Flowerbud News

Category: Foreign

  • Melania Trump’s parents become U.S. citizens under rules her husband hates

    Migrants

    Washington, Aug. 10, 2018 (dpa/NAN)Melania Trump’s parents on Thursday received American citizenship under so-called “chain migration” rules her husband, President Donald Trump, has frequently derided.

    The first lady’s Slovenian-born parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, were sworn in in New York City, their lawyer Michael Wildes said, adding that the couple received no preferential treatment.

    Asked by the New York Times if the couple had become citizens through “chain migration,” Wildes answered “I suppose.”

    Wildes said the term was a “dirtier” way of describing “a bedrock of our immigration process when it comes to family reunification,” the Times reported.

    President Trump has frequently slammed the process under which legal U.S. residents can sponsor the admission of family members and other people who are not close relatives.

    In November, Trump tweeted that the process “must end now!”

    “Some people come in, and they bring their whole family with them, who can be truly evil. NOT ACCEPTABLE!” he wrote.

    Melania Trump was born Melania Knavs in what was then the communist country of Yugoslavia and later changed her surname to Knauss. (dpa/NAN)

  • ‘Fears of nuclear war still with us’ – Guterres

    By Prudence Arobani

    The fears of nuclear war are still with humanity, 73 years since the catastrophic Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombs in August 1945, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated this at the commemoration of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan.

    Guterres regretted that today, States still spent large sums of money on arms and armies.

    At the final stage of World War II, the U.S. detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, killing at least 129,000 people and they remained the only use of nuclear weapons in the history of warfare.

    The UN chief said: “sadly, 73 years on, fears of nuclear war are still with us.

    “Millions of people, including here in Japan, live in a shadow cast by the dread of unthinkable carnage.

    “States in possession of nuclear weapons are spending vast sums to modernise their arsenals.

    “More than $1.7 trillion dollars was spent in 2017 on arms and armies – the highest level since the end of the Cold War and around 80 times the amount needed for global humanitarian aid’’.

    According to him, disarmament processes have slowed, and even come to a halt, and many states demonstrated their frustration by adopting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2017.

    “Let us also recognise the persistent peril of other deadly weapons.

    “Chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, and those being developed for cyberwarfare pose a grave threat.

    “Conflicts fought with conventional weapons are lasting longer and are becoming more deadly for civilians.

    “There is an urgent need for disarmament of all kinds, but especially nuclear disarmament.’’

    The secretary-general said the consequences of nuclear weapons was the backdrop of the global disarmament initiative that he launched in May.

    He said disarmament was a driving force for maintaining international peace and security.

    Guterres added that it was a tool for ensuring national security and helps to uphold the principles of humanity, promote sustainable development and protect civilians.

    He said his agenda for disarmament was based on concrete measures that would lower the risk of nuclear annihilation, prevent conflict of all kinds and reduce the suffering that the proliferation and use of arms cause to civilians.

    The UN chief said the agenda made clear that nuclear weapons undermined global, national and human security.

    He added that total elimination of nuclear weapons remained the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations.

    Guterres conveyed deepest respect and condolences to all the victims and survivors of the atomic bombs that killed and injured tens of thousands of people in the immediate aftermath of the blasts.

    He said the survivors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima – the Hibakusha – have become leaders for peace and disarmament in Japan and around the world.

    “There can be no more Hiroshimas, no more Nagasakis and so no more Hibakusha,’’ Guterres declared.

    He added: “here in Nagasaki, I call on all countries to commit to nuclear disarmament and to start making visible progress as a matter of urgency.

    “Let Nagasaki and Hiroshima remind us to put peace first every day; to work on conflict prevention and resolution, reconciliation and dialogue and to tackle the roots of conflict and violence’’.

    According to him, peace is not an abstract concept and it does not come about by chance but is tangible and can be built by hard work, solidarity, compassion and respect.

    “Out of the horror of the atomic bomb, we can reach a deeper understanding of our irreducible bonds of responsibility to each other.

    “Let us all commit to making Nagasaki the last place on earth to suffer nuclear devastation.

    “I will work with you to that end,’’ Guterres said. (NAN)

    Edited by Abdulfatah Babatunde

  • Another terror attack in London?

    (Sputnik/NAN) A man was detained after a car smashed into the security barriers outside the House of Parliament in London, several pedestrians were injured in the incident, the Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday.

    “At 7.37 a.m. today, a car was in collision with barriers outside the Houses of Parliament. The male driver of the car was detained by officers at the scene.

    “A number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers remain at the scene.

    “We will issue further info when we have it,” the Metropolitan Police wrote on Twitter.

    Footage on social media showed heavily-armed police response units arriving at the scene, with the area outside the parliament building in central London cordoned off.

