Page 1858 - Politics
US: Top diplomat on European policy resigns
The US chief for European and Eurasian Affairs has stepped down from his post, with effect from February 15, adding to the growing list of exits from the Trump administration in the recent past."Assistant Secretary (A. Wess) Mitchell is stepping down as leader of the @StateDept Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. His departure is effective February 15, 2019. Elisabeth Millard, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, will serve as acting Assistant Secretary of State," Robert Palladino, the US State Department's deputy spokesperson tweeted on Tuesday (local time)."Assistant Secretary A. Wess Mitchell has been a valued and effective leader in @StateDept and good friend to our allies and partners in #Europe. We thank him for his service and wish him and his family well," Palladino further stated.US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo lauded the diplomat and said, "Wess has done an outstanding job as Assistant Secretary. I have valued his counsel and wisdom as he has led our European team
Top White House adviser says no trade meetings with China cancelled
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top economic adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed back against reports that a preliminary trade meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials was cancelled, saying the story was not true.
Nearly 5,000 flee last IS enclave in eastern Syria: monitor
Nearly 5,000 people, including almost 500 Islamic State fighters, have since Monday left the jihadist group's last bastion in eastern Syria, where IS continues to lose ground, a Britain-based monitor said. Kurdish-led forces, backed by air strikes of the US-led coalition, have been battling since September to expel the jihadists from their enclave in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor. "Around 4,900 people, mostly women and children but including 470 jihadists, have since Monday deserted the last IS pocket in the Deir Ezzor province, including 3,500 that left the area on Tuesday," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP on Tuesday. The majority of the civilians are family members of jihadists, the Observatory said. They were evacuated on dozens of trucks chartered by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led alliance fighting IS. In recent weeks the SDF has seized several eastern villages from IS, including Hajin, Al-Shaafa and ...
US confirms Taliban talks in Qatar
The United States confirmed Wednesday that its envoy is meeting in Qatar with the Taliban, seeking to negotiate an end to the Afghanistan war despite a new major attack claimed by the insurgents. Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative on Afghan reconciliation, met Tuesday in the Qatari capital Doha with Taliban representatives, the State Department said. "We can confirm that Special Representative Khalilzad and an interagency team are in Doha today talking with representatives of the Taliban," a State Department spokeswoman said, adding that the talks were taking place over two days. Khalilzad has sat down several times with the Taliban but it marks the first time that the United States has confirmed his meetings so directly. The meeting came even though the Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack Tuesday against an Afghan intelligence base in central Wardak province. A local official said that at least 65 people were killed, in the latest high-casualty attack in ...
Washington Post's editor slams US govt over Khashoggi's death
The executive editor of the Washington Post, on Tuesday, slammed the US administration for not putting "enough pressure" on Saudi Arabia over scribe Jamal Khashoggi's killing."We don't feel the U.S. government has put enough pressure on the Saudis. The world is not bringing enough pressure on a government that engages in those types of activities," CNN quoted executive editor of the Washington Post, Martin Baron as saying during a panel discussion here on media freedom.The Saudi journalist was killed on the premises of the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. Saudi Arabia has since put 11 suspects on trial for the gruesome killing with prosecutors seeking capital punishment for five of the accused.Baron further added that the truth about Khashoggi's killing wouldn't have come out without freedom of the press and investigative journalists during the discussion at Davos.The whereabouts of Khashoggi's body are still unknown, as international organisations like the United ..
Israel strikes Hamas camp after border unrest, aid blocked
Israel struck a Hamas site in the Gaza Strip late Tuesday after a day of border unrest that left a Palestinian militant dead and an Israeli soldier wounded, while also further delaying an aid transfer. The incidents signalled a rise in tensions after weeks of relative calm thanks to an informal truce between Israel and Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip. An Israeli official said a transfer of cash from Qatar to Gaza via Israel as part of the truce would not occur on Wednesday because of the violence. In the first exchange of fire, an Israeli tank hit two Hamas observation points in the northern Gaza Strip after shots were fired at its soldiers near the border fence, Israeli and Hamas officials said. No one was injured. Later in the day, Israeli tank shelling killed a Hamas militant along the border in central Gaza as Israel responded to gunfire that wounded one of its soldiers, officials said. Mohammed al-Nabaheen, 24, was killed by tank fire while four other people ...
