Trump revisits Texas as pressure to meet with survivors mounts
WASHINGTON,
Sep 3 : (Xinhua) U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday paid a second visit to
Texas, after he was criticized for keeping distance from flooded areas and
survivors during his first visit.
Trump,
along with First Lady Melania, arrived at Ellington Field, Texas before noon
and joined hurricane survivors at a relief center in Houston as they lined up
for lunch.
Trump
stopped for hugs and posed for photos with flood survivors and offered words of
encouragement for those affected by the deadly storm.
"The
message is that things are working out well. Really, I think people appreciate
what's been done. It's been done very efficiently," he said. Trump also credited Texas government
for relief efforts, and pledged full support from the federal government on
reconstruction.
Trump
also adjusted the Texas Disaster Declaration, which he originally signed on
Aug. 25, by increasing the level of federal funding for debris removal from 75
percent to 90 percent.
The
first couple will also travel to Louisiana later Saturday to meet with local
officials and relief workers.Trump first visited Texas on Tuesday, but stayed
away from the most badly hit regions. He came under fire on Wednesday for
tweeting that he "witnessed first hand the horror and devastation caused
by Hurricane Harvey," which was refuted by reporters.
The
White House later issued a statement saying that Trump had met with local
officials that were "eating, sleeping, breathing the Harvey
disaster," and it was "certainly a first hand account."
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10- Musharraf says will face Bhutto murder trial in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Sep 3 : (AFP) -
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf said he would return to Pakistan to face
trial in the murder case of ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
A Pakistani court on Thursday
pronounced Musharraf a fugitive in the murder trial but acquitted five men accused
of involvement in the 2007 assassination of Bhutto, the first female prime
minister of a Muslim country.
In a statement issued to the
media Sunday, Musharraf said the verdict of the Rawalpindi Anti Terrorism Court
was not against him.
"I will certainly come
back to Pakistan and face the trial, as and when I am medically fit," he
said."I have been framed in the Benazir Bhutto murder case by way of
political victimization, while I had nothing to do with her untimely and tragic
death," he said.
"I have not been the
beneficiary of prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder and the entire case as
pitched against me is materially false, fictitious, fabricated and is a result
of political intrigue," the former army chief said.
-: 10 :-
The anti-terrorism court
branded Musharraf as an absconder and ordered the confiscation of his property.
The verdicts are the first to
be issued since Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a
decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of
political turmoil.
Former president and military
ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his
political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation.
He was charged with murder,
criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an
unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military
is immune from prosecution.
But he has been in
self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years
later.Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban
chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone
attack in 2009.
In 2010, the UN report
accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection
and said her death could have been prevented.IS has suffered multiple defeats
across Syria and neighboring Iraq in recent months, notably in its main Syrian
base of Raqqa.
Syria's conflict has killed
more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with
anti-government demonstrations in 2011.Enditem
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11- 150 killed as IS group fighting for last bastion with Syrian troops
DAMASCUS, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) --
Fierce clashes between the Islamic State (IS) group and pro-regime forces in central
Syria have left over 150 fighters dead, local media cited a monitor source as
saying on Sunday.
The report said 120 IS
fighters "were killed in clashes in and around the town of Uqayribat in
the eastern Hama countryside, along with at least 35 regime troops and loyalist
militiamen," according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights.
The town is the jihadist
group's last bastion in the central province apart from a handful of small
villages.
Pro-government forces seized
Uqayribat on Friday night, but IS responded with a counter-offensive on
Saturday that left it in control of most of the town, Observatory chief Rami
Abdel Rahman said.
An intense barrage of
artillery fire and Syrian and Russian air strikes on jihadist positions allowed
pro-regime forces on Sunday morning to push the jihadists back out of the town
and advance on villages to the west that remain under IS control. IS has
suffered multiple defeats across Syria and neighboring Iraq in recent months,
notably in its main Syrian base of Raqqa.Syria's conflict has killed more than
320,000 people and displaced millions since it started with anti-government
demonstrations in 2011.Enditem
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12- Modi leaves on a five-day visit to China, Myanmar
New Delhi, Sep 3 : (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today left on a three-day visit to China to attend
the BRICS Summit which he hoped would support the agenda for a stronger
partnership among the member countries, amid strain in Sino- India ties over a
host of issues.
