Category: WORLD NEWS

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said today there were “no innocent people” in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip after 10 days of protests and clashes left 30 Palestinians dead. “There are no innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” Lieberman told Israel’s public radio. “Everyone’s connected to Hamas, everyone gets a salary from Hamas, and all the activists trying to challenge us and breach the border are Hamas military wing activists.” Israel has faced mounting questions over its use of live fire after 10 days of protests and clashes along the Gaza…

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An influential US Congresswoman has met with the Consul General of India in New York and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New York was instrumental in the issuance of a commemorative Diwali stamp by the US Postal Service in 2016. The meeting between Maloney and head of the Indian consulate in New York Sandeep Chakravorty took place at the Indian Consulate here on Wednesday. A statement issued by her office said the two discussed ways to improve ties between the world’s oldest democracy and the…

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An Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza early today killed a Palestinian, while a second man died from wounds sustained in last week’s mass protest along the Gaza-Israel border, officials said. The fatalities bring to 21 the number of people killed in confrontations in the volatile area over the past week. A new round of protests along the border is expected tomorrow, raising the prospect of further bloodshed. The protest march last week, largely organized by Gaza’s Hamas rulers, had been billed as the first of several weeks of intermittent protests…

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will travel to Afghanistan tomorrow on a day-long visit during which he is likely discuss a range of issues, including ways to facilitate talks with the Taliban. In a statement, the Foreign Office said Abbasi was visiting Kabul on an invitation of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “The Prime Minister’s visit is taking place in the backdrop of Pakistan’s support to President Ghani’s offer of peace talks with the Taliban for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and strengthening bilateral engagement,” it said. Abbasi will…

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The United States on Wednesday rejected as “baseless” China’s retaliatory tariffs and complaint in the World Trade Organization over the US tariffs recently imposed on steel and aluminum imports. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 15 percent on aluminum early last month, citing national security concerns. But China invoked the WTO dispute process under a different rule, which does not apply, meaning Beijing’s threat of retaliatory tariffs on $3 billion in US exports is not justified, the US Trade Representative’s office said in a statement. “China’s request for…

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The US will deploy military to secure its international border with Mexico, President Donald Trump has said, asserting that America’s existing laws were “horrible” and enabled caravans of illegal immigrants’ entry into the country. Trump has been a great proponent of building a wall along the US-Mexico border. He is seeking billions of dollars from the Congress for this initiative, but has been unable to get the funding so far. Trump believes that the wall along the Mexico border is a permanent solution to stop large influx of illegal immigrants…

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A woman opened fire at the YouTube headquaters today in the US state of California, wounding three people before killing herself, officials said, calling it a prima facie case of domestic dispute. The suspect, who died of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, has been identified as 38-year-old Nasim Aghdam, two police officials were quoted as saying by the NBC. The headquarters of YouTube, a video-sharing service owned by Alphabet Inc’s Google, in San Bruno near Silicon Valley has a significant number of Indian-American professionals. Officials said they believe the motive behind…

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In a major setback to Hafiz Saeed’s political ambitions, the US today designated the Milli Muslim League (MML), the political front of Pakistan-based Mumbai attack mastermind-led Jamaat-ud Dawa, as a foreign terrorist organisation. In a simultaneous move, seven members of the MML’s central leadership body have been designated as foreign terrorists. The US also added Tehreek-e-Azadi-e-Kashmir (TAJK) to the list of terrorist groups. TAJK is said to be a front of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which according to the Trump administration, continues to operate freely inside Pakistan. The move comes a…

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Malaysia’s navy chief says authorities have detained a boat carrying 56 people believed to be Muslim Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar. Adm Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin says the boat was intercepted after it entered Malaysian waters and is now at the northern resort island of Langkawi. He said today that all 56 passengers, mostly children and women, were safe but tired and hungry, and were given food and water. The naval chief said the boat and its passengers would be handed over to immigration authorities. About 700,000 Rohingya have…

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