Australia.

The daily said if India regresses from its non-alignment stance and becomes a pawn for the US in countering China, it will be caught up in a strategic dilemma and new geopolitical frictions will be triggered in South Asia.

With an eye on China and the disputes in the South China Sea, Modi and Trump after their meeting in the White House called for freedom of navigation and resolving of territorial and maritime disputes peacefully in accordance with international law.

A joint statement on the meeting said as responsible stewards in the Indo-Pacific region, Trump and Modi agreed that a close partnership between the United States and India is central to peace and stability in the region.

The Chinese daily in the article said both former Soviet Union and the US under Kennedy presidency tried to pit India against China but the results were not "satisfactory".

"From the end of the 1950s to the beginning of the 1960s, both the Soviet Union and the US wanted to play the India card to check China. Then the Kennedy government supported India's Forward Policy. But the result wasn't what was expected. India isn't able to balance China, which has been proved by history," it said.

Asserting that India should avoid being roped into a "geopolitical trap", the daily said despite New Delhi's anxieties over Beijing's rise, maintaining a stable relationship with China is of more importance to its security and development. 

US to list China among worst human trafficking offenders: Report

The United States plans to place China on its global list of worst offenders in human trafficking and forced labour, said a congressional source and a person familiar with the matter, a step that could aggravate tension with Beijing that has eased under President Donald Trump.

The reprimand of China, Washington`s main rival in the Asia-Pacific region, would come despite Trump`s budding relationship with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and the U.S. president’s efforts to coax Beijing into helping to rein in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to drop China to "Tier 3," the lowest grade, putting it alongside Iran, North Korea and Syria among others, said the sources, who have knowledge of the internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The rating is expected to be announced on Tuesday in an annual report published by the State Department`s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. A State Department official declined to comment on the report`s contents and said the department "does not discuss details of internal deliberations."

Tier 3 rating can trigger sanctions limiting access to U.S. and international aid, but U.S. presidents frequently waive such action.

While it was unclear what led Tillerson to downgrade China, last year`s report criticized the communist government for not doing enough to curb "state-sponsored forced labor" and concluded it did not meet "minimum standards" for fighting trafficking – though it still said Beijing was making significant efforts.

The Trump administration has also grown concerned about conditions in China for North Korean labor crews that are contracted through Pyongyang and provide hard currency for the North Korean leadership, which is squeezed for cash by international sanctions, said the congressional source.

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the government was resolute in its resolve to fight human trafficking and the results were plain to see.

"China resolutely opposes the U.S. side making thoughtless remarks in accordance with its own domestic law about other countries` work in fighting human trafficking," he told a daily news briefing.

Since taking office, Trump has praised Xi for agreeing to work on the North Korea issue during a Florida summit in April and has held back on attacking Chinese trade practices he railed against during the presidential campaign.

But Trump has recently suggested he was running out of patience with China`s modest steps to pressure North Korea, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States.

The annual report, covering more than 180 countries and territories, calls itself the world’s most comprehensive resource of governmental anti-human trafficking efforts.

It organizes countries into tiers based on trafficking and forced labor records: Tier 1 for nations that meet minimum U.S. standards; Tier 2 for those making significant efforts to meet those standards; Tier 2 "Watch List" for those that deserve special scrutiny; and Tier 3 for countries that fail to comply with the minimum U.S. standards and are not making significant efforts.

For the past three years, China has been ranked "Tier 2 Watch List".

In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

In 2015, Reuters reported that experts in the State Department`s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons had sought to downgrade China that year to Tier 3 but were overruled by senior diplomats.

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