Page 1905 - Politics
Skadden law firm, linked to Manafort, settles U.S. case on Ukraine work
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A prominent law firm whose work has come under scrutiny in U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe reached a settlement with federal prosecutors on Thursday, acknowledging it should have registered as a foreign agent for a 2012 report aimed at discrediting a former prime minister of Ukraine.
Top N.Korean in Washington to prepare new Trump summit
A top North Korean general is in Washington Friday for a rare visit, during which he is expected to meet President Donald Trump as the two countries seek to finalize a new summit aimed at denuclearization and easing decades of hostility. Kim Yong Chol, a right-hand man to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, arrived Thursday evening in the US capital, the latest peace-making mission just a year after once-soaring tensions began to abate. The North Korean negotiator abruptly canceled his last planned talks in the United States -- a meeting set two months ago in New York with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- and this time the administration has treaded cautiously, not announcing his visit in advance. But an American source, who could not be identified as the schedule has not been announced, said that Pompeo would welcome Kim on Friday for a meal in Washington before the two are expected to head together to the White House. Trump has repeatedly voiced eagerness to see Kim Jong Un again ...
Trump cancels U.S. delegation to Davos forum - press secretary
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has cancelled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week due to the partial U.S. government shutdown, according to a statement released by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Thursday.
Trump unveils plan to expand US missile defense
US President Donald Trump has unveiled at Pentagon this year's Missile Defense Review which contains the country's intention to expand its missile defence capabilities.
Trump cancels US delegation's trip to Davos summit
The White House has said US President Donald Trump has cancelled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos in Switzerland, due to the partial government shutdown.
Brexit: France activates no-deal plan
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has said a no-deal Brexit looks "less and less unlikely" and has launched a contingency plan to prepare for it.
Top N.Korean envoy Kim Yong-chol arrives in Washington
One of North Korea's top negotiators has arrived in Washington to meet US officials ahead of a possible second summit between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.
Imran Khan won't be able to complete 5-yr term, claims Zardari
Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government will not be able to last the full term of five years.Dubbing Khan as a 'selected prime minister', Zardari once again said that nobody accepted the results of the general elections and that the cricketer-turned-politician will not be able to complete the stipulated tenure, Geo News reported.Zardari said that "the prime minister is not from the general public and he will not return to them.""Now that you are a selected prime minister, learn something," he said.
N Korea's lead negotiator arrives in US to fix second Trump-Kim summit
Kim Yong-chol, North Korea's lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the United States, arrived here on Thursday, where he is likely to discuss with Secretary of State Michael Pompeo the prospects of a second summit between the two countries.The plane carrying the senior North Korean official and his delegation arrived at the Dulles International Airport, where he was received by Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun.This is the first time that a North Korean government official flew directly into Washington DC without stopping over in any other US city, Yonhap News Agency reported.Considered one of the close aides of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Kim Yong-chol is expected to hold talks with Pompeo on Friday in an aim to finalise the details of a second meeting between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.The senior North Korean official is likely to meet Trump and deliver Kim Jong-un's letter to him.Kim Jong-un has repeatedly stated that his government is ...
Trump postpones Speaker Pelosi's foreign trip over government shutdown
US President Donald Trump has told Speaker Nancy Pelosi that her planned foreign trip has been postponed, a day after the top House Democrat asked him to delay the State of the Union address due to the ongoing partial government shutdown.
AU seeks delay in final announcement of DR Congo vote results
The African Union called Thursday for the final announcement of last month's disputed presidential elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be suspended due to "serious doubts". Meeting in Ethiopia, the AU agreed to urgently send "a high-level delegation" to Kinshasa in a bid to find a way out of the political crisis. "The Heads of State and Government attending the meeting concluded that there were serious doubts on the conformity of the provisional results, as proclaimed by the National Independent Electoral Commission, with the votes cast," the AU said in a statement. As a result, it has "called for the suspension of the proclamation of the final results of the elections". The provisional results of the long-awaited election announced last week are being challenged in court, in a country that has never known a peaceful transfer of power since gaining independence from Belgium in 1960. The electoral commission last Thursday declared opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi the ...
France to remain 'military engaged' in Middle East: Macron
Noting the recent attack by the Islamic State (ISIS) in northern Syria that claimed 16 lives, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that Paris would continue to remain "militarily engaged" in the Middle East region throughout the entire year.At a time when the US is getting ready to withdraw its troops from Syria, Macron underlined that France would retain its military forces in Syria and Iraq, Anadolu News Agency reported."The announced withdrawal of our American ally should not deflect us from our strategic objective to eradicate Daesh," Macron said while referring ISIS to its Arabic name.On Wednesday, 16 people, including two US service members and two American civilians were killed in a suicide attack in Manbij in northern Syria. The ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack.Last December, Trump had announced that the US would withdraw around 2,000 troops from Syria, asserting that its forces had "fully destroyed" the ISIS. This decision created a rift between ..
