Category: INTERNATIONAL

US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief Mike Pompeo has repeated the mantra of President Donald Trump’s administration that Pakistan continues to provide shelter to terrorists who target US citizens, saying this is “no longer going to be acceptable”. Speaking on CBS show Face the Nation on Sunday, the spy agency chief said US has given Pakistan a “chance” to reinstate its alliance with the United States by holding back all security aid until Pakistan proves its commitment to fight all terrorist groups operating in the region. “If they fix this problem, we’re happy to continue to engage with…

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In the face of mounting US pressure against Pakistan, China has opposed the idea of linking terrorism to any country and placing the onus of responsibility of counter-terrorism on a certain country, reported Radio Pakistan, the state-run radio station. Referring to the recent statements of US President Donald Trump and other US officials, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang on Monday said that ‘pointing fingers’ at each other is not conducive to the global counter-terrorism efforts. “Terrorism is a common enemy of the world and crackdown on the menace needs joint efforts from the international community,”…

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SEOUL: The rival Koreas will sit down for their first formal talks in more than two years next week to find ways to cooperate on the Winter Olympics in the South and to improve their abysmal ties, Seoul officials said on Friday. While a positive sign after last year’s threats of nuclear war, the Koreas have a long history of failing to move past their deep animosity. The announcement came hours after the United States said it will delay annual military exercises with South Korea until after the Winter Olympics…

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The release of a bombshell-filled book about Donald Trump’s first year in the White House on Friday sparked fresh debate about the president’s fitness for office, with the author claiming his closest aides “say he is like a child.” “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” was rushed into bookstores and onto e-book platforms four days ahead of schedule due to what its publisher called “unprecedented demand” — and after Trump’s bid to block it failed. The book — which has sent shockwaves across Washington — quickly sold out in…

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MOSCOW: Russia accused the United States on Friday of interfering in Iranian affairs as the UN Security Council prepared to hold a meeting at Washington’s request on deadly protests in Iran. “The United States continues to interfere both openly and covertly in the internal affairs of other countries. They do so shamelessly,” Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. “This is how we view the American initiative to convene the UN Security Council over a situation that is of purely national concern in…

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Iranian authorities, scrambling to contain the biggest nationwide protests since 2009, have blocked social media apps and said anyone who disrupts public order will pay the price, after a turbulent night of growing anti-establishment demonstrations left at least two dead. People took to the streets on Saturday night for a third evening of apparently spontaneous protests. The demonstrations began over economic grievances but have since taken on a political dimension, with unprecedented calls for the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to step down. More protests have been organised for Sunday evening,…

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Movie superstar Rajinikanth is entering politics in his southern Indian state with a plan to launch his own party, calling it his duty. The 67-year-old said Sunday to his cheering supporters that his objective is to change the system and bring good governance to Tamil Nadu. He called for a political change and appealed to his fans to bring all sections of society into the fold. “I do not want cadres. I want watchdogs,” New Delhi Televisionchannel quoted Rajinikanth as saying. Rajinikanth is one of India’s most popular stars and many…

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Palestine has recalled its envoy to Pakistan after India objected to his appearance in a public meeting on Al Quds along with Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed. A statement by the Palestinian foreign ministry said: “The minister of foreign affairs and expatriates under the direct instructions of the president of the state of Palestine has decided to recall the Palestinian ambassador to Pakistan immediately.” It said that the envoy’s participation “in a mass rally in solidarity with Jerusalem… in the presence of individuals accused of supporting terrorism is an…

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ANKARA: The Turkish government on Sunday ordered the sacking of more than 2,700 people working in public institutions over their alleged links to “terror” groups, in the latest round of purges since last year’s failed coup. In a separate emergency decree, the country’s defence procurement agency was ordered to answer to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan instead of the defence ministry in a move widely viewed as a further expansion of his powers. Turkey’s intelligence service (MIT) also came under Mr Erdogan’s control in August. A total of 2,756 people, including…

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Kashmir Council EU Chairman Ali Raza Syed has expressed grave concerns on a deadly attack in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province. At least eight people were killed and above 40 injured in a suicide attack on a Church on Quetta’s Zarghoon Road on Sunday afternoon. In a statement Mr Ali Raza Syed said, this is a brutal and inhuman act and we strongly condemn it. He added, violence and terrorism is not acceptable in any shape. Such attacks are assaults on sense of connection and shared humanity, tolerance,…

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NEW YORK: A suburban New York hospital technician accused of using bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to launder money meant for the militant Islamic State (IS) group was arrested on charges of money laundering in support of a foreign terrorist organisation and bank fraud, prosecutors said on Thursday. Federal prosecutors in New York’s Suffolk County claimed in court papers that Zoobia Shahnaz, 27, used fraudulent credit cards and loans to accumulate $85,000, which she attempted to transfer to IS before attempting to go to Syria to join it. Prosecutors said that…

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China has officially stated that it supports the establishment of an independent state of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. “China understands the concerns of Islamic countries on the status of Jerusalem, supports the resolution of the status of Jerusalem in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions and international consensus,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang said. He made the remarks during his regular press briefing in Beijing while responding to a question about the adoption of a joint statement by the Organisation of…

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NEW DELHI: Indian police detained dozens of Catholics singing Christmas carols for allegedly trying to convert people, officials said on Friday, as fears grow over religious freedom in the South Asian nation. Police said 32 people were detained for trying to convert people to Christianity in the Madhya Pradesh state late Thursday, with a leading Catholic association condemning the accusations as “laughable”. When a group of priests went to the police station to enquire about the detentions, their parked car was torched, allegedly by a mob belonging to a right-wing…

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GAZA: Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians and wounded 150 others with live fire on Friday, medical officials said, as protests over US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital entered a second week. Most of the casualties were on the Gaza Strip border, where thousands of Palestinians gathered to hurl rocks at Israeli soldiers beyond the fortified fence. Medics said two protesters, one of them wheelchair-bound, were killed and 150 wounded. In the occupied West Bank, another area where Palestinians are seeking statehood along with adjacent East…

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