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Tag: Donald Trump

“Obama sold the finest embassy for Peanuts,” Trump cancels UK visit

U.S. President Donald Trump canceled a visit to London scheduled for early this year, saying he was disappointed with the “Obama administration having sold” the U.S. embassy in the British capital.

“(The) reason I canceled my trip to London is that I am not a big fan of the Obama Administration having sold perhaps the best located and finest embassy in London for “peanuts,” only to build a new one in an off location for 1.2 billion dollars,” Trump said in a tweet late on Thursday.

However, the embassy website showed that the decision to move the location was taken months before Barack Obama took office in January 2009.

The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the UK said in October 2008 the embassy would be relocated for security reasons.

“Bad deal. Wanted me to cut ribbon-NO!,” Trump said on Twitter.

The Daily Mail earlier reported the cancellation of Trump’s UK visit in which he was expected to inaugurate the new embassy.

The U.S. is leaving behind an imposing 1960 stone and concrete embassy in London’s upmarket Grosvenor Square, an area known as ‘Little America’ during World War Two, when the square also housed the military headquarters of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Read Also: I would beat Oprah Winfrey in White House race -Trump

The new embassy on the South Bank is a veritable fortress set back at least 100 feet (30 meters) from surrounding buildings, mostly newly-erected high-rise residential blocks, and incorporating living quarters for the U.S. Marines permanently stationed inside.

The one billion-dollar-edifice, overlooking the River Thames, was wholly funded by the sale of other properties in London. (Reuters/NAN)

January 12, 2018
I would beat Oprah Winfrey in White House race -Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said he could beat Oprah Winfrey in a presidential race, while one of Winfrey’s closest friends said the media mogul and actress was “intrigued” by the possibility of running but was not considering it now.

Speculation about a 2020 White House bid by Winfrey blew up on social media and news outlets after her rousing “new day” speech at the Golden Globes awards show on Sunday night.

The Speech touched on female and black empowerment, her roots in poverty and support of those who speak up about sexual abuse and harassment.

However, some media commentators also injected skepticism into the surge of excitement among fans of the former talk show star, saying the Democratic Party and the country might well reject the notion of another celebrity political novice following Trump’s 2016 election.

Winfrey, long associated with Democratic politics and fundraising, has not commented publicly on the speculation. Known to millions by her first name, Winfrey, 63, has been a cultural force in the country for decades.

Read Also: Oprah Winfrey ‘intrigued’ by U.S. presidential run

Trump, speaking on Tuesday with reporters during a White House meeting with lawmakers, said in response to a question,”Yeah I’ll beat Oprah. Oprah would be a lot of fun.

“I know her very well. … I like Oprah. I don’t think she’s going to run,” said the Republican president, 71.

Winfrey confidante Gayle King said earlier on Tuesday there was no change in Winfrey’s past position – that she is not interested in running for president.

(NAN/Reuters)

January 10, 2018
Book on Trump’s first year to go on sale

The first copies of a controversial new book that portrays US President Donald Trump as uninformed and unfit for office will hit the shelves on Friday.

After being threatened with legal action, publisher Henry Holt accelerated publication of journalist Michael Wolff’s “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” by four days.

It has already hit the number 1 bestseller spot on Amazon.

The book describes Trump’s 2016 campaign as a publicity stunt not intended to win the presidency, according to excerpts published Wednesday in New York magazine and the British newspaper The Guardian.

Among its other claims are that former top aide to the president Steve Bannon described a meeting between Trump’s son and Kremlin-linked figures as “treasonous.”

Bannon’s key supporters began to distance themselves from him since excerpts were published, the New York Times reported Thursday.

The family of the hedge fund magnate Robert Mercer — whose daughter Rebekah is a founder of right-wing news company Breitbart which Bannon chairs – seemed to sever ties with the outspoken arch-conservative.

“My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements,” Rebekah Mercer said in a statement reported by the Times.

In a letter on Trump’s behalf published online Thursday by the Washington Post, lawyer Charles Harder alleged that quotes attributed to Bannon and others were libellous.

Trump tweeted late Thursday that Wolff’s had written a “phony book.”

“Full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don’t exist. Look at this guy’s past and watch what happens to him and Sloppy Steve!” the president wrote.

January 5, 2018
Trump to announce awards for ‘most dishonest, corrupt media’

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would announce awards for “most dishonest and corrupt” media outlets.

“I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock [22:00 GMT].

“Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote on his Twitter page on Wednesday.

Trump has many times accused leading U.S. media of spreading fake news targeting him during the election campaign as well as after he became the 45th president.

Read also: Trump: Nigerians live in huts, Haitians ‘all have AIDS’

January 3, 2018
U.S. to withhold $255m military aid to Pakistan

The U.S. authorities decided to withhold 255 million dollars in military aid to Pakistan after President Donald Trump’s critical remarks about the south Asian country, local media reported.

On Monday, Trump wrote on his Twitter page that the U.S. had allocated millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan, while the latter had not contributed to countering terrorism and provided safe harbor to terrorists from Afghanistan.

The U.S. president vowed to stop providing financial aid for Pakistan.

“The U.S. does not plan to spend the 255 million dollars in ( Fiscal Year ) 2016 Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan at this time…

“The president has made clear that the U.S. expects Pakistan to take decisive action against terrorists and militants on its soil, and that Pakistan’s actions in support of the South Asia Strategy will ultimately determine the trajectory of our relationship, including future security assistance,” a national security official told the Fox News broadcaster on Monday.

Read also: Pakistan finance minister denies corruption charges

The official added that Trump would continue to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.

Pakistan is a U.S. partner in southern Asia but the Afghan Islamist movement of Taliban, outlawed in Russia, uses territories in northern Pakistan for its bases.

Moreover, Osama bin Laden, the former leader of al-Qaeda terrorist organisation ( also banned in Russia ), who was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, was found and killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.

NAN

January 2, 2018
Over 20 Palestinians injured in anti-Trump protest – officials

Thousands of Palestinians took to the streets of Gaza and West Bank for the fourth Friday in a row in protests against U.S. President Donald Trump ’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Palestinian health officials said at least 20 protesters were wounded by live fire, mostly along the Gaza border.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers had shot at “main instigators” who posed a direct threat to the troops and who were trying to damage the border security fence.

The spokesperson said about 4,000 Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza, some throwing rocks and fire bombs and setting tires alight, confronted Israeli soldiers who responded mainly by firing tear gas.

In Gaza, demonstrators chanted “Death to America, death to Israel, and death to Trump” and militants fired rockets into Israel, drawing strikes by Israeli tanks and aircraft.

The military said it targeted posts that belonged to Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the Palestinian enclave, after intercepting two of the three rockets fired into Israel.

Police said the third struck a building, causing damage.

No casualties were reported in those incidents.

Trump outraged Palestinians and sparked anger in the Middle East and among world powers with his Jerusalem declaration on Dec. 6.

That reversed decades of U.S. policy on one of the most sensitive issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital.

Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city’s eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.

Most countries regard the status of Jerusalem as a matter to be settled in an eventual Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, although that process is now stalled.

A UN General Assembly resolution passed on Dec. 21 rejected Trump’s Jerusalem declaration.

However, a total of 128 countries voted for the UN resolution, nine opposed it and 35 abstained while 21 countries did not cast a vote.

(Reuters/NAN)

December 29, 2017
Russia, Vatican disagree with Trump over Jerusalem

Russia and the Vatican disagree with the decision of President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv, Alexander Avdeyev, the Russian ambassador to the Vatican City has said.

Avdeyev recalled that Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic Church, in one of his recent statements said that the status quo of Jerusalem, which is a place of pilgrimage and worship for Jews, Christians and Muslims, should be respected.

“This is a city of three Abrahamic religions and it should not be politicised by recognition as a capital.

“I draw attention to the fact that this statement was made by the Pope, who usually expresses his position very carefully in order not to offend anyone.

“So we can see a clear disagreement with the U.S. decision here. We have the similar position,” Avdeyev told Sputnik.

On December 6, Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and instructed the State Department to launch the process of moving the U.S. Embassy, which is currently located in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem.

The step has prompted criticism from a number of states, first and foremost Middle Eastern states and Palestine, and triggered a wave of protests in the region.

On December 7, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Jerusalem’s legal status.

The document called on UN member states to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the city.

The diplomat also said that Russia and the Vatican share similar views on the world and the threats posed to it in the 21st century.

“We have much in common in our vision of the threats and dangers of the 21st century. This is an important issue that unites us.

“First of all, I speak about the threat of any terrorism, criminal, religious or separatist one. The second threat is the weakening of non-proliferation regimes.

“Of particular concern is the drug trafficking and the separation into rich and poor in the world,” Avdeyev said.

