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Trump face another trouble for Kushner’s act

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Jared Kushner

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Conflict of interests causing trouble at white House

Here is another shocker for the business tycoon-turned-President Donald Trump. At a time when relations between his campaign team and Russian establishment are being investigated, Donald Trump is now witnessing another crisis because of his son-in-law Jared Kushner.  It is revealed that recent Qatar’s crisis erupted after Kushner had failed to get investment of 500 million dollars from Qatar’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani for a landmark property at Manhattan, New York.

The Intercept on Monday revealed the story which was carried by New York Times and other publications. It says that not much before a major crisis ripped through the Middle East, pitting the US and a block of gulf countries against Qatar, Jared Kushner’s real estate company unsuccessfully sought a critical half billion dollar investment from one of the richest and most influential men in the tiny nation (Qatar). Intercept confirmed the story from three different sources before putting it out.

It did not reveal the exact date as to whether it happened just days before the fake news appeared on Qatari News Agency website. It quoted Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani praising Iran and Israel and criticized President Trump.  The government of Qatar releases a statement saying QNA had been hacked, and that the statement by Al-thani was not authentic.

Qatar is currently facing worst diplomatic pressure after Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed their ties with Doha on July 5. The air and road links, business transactions and all other possible contacts were now completely closed. The report further says that Kushner has reportedly played a key behind-the-scene role in hardening the US posture toward the embattled nation.

On June 6 Donald Trump supported Saudi Arabia led group of countries’ move against Qatar. In a series of tweets he justified the move:

During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar – look!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017

So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017

…extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2017

New York Times reports that, Kushner- a real estate developer like his father- in-law purchased a tower at 666 fifth avenue in New York for 1.8 billion dollars some years ago, but the building failed to generate enough money to cover its debts. More than a quarter of the office space in the building has remained vacant for several years, causing huge losses to Kushner Companies.

In 2015, when Trump was launching his presidential campaign, Kushner and his father Charles Kushner targeted Qatari billionaire Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani (known as HBJ in the business circle) as a potential investor to save the property. HBJ was the Prime Minister of his country during 2007 to 2013. The Intercept says Al-Thani finally agreed to invest 500 million dollars on the condition that Kushner Companies generate the rest of the money for the project on its own.

As recent as March 2017, Kushner Companies reached out to Chinese insurance company Anbang for help. The company agreed to provide a 4-billion dollars loan to develop the property. However, weeks later the company pulled out of the deal.

Following Chinese company’s withdrawal, Qatar’s former PM Al-Thani also withdrew from its commitment as Kushner Companies could not secure the rest of the money. According to Intercept, shortly after al-Thani’s withdrawal, America’s regional allies including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism.

It would be interesting to know that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner negotiated a massive weapons deal with Saudi Arabia and American weapons manufacture Lockheed Martin which was signed during President’s visit to the Kingdom.

American analysts have blamed Kushner and Donald Trump for promoting America’s armament industry by fueling conflicts in the Middle East region.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and UAE, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, warned that Qatari siege will not end unless Doha meets all its demands.

The thirteen point demands were turned down by Qatar recently. The Saudi led block of countries demanded closure of Al-Jazeera News Network, shutting down of Turkish army base in the territory, severing ties with their arch rival Iran. They also asked Qatar to align its policies with other GCC countries and stop alleged funding and supporting Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Hamas in Palestine.

Qatar, while turning down their demands, denied compromising their sovereignty. However, it kept doors open for diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Iran says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli air strikes

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

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The Iranian Army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes that targeted military bases.

Iran stated that its air defenses effectively countered the attack, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and some areas suffering limited damage.

The Israeli military conducted strikes on Iranian military sites after 2 am on Saturday, responding to what they cited as ongoing attacks by Iran and its allies in the region.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced they had successfully completed the mission and achieved their objectives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the precise targeting of military sites in Iran to neutralize immediate threats to Israel.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” the Israel Defence Force posted on X.

Iran’s air defense headquarters acknowledged the hits on bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran but asserted that these attacks were effectively repelled, with investigations ongoing to assess damages. Moreover, Iran indicated its readiness to retaliate against any Israeli aggression, stating that Israel would face proportional consequences for its actions.

Iran expressed its intentions to respond to the Israeli attacks on its military bases, condemning the actions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s principles on the use of force.

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, attributing the escalation to Israel and urging the UN Security Council to intervene for peace and security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised that Iran should refrain from retaliating against Israel, advocating for restraint on all sides to prevent further escalation.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to restrain. Iran should not respond,” the PM said at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The United States advised Iran to halt its attacks on Israel to cease the ongoing violence and break the cycle of conflict, underlining the importance of de-escalation.

“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the Israeli operation throughout its development and execution by his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

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