Page 2662 - Politics
First action in Khashoggi 'killing', US to revoke Saudi visas
The United States has announced to revoke visas of Saudi officials allegedly involved in the "killing" of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, amid an international outrage over the scribe's death. Saudi Arabia has admitted that Khashoggi, 59, a contributor for The Washington Post, was killed in its Istanbul consulate. The US will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult the Congress, and work with other nations, to hold accountable those responsible for the killing of Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters. Given the information, currently, available with the United States, the administration is taking appropriate actions, he said. The US has identified at least some of the individuals responsible for Khashoggi's death. These include those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the Saudi foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries, Pompeo said. Khashoggi, a former royal family insider turned critic of the Saudi crown prince, disappeared after he entered the ...
Japanese journalist captured in Syria likely to return
Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda, who was abducted in Syria three years ago, is believed to have been released and is likely to return Tokyo.Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday confirmed that a person living in an immigrant facility in Antakya, Turkey is might be the captured journalist, reported CNN.Qatar informed the Japanese government about the man and his stay at the facility.At a press conference in Tokyo, Suga stated, "We are still working to identify this person, but putting together various information, the person is highly likely to be Yasuda himself and we have informed that to his wife."Yasuda, who was working as a freelance war reporter, has been missing since June 2015.Suga, however, reiterated that the government will need some time to confirm the identity of the person to ensure that he is, in fact, the kidnapped journalist.
Confident of seeking fourth term as Chhattisgarh CM: Raman Singh
After filing his nomination for the upcoming state assembly elections, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh expressed confidence that his government will come to power once again in the state for the fourth time."I am confident of forming government once again in the state. There should not be a deficit of one single vote. We need to display our might once again to come back to power. Unlike Congress, who only deceived the poor and the farmers, we worked for the development of Chhattisgarh," Singh said while addressing a rally from his constituency in Rajnandgaon.Launching a scathing attack at the opposition Congress, Singh said, "The Congress just took the people for a ride here in Chhattisgarh through their "Garibi Hatao" slogan. They did nothing for the poor here. The poor, these days, get rice at Rs 1 per kg, the women get gas cylinders for free. The Congress government here struggled to buy five quintals of rice to feed the people of this state. The farmers of this state badly
Putin, Trump to meet in Paris on Nov 11
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump are scheduled to have a full-fledged meeting in Paris on November 11, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday.
US to invalidate visas of Saudi officials involved in Khashoggi's killing
United States Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo on Tuesday stated that the US has decided to revoke the visas Saudi officials implicated in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Pompeo further hinted at possible sanctions on Saudi, reported euronews."These penalties will not be the last word on the matter from the United States. We're making very clear that the United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," he told the reporters.Pompeo's statement comes following his visit to Saudi Arabia and Turkey where he met the presidents and the top officials of the two nations and discussed the disappearance of Khashoggi at US President Donald Trump's request.Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman went missing on October 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.While Turkey claimed that Khashoggi was murdered in the consulate, Saudi officials said that the journalist died after a
US renews call on Pakistan to cut off extremists
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has renewed calls on Pakistan to curb extremists fighting in Afghanistan, saying Washington was holding its uneasy war partner accountable. Pompeo made the comment Tuesday as he welcomed long-delayed legislative elections in Afghanistan, saying the United States was "encouraged" by voter turnout, despite reports of widespread problems including poll centers that failed to open or lacked voter rolls. "Our expectation is that Pakistan will not provide safe harbor to terrorists on their western border," Pompeo told reporters when asked about Islamabad's role. "We couldn't have made that message any more clear," he said, adding: "Pakistan will be held to account if they don't achieve that, if they're not sincere in that effort." "Everyone wants a reconciliation in Afghanistan and to achieve that, you can't have a safe harbor for Taliban, for Haqqani and for others inside of Pakistan," he said, listing extremist movements fighting in Afghanistan. President
I am puzzled by US' unprovoked moves: Putin
The President of Russia met on Tuesday with the United States' national security advisor on the second day of the latter's visit to Moscow and told him that his government was puzzled by the US' moves such as withdrawing from a Cold War-era nuclear arms control pact, which he said were hard to describe as friendly.
