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Tag: Donald Trump

  • China says it will defend interests if US harms trade ties

    China says it will defend interests if US harms trade ties

    China said it would take action to defend its interests if the United States damaged trade ties between them.

    The Ministry of Commerce stated this on Tuesday, after US President, Donald Trump, authorized an inquiry into China’s alleged theft of intellectual property.

    Trump’s move, the first direct trade measure by his administration against China, comes at a time of heightened tension over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, though it is unlikely to prompt near-term change in commercial ties.

    U.S Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, will have a year to check whether to launch formal investigation of China’s policies on intellectual-property, which the White House and US industry groups say are harming US businesses.

    The United States should respect objective facts, act prudently, abide by its World Trade Organization pledges, and not destroy principles of multilateralism, an unidentified spokesman of China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement.

    “If the U.S side ignores the facts and disrespects multilateral trade principles in taking actions that harm both sides’ trade interests, China will absolutely not sit by and watch.

    “It will inevitably adopt all appropriate measures, and resolutely safeguard China’s lawful rights.”

    The ministry said that the U.S should “treasure” the cooperation and favourable state of China-US trade relations, and warned that any US action to damage ties would “harm both sides’ trade relations and companies”.

    “China is continuously strengthening its administrative and judicial protections for intellectual property,’’ the ministry added.

    China’s policy of forcing foreign companies to turn over technology to Chinese joint venture partners and failure to crack down on intellectual property theft has been long-standing problems for several US administrations.

    Trump administration officials have estimated that theft of intellectual property by China could be worth as much as 600 billion dollars.

    Experts on China trade policy said the long lead time could allow Beijing to discuss some of the issues raised by Washington without being seen to cave to pressure under the threat of reprisals.

  • China to U.S: Don’t escalate tensions with North Korea

    China to U.S: Don’t escalate tensions with North Korea

    China’s President Xi Jinping has urged United States President, Donald Trump and North Korea to avoid “words and actions” that worsen tensions.

    Mr. Trump and North Korea have been exchanging hostile rhetoric, with the U.S president threatening to rain “fire and fury” on the North.

    But China, North Korea’s only major ally, has been urging restraint, the BBC reports.

    A White House statement said the U.S and China agreed North Korea must stop “provocative and escalatory behavior.”

    Long-standing tensions over North Korea’s nuclear programme worsened when it tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July.

    The regime was also angered by last week’s United Nations decision to increase economic sanctions against it.

    According to Chinese state media, Mr. Xi told Mr. Trump in a phone call that “all relevant parties” should stop “words and deeds” that would exacerbate the situation.

    Mr. Xi also stressed China and the U.S shared “common interests” over denuclearisation and maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula.

  • U.S notifies UN of withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord

    U.S notifies UN of withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord

    The United States has submitted to the United Nations a formal notice  of withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement.

    The notification was made Friday, with the UN  Secretary-General António Guterres  appealing  to the U.S. to reconsider its action, in the interest of humanity.

    President Donald Trump had announced on June 1, 2017 that the U.S. would leave the agreement.

    The Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Mr Stéphane Dujarric, confirmed that Guterres received, “in his capacity as Depositary of the Paris Agreement, a communication from the Permanent Representative of the United States of America”.

    The Secretary General, however, welcomed  any effort to re-engage in the Paris Agreement by the United States.

    Dujarric said the communication expressed “the intention of the United States to exercise its right to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, as soon as it is eligible to do so under the Agreement, unless it identifies suitable terms for re-engagement”.

    Guterres stressed his statement on June 1, 2017 that the decision by the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement is a major disappointment for global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote global security.

    “It is crucial that the United States remains a leader on climate and sustainable development. Climate change is impacting now.

    “He looks forward to engaging with the American government and all other actors in the United States and around the world to build the sustainable future for our children and future generations,” Guterres said.

    Under article 28 of the Paris Agreement, a Party may withdraw at any time after three years from the date on which the Agreement has entered into force for that Party, and such withdrawal takes effect upon expiry of one year from the date of receipt by the Depositary of the notification of withdrawal.

    The United States accepted the Paris Agreement on Sept. 3, 2016 and the Agreement entered into force for the United States on Nov. 4, 2016.

    The Secretary-General would circulate the text of this communication as a depositary notification, in English and French, early next week.

    The U.S. Department of State, in a statement, confirmed “the United States submitted a communication to the United Nations, in its capacity as depositary for the Paris Agreement, regarding the U.S. intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement as soon as it is eligible to do so, consistent with the terms of the Agreement”.

    “As the President indicated in his June 1 announcement and subsequently, he is open to re-engaging in the Paris Agreement if the United States can identify terms that are more favorable to it, its businesses, its workers, its people, and its taxpayers.

    “The United States supports a balanced approach to climate policy that lowers emissions while promoting economic growth and ensuring energy security.

    “We will continue to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions through innovation and technology breakthroughs, and work with other countries to help them access and use fossil fuels more cleanly and efficiently and deploy renewable and other clean energy sources, given the importance of energy access and security in many nationally determined contributions.

    “The United States will continue to participate in international climate change negotiations and meetings, including the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP-23) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to protect U.S. interests and ensure all future policy options remain open to the administration.

    “Such participation will include ongoing negotiations related to guidance for implementing the Paris Agreement,” the department said.

  • Trump to hold Maduro responsible for detained opposition leaders

    Trump to hold Maduro responsible for detained opposition leaders

    The United States will hold Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, “personally responsible’’ for the safety of two opposition leaders, President Donald Trump said in a statement.

    “Opposition leaders, Leopoldo Lopez and Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma, who were taken into custody earlier Tuesday, were “political prisoners being held illegally by the regime.

    “The U.S. holds Maduro, who publicly announced just hours earlier that he would move against his political opposition, personally responsible for the health and safety of Mr Lopez, Mr Ledezma, and any others seized,’’ Trump said.

    Police stormed the home of Lopez, who was already under house arrest, and took him back to jail in the early hours of Tuesday, according to his wife, Lilian Tintori.

    Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma, an opposition politician, who was also under house arrest, was reportedly taken back into detention on Tuesday as well.

    Court officials said on Tuesday that both men had made political statements in violation of the terms of their release into house arrest, and accused them of planning to flee the country.

    The arrests came as leaders of Venezuela’s opposition-dominated legislature called for citizens to help defend the National Assembly, and welcomed a surge of international support, as Maduro seeks to rewrite the country’s constitution.

    A vote decreed by Maduro was held Sunday to elect deputies to a Constituent Assembly, which the opposition says is a power grab by the president to install one-party rule.

    Freddy Guevara, Vice President of the unicameral legislature, called for Venezuelans to peacefully defend the parliament building, which the Constituent Assembly is expected to seek to occupy when it begins meeting as early as this week.

    “The solidarity with our case is growing,” Guevara said, noting that visits had been made on Tuesday to the assembly by ambassadors from France, Spain, Britain and Mexico.

    Governments in Latin America, Europe and the U.S. have rejected the legitimacy of Sunday’s election.
    Authorities said 10 people died on Sunday in election-related violence, while the opposition claimed the death toll was 16.

    At least 123 people have died since April in ongoing anti-Maduro protests.

    The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable  coalition, which won a two-thirds majority in December 2015, accuses Maduro of seeking to cripple Venezuela’s legislative and judicial branches.

    UN Chief Antonio Guterres called on all parties in Venezuela to seek a political solution “in this critical moment” and “particularly those representing the powers of the state.

    “It will make all possible efforts to lower tensions, prevent further violence and loss of life,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday in New York.

    After Sunday’s vote, Washington slapped financial sanctions on Maduro for undermining democracy in Venezuela, blacklisting him alongside some of the world’s most notorious leaders.

    Maduro was defiant in response, saying, “I don’t take imperialist orders.’’

    U.S. government officials are also considering trade sanctions against Venezuela targeting its oil industry, the New York Times has reported, citing unnamed American officials.

    Venezuela accounts for around 10 per cent of the oil that America imports.

    In spite having the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela is suffering the world’s highest inflation rate and chronic shortages of basic goods and medicines in an economic crisis worsened by the 2014 drop in oil prices.

    Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country into neighbouring Colombia and Brazil.

    Venezuela’s current 1999 constitution brought sweeping structural reforms sought by Maduro’s predecessor, left-wing populist Hugo Chavez, to implement large social programmes.

    Maduro was his hand-picked successor and took office when Chavez died of cancer in 2013.

  • UN pledges to avert worsening food crisis in North-East Nigeria

    UN pledges to avert worsening food crisis in North-East Nigeria

    The UN says it is doing everything possible to avert further deterioration of the food scarcity by victims of Boko Haram crisis in the North East.

    Mr Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, stated this at a press briefing on Monday in New York.

    According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, the food crisis in the northeast is going to deteriorate between now and the end of August, if there is no any action to prevent that.

    The deputy spokesman said “we have raised attention, as you know, including at the level of the Secretary‑General, to the food crisis there.

    “We have been trying to get humanitarian contributions to Nigeria.

    “As you know there are four countries – Nigeria, South Sudan, Yemen and Somalia.

    “We have tried to get more assistance to areas in need so that there is no food crisis, and we will continue with that,” said.

    Haq said, however, that the UN had no specific deadline to get the funding for the food supplies in the northeast.

    “This is something that we and the various agencies of the UN system have been pursuing and will continue to pursue until the material conditions on the ground improve,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that U.S. President Donald Trump recently approved 121 million dollars in aid to feed people facing food crisis because of drought and conflict in Northeast.

    The fund was approved through the U.S. Agency for International Development and the project would be carried out by the World Food Programme.

  • Trump legal team spokesman Corallo resigns

    Trump legal team spokesman Corallo resigns

    The spokesman for U.S. President Donald Trump’s personal legal team has resigned, media reports say.

    Mark Corallo was a spokesman for Marc Kasowitz, who is defending Trump in an inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

    Corallo, in an emailed statement, gave no other details about his departure, which comes amid media reports that Trump’s legal team is being reorganised.

  • Trump’s attempts to replace Obamacare fail

    Trump’s attempts to replace Obamacare fail

    President Donald Trump’s efforts to find a replacement for ex- President Barack Obama’s healthcare system have collapsed in the Congress.

    Two Republican senators said they opposed their party’s proposed alternative, making it impossible for the bill to pass in its current form.

    The party has been divided on the issue, with moderates concerned about the effects on the most vulnerable, the BBC reports.

    President Trump has now called for repeal of Obamacare, so Republicans can start “from a clean slate.”

    That task falls to Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell.

    “Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful,” Mr. McConnell said.

    President Trump had made repealing and replacing Obamacare, under which more than 20 million people gained healthcare coverage, a key campaign pledge.

    Republicans view the 2010 legislation as an overreach of the federal government and said patients have less choice and higher premiums.

    The party’s proposed alternative had kept key Obamacare taxes on the wealthy, while imposing sharp cuts to healthcare for the poor and allowing insurers to offer less coverage.

  • Trump sued for blocking Twitter users

    Trump sued for blocking Twitter users

    U.S. President Donald Trump has been sued by a free-speech group, which claims his practice of blocking Twitter users violates the First Amendment.

    Trump, who uses the @realDonaldTrump account in office, has been sued by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York, along with seven individual Twitter users, reports said.

    The suit claimed that Trump’s blocking of users who were critical of him was a violation of the U.S. Constituion.

    “President Trump’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, has become an important source of news and information about the government, and an important public forum for speech by, to, and about the President.

    “In an effort to suppress dissent in this forum, Defendants have excluded –  ‘blocked’ – Twitter users who have criticized the President or his policies. This practice is unconstitutional, and this suit seeks to end it,” the lawsuit read.

    The lawsuit, which was filed in the federal court in the Southern District of New York, claimed it was a violation to suppress dissent.

    White House spokesman Sean Spicer noted in June that Trump’s tweets are official statements and the White House often sends out official statements everytime the President tweets.

    Trump, along with Spicer and Dan Scavino, the White House Director of Social mLMedia, are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

    The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University is a New York City-based 501(c)(III) organisation , meaning a nonprofit organisation.

    The organization “works to defend and strengthen the freedoms of speech and the press in the digital age through strategic litigation, research, and public education,” according to the complaint.

    The seven individual plaintiffs in the suit are writer and political consultant Rebecca Buckwalter, Prof. Philip Cohen, political organiser Holly Figueroa, resident in general surgery Eugene Gu, police officer Brandon Neely, former professional cyclist Joseph Papp and comic/writer Nicholas Pappas.

    The federal suit is case number 1:17-cv-05205.

    The White House is yet to make any comment on the suit.

  • I am not dead – Don Moen speaks out

    I am not dead – Don Moen speaks out

    Popular American singer, songwriter and global Evangelist, Don Moen has debunked the rumours that went viral of his death on Social media on Wednesday.

    The American worship leader who dispelled the death rumour in a tweet had posted a family photo self, his father, his own son and two of his grandchildren reportedly taken today.

    Though the Evangelist was briefly ill, there is not an iota of truth in the Wednesday reports that he had died after a short battle with stomach pain.

     

    Find the purported death report below:

    An American singer-songwriter, pastor evangelist, Don Moen has died after short battle with stomach pain.
    His family confirmed that he died early this morning at General Acute Care (GAC) Hospital in California shortly after being rushed to the hospital.

    The cause of his death is not immediately known as the body is deposited at the morgue for autopsy.

    President Donald also has expressed his tributes, saying Don Moen was “one of the best gospel artists that the country has ever produced”.

    According to record, the multiple award-winning star brought gospel to both old and younger generation through his unique style and drew thousands of people closer to the music genre.

    Popular Bishop T.D Jakes, who had visited the musician in hospital earlier also described to local newspaper how shocked he was when he heard the news.
    “It was a massive shock to me. I could not believe it at first but I was grateful that I could pray for him and bring him closer to the Lord.”-T.D. Jakes said.

    A family statement, released today, said that Don Moen has passed away this morning.
    Donald James “Don” Moen, 66, was an American singer-songwriter, pastor, and producer of Christian worship music.

    Before Moen was hired to work for Integrity Music, he attended Oral Roberts University and became a Living Sound musician for Terry Law Ministries and traveled with Terry Law for ten years.

    He produced 11 volumes for the Hosanna! Music series of worship albums.

    His first album under his own name, Worship with Don Moen, was released in 1992.

    His music had total global sales of over five million units.

    Moen worked for Integrity Media for over 20 years, serving as creative director and president of Integrity Music, president of Integrity Label Group, and an executive producer of Integrity Music albums.

    He left Integrity Media in December 2007 to start a new initiative, The Don Moen Company.

    The Don Moen Company acquired MediaComplete, the church software company that created MediaShout. Moen became a radio host for Don Moen & Friends in 2009.

    Moen received a Dove Award for his work on the musical God with Us in addition to amassing nine nominations for his songs.

    Moen was a prolific songwriter, having worked with Claire Cloninger, Paul Overstreet, Martin J. Nystrom, Randy Rothwell, Ron Kenoly, Bob Fitts, Debbye Graafsma, Paul Baloche, Tom Brooks, among many others: worked with talented musicians, Justo Almario, Carl Albrecht, Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuna, Paul Jackson, Jr., Lenny LeBlanc and Chris Graham.

    He was a major catalyst in launching the careers of Paul Baloche, Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, and Hillsong United.

  • What Chibok schoolgirls told Trump during visit-White House

    What Chibok schoolgirls told Trump during visit-White House

    Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu, two of the Chibok schoolgirls, who escaped from Boko Haram captivity in 2014, read a letter applauding U.S. President Donald Trump during a recent visit to the White House.

    The White House released more photos of the girls on Saturday, saying during their visit, Joy and Lyida “read the President a letter about their experience”.

    On the night of April 14, 2014, Boko Haram terrorists attacked the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno.

    An excerpt of the letter is below:

    “Mr. President, we urge you to keep America safe and strong.

    “We know that some people are trying to discourage you.

    “Do not be discouraged. You are right to keep American safe and strong.

    “Not only for America. But for the world.

    “If America is not safe and strong, where can people like us look for hope, when there is danger?

    “Finally, we urge you to keep making America prosperous.”

    Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, hosted the Chibok schoolgirls during their visit, the White House said.

    The Boko Haram insurgents broke into the school  and kidnapped the girls, who were sitting for their final exams.

    “But approximately 50 of the girls have escaped, including Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu, who visited President Donald Trump, and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, at the White House last Tuesday.

    “The girls are recent graduates of Canyonville Christian Academy in Oregon, and they were accompanied by the school President, Doug Wead.

    “The President and Ivanka were both deeply moved by the girls’ visit,” the statement by the White House read.

    The Chibok schoolgirls’ visit coincided with the U.S. State Department’s release of its annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

    “In the wake of the report, the two Chibok schoolgirls’ visit to the White House was a reminder that the survivors of the scourge of human trafficking are heroes whose courage can inspire us all,” the White House said.

    “Let us recommit ourselves to finding those still in the shadows of exploitation, and let us celebrate the heroes who continue to shine on the darkness of human trafficking.” (NAN)