Press fires back at Trump's remarks on White House briefings
The White House Correspondents Association on Tuesday criticised the remarks of US President Donald Trump about press briefings.
Top US diplomat on Europe policy resigns
The US State Department's top diplomat focused on Europe policy has resigned his post, effective February 15, media reported.
Bihar govt likely to implement 10% quota for general category by Feb
Bihar government is likely to implement 10 per cent quota for weaker sections in the general category in the state by February.In a meeting held on Tuesday here, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided that an Act needs to be constituted in order to implement 10 per cent reservation given by the Central Government in government jobs and education to the economically weaker section in the general category.He added that all processes must be completed by February.Kumar believed that quota allocation for weaker sections in general category would help in providing more employment.The Parliament recently passed the Constitution (124th Amendment) Bill, 2019 to grant 10 per cent reservation in education and government jobs to economically weaker individuals belonging to the general category, across religions.The reservation is meant for individuals whose annual earning is below Rs 8 lakh and who possess less than 5 acres of agriculture land.
Hamas militant killed by Israeli fire after soldier hurt
Israeli tank shelling killed a Hamas militant along the Gaza border on Tuesday as Israel responded to gunfire that wounded one of its soldiers, officials said. Those incidents and another exchange of fire earlier in the day signalled a rise in tensions as Israel blocked aid money to Gaza from Qatar over border unrest. Mohammed al-Nabaheen, 24, was killed by tank fire while two other people were hurt, a Gaza health ministry spokesman said. Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, confirmed he was a member of its armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades. The Israeli army said it had targeted a Hamas observation post after a soldier was lightly wounded when a bullet struck his helmet. In a statement, it said an initial investigation found "an assailant fired at troops" during a riot that included rock-hurling. "A bullet struck the helmet of an IDF officer, lightly injuring him," it added, referring to the Israel Defence Forces. A picture published by the army on social media ...
New tell-all book depicts 'out of control' Trump White House staff
An upcoming book portrays a White House staff under President Donald Trump that was "absolutely out of control" at times and often at each other's throats, according to excerpts published on Tuesday. "Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House," which goes on sale next week, was written by Cliff Sims, who served as a special assistant to the 45th president. The Washington Post, National Public Radio and Axios published excerpts from the 384-page book by Sims, who worked on Trump's campaign before joining the White House as Director of Message Strategy. According to the Post, the book features "expletive-filled scenes of chaos, dysfunction and duplicity among the president, his family members and administration officials." The book is "neither a sycophantic portrayal of the president nor a blistering account written to settle scores," the Post said, and Sims does not spare himself from criticism, confessing to being "nakedly ambitious." "It's impossible to deny .
Top US diplomat on Europe quits at trying time for alliance
The top US diplomat for Europe resigned Tuesday, citing personal reasons, opening a new vacancy at time of uneasiness among traditional US allies with President Donald Trump's approach. A Wess Mitchell said he would step down as the assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs effective February 15 to spend more time with his two children. "As the administration starts its third year, I feel I have completed what I set out to do -- develop the department's Europe strategy," Mitchell said in a statement. Unlike recent high-profile resignations over Trump's pullout from Syria, Mitchell did not indicate he was protesting any policy. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter that Mitchell had "done an outstanding job" and wished him "much happiness" with his family. His departure comes after France, Germany and, to a lesser extent, Britain voiced unease over Trump's sudden withdrawal from Syria, where 2,000 US troops have been fighting the Islamic State movement ...
FBI in shutdown: 'We can't pay informants'
FBI agents complained Monday that the month-old US government shutdown is preventing them from paying informants, buying drugs undercover in narcotics busts, and even renewing their own security clearances. Investigations and prosecutions are suffering from the lack of money to travel to interview witnesses or funds to pay translators, agents are saying, according to Tom O'Connor, president of the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA). "Every day that the shutdown continues, the operational impediments created by the shutdown get worse and damage our counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations around the globe," said O'Connor, raising the pressure on the White House and Congress to end the shutdown. The shutdown began on December 22 after President Donald Trump rejected a proposed government funding bill that did not meet his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. Since then Trump and Democrats have stuck to their positions, leaving no end in sight ...
US detention of Press TV anchor 'illegal': Iran
Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that the recent detention of an anchor of Iran's Press TV by the US FBI is "illegal".
