Month: January 2021

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-Top News USA

Trump impeachment: Lead attorney leaves defence team

US President Donald Trump

The source told Politico that another laywer Deborah Barbier was also no longer with the team…reports Asian LIte News

The attorney leading former US President Donald Trump’s upcoming Senate impeachment trial has left the latter’s legal team, according to a media report.

An informed source and two attorneys close to the team confirmed to the Politico news outlet on Saturday that Butch Bowers, a South Carolina lawyer, “was reportedly set to play a major role” in the trial which is set to begin on February 8.

The source told Politico that another laywer Deborah Barbier was also no longer with the team.

The source added that the exits were a “mutual decision” and new names will be announced soon.

Also on Saturday night, a CNN reports said that a three other lawyers, Josh Howard, Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris, have left the team as well.

According to the CNN report, the exits were due to disagreements over the defence strategy.

“The team members wanted to focus on the legality of the impeachment, while Trump insisted on pushing narratives of election fraud,” the report said.

On January 13, the House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time following the January 6 riots at the Capitol in Washington D.C. which took place after he addressed thousands of his supporters outside the building during which called for “patriots” to take a stand against the 2020 election results.

The House has charged Trump with inciting an insurrection and threatening democracy.

Under the impeachment process, the Senate will hold a judicial-style trial of Trump with the senators acting as jurors.

It is unlikely once again that Trump will be convicted in the upper chamber as the Democrats would need 17 Republicans to vote in a 50-50 Senate.

Saturday’s development comes after Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, confirmed earlier this month that he will not be a part of the impeachment trial.

In a statement to The Hill news website on January 18, Giuliani, also a former New York City Mayor, said: “Due to the fact that I may be a witness, the rules of legal ethics would prohibit me from representing the President as trial counsel in the impeachment trial.”

Along with Trump, Giuliani had also addressed the supporters and called for “trial by combat”.

Also read:‘Capitol rioter ready to testify in Trump impeachment trial’

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-Top News London News UK News

Covid cases continue downward trend across London

The total number of Covid-19 cases identified in London is 641,178 as at January 27, data published by the Greater London Authority revealed….reports Asian Lite News

London is continuing to witness a steady decline in Covid-19 infection rates, as more than half of the capital city’s 32 boroughs are now seeing seven-day infection rates below 400 per 100,000 people.

The infection rates are falling in every single borough, Xinhua news agency quoted the Evening Standard newspaper as saying a report on Saturday, adding that highest is in Brent in northwestern London, with a rate of 588.9 in the week to January 25, marking a 30 per cent decrease on the rate of 838.2 over the previous seven days.

The figures, for the seven days to January 25, are based on tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community, said the newspaper.

On January 28, the daily number of new people tested positive for the virus in London was reported as 4,367.

The total number of Covid-19 cases identified in London is 641,178 as at January 27, data published by the Greater London Authority revealed.

Meanwhile, the UK’s coronavirus reproduction number, known as the R number, is estimated at between 0.7 and 1.1, according to the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Last week, the R number was estimated at between 0.8 and one, according to SAGE.

The R, which refers to the number of people an infected person will pass the virus on to, is one of many indicators scientists use to determine how fast Covid-19 is spreading in the country.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Also read:UK car manufacturing industry feel slump

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Japan likely to extend state of emergency

The final decision on whether to extend the current state of emergency in 11 of the country’s 47 prefectures beyond February 7 will be made next week…reports Asian Lite News

Japan is set to extend the state of emergency over the raging Covid-19 pandemic, as Tokyo and other surrounding areas continue to register a high number of confirmed cases, according to authorities.

The final decision on whether to extend the current state of emergency in 11 of the country’s 47 prefectures beyond February 7 will be made next week, reports Xinhua new agency.

However, a local media report on Saturday quoted a source close to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as saying that eight of the 11 prefectures are subject to an extension, covering Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka.

Suga said on Saturday that he needs to “observe the situation a little more” before making a decision.

The extension may range from another three weeks to one month, according to the local media report.

The country’s second state of emergency, first declared for Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures on January 7, was expanded to seven other prefectures six days later.

The emergency state included measures such as calling on the public to avoid unnecessary outings and urging food and drink service facilities to shorten their operation hours.

The Japanese government is considering adding Okinawa prefecture where the coronavirus has continued to spread on remote islands to areas subject to the state of emergency.

Meanwhile, the government will consider lifting the emergency in Tochigi prefecture north of Tokyo, as new confirmed cases have dropped significantly.

For a prefecture to lift the state of emergency, its Covid-19 situation must improve from Stage 4 which indicates the worst level on the government’s four-point scale.

The standard to determine the stages is based on six key indicators, including the weekly number of infections per 100,000 people and the percentage of available hospital beds for infected patients.

Also read:Japan jobless rate surges for 1st time in 11 yrs

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-Top News Arab News Asia News

Western weapons main cause for Gulf instability: Iran

Western weapons are not only the cause of death of many Yemenis but also the main cause for instability in the Gulf, said Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry…reports Asian Lite News

Iran warned that Western weapons are “the main cause for instability” in the Gulf.

