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Trump want money from Saudi Arabia for staying US forces in Syria

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US President Donald Trump, who was recently seen with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in White House describing huge defence deals with the kingdom, has now said that Saudi Arabia might have to pay if it wants continuing US presence in Syria.

Trump had recently announced his intention of withdrawing US forces “very soon” from Syria after “completion of mission” against IS.

Trump has reiterated calls to end US presence in the region, after he made similar statements at an event in Ohio last week.  While addressing a joint press conference with three leaders of Baltic countries, he said, “I want to get out. I want to bring our troops back home. We do a lot of things in this country, we do them for a lot of reasons, but it is very costly for our country, and it helps other countries a hell of a lot more than it helps us.”

Trump also railed against ongoing US intervention in the Middle East and its growing cost. He was quoted saying, “Think of it, $7 trillion over a 17-year period. We have nothing. Nothing except death and destruction. It’s a horrible thing. So it is time. It is time.”

“We were very successful against ISIL. We’ll be successful against anybody militarily. But sometimes it is time to come back home. And we’re thinking about that very seriously.”

Saudi Crown Prince MBS has recently told Time Magazine that US should maintain its military presence in Syria at least in the near future to prevent “Iranian expansion” in the war ravaged nation.

On Tuesday, Trump, said, “We’ve almost completed that task [of defeating ISIL] and we’ll be making a determination very quickly, in coordination with others in the area, as to what we’ll do.”

He further said, “Saudi Arabia is very interested in our decision, and I said, ‘Well, you know, you want us to stay, maybe you’re going to have to pay’.”

According to reports Trump spoke on Monday with the King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, over the phone to discuss a range of regional issues, including a peace plan between Israelis and Palestinians and opportunities to strengthen the American-Saudi strategic partnership.

Read More: Trump’s U turn: US forces to pull out of Syria soon

However, after the telephonic conversation between King Salman and President Trump White House statement, released on Tuesday, did not mention any discussion about Saudi Arabia’s boosting funding for US military efforts in Syria.

Saudi Arabia’s most powerful Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is currently visiting US for three weeks. Besides meeting President Donald Trump, he has widely visited different states mainly to attract investment for implementing his Vision 2030. He has also met with IT and Bollywood personalities for transforming the conventional image of his country.

In one of his interviews with The Atlantic magazine, Bin Salman was quoted saying “Israelis and Palestinians have the right to their lands”. This is considered by several observers that it was a step ahead in recognising Israel as a state, a big shift in Kingdom’s foreign policy.

Trump’s remarks about withdrawal from Syria were contradictory to those of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who had pledged an enduring presence in Syria last year.

Meanwhile senior US administration official has told NBC that Trump has reluctantly agreed give the effort more time when advisors reminded that he has spoken against setting deadlines in foreign military operations in the past.

Read More: Syrian forces clear 90 per cent of Eastern Ghouta

Some US officials say Trump has been persuaded not to withdraw troops from Syria immediately despite his recent announcement that US would “be coming out of Syria very soon.”

The Obama administration launched a war in 2014 against the Daesh (IS) after the group flourished in the chaos of the Syrian civil. However, US has been supporting anti-Bashar al-Assad groups and the Kurdish separatists demanding establishment of Kurdistan in the country.

Meanwhile Al-Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara has said that US leader is taking advantage of tension in the Middle East, He said that US President is “milking Gulf countries” and exploiting tensions in the Middle East to bolster its arms race.

Bishara said that US was acting like a “mercenary” and putting itself forward for the service whoever was willing to pay highest. He has alleged that US was also benefiting financially from both sides of the ongoing Gulf crisis, erupted early June last year when Saudi-let quartet, including UAE, Bahrain and Egypt suddenly severed ties with Qatar. He further said “He’s done that with UAE, with Qatar, with Saudi Arabia, with Kuwait and so forth.”

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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.

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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.

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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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