  • Pakistan president pays tribute to victims of anti-terror war in Independence Day speech

    Pakistan president pays tribute to victims of anti-terror war in Independence Day speech

    President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan on Tuesday paid tribute
    to security personnel who have scarified lives in the war against terrorism, saying that their
    sacrifices have eliminated the scourge of terrorism in the country.

    Hussain was addressing the national flag hoisting ceremony in the capital Islamabad as part of the
    Independence Day celebrations of Pakistan.

    Pakistan got independence from the British colonial rule on Aug. 14, 1947 after a heroic struggle
    under the leadership of Muhammad Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

    The day dawned with a 31 gun salute in the Federal Capital and 21 gun salute in the provincial
    headquarters.

    The main feature of the celebrations was the national flag hoisting ceremony in Islamabad.

    Hussain and caretaker Prime Minister Nasir ul-Mulk joined hands to hoist the flag at a ceremony
    attended by diplomats, lawmakers, military and civil officials and important personalities.

    President Hussain mentioned the parliamentary elections held on July 25 and said that in spite of
    terrorist attacks, the elections were held with the full participation of the people.

    Deadly terrorist attacks in southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces
    killed nearly 200 people, including three candidates in July.

    The Taliban and Islamic State group had claimed the attacks.

    The president noted that this year the general elections coincided with the Independence Day.

    “This also envisages a message that the decisions in the country which was achieved through a
    democratic struggle will also be taken through the power of vote.

    “I want to remember and pay homage to all those who sacrificed lives for the country and the system.

    “Terrorists could not break the will of the people,” the president said.

    He also called for peaceful solution to the Kashmir dispute with India in accordance with the UN
    resolutions. (Xinhua/NAN)

  • Transporters thrash traffic warden for stopping illegal parking in Murree

    Police say drivers attacked warden after he ordered to remove wrongly parked vehicles. SCREENGRAB

    ISLAMABAD: Transporters badly beat up a traffic warden in Murree on Sunday after the official tried to issue tickets to a vehicle, which was illegally parked and blocking traffic.

    Police told The Express Tribune that driver of a Suzuki pick-up bearing registration number 3114 had wrongly parked his vehicle in main Murree city at Sunny Bank Chowk when warden Afzaal approached him and told him to move his car as it was blocking the traffic.

    On driver’s refusal to move his car, the warden after waiting for a few minutes demanded his documents in order to issue him a ticket. Upon which the driver allegedly tried to run over the warden first and then started beating him. Other local drivers also joined him in manhandling and beating the official.

    ‘Boycott’ campaign takes toll on Murree tourism

    Other traffic officials, who tried to intervene, were also beaten by the drivers.

    Rawalpindi Chief Traffic Officer SSP Muhammad Bin Ashraf said two officials were beaten up by the local drivers. He said an FIR was being registered against the culprits, who he vowed would be taken to task.

    Murree Police said warden Afzaal was also hit with an iron rod and received injuries to his head and face. His uniform was also torn down by the drivers.

    Police say local drivers often wrongly park their Suzuki pickups and cars at Sunny Bank Chowk which leads to traffic congestion and blocking in the famous tourist destination.

    Culled from The Express Tribune – Pakistan

  • Argentina jails ex-VP Amado Boudou for corruption

    Boudou, who served from 2011 to 2015 alongside then President Cristina Fernandez, was also barred for life from holding public office and fined 90,000 pesos (3,214 U.S. dollars).

    Boudou was convicted by a federal criminal court in relation to the so-called Ciccone Case, which alleged he profited from awarding government contracts to a company called Ciccone Printing, the only private company enabled to print money apart from the state mint.

    The case has been moving through the judicial system since at least 2012.

    Others convicted of wrongdoing included Nicolas Ciccone, the former owner of the printer.

    In his defence before sentencing, Boudou denied the allegations.

    “Politicians who follow the path of the powerful, walk without problems. Politicians who decide to transform reality are persecuted, at first by the media and then by the legal system,” said Boudou.

    The head of the national anti-corruption agency, Laura Alonso, hailed the “historic trial,” saying “for the first time in Argentina a vice president has been convicted.”

    “The judicial branch is free to punish corruption,” she added.

  • UN urges Myanmar to speed Rohingya returns, grant citizenship

    By Fatima.sule – (Reuters/NAN) United Nations aid agencies called on Myanmar on Wednesday to improve conditions in Rakhine State for the safe return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and provide a clear pathway to citizenship for those eligible.

    The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a joint statement that they needed full access to Rakhine State.

    And they were also awaiting permission for international staff to be based in the town of Maungdaw following requests made on June 14.

    There was no immediate response from the Myanmar authorities to a Reuters request for comment.

    The UN signed an outline deal with Myanmar in early June aimed at eventually allowing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in Bangladesh to return safely and by choice.

    But the secret agreement, seen by Reuters, offers no explicit guarantees of citizenship or freedom of movement throughout the country.