The Russian diplomat added that the two states also had a common view on the threats posed by social and economic inequality and terrorism, which were behind migration.

According to the diplomat, unregulated globalisation that was closely tied with neoliberal values could result in “a significant deformation of the civil societies.”

Avdeyev added that the two states were supportive of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and backed the negotiating process and dialogue as a path toward these goals.

The ambassador also said that the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church were concerned over the destruction of the moral and ethical values of the Christian civilisation.

(Sputnik/NAN)

December 28, 2017
Obama, Clinton top list of most admired in US

Former President Barack Obama and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton retained their titles among U.S. adults as the most admired man and woman anywhere in the world in 2017 for the tenth consecutive year.

Àccording to a poll by the Gallup organisation, Obama edged out [President] Donald Trump, by 17 per cent to 14 per cent, while Clinton edged out Michelle Obama, by nine per cent to seven per cent.

Trump won handily among Republicans, 35 per cent name him as the man they admire most, with only one per cent Obama, the release explained.

In contrast, Obama led among Democrats, with 39 per cent mentioning him and 3 percent mentioning Trump.

Read also: How Obama Michelle spend after presidency

Meanwhile, Clinton ’s nine per cent marked the lowest score she has received since 2002, when named by seven per cent, the release noted.

She has held the title a record 22 times in total, with Eleanor Roosevelt in second place with 13 wins.

Obama has been named the most admired man ten times, trailing only President Dwight Eisenhower, who earned the distinction 12 times, according to the release.

Barack Obama won all eight years he was president, plus 2008, the year he was first elected, and this year, his first as a former president of the U.S.

(Sputnik/NAN)

December 28, 2017
UN is a house of lies – Israeli PM

Israel Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, described the United Nations as a “house of lies” ahead of a vote on Thursday on a draft resolution calling on the United States to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“The State of Israel totally rejects this vote, even before (the resolution‘s) approval,” Netanyahu said in a speech at a hospital dedication in the port city of Ashdod.

The 193-member UN General Assembly will hold a rare emergency special session on Thursday at the request of Arab and Muslim countries to vote on the draft resolution, which the U.S. vetoed on Monday in the 15-member UN Security Council.

Generating outrage from Palestinians and the Arab and Muslim world, and concern among Washington’s Western allies, President Donald Trump abruptly reversed decades of U.S. policy on December 6 when he recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Palestinians have protested daily in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip since Trump’s announcement, throwing stones at security forces and burning tires.

Read also: Netanyahu to attend ECOWAS Summit in Liberia

Gaza militants have also launched sporadic rocket fire.

Eight Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire during the demonstrations and dozens wounded, Palestinian health officials said.

Two militants were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza after a rocket attack.

Trump threatened on Wednesday to cut off financial aid to countries that vote in favour of the UN draft resolution, and his ambassador to the world body, Nikki Haley said the U.S. “will be taking names”.

Netanyahu, in his speech, thanked Trump and Haley for “their brave and uncompromising stance”.

He repeated his prediction that other countries would eventually follow Washington’s lead in pledging to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“The attitude towards Israel of many countries, on all continents, outside the walls of the UN, is changing and will ultimately permeate into the UN-the house of lies,” he said.

Most countries regard the status of Jerusalem as a matter to be settled in an eventual Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, although that process is now stalled.

Israel considers Jerusalem its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there.

Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be in the city’s eastern sector, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in a move never recognised internationally.

Reuters/NAN

December 21, 2017
Trump opponents harm U.S with ‘invented’ Russia scandal – Putin

Russian President, Vladmir Putin, has accused opponents of his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, of harming the U.S by “inventing stories” about contacts with Russia.

At his annual news conference, Mr. Putin said contacts between the Trump team and Russian officials before last year’s election were normal.

He said the U.S opposition was not treating those who elected Mr. Trump with respect.

The Trump campaign is being investigated for collusion with Russia, the BBC reports.

U.S intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow tried to sway the presidential election in favour of Mr. Trump, but Mr. Putin denied the allegations.

“It’s all invented by those in opposition to Trump to make his work seem illegitimate,” Mr. Putin said, when asked about the investigation.

He added that Mr. Trump was responsible for some “quite serious achievements” but had not been in a position to improve relations with Russia.

He expressed hope that this would happen, adding that globally “there are many things we can do more effectively.”

Read Also: Putin backs Iran nuclear deal, visits seen as rejection of U.S. policy

December 14, 2017