Page 1756 - Politics
Separated migrant family to attend State of the Union
An undocumented Guatemalan mother and daughter separated at the US-Mexico border will attend President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on February 5, a Senator announced.
US military intervention in Venezuela not imminent: Bolton
US military intervention in Venezuela was not imminent but all options remained on the table, National Security Adviser John Bolton has said.
Virginia governor 'deeply sorry' for racist yearbook photo
Ralph Northam, the Democratic governor of the US state of Virginia, on Friday confirmed he appeared in a racist yearbook photo and said he is "deeply sorry." "Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive," Northam said in a statement. "I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now," he said. The photo, which was carried by various US media outlets, depicts two people, one in blackface, the other dressed in a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood. Northam did not specify which outfit he was wearing in the image, which has prompted calls for him to resign. The governor has also been under fire over remarks about a bill that would have rolled back restrictions on late-term abortions. Republicans took particular issue with comments he made when asked if the bill would allow for abortions to be performed when a woman was ...
Democrat Cory Booker announces White House run
Democrat Cory Booker has announced he is running for US president, bringing a charismatic African-American voice to a crowded field jockeying to take on Donald Trump in 2020. Making the announcement in a video on Friday, the senator from New Jersey highlighted his roots in a racially divided urban America and evoked the civil rights movement in describing his own barrier-busting experience. "Together, we will channel our common pain back into our common purpose. Together, America, we will rise," said Booker, whose career and political appeal echoes that of former president Barack Obama. "We are a nation that leads and we have to get back to doing that together," Booker told reporters outside his home in a low-income neighbourhood of Newark. "I think that people are tired of the demeaning and ready for some redeeming." Booker joins a crush of Democrats vying to run next year -- with eight other declared candidates ranging from Trump nemesis Elizabeth Warren, to Kamala Harris, a senator
Trump to pitch optimism, 'greatness' in State of Union: White House
US President Donald Trump's State of the Union speech will urge optimism, pulling back from Washington's current climate of strife, a top official has insisted. Previewing next Tuesday's speech before Congress, a senior administration official said Trump will "cast an inspiring vision of American greatness." The president - in open warfare with opposition Democrats, as well as railing almost daily against prosecutors looking at allegations that he colluded with Russia in his 2016 election - will take the high ground, the official said. "Optimistic and unifying, but I think it can also be considered visionary," the official said of the speech on Friday. However, the speech is bound to be one of the most politically fraught in years, coming against the backdrop of a bitter row with opposition Democrats who refuse to fund Trump's plan for more walling along the US-Mexican border. The dispute even led to Congress delaying the date of the speech. And Trump himself hinted Friday that he ...
US Senator Cory Booker announces 2020 presidential bid
Cory Booker, a Democratic Senator from the US state of New Jersey, has announced that he is running for president in 2020.
Merkel seeks talks with Russia after US withdrawal from n-treaty
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said her government will use a six-month notice period to keep negotiating with Russia over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.
Trump hints at declaring emergency to get wall funding
Ahead of the State of the Union (SOTU) address, United States President Donald Trump on Friday once again threatened to declare a state of emergency to secure funding for his proposed US-Mexico wall.The Hill quoted Trump as saying, "I think there's a good chance we'll have to do that (declare emergency)."While talking to reporters in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Trump hinted that he may divulge more details about his plan to build the wall in Tuesday's SOTU address.He said that people should "listen closely" to his speech.Lambasting a bipartisan conference committee debating wall funding, Trump said that it is a "waste of time", predicting that the Democrats would pay a price for opposing the wall."I don't think it's good politically. I think [Speaker] Nancy Pelosi [D-Calif.] should be ashamed of herself because she's hurting a lot of people," Trump said.The US President had previously threatened to impose an emergency to get the wall - which is one of his long-standing ...
Patna: Rahul Gandhi's 'Lord Rama' posters vandalised
Unidentified miscreants on Friday vandalised posters depicting Congress President Rahul Gandhi as Lord Rama, which were put up at various places in the capital city of Bihar's Patna.A few days back, these posters were put up in Patna, showing Rahul Gandhi as the living embodiment of Lord Rama. Along with Rahul, the posters also featured the photographs of prominent Congress leaders, including former UPA chief Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Targeting the ruling government, the text on the posters read "We Ram naam japte rahen, tum banker Ram jiyo re" (Let them chant the name of Ram while you live and act as Lord Ram).Following this, a complaint was filed at Patna civil court against Rahul, Bihar Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha and four others for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by putting up posters depicting the Congress president as Lord Ram. The ruling JD(U) and BJP in Bihar had criticised the Congress, calling it a "cheap political stunt" by Gandhi ...
Second Trump-Kim summit to take place in Vietnam, reveals source
The second meeting between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un might take place in Vietnam, revealed a source with knowledge about the matter.CNN quoted a senior administration official and a second source who stated that according to the current plan for the second summit between the two leaders, scheduled for the last week of February, will be held in the Vietnamese coastal city of Da Nang. The plan is being finalised, the source divulged.The source further stated that Trump's agenda during the meeting is still not concrete. The second meeting was announced by the White House on January 18 following discussions with Kim Yong Chol, North Korea's lead negotiator on nuclear talks. In the run-up to the second USA-North Korea summit, the United States' Special Representative for North Korea will be travelling to Seoul on February 3 to hold meetings with his counterparts from both North and South Korea.The Special Representative, Stephen Biegun, is ...
Asked Mattis to resign: US President Trump
In an interview to New York Times, United States President Donald Trump stated that he asked former Defense Secretary James Mattis to resign because he "wasn't happy with the job that he was doing at all."Stating that he asked Mattis to write a letter, Trump said, "So I wasn't happy with Mattis. I told Mattis to give me a letter. He didn't just give me that letter. I told him."The US President further said, "I didn't like the job he was doing. I wasn't happy with it. I wasn't happy with the - I got him more money than the military has ever seen before. And I wasn't happy with the job that he was doing at all. And I said it's time."Mattis had announced that he would be stepping down from his position in Pentagon in December and was scheduled to leave office in February. However, Trump appointed Patrick Shanahan as the acting US Secretary of Defense following Mattis' resignation.Mattis resigned after Trump hinted at the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, thereby declaring the defeat of
Pence in Florida: Time to end Maduro regime in Venezuela
US Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd in Florida on Friday that it is time to take action to end the socialist regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Pence told dozens of Venezuelans that Washington was working toward a "peaceful transition" so opposition leader Juan Guaido rises to power. But he reassured them President Donald Trump's administration would further weaken Maduro. "This is no time for dialogue," Pence said at a church in the Doral suburb of Miami, prompting loud cheers among exiles who fled their homeland. "It is time to end the Maduro regime." Before his speech, Pence sat down with a college professor who says he and his wife were physically assaulted by armed pro-government groups. In a round-table discussion, he also heard from other Venezuelans refugees such as a former city councilman who says he was accused of being a CIA agent. A doctor showed enlarged pictures of children seemingly dying of hunger. A Venezuelan accountant and professor at Andres ...
Trump suspends arms treaty to focus on China, Russia threats
The Trump administration is pulling the plug on a decades-old nuclear arms treaty with Russia, lifting what it sees as unreasonable constraints on competing with a resurgent Russia and a more assertive China. The move announced Friday sets the stage for delicate talks with US allies over potential new American missile deployments. In explaining his decision, which he had foreshadowed months ago, President Donald Trump accused Moscow of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with "impunity" by deploying banned missiles. Moscow denies it is in violation and has accused Washington of resisting its efforts to resolve the dispute. Democrats in Congress and some arms control advocates criticized Trump's decision as opening the door to an arms race. "The US threat to terminate the treaty will not bring Russia back into compliance and could unleash a dangerous and costly new missile competition between the United States and Russia in Europe and beyond," the private Arms ..
China, Japan hold diplomatic consultation, security dialogue
China and Japan have held a regular diplomatic consultation and a security dialogue here.
There is no democracy in West Bengal: Rahul Sinha
BJP National Secretary Rahul Sinha on Saturday stated that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's posters were deliberately being put above Prime Minister Narendra Modi's banners in Durgapur. "This shows there is no democracy in the state," he said. Speaking to ANI, Sinha saidLast month, the vehicles used for ferrying people were vandalised by miscreants outside the venue of BJP president Amit Shah's public rally in East Midnapore district, following which, the party supporters had staged a demonstration, condemning the attack. BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya had also "warned" Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata that BJP workers will not be cowed down after violence marred the rally of Shah in the state.
'Good chance' I will declare emergency for border wall funding: Trump
US President Donald Trump has said there is "a good chance" that he will declare a national emergency to obtain funding for his long-promised US-Mexico border wall.
Catalan separatists' trial set for February 12: court
A dozen Catalan separatists will go on trial on February 12 over their bid to make the region independent from Spain, the Supreme Court has said, naming former prime minister Mariano Rajoy among those called to testify. Nine of the accused are charged with rebellion for their role in the dramatic breakaway attempt in October 2017. They face up to 25 years in jail. Rajoy, who ruled Spain until last June, will be one of "hundreds" of witnesses to testify at the trial, a Supreme Court document said. He sacked Catalonia's regional government and called snap local elections after the Catalan parliament declared independence in October 2017 following a banned independence referendum. Rajoy was unseated by a no-confidence vote backed by Catalan separatist parties last year. The trial will last "around three months", with a verdict expected within three months, the president of Spain's Supreme Court, Carlos Lesmes, told reporters in Madrid. "This is the most important trial which we have ...
Venezuela's opposition to up pressure on Maduro with new rally
Opposition leader Juan Guaido appealed to his countrymen to take to the streets at the weekend for "the biggest march in the history of Venezuela" in a bid to rachet up pressure on embattled President Nicolas Maduro to call early elections. Major European countries have set a weekend deadline for Maduro to call such elections or they will join the United States in recognising Guaido, the speaker of the national assembly, as Venezuela's interim president. "Nicolas Maduro will do well not to test the resolve of the United States of America. Maduro's tyranny must end and must end now," US Vice President Mike Pence warned at a rally of Venezuelan exiles in Miami. Saturday's march will coincide with the ruling Socialist party's celebration of the 20th anniversary of the rise to power of Hugo Chavez, Maduro's deceased predecessor. Guaido warned in a letter to the presidents of Mexico and Uruguay published Friday that he would only enter into negotiations if they serve to "start the ...
US announces withdrawal from landmark nuke treaty with Russia
The Donald Trump administration has announced that the US is withdrawing from a landmark nuclear arms control pact with Russia, a move seen as exacerbating the risk of an international arms race.
Britain outraged at EU's Gibraltar 'colony' reference
Britain and Gibraltar reacted with fury to a European Council document published on Friday that described the British overseas territory as a colony. The document, laying out proposals to give British nationals short-stay, visa-free access to the EU's borderless Schengen area after Brexit, contained the description in a footnote. "It is completely unacceptable to describe Gibraltar in this way," British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman told reporters. "Gibraltar is a full part of the UK family and this will not change due to our exit from the EU," he said. Gibraltar, home to 33,000 people, was ceded to Britain by Spain in 1713, in perpetuity. The seven square-kilometre peninsula is an internal, self-governing British overseas territory. Its government expressed anger over the EU's description, saying the "legal status of Gibraltar is not a matter of argument, it is a matter of fact". "The use of such language, were it to materialise in the final documents, does not assist the ...