Page 209 - Politics
rotest against China extradition bill paralyses Hong Kong
Tens of thousands of protesters paralysed central Hong Kong on Wednesday, blocking major roads in a defiant show of strength against government plans to allow extraditions to China. Black-clad demonstrators, most of them young people and students, surrounded government offices, bringing traffic to a standstill as they called on authorities to scrap the Beijing-backed law. Rows of riot police were far outnumbered by protesters -- many who wore face masks, helmets or goggles -- just hours ahead of a scheduled debate in the city's legislature. By late morning, with crowds swelling, officials in the Legislative Council (Legco) said they would delay the second reading of the bill "to a later date". In scenes echoing the Occupy movement in 2014 that shut down swathes of the city for months, people flooded major roads and junctions in the heart of the city, dragging barricades onto highways and tying them together. Others plucked loose bricks from pavements. Some protesters in cars ...
Protesters must disperse, 'not defy law': top Hong Kong official
Protesters blocking roads around Hong Kong's parliament must disperse and obey the law, a top government figure warned Wednesday, in the first official reaction to the latest protests sparked by plans to allow extraditions to China. Matthew Cheung, the city's chief secretary, called on demonstrators to unblock key arteries and withdraw. "I also urge citizens who have gathered to show restraint as much as possible, disperse peacefully and do not defy the law," he said in a video message.
Imran Khan vows to go after 'thieves' responsible for Pakistan's economic woes
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to go after the "thieves" who left the country badly in debt and set up a high-powered commission to probe huge debts incurred during the last 10 years, as he defended arrests of several key political figures in corruption cases. In an unusual midnight speech after the first budget of his cash-strapped government was presented, Khan said that all economic problem were due to debt which increased to Rs 300 crore from Rs 60 crore in 10 years. His speech came on the day when Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Hamza Shehbaz was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in cases related to money laundering. On Monday, former president Asif Ali Zardari was also arrested by the NAB in connection with a multi-million dollar money laundering case. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (from the PML-N party) is already in jail having been sentenced in another corruption case in 2018. Khan announced that after putting to rest the
Sonia, Priyanka reach Raebareli, to hold review meeting
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reached Raebareli on Wednesday morning in her first visit to her constituency after retaining the seat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.She will meet all the MLAs and ex MLAs along with the party workers and leaders of the constituency.Sonia Gandhi retained the Rae Bareli seat by defeating BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh by over 1.67 lakh votes. Her win in Uttar Pradesh's constituency was the only saving grace for the Congress party.This is also Priyanka's first visit after Congress poll debacle. She will take part in review meetings to discuss the reasons behind the party's poor performance in the general elections in the state.Congress faced a massive debacle in the recent Lok Sabha elections in which the party won 52 seats across the country and it managed to win only one seat from Uttar Pradesh in Rae Bareli.
Sonia, Priyanka visit Raebareli for thanking voters
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and her daughter and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Wednesday arrived here on a thanks-giving visit. This is their first visit to the constituency after it elected Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha polls. District Congress spokesperson Lal Aash Kiran Pratap Singh the two leaders landed the Fursatganj airport here after which their cavalcade reached Bhuyemau guest house. Priyanaka Gandhi is likely to hold review meeting with district chiefs of the area at the guest house, he said. In the evening, there will be a thanks-giving ceremony for which over 2,500 party workers have been invited, he said.
Hong Kong postpones second reading of extradition bill
Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Wednesday postponed a session in which a second reading of a contentious extradition bill was to take place amid massive opposition on the streets outside.
First session of new Andhra Pradesh Assembly begins
The first session of new Andhra Pradesh Assembly began on Wednesday with the newly-elected members taking oath.