House rejects US govt's decision of lifting sanctions linked to Russian oligarch's firms
The US House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected the Donald Trump administration's decision of rolling back of sanctions on firms linked to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who is considered a close aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin.In a major rebuke of Trump, the House passed the resolution 362-53, thereby rejecting the move by the US government to lift the sanctions on certain Russian entities. Interestingly, 130 Republicans sided with the Democrats to back the vote, The Hill reported.The House vote came a day after Democrats in the Senate narrowly failed to pass a motion on preventing the lifting of sanctions, in a vote that also saw 11 Republicans siding with the Democrats.The resolution which needed a 60-vote majority to pass, fell short by just three votes, with the final count at 57-42.In April last year, the US imposed sanctions on him and 23 other Russian nationals for doing "malign activities," that also includes alleged interference in the 2016 .
Amid shutdown, Trump cancels US delegation's trip to attend World Economic Forum
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled a trip by the US delegation that was supposed to attend the next week's annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, citing the ongoing partial government shutdown.The White House said that Trump took the decision to scrap the delegation's visit in the interests of the 800,000 federal workers who have been affected by the shutdown."Out of consideration for the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay and to ensure his team can assist as needed, President Trump has cancelled his delegation's trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland," The Hill quoted White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as saying.On Tuesday, the White House had announced that it would send a scaled-back delegation to the WEF summit in Davos, which is slated to be held from January 22 to 25.The delegation was set to be led by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and comprised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Commerce ...
President Trump cancels Pelosi's foreign trip citing shutdown
US President Donald Trump has postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan in an apparent response to her suggestion that he reschedule his annual State of Union address. The president cited the government shutdown, the longest-ever in US history, for postponing Pelosi's foreign trip. Trump's move came Thursday a day after the House Speaker urged him to reschedule his annual State of the Union address slated for January 29, citing security concerns triggered by the shutdown that has entered its 27th day. "Due to the shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over," Trump said in a letter to Pelosi, a copy of which was released to the press. The president also said postponing this "public relations event" was totally appropriate. The shutdown has rendered over 800,000 federal employees without work, crippling the functioning ..
Rajasthan cabinet approves removal of education criteria for local body polls
The Rajasthan cabinet approved two amendments bills - Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2019, and the Rajasthan Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 - to end the minimum educational qualification condition for contesting the local body elections in the state.Both the bills will be introduced in the state assembly during the present session, read a statement.During her tenure, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had introduced an education criteria in 2015 which required a candidate to pass Class X for contesting municipal, zila parishad or panchayat samiti elections.The cabinet has also decided to ask the state public service commission to extend the date of the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) main examination.This came in wake of the agitation by the RAS aspirants, demanding the Congress-led government to extend the examination date.
Trump cancels Speaker Pelosi's travel amid shutdown feud
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday hit back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, cancelling her planned foreign trip, citing the ongoing partial government shutdown.Trump's response came a day after Pelosi asked him to postpone his State of the Union address to a later date after raising concerns about the security apparatus due to the shutdown.In a letter addressed to Pelosi, Trump said that the House Speaker's seven-day visit to Brussels, Afghanistan and Egypt, which he dismissed it as a "public relations event", will be rescheduled after the shutdown is "over.""Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate," Trump said.He added that it would be better if Pelosi was in Washington
Iran says US cannot influence its ties with Iraq
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has said the US is not entitled to influence the ties between Iran and Iraq, the media reported.
Asked MP CM to order top level probe in BJP leader's killing: Chouhan
Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over the killing of BJP leader and Mandsaur Municipal Corporation president, Prahlad Bandhwar and said that he has requested Chief Minister Kamal Nath to order a top level investigation into the matter.Bandhwar was shot dead in Nai Abaadi, Mandsaur on Thursday. He was killed near the Central Bank at Nai Abadi area."Prahlad Bandhwar was a well known politician. He played a huge role in promoting the BJP in Mandsaur. Not just he used to work for the poor, he even fought for the rights of common people and was always concerned about the development of Mandsaur. I never thought that he had a personal problem with anyone. He was loved by all," Chouhan told ANI."I am really shocked by this. I am not able to understand why a people's favourite leader has been killed and who did it. I have requested the Chief Minister that his killers are taken into custody soon and a top level investigation be ordered in the matter.
President Trump cancels Pelosi's foreign visits citing shutdown
President Donald Trump has postponed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Brussels, Egypt and Afghanistan, citing the government shutdown, the longest-ever in US history. Trump's move came Thursday a day after Pelosi urged him to reschedule his annual State of the Union address slated for January 29, citing security concerns triggered by the shutdown that has entered its 27th day. "Due to the shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed. We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the Shutdown is over," Trump said in a letter to Pelosi, a copy of which was released to the press. The president also said postponing this "public relations event" was totally appropriate. The shutdown has rendered over 800,000 federal employees without work, crippling the functioning of several key wings of the government including Security and State department. In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you ..