TOKYO / AP In his debut abroad as the first retired general to lead the Pentagon in more than half a century, Jim Mattis found that in Japan and South Korea his experience in uniform is seen as an asset. Not everyone who knows Mattis well in the US shares that view, but he clearly was an instant hit …

  BEIJING / AP A highly accurate Chinese ballistic missile capable of threatening U.S. and Japanese bases in Asia has made its latest appearance at recent Rocket Force drills. The medium-range DF-16 featured in a video posted last week on the Defense Ministry’s website showing the missiles aboard their 10-wheeled mobile launch vehicles being deployed in deep forest during exercises …

  SEATTLE / AP Dozens of tech companies, including behemoths like Apple, Google, and Facebook, are siding with Washington state and Minnesota as they fight President Donald Trump’s ban on refugees and travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. The companies filed briefs late Sunday with a federal appellate court saying the Trump executive order hurts …