English हिन्दी
Connect with us

Latest world news

Qatar Crisis; European Leaders urge for de-escalation

Published

on

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Qatar response handed over Kuwait’s Emir

Leaders of major European countries have urged both sides of the diplomatic standoff, Qatar and rival Saudi Arabia led bloc of countries, to resolve the present crisis peacefully. Meanwhile Qatar’s Foreign Minister has delivered Doha’s response to the 13-point demands to Kuwait’s Emir who is mediating with US support.

France, UK and Germany came forward to engage in the de-escalation process. According to Al-Jazeera, which would be closed if Saudi led bloc’s conditions were met, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Qatar’s emir Sheikh Tamim bin- Hamad Al-Thani about the latest developments in the crisis.

Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports that Macron and emir “stressed the need to resolve this crisis through dialogue and diplomatic means”.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has reportedly spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to a statement issued by May’s office in London, PM has urged all sides to “take urgent steps to de-escalate the situation and restore Gulf Cooperation unity”. The statement reiterated that “UK remains committed to supporting” the process towards finding a solution.

Meanwhile German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel visited Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday. While addressing a joint press conference with the visiting dignitary in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al Jubeir said, “We hope for a positive response to be able to resolve the crisis.” Both the leaders stressed the need to resolve the crisis through dialogue and diplomatic means.

On Monday, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrived in Kuwait and handed over a letter from Qatar’s Emir to his Kuwaiti counterpart Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. This is considered to be the official Qatari response to the 13 point demands put forwarded by Saudi led block of countries. The contents of the letter were still not made public.

According to reports Qatari foreign Minister and his Kuwaiti counterpart held extensive discussion for more than 90 minutes. After that Qatari Foreign Minister headed to the residence of Kuwait’s Emir.

The Qatar’s response will be the focus of the Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain in Cairo on Wednesday. Kuwait’s Foreign Minister will also be present during the meeting.

The Saudi led group of countries severed diplomatic ties, cut land and air links with Qatar and imposed sanctions on it on June 5. They accused Doha of supporting “terrorism” which was rejected by Qatar.

After two weeks, they put forwarded 13 point demands for Qatar which included severing ties with their arch rival Iran, closing Turkish military base in its territory, stop naturalizing their internal opponents in that country. Qatar was also asked to align its political, economic and cultural policies with other GCC countries.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Latest world news

Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

Published

on

Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

The Voting for the 2024 US presidential election has begun in the eastern time zone in America. Following months of intense campaigning by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican challenger Donald Trump, Americans will vote to choose their next president.

Reportedly, the first ballots were cast in the minutes after midnight (US time) in a tiny New Hampshire township along the US-Canada border. Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Several pollsters have predicted a neck-and-neck contest, which brings the focus on the swing states to decide the fate of the presidential election.

Notably, in the United States, most states have a very clear preference for either the Republican or Democratic candidate. With this, only seven key swing states namely Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina will decide the result. Winning the majority of these aforesaid swing states is often essential for candidates aiming to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

In this election, Pennsylvania has emerged as the biggest prize between the two candidates. With the most electoral votes (19) than any other battleground state, Pennsylvania could possibly determine whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris clinches the White House.

On the last day of campaigning, Republican nominee Trump and Democratic nominee Harris criss-crossed key battleground states and delivered closing remarks. Former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a return to power, held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan while Vice President Kamala Harris addressed supporters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Earlier in 2016, Donald Trump managed to make inroads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the three Great Lakes states that make up the blue wall or a Democratic stronghold. Nonetheless, in the 2020 US Election, US President Joe Biden wrested the states back to the Democratic camp.

Notably, to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of electoral votes of 270 out of 538.

Continue Reading

Latest world news

Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

Published

on

Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

Continue Reading

India News

India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

Published

on

India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com