Bihar Cong hopes not to meet the same fate it did in UP
The Congress Tuesday expressed hope that it would get a "respectable" share of seats in Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls from its allies and would not meet the same fate it did in Uttar Pradesh where it was dumped by the SP and the BSP. Conceding that the RJD is the "big brother" in the state, Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee's campaign panel's chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh said that Congress president Rahul Gandhi, however, was "the face of anti-NDA forces" in the country. "There is no problem. Discussions are taking place and things will be sorted out amicably," Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, said here. The NDA has been claiming that the 'grand alliance', which comprises nearly half a dozen parties, was not coming out with its seat-sharing formula as the constituents of loosely-knit formation were unable to reach a consensus on the issue. The constituents of the grand alliance included RJD, Congress, Hindustani Awam Morcha, RLSP, Sharad Yadav's Loktantrik Janata Dal and Left parties. "We ...
Modi, Shah tear into the Opposition
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday lashed out at the opposition, with Modi berating the Congress for never having the will or intention to end corruption, and Shah dismissing the January 19 rally of opposition leaders in Kolkata as a "gathbandhan" (alliance) of power-seekers keen on serving their own interests.
Putin, Abe talks fail to break island impasse
The leaders of Russia and Japan fell short of agreement Tuesday over a disputed island chain that has long prevented a peace treaty to formally end World War II. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Moscow marked the 25th time he and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met since 2013, a reflection of their efforts to build cooperation despite the territorial disagreement. The Soviet army seized the four Kuril islands, between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean, in the last days of World War II. Tokyo's refusal to recognise Moscow's sovereignty there has been a barrier to peace for more than seven decades. Putin told journalists following the talks there that "detailed work" remained ahead of the two parties before any agreement, but hailed the summit as "useful and substantial." He confirmed Moscow is still interested in building the negotiating process on a 1956 Soviet-Japanese declaration "which stipulates first and foremost the signing of a peace accord," Putin ...
World can help Zimbabwe by lifting sanctions: South Africa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday that lifting sanctions against Zimbabwe was the best way for the world to ease the crisis gripping the country. "It is no longer necessary to have sanctions against Zimbabwe right now, because they have embarked on democracy and a path of real recovery and we will help them best by lifting those sanctions," Ramaphosa said during an appearance at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva. Ramaphosa made the suggestion despite protests in Zimbabwe last week, sparked by the government's more than doubling of fuel prices, that the army and police ruthlessly suppressed. On Monday, the government-appointed Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission said at least eight people had been killed and the security forces had used "systematic torture". President Emmerson Mnangagwa has vowed to turn the page on the repressive era of Robert Mugabe, who was ousted from power by the military 14 months ago. Ramaphosa told reporters that lifting ...
Iran deplores "unjustifiable" German banning of Mahan Air
Iran's foreign ministry on Tuesday deplored Germany's decision to ban Iranian airline Mahan air from its airports describing the move as "hasty and unjustifiable". "The rescinding of Mahan Air's flight permits to Germany is a hasty, unjustifiable act," the ministry said in a statement. "This action is in conflict with the spirit governing the long-standing relations between the Iranian and German nations," and "contrary to the interests of bilateral relations, it said. Iran said it hope Germany will reconsider its decision. Germany said on Monday it had banned Mahan Air from its airports. Germany foreign ministry spokesman Christofer Burger told reporters in Berlin the move was necessary to protect Germany's "foreign and security policy interests". A spokeswoman at Germany's transport ministry said Iran had been informed that the ban would take effect from Monday and involve Mahan Air flights from and to Germany. Mahan Air, Iran's second-largest carrier after Iran Air, flies four ...
Hindu Sena pays tributes to Queen Victoria on death anniv, says she freed India from autocratic Mughals
The Hindu Sena, a right-wing group, Tuesday paid tributes to Queen Victoria on her 118th death anniversary here and said she "freed India from the autocratic rule of the Mughals". The organisers of the event at Jantar Mantar here said it was the first time they paid tributes to the Empress and credited her with "uniting the princely states of India in 1857". Surjeet Yadav, the national spokesperson and vice-president of the Hindu Sena, claimed, "India would have disintegrated into thousands of pieces had it not been the Britishers, who under the Queen, united a large number of princely states into one entity in 1857." He also claimed that "the Britishers gave what we have today, be it the law, railways, roads, communication networks, schools, buildings, etc." "The Britishers did not destroy our temples like the others did...They gave us the law which we follow even today," Yadav said. "Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru could raise their voice because it was not an ...