Western weapons are not only the cause of death of many Yemenis but also the main cause for instability in the Gulf, Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman of the Iranian foreign ministry, was quoted by the ministry’s official website as saying on Saturday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Without stopping the “flood” of arms exports, stability and calm cannot be expected in the Gulf region, he noted.

On the possibility of renegotiating the Iranian nuclear deal and including more participants, Khatibzadeh stated that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is a “non-renegotiable” international multilateral agreement with defined and “unchangeable” participants and was ratified by UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Also read:Israel threats are psychological warfare: Iran

Categories
-Top News Asia News

Not bound by treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons: Pakistan

In a sensational observation which will have far reaching ramifications particularly in the highly volatile nuclear armed South Asian neighbourhood, Pakistan has said that it does not consider itself bound to any obligation preserved under the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons as it was not part of its negotiations.

During a weekly press briefing, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that “none of the nuclear-armed states, including Pakistan took part in the negotiations of the Treaty which failed to take on board the legitimate interests of all the stakeholders”.

“Many non-nuclear armed states have also refrained from becoming parties to the treaty,” he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan

Pakistan has maintained that the UN General Assembly had agreed by consensus, during its first special session focused on nuclear disarmament in 1978, that disarmament measures will be adopted, keeping in mind the right of each state to security.

“The UNGA, at its first special session devoted to nuclear disarmament in 1978, had agreed by consensus that the adoption of disarmament measures, the right of each state to security should be kept in mind, and at each stage of the disarmament process, the objective would be undiminished security for all states at the lowest possible level of armament and military forces,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

“Pakistan believes that this cardinal objective can only be achieved as a cooperative and universally agreed undertaking, through a consensus-based process involving all the relevant stakeholders, which results in equal and diminished security for all states.”

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi (Xinhua/Asad/IANS)

Pakistan has highlighted and urged that “it is indispensable for any initiative on nuclear disarmament to take into account the vital security considerations of each and every state”, adding that the current treaty does not contribute to progress or development of customary international law.

“Pakistan stresses that this Treaty neither forms a part of, nor contributes to the development of customary international law in any manner,” the Foreign Office statement added.

Categories
-Top News USA World News

Putin signs extension of Russia-US nuke treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a bill into law ratifying a five-year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the US, one of the last major arms reduction treaties signed since the end of the Cold War.

The validity period of the New START will be extended by five years to February 5, 2026, Xinhua news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying in a statement issued on Friday.

On Tuesday, Moscow and Washington exchanged notes on extending the key arms control pact.

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the US welcomed the move in a telephone call.

The same day, Putin submitted a bill on the extension in the State Duma (the lower house of parliament).

On Wednesday, the Russian Parliament approved it.

The extension of the treaty meets Russia’s national interests, makes it possible to preserve the transparency and predictability of Moscow-Washington strategic relations, helps to maintain strategic stability in the world, positively affects the international situation, and contributes to the nuclear disarmament process, the Kremlin said.

In response to the development, a US State Department representative told Russia’s TASS News Agency said: “There are still steps that should be finalized. But we are optimistic that the extension, which obviously meets our national security interests, will be finalized before expiration on February 5.”

In 2010, Russia and the US signed the New START, which stipulates limits to the numbers of deployed nuclear warheads and strategic delivery systems by both.

Russian RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile systems are seen on the Red Square for the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia. (XinhuaBai Xueqiians)

The last remaining nuclear arms control treaty in force between the two nuclear superpowers was about to expire on February 5 before they agreed to preserve it.

The administration of former President Donald Trump tried to conclude a shorter extension of the treaty last year after rounds of negotiation with Russia, but the two sides failed to finalise a formal agreement.

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-Top News Asia News USA

Omar Sheikh acquittal: Pakistan under pressure as Blinken dials Qureshi

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi

Soon after Saeed’s acquittal was announced on Thursday, President Joe Biden’s Spokesperson Jan Psaki, Blinken and Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson said the US could try him, reports Arul Louis

Pressure mounted on Pakistan to act against terrorist Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken calling up Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi about Pakistan Supreme Court quashing his conviction in the murder US journalist Daniel Pearl.

“The Secretary reinforced US concern about the Pakistani Supreme Court ruling and potential release of these prisoners’ responsible for Pearl’s murder, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said about the call on Friday.

They “discussed how to ensure accountability for convicted terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and others responsible for the kidnapping and murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl,” he said.

Soon after Saeed’s acquittal was announced on Thursday, President Joe Biden’s Spokesperson Jan Psaki, Blinken and Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson said the US could try him.

Wilkinson said that the US was ready to take custody of Saeed and bring him to trial in the US.

Daniel Pearl

British-born Saeed was charged in a US court in 2002 with hostage-taking in connection with the murder of Pearl that year and the kidnapping of an American tourist, Bela Nuss, in India in 1994.

Pearl, who was The Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, was kidnapped by the terrorists in Karachi in 2002 and murdered by having his throat slit.

The gruesome act was videotaped by his captors and circulated on the internet.