US to revoke visas of Saudis implicated in killing of writer
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Trump administration is revoking the visas of some Saudi officials implicated in the death of writer Jamal Khashoggi. Pompeo announced the step at a State Department news conference Tuesday. Vice President Mike Pence said earlier that Khashoggi's death at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, "will not go without an American response." The visa revocations are the first punitive measures taken by the administration against the Saudis since Khashoggi disappeared after entering the consulate on Oct. 2. Visa records are considered confidential and Pompeo did not say which or how many Saudi officials would have their visas revoked. Saudi authorities have detained 18 people in connection with Khashoggi's death, which officials say was accidental despite Turkish allegations that Khashoggi was intentionally killed.
Trump, Xi to meet during G20 summit in Buenos Aires
US President Donald Trump will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires between November 30 and December 1, the White House confirmed on Tuesday.
NKorea rights 'not changed' despite rapprochement: UN
A senior UN official has warned that recent rapprochement on the Korean peninsula, as well as between North Korea and the United States had not been accompanied by an improvement in human rights in the reclusive country. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the North, Tuesday urged Pyongyang to show willingness to start addressing the issue following key summits with both South Korea and the United States. "The human rights situation at the moment has not changed on the ground in North Korea despite this important progress on security, peace and prosperity," the rapporteur told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. In a whirlwind of diplomacy, the leader of the isolated, nuclear-armed North Kim Jong Un held an unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, following two meetings with the South's Moon Jae-in. Ojea Quintana called the rapprochement between North and South "an extraordinary development" and the Kim-Trump summit .
US slaps sanctions on Taliban, Iranian supporters
The US Treasury announced on Tuesday that it has imposed sanctions on eight individuals, including two associated with Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- Qods Force (IRGC-QF), in an effort to hit Afghanistan's Taliban militants.
US' moral standing at risk, Senators urge Trump to condemn Khashoggi's murder
A group of four top Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday urged President Donald Trump to condemn the "murder" of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, asserting that America's global moral standing is at risk. Despite mounting evidence that the 60-year-old Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government who spent time living and working in the US, was tortured and killed, the White House has continued to equivocate on the obvious and coddled the leaders of the Saudi regime, the Democratic Senators rued in a statement after sending a letter to President Trump. Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. The Saudi government initially said he left the consulate through the back door. Following a global outrage, the Saudi government on Friday in a statement acknowledged that Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight inside the consulate and noted that an interrogation went wrong. The Democratic Senators who signed on the letter ..
Bolton hails 'very comprehensive and productive' talks in Russia
US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Tuesday praised "productive" talks with President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials during a two-day trip to Moscow. "I had a series of very comprehensive and productive discussions," he told a press conference after the visit in the wake of US President Donald Trump's announcement he would pull out of a nuclear arms treaty with Russia. A 90-minute meeting with Putin touched on the conflict in Syria and election meddling as well as Trump's decision on the arms treaty, Bolton said. "We discussed our continuing concern with Russian meddling in elections and why it was particularly harmful for Russian-American relations without producing anything in return," he said. "We had lengthy conversations about arms control issues, the new strategic landscape and the INF (Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces) treaty." Bolton earlier said Trump wished to meet Putin when the two visit Paris on November 11 for World War I commemorations. During the .
Fadnavis says Sena will have to ally with BJP 'for Hindutva'
Despite its constant criticism of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena will have to ally with the BJP for the 2019 polls over the issue of Hindutva, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Tuesday. He also strongly favoured construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. He said those with even basic understanding of politics know the BJP and the Sena would have to fight together to win elections. The BJP chief minister was speaking at the "Mumbai Manthan" conclave organised by Hindi news channel Aaj Tak. Earlier this year, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had announced his party would go it alone in all future elections. Though the Sena is a BJP ally, it often criticises the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra over their policies and decisions. "Uddhav ji keeps talking talking about Hindutva. In that case, there are just two parties (the BJP and the Sena) working for Hindutva. Therefore, they have to ally with us for Hindutva," ...
TN: 1 nabbed by NIA for suspected links with ISIS
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested one person from Tamil Nadu as a conspirator for his suspected links with Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.Shafeek Ahamed (30), a resident of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, was arrested and produced before a special court, which subsequently gave him seven days remand to the NIA.During the investigation, it has emerged that Ahamed had facilitated procurement of forged passports.The arrests had been made after five people from Kannur, who were believed to have joined IS and left the country to undergo training in Syria, were arrested by the police last year.The Valapattanam police registered a case against them on charges of joining a banned terrorist organisation under Sections 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.Earlier in July, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) operative Shajahan Velluva Kandy, a resident of Kannur in Kerala, was arrested from the Indira Gandhi International airport on his deportation by ..
'We are desperate' says Imran Khan in an interview that 'never was'
Imran Khan's aide's denial over an interview given by the Pakistan Prime Minister has created a storm on Twitter.Khan, before departing for Riyadh to attend the Future Investment Initiative conference, had reportedly told journalists present in an interview held on October 20 that even though Pakistan was concerned about the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, they were "desperate" for financial help from Saudi Arabia.The occurrence of this interview, however, was completely denied by Special Assistant to Pakistan's Prime Minister, Naeem ul Haque."PM did not give any interview. A delegation of foreigners touring Pakistan called on him and were told about the state of affairs we are faced with. Why can't senior journalists like you get our version," commented Haque on a newspaper clipping tweeted by Kamran Khan, the editor-in-chief of the Dunya Media Group in Pakistan.In response to this, Amanda Coakley, a freelance Irish journalist who was a part of a UK media delegation that ..
Chinese VP Wang meets Israeli, Palestinian officials
China's vice president has met with Israeli and Palestinian officials as part of a three-day trip to the region. Wang Qishan visited the West Bank on Tuesday, where he met Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, laid a wreath on the grave of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and toured Bethlehem's Nativity Church. Later, he met Israel's largely ceremonial president, Reuven Rivlin, in Jerusalem. Rivlin said relations between the two countries were "excellent." Wang's trip to Israel illustrates the warming ties between the two countries. They have become close trade partners, with China showing interest in Israeli developments in agriculture, water and other environmental technologies. Wang, a confidant of President Xi Jinping, is one of the most senior Chinese officials to visit Israel since the countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.
In Uttar Pradesh, Shivpal Yadav launches new party
The new political outfit floated by Shivpal Yadav, the rebel Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and estranged uncle of former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, will be known as 'Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia', it was announced here at a party convention on Tuesday.
Mob lynching, 'love jihad' cases risen under Modi rule:Nirupam
Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam Tuesday alleged that cases of "mob lynching and love Jihad" have gone up under the watch of Narendra Modi government. Speaking during a panel discussion at 'Mumbai Manthan' organised by news channel Aaj Tak, Nirupam said the Congress didn't follow any "soft Hindutva" as being claimed by the BJP. Nirupam, BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) spokesperson Sambit Patra and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Abu Azmi held a discussion on 'Rule and Divide'--the role of religion in politics--at the event. "The Congress is neither against religion nor temples. The Congress doesn't follow anything called 'soft' Hindutva as claimed by the BJP," the Mumbai Congress president said. "The cases of mob lynching (by cow vigilantes) and 'love jihad' have increased under Modi government, which shows how minorities are being treated in the country," he said. Countering Nirupam, Patra said the Congress had a leadership issue. "There is nothing called soft Hindutva. (Congress .
Cong will not allow pvt varsities in state if voted to power: TPCC chief
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N Uttam Kumar Reddy Tuesday said that the Congress, if voted to power in the forthcoming Assembly elections, would not allow private universities in the state. Addressing a function at the Indira Bhavan here, Reddy alleged that the TRS regime had "completely ruined" the education system of Telangana by letting all state universities starve for funds and staff during the last four-and-a-half years, a party release said. The TPCC chief also slammed the TRS government for its failure to start IT Investment Region (ITIR) project here which was sanctioned by the previous Congress-led UPA government to create over 50 lakh direct and indirect jobs. Reddy claimed that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was all set to become the next prime minister and once the Congress comes to power at the Centre, Telangana would get a Railway Coach factory at Kazipet, Steel Factory at Bayyaram and the ITIR. According to Reddy, required funds were not ...