Tag: US

Sindhi community in US to hold march against Pak atrocities
17Jan By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Sindhi community in US to hold march against Pak atrocities

Members of the Sindhi community are gearing up for a demonstration of a different kind against atrocities committed by Pakistan authorities in Sindh province.US-based Sindhi Foundation has decided to raise awareness for climate change through a “Long Walk’ or a march stretching from New York City to Washington DC, covering a distance of more than 350 miles on foot.Titled “Long Walk for Freedom, Nature and Love”, is a demonstration that will cut through five US states: Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Along the way, participants will meet with community members, other human rights groups and political leaders who wish to support the fight against climate change and human rights violations.Issues such as enforced disappearances, the plight of Sindhi women in Pakista
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US led the world in exposing ‘horrific’ abuses in Xinjiang: Pompeo
17Jan By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

US led the world in exposing ‘horrific’ abuses in Xinjiang: Pompeo

The outgoing US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Saturday said that the United States led the world in exposing the “horrific” rights abuses in Xinjiang province of China and imposed sanctions on the Chinese Communist Party’s officials.Taking to Twitter, Pompeo lauded America’s efforts in bringing up the Uyghur issue to the forefront, saying America halted imports of products made with forced labour and gave Uyghur women a platform to tell the world about their families who were disappeared by the Chinese Communist Party.“We led the world in exposing the horrific abuses in Xinjiang. Imposed sanctions on CCP officials, halted imports of products made with forced labor, and so much more. When the world averts its eyes, America speaks up, and acts,” Pompeo tweeted.“We also gave courageous
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US President Trump amends order to address threat from securities investment in Chinese military companies
15Jan By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

US President Trump amends order to address threat from securities investment in Chinese military companies

United States President Donald Trump amended an executive order on Wednesday to address the threat from securities investments that finance Chinese military companies.“Effective at 11:59 pm eastern standard time on November 11, 2021 [04:59 GMT on November 12], possession of any such securities by a United States person is prohibited,” stated the executive order, published on Thursday, according to a White House release.According to the order, investors are permitted to conduct any transaction that will allow them to divest of securities in firms that Washington believes have links to the Chinese military.The new order amends a preceding directive published in November last year that merely prohibited investors from purchasing securities in these firms after November 11, 2021.Earlier, an ex
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“Beautiful Sight”: China mocks US as protestors break into US Capitol
7Jan By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

“Beautiful Sight”: China mocks US as protestors break into US Capitol

After supporters of US President Donald Trump broke into the US Capitol, Beijing took to social media on Thursday to criticise the "sharp contrast" between Washington's response to the chaos and the 2019 Hong Kong anti-government protests.China’s mouthpiece Global Times tweeted side-by-side photo comparisons of Hong Kong protesters occupying the city's Legislative Council Complex in July 2019 with Wednesday's Washington riots.The latter saw Trump fans invade the US Capitol to protest the election defeat, taking selfies, scuffling with security and ransacking parts of the building."@SpeakerPelosi once referred to the Hong Kong riots as 'a beautiful sight to behold'," the Global Times said in the tweet, referring to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's June 2019 comment about Hong Kong's mass
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China rejects US’ allegation that coronavirus originated from Wuhan lab
4Jan By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

China rejects US’ allegation that coronavirus originated from Wuhan lab

Refuting US’ allegations that the novel coronavirus was leaked from Wuhan Lab in China, Beijing on Monday said that the pandemic was likely to have been caused by separate outbreaks in multiple places in the world.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying's remarks came amidst reports that a ten-member team of the World Health Organisation (WHO) scientists would visit China in January to investigate the origin of the coronavirus.Beijing is yet to confirm the visit by the WHO team and remained silent about granting permission for it to visit Wuhan city in central China."I have no detailed information for you," Hua told a media briefing when asked about the visit of the WHO team and whether its schedule included a visit to Wuhan."China attaches high importance to cooperation with th
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US House presents bill to terminate Pak designation as major non-NATO ally
4Jan By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

US House presents bill to terminate Pak designation as major non-NATO ally

On the first day of the 117th Congress, Republican Congressman Andy Biggs introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives to terminate the designation of Pakistan as a Major non-NATO Ally.The bill will strip away Pakistan’s designation as a major non-NATO ally, which allows various benefits such as access to excess US defense supplies and participation in cooperative defense research and development projects.The bill also notes that the US President cannot issue a separate designation of Pakistan as a Major NATO ally, unless a presidential certification that Pakistan continues to conduct military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network in Pakistan.It also seeks a presidential certification that Pakistan
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China’s new defence law expands power of its military
3Jan By Joanne SerriehNo Comments
China

China’s new defence law expands power of its military

At a time when China is at loggerheads with US and India, Beijing has revised its National Defence Law, expanding the power of its armed forces to mobilise military and civilian resources to defend its national interests both at home and abroad.The new law, effective from January 1, weakens the role of the State Council, China’s Cabinet headed by Premier Li Keqiang, in formulating military policy, handing decision-making powers to the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high-command of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) headed by President Xi Jinping.The amendments for the National Defence Law (NDL) were passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on December 26 last year.The revised law came into force after the key conclave of the ruling CPC in Novembe
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Ready to try Pak terrorist Omar Sheikh in Daniel Pearl case: US Acting Attorney General
31Dec By Grace TsoiNo Comments
Asia, World

Ready to try Pak terrorist Omar Sheikh in Daniel Pearl case: US Acting Attorney General

United States Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A Rosen said that Washington is ready to take custody of terrorist Omar Sheikh to stand trial in the American journalist Daniel Pearl’s abduction and murder case.In a statement, Rosen said the judicial rulings reversing Omar Sheikh conviction and ordering his release are an “affront to terrorism victims everywhere”.His statement comes days after the Sindh High Court directed to release terrorist Sheikh, Fahad Naseem, Sheikh Adil and Salman Saqib, the accused in the abduction and murder case of US journalist Daniel Pearl.In 2002, Pearl, the 38-year-old journalist of The Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau, was abducted and beheaded while he was in Pakistan investigating a story of terror groups’ links to Al Qaeda.“...The separate judicial ru
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US President-elect Joe Biden says coalition needed to confront Beijing
30Dec By Grace TsoiNo Comments
China, World

US President-elect Joe Biden says coalition needed to confront Beijing

US President-elect Joe Biden made it clear on Monday that Washington needs to build a coalition of like-minded nations to confront Beijing."As we compete with China to hold China's government accountable for its trade abuses, technology, human rights and other fronts, our position would be much stronger when we build coalitions of like-minded partners and allies that make common cause with us in defence of our shared interests and our shared values," Biden said.Under the Donald Trump administration, ties between China and US had deteriorated over issues such as human rights violations in Xinjiang, encroachment on the special status of Hong Kong, accusations of unfair trade practices by Beijing, lack of transparency concerning the pandemic and China's military aggression in various parts of...
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Daniel Pearl case: Omar Sheikh to stay in Pak jail for now
28Dec By Grace TsoiNo Comments
World

Daniel Pearl case: Omar Sheikh to stay in Pak jail for now

Al-Qaeda terrorist, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and his three aides accused of kidnapping and murdering American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, will remain behind bars despite a provincial court ordering their immediate release.The local government is expected to file a petition on Monday against the decision by the Sindh High Court last week to immediately release Sheikh and the co-accused in the kidnapping and murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter, a provincial minister said.Last week on Thursday, the Sindh court declared the detention orders to be null and void. But it clarified that the accused should not be released if there is a Supreme Court restraining order regarding their detention.The Sindh government is taking the stance that the Supreme Court had on September 28 barred...
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