In the multi-pronged US campaign, Blinken said on Thursday, “We are also prepared to prosecute Sheikh in the United States for his horrific crimes against an American citizen. We are committed to securing justice for Daniel Pearl’s family and holding terrorists accountable.”

Psaki said, “We call on the Pakistani government to expeditiously review its legal options, including allowing the United States to prosecute Sheikh for the brutal murder of an American citizen and journalist.”

Omar Sheikh

The Pakistani government also faces domestic pressure against taking further action against Saeed who is considered a hero by some in that country.

Pakistan and the US do not have an extradition treaty.

Under international pressure Pakistan had Saeed tried in a court in the Sindh province and he was sentenced to death.

He and three of his fellow terrorists were acquitted by the Sindh High Court and that ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court.

During the phone call on Friday, Blinken and Qureshi also “discussed the importance of continued US-Pakistan cooperation on the Afghan peace process, support for regional stability, and the potential to expand our trade and commercial ties,” Price said.

Categories
-Top News India News

Delhi IED blast: Cab identified, letter says it’s a ‘trailer’

Delhi Police Special Cell has obtained a CCTV footage showing a car dropping off two persons who walk towards the spot near the Israel Embassy where a minor explosion took place on Friday evening.

The team of investigators from Israel could arrive in New Delhi as early as Saturday to assist Indian agencies in the probe over the blast in which some cars were damaged in the high-security zone of Lutyens’ Delhi.

The driver of the vehicle has been traced and sketches of the two people are being prepared. A probe has been initiated to ascertain their involvment in the blast.

A letter has also been recovered from the site of blast that mentions the explosion was just a “trailer”.

Sources said that the letter also mentions Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani and top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh as “martyrs”.

Both were assassinated last year. Soleimani was killed near the Baghdad International Airport in a drone strike ordered by then US President Donald Trump on January 3.

Friday’s blast took place 1.4 km from Vijay Chowk, where the President and Prime Minister and other senior members of the government had assembled for the Beating Retreat ceremony.

A high alert has been sounded in the capital and security at the airport and other strategic locations have been intensified.

Categories
-Top News India News USA

Blinken, Jaishankar hold talks, reaffirm growing Indo-US ties

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State-designate for the Joe Biden administration, right, with India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Washington in 2015. At that time, Blinken was deputy secretary of state and Jaishankar was the foreign secretary. (Fil photo: State Dept./IANS)

Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of working together to expand regional cooperation, including through the Quad, reports Arul Louis

American Secretary of State Antony Blinken “underscored India’s role as a pre-eminent partner of the US in the Indo-Pacific” during a discussion with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on expanding ties, a top official said here.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Blinken called Jaishankar on Friday “to reaffirm the growing US-India partnership and discuss issues of mutual concern, including Covid-19 vaccination efforts, regional developments, and next steps in expanding bilateral ties”.

“Both agreed to coordinate closely on global developments,” he said.

Taking to Twitter following the talks, Jaishankar said: “Warm conversation with Secretary of State @SecBlinken. Congratulated him on his appointment. Look forward to working with him again. Agreed that we could build further on the solid foundation of our partnership. Also discussed our efforts at combating the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The two had worked together and met in New Delhi when Jaishankar was the Foreign Secretary and Blinken was the Deputy Secretary of State in 2015.

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar

Price said that they looked forward to meeting in person at the earliest opportunity.

During their conversation, Blinken also stressed the importance of working together to expand regional cooperation, including through the Quad, the spokesman added.

Quad is a group comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, which was revived with a boost from the administration of former President Donald Trump in 2017 as a bulwark of democracies against China’s growing aggression in the region.

Friday’s conversation comes after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Wednesday and discussed continuing close co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region and promoting regional security, according to the White House.

Earlier, Blinken had told the Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing that there would be a continuity in US relations with India which grew under the previous administration.

The US would continue “to make sure we were working with India so that no country in the region including China could challenge its sovereignty and also working with it on concerns that we share about terrorism”, he said.

Categories
-Top News Asia News USA

Pak stresses need for closer ties with US

Following Biden’s inauguration on January 20, Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated the new President, saying that Pakistan was looking forward to build a stronger bilateral partnership through trade and economic engagement..reports Asian Lite News

Joe Biden

Pakistan has emphasised for closer engagement with the administration of new US President Joe Biden, a Foreign Office official said, adding Islamabad valued its ties with Washington which helped maintain regional peace and stability.

“We have achieved a lot by working together in the past. The logic for continued engagement and coordination is even more compelling in the context of shared geopolitical and security challenges,” Dawn news quoted spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri as saying at a briefing on Thursday while replying to a query about Islamabad’s strategy to engage with the Biden administration.

“We look forward to working with the new administration to further strengthen our bilateral ties to make it multifaceted, sustainable and mutually beneficial and continue our partnership to achieve peace, stability and prosperity in the region,” the spokesman added.

Following Biden’s inauguration on January 20, Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated the new President, saying that Pakistan was looking forward to build a stronger bilateral partnership through trade and economic engagement; countering climate change; improving public health; combating corruption; and promoting peace in the region and beyond.

Also readDaniel Pearl murder : Pak SC orders release of accused: