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JAKARTA U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will visit Japan and Indonesia next month, sources said on Monday, as part of an Asian tour amid concerns the Trump administration is rolling back Barack Obama's "pivot to Asia".

U.S. President Donald Trump has already withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, which was seen as an economic pillar of the strategy.

The tour will also include South Korea and Australia, the Nikkei Asian Review reported, with North Korea's missile and nuclear programs and South Korea's political crisis likely topics for discussion.

China has been infuriated by South Korea's plan to deploy a U.S. missile defense system, targeted at the North Korean threat, and South Korea is going through political turmoil after the dismissal of its president in a corruption probe.

Pence is also expected to visit Tokyo for the U.S.-Japan economic dialogue, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The visit comes after North Korea's latest missile launches and the assassination in Malaysia of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's estranged half-brother added urgency to the region's security.

It will also follow this month's trip by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Japan, South Korea, and China.

The TPP had been the main economic pillar of the Obama administration's pivot to the Asia-Pacific region in the face of a fast-rising China.

Proponents of the pact have expressed concerns that abandoning the project, which took years to negotiate, could further strengthen China's economic hand in the region at the expense of the United States.

Indonesia's chief security minister said Pence would meet President Joko Widodo to discuss terrorism and other security issues on his visit.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and has recently grappled with a series of low-level militant attacks inspired by Islamic State. .

"We discussed the planned visit of U.S. vice president Mike Pence to Indonesia and the strategic problems that can be on the agenda to discuss with our president," chief security minister Wiranto told reporters after meeting the U.S. ambassador to Jakarta.

He added that no dates had been finalised.

In Indonesia, Pence is also expected to discuss a brewing contract dispute between the government and American mining giant Freeport McMoran Inc, said two Indonesian government sources.

Freeport has threatened to take the Indonesian government to court over newly revised mining regulations that have prompted a major scale-back in its operations in the eastern province of Papua.

(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Kanupriya Kapoor; Additional reporting by Malcolm Foster in TOKYO; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Nick Macfie)

GENEVA North Korea boycotted a U.N. review of its human rights record on Monday, shunning calls to hold to account the Pyongyang leadership for crimes against humanity documented by the world body.

MOSUL Iraqi forces battling Islamic State faced tough resistance from snipers and mortar rounds on Monday as they tried to advance on Mosul's Old City and a bridge across the Tigris river in their campaign to retake the western part of the city.

BEIRUT The Syrian army and its allies gained control of an arterial road in a small rebel pocket in northeast Damascus early on Monday, bringing them close to splitting the enclave in two, a Britain-based war monitor reported.

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Mike Pence to tour Asia next month amid security crises - Reuters

Vice President Mike Pence said the "Kentucky is a textbook example of Obamacare's failures" and promised that it will be repealed and replaced. Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

Vice President Mike Pence smiled at supporters before making remarks at the Trane Parts and Distribution Center in Louisville. Mar. 11, 2017(Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J)Buy Photo

A budding bromance, protests and a vow to repeal Obamacare. Here arefive takeaways from Vice President Mike Pence's visit to Louisville.

More than 600 people gathered along the road before Vice President Mike Pence arrived at a warehouse facility to speak. Many of the protesters chanted, "Save our care." There was a sign of Vladimir Putin holding a baby Donald Trump, and a sign saying "No! to Ryancare," a reference to House Speaker Paul Ryan. When Trump supporters showed up, it was civil but some sharp words.

READ MORE: Protesters rally to 'Save our Care'

READ MORE: Pence calls Obamacare a 'nightmare'

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Pence had a friend during his visit: Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin.And they were effusively praising each other. Bevin made his "dear friend" Pence a Kentucky Colonel, the highest title of honor bestowed by the commonwealth. Pence, Indiana's former governor,said he was a Bevin supporter "before it was cool." Shucks, they evenkick around a football, together.

READ MORE:Bevin makes Pence a Kentucky Kernel

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Bevin called the Affordable Care Acta "disaster" in Kentucky, saying there is only one provider in some areas of the state. Pence joined in, saying,"Obamacare has failed the people of Kentucky" and that the state's Medicaid expansion is threatening to bankrupt the state. More than half a million Kentuckians have gained health coverage under Obamacare.

Former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear speaks at the Green Building on East Market Street in Louisville as he defends the Affordable Care Act and its benefits to Kentuckians. March 11, 2017(Photo: Alton Strupp/CJ)

That's right. During his speech, the vice president said former Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear was a friend, noting they worked together as governors of their two states. But, Pence said, they disagree on Obamacare, and that's all right. The debate is good, Pence said. Beshear, who gave the Democratic response to President Donald Trump's first address to Congress,doesn't think his implementation of Obamacare as governor was such a bad thing. Matter of fact, he feels quite the opposite.

READ MORE:Beshear: GOP is playing life or death

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., criticizes the House Republican healthcare reform plan as "Obamacare light" during a television interview on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017.(Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)

Despite all the talk about Obamacare being bad for Kentucky and Pence's effusive praise of Bevin and President Donald Trump the target of Saturday's visit may well have been Sen. Rand Paul. The Kentucky senator and ophthalmologist has denounced the repeal-and-replace plan promoted by Pence. And this week, Paul reintroduced legislation from the last Congress to fully repeal Obamacare.

In recent weeks, the vice president has gone on the road to promote the plan, and Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said this week that it's common for politicians to show upin the backyard of key legislators they want to pressure. But Dr. Paul has shown no sign of backing down.

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5 takeaways from Mike Pence's Kentucky visit - The Courier-Journal

Fun to host a true American explorer, Buzz Aldrin, at the @WhiteHouse as we work to shape the space policy of our administration. pic.twitter.com/22tFtQknUp

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second person ever to walk on the moon, stopped by the White House Friday (March 10) to talk space with Vice President Mike Pence.

Aldrin's visit, which Pence unveiled in a Twitter post, comes as President Donald Trump's administration works to develop a new space policy for NASA and other government agencies.

"Fun to host a true American explorer, Buzz Aldrin, at the @WhiteHouse as we work to shape the space policy of our administration," Pence wrote in the Twitter post. The statement was accompanied by a photo of Pence and Aldrin decked out in American flag print socks and tie in mid-conversation.

The Trump administration has not yet formally announced any space policy goals, though there has been some discussion of reviving the National Space Council to coordinate the nation's space activities. If that comes to pass, Pence could oversee the NSC as its leading it has traditionally been a role for the vice president.

Aldrin, meanwhile, has been a staunch advocate for human spaceflight and sending astronauts to Mars.

Trump has mentioned space exploration twice in recent speeches.

During his inauguration in January, Trump said that the nation was "ready to unlock the mysteries of space." Then, during his Feb. 28 speech to the Joint Session of Congress,Trump mentioned space again with the line: "American footprints on distant worlds are not too big a dream."

The Trump administration has also asked NASA to study the possibility of launching astronauts around the moon in 2019 on the first test flight of the Space Launch System megarocket.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him@tariqjmalikandGoogle+.Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.

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Buzz Aldrin Visits White House, Talks Space with Vice President ... - Space.com

By Dan Zimmermanwalpole@wickedlocal.com

The remarkable season for the Walpole High boys hockey team, which featured more success than any in its storied history, came to an abrupt halt Saturday night after a shootout in the deciding Game 3 of the Super 8 tournament quarterfinals.

After skating to a 2-2 tie through regulation and both overtime periods, No. 2 BC High scored twice to No. 7 Walpoles one during the shootout segment to claim the best-of-three series and advance.

Walpoles season, which wrapped up at 23-2-1, will unquestionably stand the test of time and be talked about for years to come, especially by the scores of supporters on hand to witness the monumental finale at the Chelmsford Forum.

After taking the series opener, 1-0, Walpole was outskated in the first two periods of Game 2 and fell, 2-0. Despite the defeat, the first of the season, there was a positive attitude in the Rebels camp because of a third period in which they controlled the tempo and outshot BC High by a wide margin. Walpole sought to duplicate that effort at the outset of Game 3.

We talked about that over the last few days, said Walpole coach Ron Dowd. They did everything we asked of them and took it to them right from the start tonight. Thats a really good team over there.

BC High claimed a 1-0 lead at 8:09 of the first period on a goal by Michael Ball, who shoveled the puck behind James Corcoran on a second effort. But before long, a determined Rebels squad tied it and soon climbed into a 2-1 lead.

Standing on the doorstep, Ryan Boyajian collected a feed from Ted McElaney and deftly lifted the puck over the catching glove of Eagles netminder Luke Garrity to tie it at 1-1.

