Page 2635 - Politics
Trump accuses US press of using mail bomb case
US President Donald Trump accused the American media of using the arrest of one of his apparent supporters in the mail bomb case to "score political points" against him, less than two weeks before the mid-term elections.
Pakistan gives death sentence to 14 terrorists
Pakistani Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has confirmed death sentences to 14 terrorists belonging to banned militant groups, the military said.
CPJ calls for end to Trump's reckless assaults on journalists
The Committee for the Protection of Journalists on Friday called for an end to the United States president's public verbal attacks on journalists, saying many now feel unsafe because of them.
Russian FSB foils ISIS activity in Moscow
Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) on Friday thwarted the activities of six Islamic State (ISIS) operatives in the capital city of Moscow."The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, jointly with Russia's Interior Ministry conducted manhunt and investigative activities in the Moscow region to stop illegal activities of six members of an organized, deeply secret cell of the Islamic State international terrorist organization," the FSB confirmed in a statement."The terrorist cell was managed by emissaries in the Syrian Arab Republic - natives of the Central Asian region," the statement added.Automatic weapons, terror attack plans, money and a set of instructions to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) were confirmed to have been confiscated by the FSB.The FSB has foiled as many as 30 terrorist-related activities in 2018.
Pak PM's sister's named in FIA benami property report
A report submitted to the Pakistan Supreme Court by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday revealed that a number of government officials, including Prime Minister Imran Khan's sister Aleema Khanum, own benami property in Dubai.The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government's spokesperson on economy and energy issues, Farrukh Saleem's mother, Senator Taj Afridi and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Makhdoom Amin Faheem's widow are also named in the report, The Express Tribune reported.The report, examining the details of the properties owned by Pakistanis, further cited that as many as 16 properties were owned by PTI leader Mumtaz Ahmed Muslim, while former PPP minister Amin Faheem's widow Rizwana Ameen is the owner of four properties in the real estate market of the country.Also, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Anwar Baig's wife is named to be the owner of an apartment.Other eminent individuals to be included in the report are Pakistani singer Adnan Sami ...
Netanyahu pays historic visit to Oman, meets sultan
Israel's Prime Minister paid a historic visit to Oman, where he met with the sultan of the Gulf country, which has yet to establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel, official sources announced on Friday.
Amid political tension, US urges Sri Lankan parties to follow Constitution
The United States on Friday called on all Sri Lankan political parties to "act in accordance with their constitution" and "refrain from violence," in the wake of political turmoil in the country caused following the removal of its Prime Minister by the President."The US is following events in #SriLanka. We call on all parties to act in accordance with SL's constitution, refrain from violence, and follow due process," the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs tweeted."We expect government of SL to uphold its Geneva commitments to human rights, reform, accountability, justice, and reconciliation," it added.Earlier on Friday, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president, who was accused of human rights abuses, brazen nepotism. Rajapaksa took oath as the new Prime Minister soon after the appointment.Sri Lankan Minister of Finance and Media, Mangala Samaraweera denounced the move as .
Mattis approves military support on Mexico border
Defence Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday approved a request to send troops and military assistance to the US-Mexico border -- part of President Donald Trump's effort to slow illegal crossings in the run-up to key elections. A Pentagon statement said the support would come in the form of logistical and engineering assistance, including the construction of "temporary barriers, barricades and fencing." The Pentagon did not provide details on how many troops would be sent, but US officials on Thursday told AFP that about 800 service members would be deployed to the frontier. "After receiving a request for assistance from the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Defense has approved providing mission-enhancing capabilities to Department of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection along the Southwest Border," the Pentagon statement read. The troops would augment the 2,100 or so National Guardsmen who were deployed in April to support border operations, and could come ...
Mahinda Rajapaksa's appointment as PM unconstitutional: Lanka Finance Minister
Sri Lankan Minister of Finance and Media, Mangala Samaraweera termed the appointment of the new Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, "illegal and unconstitutional"."The appointment of @PresRajapaksa as the Prime Minister is unconstitutional and illegal. This is an anti-democratic coup," Samaweera took to Twitter to criticise the decision.On Friday, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena sacked country's prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and replaced him with his (Sirisena) predecessor Rajapaksa after the collapse of the governing coalition between Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and United National Party (UNP), New York Times reported. Sirisena's SLFP and Wickremesinghe's UNP had come together to form the Unity Government in August 2015 following the general elections in the country.In April, the ousted Prime Minister, Wickremesinghe also survived a no-confidence motion in the country's Parliament that was brought by the supporters of Rajapaksa.Interestingly, Rajapaksha, who served .
Syria's UN envoy threatens to retake rebel stronghold of Idlib
Syria's permanent representative to the UN Bashar Jaafari on Friday threatened that his country will retake Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold and home to a demilitarized buffer zone agreed to by Russia and Turkey.
Amid political drama in Lanka, US urges parties to follow Constitution
The United States urged political parties in Sri Lanka on Friday to abide by the Constitution and refrain from violence, as the latter country faces a constitutional crisis after its president ousted the prime minister. Controversial Sri Lankan strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa staged a dramatic political comeback on Friday, becoming the new prime minister after President Maithripala Sirisena sacked premier Ranil Wickremesinghe who termed the move as "unconstitutional" and vowed to prove his majority in Parliament. In its first reaction to the unfolding situation in Sri Lanka, the US State Department said it is following the development in the island nation. "We call on all parties to act in accordance with SL's Constitution, refrain from violence, and follow due process," the State Department said in a tweet. "We expect gov of SL to uphold its Geneva commitments to human rights, reform, accountability, justice, and reconciliation," the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department .
