US Archives - Page 15 of 17 - The Singapore Post

Pakistan is safe haven for terror groups: US State Department

29Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Pakistan is safe haven for terror groups: US State Department

Pakistan continued to serve as a safe haven for certain regionally focused terrorist groups and allowed groups targeting Afghanistan, including the Afghan Taliban and affiliated Haqqani network, as well as groups targeting India, including LeT and its affiliated front organizations, and JeM, to operate from its territory, said a US State Department report.The suspension of US aid to Pakistan, which was announced by President Donald Trump in January 2018, remained in effect throughout 2019, the State Department said.“Pakistan took modest steps in 2019 to counter terror financing and to restrain some India-focused militant groups following the February attack on a security convoy in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir claimed by Pakistan-based JeM,” it said.In its Congressional-mandated an

Pakistan fails in attempt to charge Indian citizen as ‘global terrorist’ by UNSC sanction committee

28Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Pakistan fails in attempt to charge Indian citizen as ‘global terrorist’ by UNSC sanction committee

The United States of America has dealt a huge blow to Pakistan after the Islamic nation attempted to designate an Indian citizen as a ‘global terrorist’ by the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC) 1267 sanctions committee.As per sources, after Pakistan failed to produce enough evidence against the Indian citizen, the US blocked and terminated its proposal.It was further noted that the US conveyed to Security Council members about terminating Pakistan's terror charge proposal, which it had placed on 'technical hold' last year.Pakistan has been incessantly pressurizing the United Nations to list the Indian national as a terrorist, attempting to frame the person for carrying out alleged acts of terrorism on its soil.Pakistan has failed to produce any fresh evidence to link with any terror

Detention of 2 Canadians by China is politically motivated, unjustified: Mike Pompeo

28Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Detention of 2 Canadians by China is politically motivated, unjustified: Mike Pompeo

The United States has voiced concern over the "arbitrary detentions" of two Canadians who were charged with spying by the Chinese regime, saying Washington stands with Canada."The United States is extremely concerned by the People’s Republic of China's (PRC) decision to proceed with formal charges against Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.“These charges are politically motivated and completely groundless. The United States stands with Canada in calling on Beijing for the immediate release of the two men and rejects the use of these unjustified detentions to coerce Canada,” Pompeo said.He urged Beijing to allow Canada for immediate consular access to its citizens to learn their conditions, adding such access has been pro

US Senate approves sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong

26Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

US Senate approves sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong

The US Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a Bill that would lay out sanctions on Chinese officials who undermine Hong Kong's autonomy as Beijing pushes forward with its draconian security law.The House of Representatives still needs to pass the Bill, which would allow sanctions in the United States against Chinese officials and the Hong Kong police as well as banks that conduct "significant transactions" with them.The vote comes as China presses forward with a security law that would enforce punishment over subversion and other perceived threats in Hong Kong."They are moving forward in their process to take away the liberties of the people of Hong Kong. So time is of the essence," said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who helped lead the charge on the Bill."Passing a Senate resolu...

Coronavirus cases in China were 37 times higher than reported in January: US Think Tank

24Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Coronavirus cases in China were 37 times higher than reported in January: US Think Tank

A US-based think tank has said coronavirus cases in China were likely 37 times higher than that reported by the country's government in January 2020.“From December 31, 2019, to January 22, 2020, China reported a daily average of 172 cases of COVID-19 among its residents. This number of confirmed cases was equivalent to just one per 8.2 million residents in the country per day,” the think tank RAND on its website said.Since the outbreak of a novel coronavirus, several governmental and non-governmental agencies around the world have accused China of opacity regarding the virus and for hiding information.RAND has published a report after examining the role of commercial air travel in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. It has said that there is strong evidence to prove that Chin

China’s PLA instigated most violent clash between India-China since 1962 just to grab territory: McConnell

23Jun

By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

China’s PLA instigated most violent clash between India-China since 1962 just to grab territory: McConnell

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) initiated one of the most violent clashes with India, since the two countries went to war in1962, just for the sake of grabbing land territory, said a top American Senator.As many as 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives on Monday in the face-off with Chinese troops who attempted to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh. The Indian intercepts have revealed that the Chinese side suffered 43 casualties including dead and seriously injured in the violent clash.Mitch McConnell, US Senate Majority Leader during a foreign policy speech on the floor of the House on Thursday said: "On land, for the sake of grabbing territory, the PLA appears to have instigated the most violent clash between China and India since those nat...

Pak-Origin plotter of 26/11 attacks arrested in US, faces extradition

23Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

Pak-Origin plotter of 26/11 attacks arrested in US, faces extradition

Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman has been arrested in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.Rana, 59, a known close associate of David Coleman Headley - one of the main conspirators behind the attacks on India’s financial hub that killed 166 people - was serving a 14-year sentence in a Los Angeles federal prison when he was granted an early release last week because of being infected by the coronavirus.He was rearrested in Los Angeles on June 10 following an extradition request by India, where he is a declared fugitive, US prosecutors said.Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian told the court that the Indian government, as per the bilateral Extradition Treaty signed in 1997, has requested the arrest and det

China creating multiple fronts to take advantage of world busy combating COVID-19: US official

22Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China creating multiple fronts to take advantage of world busy combating COVID-19: US official

China opening multiple fronts like the one on India border maybe because of Beijing’s assessment that the world is distracted due to COVID-19 pandemic and it may advantage of it, a US diplomat said on Thursday.Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, David Stilwell, made this remark at a press conference during a conference call after the Hawaii meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi to exchange views on bilateral relations.Talking about the recent India-China stand-off at Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh area, he said, "...one explanation for creating multiple fronts like this is an assessment in Beijing that the world is distracted and is focused entirely on survival, right, recovering from the corona pandemic, which the

China displays ‘rogue’ attitude in neighborhood, creates wedge between US, Europe: Pompeo

21Jun

By Grace TsoiNo Comments

China displays ‘rogue’ attitude in neighborhood, creates wedge between US, Europe: Pompeo

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday criticized the Chinese government for not only displaying its "rogue" attitude in its neighborhood, particularly the recent escalation of border tension with India, but also for "pushing disinformation and malicious cyber campaigns so as to drive a wedge between the US and Europe.".“I think all across the world it's becoming more apparent each and every day. Chinese Communist Party decreed an end to freedom in Hong Kong, violating UN-registered treaty and rights of its citizens-one of many int'l treaties that the Chinese Communist Party has violated,” Pompeo said during an online conference on democracy held in Copenhagen, Denmark.Earlier this week, Pompeo met a Senior Chinese official in Hawaii where he held closed door talks when relations betw

Why conventional wisdom giving China the military edge over India may not be true

20Jun

By Yusara AskariNo Comments

Why conventional wisdom giving China the military edge over India may not be true

It was decades ago when India and China went to war in 1962 over the same Himalayan region where at least 20 soldiers were killed on June 15 in a bloody confrontation between the two sides. One month of combat resulted in a Chinese military victory, with Beijing declaring a cease-fire after securing de facto control of Aksai Chin, an area claimed by both countries.The battle claimed the lives of around 700 Chinese troops and double that on the Indian side. But the militaries that face off in the Himalayas in 2020 are far different from those that fought 58 years ago.Conventional wisdom has it that China holds a significant military advantage over India, but recent studies from the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Boston and the Center for a New American Security...