Hong Kong football fans boo China anthem as protests swell
Hong Kong football fans booed the Chinese national anthem and held signs opposing government plans to allow extraditions to the mainland at a home match against Taiwan on Tuesday night. The fan protest came as the international hub is rocked once more by huge anti-government protests with record marches over the weekend and demonstrators seizing major highways on Wednesday morning. The latest protests have been sparked by a proposal to allow criminals to be rendered to China for the first time. Many are fearful the proposed law will drag people into the mainland's opaque courts in politically motivated trials and hammer Hong Kong's reputation as an international business hub. Footage posted on social media from Hong Kong's 0-2 defeat by Taiwan on Tuesday night showed fans booing loudly as China's "March of the Volunteers" anthem was played. Fans have booed the national anthem for years but it has become much more commonplace ever since huge pro-democracy protests in 2014 failed to win
Japan's Abe heads to Iran in hopes to help ease tension
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has headed to Iran on a closely watched trip, saying he hoped to help ease tension in the Middle East. Abe told reporters Wednesday that he wants to do as much as he could to secure peace and stability in the region. Tension has intensified since Washington has withdrawn from a nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers and re-imposed sanctions. Abe, the first Japanese leader visiting Iran in 41 years, will hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his three-day visit. Japan maintains friendly ties with both Tehran and Washington and hopes to serve as mediator, a task experts say is difficult. Japan imports its oil mostly from the Middle East and considers its stability crucial.
Ex-FBI leaders to testify on Mueller report, Russian threat
House Democrats angling to spotlight damning allegations from special counsel Robert Mueller's report are focusing Wednesday on contacts between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. The House Intelligence Committee has invited two former leaders of the FBI's national security branch to testify about the counterintelligence implications of Mueller's investigation. Both ex-FBI officials, Robert Anderson and Stephanie Douglas, retired from the bureau before it launched its investigation into the Trump campaign in summer 2016. By inviting them instead of agents involved in the investigation, Democrats are giving center stage to career officials more likely to be seen as neutral. It is unclear whether Republicans will seek to undermine the credibility of the witnesses, or merely try to minimize their testimony by noting that they weren't part of the investigation.
Israel fires missiles at border town in southern Syria
Israel on Wednesday fired several missiles toward the southeastern Syrian town of al-Harra just across the border with Golan Heights.Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the Syrian military intercepted "hostile targets coming from the direction of occupied territories." The missiles were shot down over Quneitra and near Damascus as Israel tried jamming the Syrian air defence radars in the area.However, no immediate injuries were reported while Israel, on its part, is yet to respond to the claims, according to The Times of Israel.Israel has usually carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria targeting bases linked with Iran. But on rare occasions, Israel has targeted villages and towns along the Golan Heights border after Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) exposed nascent Hezbollah terror cells in the area earlier in March.On Saturday, two rockets were fired from Syria toward Israel's Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. There were no reports of injuries or damage.Mount Hermon is located .
Congress top leaders to meet today to chalk out strategy for upcoming Parliament session
A core group of Congress leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss the strategy for the upcoming Parliament session, sources said.Top Congress leaders including, Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Chidambaram, Ashok Gehlot, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh, Randeep Surjewala and K C Venugopal, who are part of the core group headed by senior party leader AK Antony, will be present in the meeting which is slated to take place later today in the Congress war room at 15, Gurdwara Rakabganj Road, here.However, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi will not attend the meeting as she will embark on her maiden visit to her parliamentary constituency, Rae Bareli after winning from the seat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.According to sources, the party will also discuss the appointment of Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha and Congress president Rahul Gandhi's unwillingness to continue as party president.Besides Rahul, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, Anandpur
Trump, Polish President to talk on security: WH
US President Donald Trump will meet with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Wednesday to highlight the deepening of the military-to-military relationship between the two sides, the White House has said.
Confusion abounds as Trump's July 4 plans remain a mystery
With just over three weeks to go, exactly what's going to happen in Washington on the Fourth of July remains a subject of intense confusion. Will the nation's premier Independence Day celebration be centered on the National Mall as usual or shift to the Lincoln Memorial, as the White House has reportedly requested? Will President Donald Trump follow through on his plans to give a speech? And if he does, will the speech be open to anyone including protesters or will the White House somehow restrict his audience to Trump supporters at the traditionally nonpolitical event? The White House hasn't revealed its plans. The National Park Service, which is primarily responsible for the event, has also gone silent. That leaves the city government, which helps with security, in the dark. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia's representative in Congress, said interdepartmental planning meetings for July 4 usually begin up to three months in advance. But to her knowledge, none of
Syrian air defence downs Israeli missiles: state media
Syrian air defence shot down a number of Israeli missiles targeting the south of the country early Wednesday, the official Sana news agency said. The attack was launched around 2 am local time (2300 GMT Tuesday) against the Tall al-Hara sector located near the Golan Heights, according to Sana, which said there had been no casualties. The agency did not specify what had been targeted in the strikes. Sana also accused Israel of conducting an "electronic war" and "jamming" Syrian radar. Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, targeting forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad and the regime's allies Iran and Hezbollah. Earlier this month, Israel struck multiple positions held by regime forces over a period of 24 hours, killing 15 combatants according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. In January it launched strikes on Iranian positions in Syria in what it said was a response to an Iranian missile strike from inside the ...