Former Bengal leader of opposition dead
Former Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and a founding member of the Trinamool Congress, Pankaj Banerjee, passed away late on Friday.
After deadly Gaza protests, rockets hit southern Israel
Israeli forces shot dead five Palestinians Friday, four in Gaza protests and one in the West Bank, and Palestinian militants later fired several rockets into southern Israel. In Gaza, the deadly escalation followed two weekly protests along the perimeter fence with Israel that saw no fatalities. The bloodshed is likely to complicate the mission of Egyptian mediators, who intensified their shuttle diplomacy to achieve calm and prevent a full-blown conflict between Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel. Late Friday, Israeli army said 10 to 12 rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel communities. Israel's Iron Dome defense system intercepted several missiles, it added. Earlier, thousands of Palestinians gathered at five locations along the boundary, burning tires and throwing rocks, grenades and firebombs at Israeli troops who respond with tear gas and occasional live fire. The Israeli army said some suspects briefly crossed the fence. In a separate incident, the military said its ...
VP Naidu to embark on three-nation visit on Oct 31
Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu will be visiting three countries in Africa from October 31 to November 06.The Vice-President will take a tour of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising of Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Krishan Pal Gurjar, and four Members of Parliament (MPs) in addition to senior officials.While addressing the media in Delhi, TS Tirumurti, Secretary (ER) said, "The first leg of the visit is to Botswana. The visit from India at this level is taking place after a gap of eight years. However, the current President of Botswana, in this capacity as Vice-President, had visited India in 2015 for IAFS-III."He also added that, during the last few years, the relationship between India and Botswana has diversified in a range of areas, including defence, trade, health, capacity building, etc.Naidu will have one-on-one meeting with Botswana's Vice-President followed by delegation-level talks. He is also ...
Narendra Modi a paradoxical Prime Minister: Dr Manmohan Singh
Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Friday lashed out at the central government and dubbed his successor Narendra Modi as 'a paradoxical Prime Minister'.While addressing a gathering at the book launch of Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Singh lauded the book but did not mince his words while attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government.Singh called Shashi's book "The paradoxical Prime Minister" as a "very timely and important book." He further thanked Tharoor for reminding people "that the idea of India is under threat today. From those who not just seek to rule India but to change India's very heart and soul."The former prime minister, however, said, "Narendra Modi is a paradoxical Prime Minister. He (Modi) has spoken of being a prime minister for all Indians but he presides over and has mostly been silent in the face of widespread communal violence, mob lynching, and cow vigilantism. The environment in our universities and national institutions like the ...
China has taken actions that have provided risk to Americans: Pompeo
China has taken actions that have provided risk to the American people, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday, alleging that Chinese have been "bribing" leadership in countries to bag infrastructure projects. "I think if you go look at (Chinese) President Xi's (Jinping) stated intentions, you can clearly see that China has a plan that is different than the one that they had five years ago or even two or three years ago. You see this in their ability to use their money around the world," Pompeo said in an interview with Hugh Hewitt of the Hugh Hewitt Show. Pompeo said that he has spoken about this repeatedly. "I spoke to it when I was in Panama and I travel the world. "I remind countries we welcome commercial competition with China on a fair and reciprocal basis, but when China shows up with bribes to senior leaders in countries in exchange for infrastructure projects that will harm the people of that nation, then this idea of a treasury-run empire build is something that I ...
Nigeria confirms 79 presidential candidates for 2019 election
Nigeria's electoral body on Friday confirmed that 79 candidates, including incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari, will contest in next year's presidential election in the country.
US wants fair, reciprocal trade with other countries: Trump
Reiterating that China badly wants a trade deal with America, President Donald Trump said Friday that he wants a fair and reciprocal trade with other countries. Trump, who has launched a series of new policy initiatives to challenge the Chinese assertiveness and imposed massive import tariffs on Chinese products, said that he has told the leadership of China that his is no longer the same old White House. "They (Chinese leadership) want to make a (trade) deal so badly. And I said 'you're not ready yet. No, you're not ready. No'. I told him you're not ready yet'. I did say that. They've never heard that before, but I said you're not ready," Trump told a Black leadership conference at the White House. "When they see a building that's, you know, a 1790-type version building, what they say to themselves, you know? That's like a new building. But for this country, this isn't -- 1790. If you remember, Number six. I'm 45. Number six, President number six -- you know who that was -- President
EU observers present final report on Pak's July 25 polls; give 30 suggestions
A team of European Union observers Friday released its final report on Pakistan's July 25 general elections, recommending 30 suggestions to improve the future electoral process in the country. Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) Michael Gahler, member of the European Parliament from Germany, returned to Pakistan to present the final report. "Our final report brings together the findings and analysis of our observations over the period the mission was in Pakistan, as well as comprehensive recommendations for future elections," said Gahler. "The recommendations in the report are addressed to the relevant institutions the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the government, the National Assembly, political parties, civil society and other key stakeholders," he said. The report notes the inclusive and consultative reform process undertaken after the 2013 elections, resulting in the partial or complete implementation of 38 of the 50 recommendations
US authorities name man suspected of sending suspicious packages
The person in custody on suspicion of sending suspicious packages to a dozen prominent people has been identified as Florida resident Cesar Sayoc, US media reported Friday, citing law enforcement sources.