    The UN agencies said that substantial progress was urgently needed in three key areas: “granting effective access in Rakhine State; ensuring freedom of movement for all communities; and addressing the root causes of the crisis”.

    More than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar’s western Rakhine state after a military crackdown that started in August 2017 in response to attacks by ARSA, a Rohingya armed group, on security posts.

    Myanmar has rejected accusations of ethnic cleansing and dismissed most accounts of atrocities, blaming Rohingya “terrorists”.

    It says it is ready to accept back those who fled.

    The Rohingya, who regard themselves as native to Rakhine state, are widely considered as interlopers by Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and are denied citizenship.

    The UN said that Rohingya remaining in Rakhine are under local orders that severely restrict their freedom of movement, preventing them from reaching jobs, school and health care, and called for these to be lifted. (Reuters/NAN)

  • Indonesian police confirm arrest of octogenarian accused of keeping girl as sex slave for 15 years

    Indonesian police confirm arrest of octogenarian accused of keeping girl as sex slave for 15 years

    police in Indonesia confirmed te arrest of an 83-year-old
    village witch doctor who entrapped a 12-year-old girl and tricked her into having sex with him for the past
    15 years by claiming to be possessed by the “jin”, or spirit, of a young boy.

    The police said the woman, an identified as “H”, was rescued on Sunday in Tolitoli regency, in Central
    Sulawesi province.

    Acting on a tip-off, police said they had found the woman, who was now aged 28, in a rocky crevice in a
    jungle near Bajugan village, where she had been held during the day since her disappearance in 2003.

    At night, police said she stayed in a hut near the house of the 83-year old man, identified by police as JG.

    Central Sulawesi Police Chief Muhammad Iqbal Alqudusy said the man had shown the girl a picture of a boy
    named Amrin “who she thought was her boyfriend”.

    “She was led to believe that Amrin’s spirit had entered (the elderly man’s) body,” Iqbal said on Tuesday
    at a news conference that was posted online.

    “It is obvious that he was satisfying his lust.”

    Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country but old beliefs about spirits and other paranormal activity
    are still held by some.

    Iqbal later told Reuters the woman said she had been having intercourse with “Jin Amrin” since 2003 “but
    she was really having sex with JG”.

    The man, he said, admitted to sexual relations since 2008.

    Police said they found the woman after her sister alerted neighbours she was nearby.

    According to the Jakarta Post, the sister was married to the son of the shaman, known for his traditional
    healing methods and abilities to channel spirits.

    The man explained the victim’s disappearance to her parents by saying she had gone to Indonesia’s capital,
    Jakarta, to work, the newspaper reported.

    The man has been charged with offences under Indonesia’s child protection laws, which carry a maximum
    sentence of 15 years in prison. (Reuters/NAN)

  • UN receives 70 cases of sexual abuse, exploitation, in 3 months

    The UN said it received 70 new allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse across all its entities and implementing partners, between the beginning of April to the end of June 2018.

    UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, while announcing the allegations, said 18 cases involved peacekeeping operations, and 25 from “agencies, funds and programmes”.

    “Please note that not all the allegations have been fully verified and many are in the preliminary assessment phase,” he explained, breaking down the 70 allegations.

    A total of 43 allegations involved UN personnel, 24 related to non-UN personnel working for implementing partners, and three others related to non-UN international forces, which had been authorised by a Security Council mandate.

    Of these 70 reported incidents, 27 took place in 2018, nine in 2017, five in 2016, 10 in 2015 and two allegedly occurred in 2014, while the date is unknown for 17 allegations.

    The vast majority, 46, were categorised as sexual exploitation, the UN deputy spokesperson said.
    He defined sexual exploitation as “any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another”.

    According to him, another 18 allegations were categorised as sexual abuse.
    Haq said sexual abuse was “the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions”.

    The UN deputy spokesperson said another six were classified as “other” or of an unknown nature.
    Women and girls suffered the most from this scourge, according to the figures presented by Haq.
    Out of a total of 84 reported victims, 46 were women, 17 were girls – under the age of 18 – and 12 were females whose ages were unknown.

    In addition, one boy – under the age of 18 – and five males of an unknown age were also among the victims.

    Out of 88 alleged perpetrators, all but eight were men, with four women and four individuals whose genders were unknown.

    According to Haq, so far, three of the allegations have been substantiated through an investigation, two cases have not been substantiated, and four were closed due to other circumstances.

    The remaining 61 were at various stages of investigation or under preliminary review, while a total of 16 allegations had been referred to the relevant Member States for action.

    “We have continued our efforts to implement the Secretary-General’s strategy to combat sexual exploitation and abuse,” Haq said.

    Regarding the UN’s commitment to end impunity, he explained that in June, the UN launched “an electronic tool for screening UN staff dismissed as a result of substantiated allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, or who resigned or were separated during an investigation”. (NAN)