China appoints veteran diplomat Sun Weidong as new envoy to India
China has appointed veteran diplomat Sun Weidong, an expert in South Asian affairs and worked closely with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his tenure as Ambassador in Beijing, as its new envoy to India. Sun, who also served as the ambassador to Pakistan, is currently the Director General of the Policy and Planning Department of the Foreign Ministry. He will succeed Luo Zhaohui, who has been appointed as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. An agreement has been conveyed by India to China on Sun's appointment, Indian Embassy officials here told PTI. Indian Ambassador to China, Vikram Misri congratulated Sun on his appointment through a tweet. "Congratulations to His Excellency Sun Weidong, who has been appointed as the new Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to India - had the opportunity to welcome him home recently in Beijing and wish him all the best for his important mission," Misri said. Sun who specialises in China and South Asia relations interacted closely ..
Sudanese govt forces kill 11 in Darfur
At least 11 people were shot dead by government forces in the war-torn region of Darfur in western Sudan, a committee of doctors said on Tuesday.Anadolu Agency quoted the Central Committee of the Sudanese Doctors as saying in a statement that 20 others suffered injuries on Monday after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a faction of the army, opened fire on citizens in a village in central Darfur."On Monday, a group of RSF opened fire on citizens in the Dilaige area of Central Darfur State, killing 11 people and injuring at least 20 people," the statement read.No clear reason was given for the killings. However, several witnesses said that they were committed by the RSF soldiers, according to the statement.In Sudan, protesters began a nationwide civil disobedience campaign on Sunday to mount pressure on the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) to hand over power to a civilian government.Scores of people have been killed after a crackdown was launched on protesters in ..
Protests against China extradition bill paralyse Hong Kong
Tens of thousands of protesters paralysed central Hong Kong on Wednesday, blocking major roads in a defiant show of strength against government plans to allow extraditions to China. Black-clad demonstrators, most of them young people and students, surrounded government offices, bringing traffic to a standstill as they called on authorities to scrap the Beijing-backed plan. Rows of riot police were far outnumbered by protesters -- many of whom wore face masks, helmets or goggles -- just hours ahead of a scheduled debate in the city's legislature. By late morning, with crowds continuing to swell, officials in the Legislative Council (Legco) said they would delay the second reading of the bill "to a later date". In scenes echoing the Occupy movement in 2014 that shut down swathes of the city for months, people flooded major roads and junctions in the heart of the city, dragging barricades onto highways and tying them together. Some plucked loose bricks from pavements. Police used water ..
Japan's Abe departs for Tehran to ease US-Iran tensions
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe departed Tokyo on Wednesday for a two-day trip to Iran, during which he will try to help diffuse rising tensions in the Persian Gulf between Washington and Tehran.
Talks with India must be seen as global respectability, says former Pak envoy
Former Pakistan ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani, has said that Pakistan's recent initiatives for talks with India must be seen in the context of the economic and international pressures on Pakistan."Pakistan tends to engage in talks with India for global respectability, but its dominant military is unable to shed its ideological aversion to normal ties with India," he observed.Haqqani wrote in an article recently that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is right to have determined that "talks for talks' sake are meaningless as long as Pakistan refuses to change its view of its larger neighbour as a permanent enemy."Speaking to reporters in Washington, he reiterated his view that another high-level meeting between Indian and Pakistani officials would be fruitless unless it is accompanied with dismantling of Pakistan's terrorist infrastructure and giving up the notion of India and Pakistan being permanent enemies."Between 1950 and December 2015, when Modi dropped in on Prime ..