With less than a minute remaining in the first, Pat Donovan was chasing down a wayward puck in the offensive zone and with his back to the net and took a half-hearted backhanded swipe. The go-ahead goal, assisted by Ryan Birch and Cam Martin, took a funny hop, handcuffing Garrity as it tumbled in the net.

That was part of our game plan, explained Dowd. Just throw it at the net as much as possible and see what happens. You need a few good bounces when you play a team like this.

Trailing 2-1, BC High cranked up the offense in the second. Corcoran came up big a number of times but with seconds left, yielded a power play goal to Thomas Kramer, who unleashed a rising wristshot from the right circle to tie it.

The first overtime period, six minutes of 4-on-4, was rather uneventful, save for a 6-0 shot disparity by the Eagles. But in the next overtime span, featuring 3-on-3 skaters and a ton of open ice, Walpoles Owen Hunter was taken down from behind on a partial breakaway. Awarded a penalty shot by the officials and a chance to send the Eagles packing, Hunter skated in, swept wide but was stopped when Garrity kicked out the right pad.

With Corcoran in net and stingy as ever, Dowd felt the Rebels held an advantage going into a shootout. And after the first round, with Boyajian beating Garrity while Evan DeLano missed, it looked like the coach might be on to something. But back-to-back Eagles goals in the third and fourth rounds put the Rebels down 4-3. Neither Hunter nor Donovan, the final shooters for Walpole, could beat Garrity to alter the shortfall.

Credit to Walpole, said BC High Coach John Flaherty whose team advances to face Central Catholic in the semifinals. Theyre a well-coached team and they have amazing fan support. We knew we were in for a long series. A pair of overtimes and a shootout is longer than I wouldve liked but I think it was a fitting end to a great series between two very good teams.

Walpoles departing seniors include Corcoran, Martin, Hunter, Pat Donovan. Michael Roche, Andrew Moore, Michael Timson, McCauley Stewart, Colin Buckley, Luke Donovan, Liam Fisher, David White, Paul Heffernan, Jon Stasiukevicius,

I couldnt be any more proud of these kids and they way they competed from Game 1 to Game 25, said Dowd. Im just proud of them.

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BC High 3, Walpole 2 (SO): Super season stopped in Game 3 shootout - Wicked Local Walpole

Donald Trump Jr. speaks at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. Michael Reynolds / EPA

Trump Jr. who played key roles in both the campaign and the transition admitted Saturday that he found it hard leaving politics behind, despite the pressures of his new business role.

"I thought I was out of politics after Election Day and [would] get back to my regular life and my family," Trump Jr. said. "But I couldn't."

"Deals are still exciting," he added. "But when you're the sort of guy out there every day, 24-7, fighting in this thing it's like a great fight."

Trump spoke at the invitation of Doug Deason, a Dallas millionaire and prominent donor to wealthy conservative activists Charles and David Koch. He also served as a trustee on Trump's finance team.

Saturday was the first time that Trump Jr. had publicly dipped his toe back into politics since his father's inauguration. He spoke at the annual Reagan Day dinner in Dallas a key fundraising event for the local Republican group.

Within 60 seconds of Trump's having left the stage, the MC of the dinner asked for donations, suggesting the group hoped to raise $25,000 just in the time period of the dinner.

The role of Trump's children in his administration has raised questions in the past. His three adult children sat in on meetings with foreign heads of state during the transition, and they remain closely involved in business deals overseas.

Also speaking at Saturday's event was Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, sharing a stage with a member of the Trump family for the first time since he clashed bitterly with candidate Trump during the GOP primaries.

"I saw on TV that [Cruz] had had dinner with my father earlier this week," Trump Jr. told the crowd. "Now, I don't even know if I have to deliver a punch line to that. But it's sort of ironic."

Speaking to an audience of Texans, Manhattan-born Trump Jr. took a swipe at his home state, which voted for Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, 59 percent to 36 percent.

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"Texas gave us the funds that we needed," Trump said. "You guys get it. You understand the freedoms ... so many of which we've lost where I come from in the peoples' republic of New York. ... I can say that and mean it because I see it."

He also hailed his father's progress since coming to power.

"I'm watching more take place in two months than I saw in two terms before," he said.

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Donald Trump Jr: At Fundraiser, President's Son Says 'Zero Contact' With Dad - NBCNews.com