-: 11 :-
On the second leg of his
five-day tour, Modi will travel to Myanmar for his first bilateral visit with
an aim of charting a roadmap for closer cooperation between the two countries
in areas which include security and counter- terrorism.
In a statement yesterday, the
prime minister said he was looking forward to productive discussions and
positive outcomes at the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) Summit
in Xiamen city, building upon the results of last year's Goa Summit between him
and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The visit comes days after
India and China managed to end the 73-day-long Dokalam standoff. From Xiamen,
he will travel to Myanmar on August 5 before returning to the country on August
7.
A possible meeting between
Modi and Chinese leader Xi on the margins of the Summit will be a major focus
at a time when ties between the two major powers have nosedived over a number
of issues including the Dokalam stand-off.
"I look forward to
building upon the results and outcomes of the Goa Summit. I also look forward
to productive discussions and positive outcomes that will support the agenda of
a stronger BRICS partnership under the chairmanship of China," the PM said
in a statement.
The Summit meeting will take
place tomorrow.The prime minister said he will have the opportunity to meet
leaders bilaterally on the sidelines of the BRICS meet.
Replying to a specific
question, the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday did not rule out a
possible meeting between Modi and Chinese president on the margins of the
Summit, saying it is a common practice to arrange bilateral meetings on the
sidelines of such multilaterals.
India had hosted the previous
BRICS Summit in Goa last year."India attaches high importance to the role
of BRICS that has begun a second decade of its partnership for progress and
peace. BRICS has important contributions to make in addressing global
challenges and upholding world peace and security," Modi said.
The prime minister said he
was looking forward to engaging with leaders of nine other countries, including
BRICS partners, in an Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue, being
hosted by Xi on September 5.
"We will also interact
with the BRICS Business Council represented by captains of industry from all
the five countries," he said.
About his first bilateral
visit to Myanmar, Modi said both countries will look at strengthening existing
cooperation in areas of security and counter-terrorism, trade and investment,
infrastructure and energy, and culture.He hoped his visit will help in charting
a roadmap for closer cooperation between the two countries.
The prime minister said both
countries will review developments in bilateral ties with a focus on
"extensive" programme of development cooperation and socio-economic
assistance India is undertaking in Myanmar.
Both sides will also explore
new areas of cooperation, the statement said. Modi said he was looking forward
to paying a visit to the famed heritage city of Bagan, where the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) has done a "stellar work" in renovating the
Ananda Temple.
-: 12 :-
The ASI will be undertaking
further restoration work on a number of pagodas and murals that were damaged in
an earthquake last year, he said.Modi had visited Myanmar in 2014 to attend the
ASEAN- India Summit.
The prime minister will meet
President U Htin Kyaw and hold talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.The
Myanmarese president and Suu Kyi had visited India last year.
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13- Modi congratulates those inducted in Council of Ministers
New Delhi, Sep 3 : (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated all those who joined his
Council of Ministers, saying their experience and wisdom would add immense
value to it.Nine ministers took oath and four were promoted as Cabinet
ministers as part of the third reshuffle carried out by Modi carried out in as
many years.
The ministers promoted were
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal and Nirmala
Sitharaman."I congratulate all those who have taken oath today.
Their experience & wisdom
will add immense value to the Council of Ministers," the prime minister
tweeted shortly after the swearing-in ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
"I congratulate my
colleagues @dpradhanbjp, @PiyushGoyal, @nsitharaman and @naqvimukhtar on
joining the Union Cabinet," he added.All the new ministers were from the
BJP as its allies were not part of the exercise. Six ministers of the Union
Cabinet had put in their papers, days ahead of the reshuffle.A highlight of the
third reshuffle was the induction of people with proven administrative ability,
underlining the prime minister's efforts to give a fresh impetus to governance.RSS
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