Pakistani TV channels withdraw reports on Trump visit
The White House dismissed the reports. "A trip to Pakistan has not been scheduled at this time," a White House official said.
Geo and ARY news channels had said earlier on Thursday that Trump was expected to visit Pakistan in September. But both later withdrew their reports.
"Geo News apologises to its viewers for airing the news without a verification," it said.
A senior management official at ARY told Reuters it backtracked after the foreign office said it had no knowledge of a visit.
George W. Bush was the last U.S. president to visit Pakistan in 2006.
U.S.-Pakistan relations saw a major boost when Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House last month in an unprecedented meeting.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
Why the Epstein case looms large in MAGA world
When Jack Posobiec walked into the Department of Justice in Washington, DC last February, he thought he would finally get some answers about Jeffrey when he and other MAGA supporters were given essentially just rehashed, already-public material - and when the government put a damper on the release of any new information this July - they balked."We were all told more was coming. That answers were out there and would be provided. Incredible how utterly mismanaged this Epstein mess has been. And it didn't have to be," Posobiec posted on social media on 7 Donald Trump is finding it hard to shake loose the conspiracy theories that have animated his base since he first broke through into Republican politics a decade ago. Posobiec, who emerged from the fringes of the internet in 2016 when he spread false rumours about a child abuse ring based in a Washington DC restaurant - a conspiracy theory that became known as Pizzagate - is just one of many MAGA die-hards who believes officials are hiding key truths about Epstein's life and disgraced financier and convicted sex offender died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking a recent podcast hosted by Breitbart News editor Alex Marlow, Posobiec said the MAGA base see this case as shorthand for the thorough rot of the so-called "deep state"."It's not that they care about Epstein personally," he said. "It's that they care that there's this optic that Epstein was somehow involved with a shadowy system that actually has control over our government, control over our institutions, control of our lives, and really is a ruling power over us."Over the years, some have claimed that government officials possess files on Epstein that reveal sordid details, including that a "client lint" exists with notable names on it who may have participated in some Epstein's alleged has, in the past, played to that crowd. During last year's election campaign, he said he would have "no problem" releasing Epstein case files, and after the election directly answered a question about whether he would "declassify" the files by saying: "Yeah, yeah, I would."Conspiratorial thinking has been a part of President Trump's movement from the outset. His entry into the once-crowded world of Republican Party politics a decade ago came as he amplified the false theory that Barack Obama wasn't born in the United however, the world of conspiracy is biting back. Epstein's crimes are real and horrific, and there remains the possibility that further information could emerge about they have also become subsumed by grander narratives – Pizzagate, and later QAnon, the sprawling interactive conspiracy theory that swamped the internet during Trump's first term, pushing the idea that the highest echelons of society were controlled by a child-abusing elite cabal. The conspiracy theory spread through cryptic messages posted by a pseudonymous character called Rothschild, author of several books on Trump-era conspiracies, including The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult and Conspiracy of Everything, said Epstein was mentioned in several such messages dating back to late 2017."Epstein is seen as one of the major players in a global 'paedo elite' that's been trafficking children for centuries, and that Q and Trump were supposed to put an end to once and for all," he told the after the justice department meeting in February, administration officials, including FBI director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino - who both stoked Epstein rumours for years - started to dampen talk of any major on 8 July, the Department of Justice and FBI said in a memo that Epstein's cause of death was suicide and there was no evidence he had a "client list".The president seemed eager to move on, calling the Epstein case "sordid, but it's boring" while also blaming Democrats for continuing to make it an Trump supporters are happy to follow the president's lead. But a subset of extremely online MAGA supporters are still deeply passionate about the Epstein orders officials to release Epstein court documentsProsecutor in Diddy and Epstein cases fired by justice departmentTrump's Epstein strategy could pit him against loyal supporters Several MAGA voices, including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, have alleged that Epstein was employed by the Israeli security services. And among more extreme elements of the movement, the conspiracy theories around Epstein sometimes veer into the Rothschild said most of the people in MAGA world are simply itching for more information – if it indeed exists – about the financier's connections with Bill Clinton and other Democrats and Trump opponents. Epstein cultivated powerful people from both major US political long history of MAGA's Epstein obsession mean Trump is now finding it difficult to satisfy the conspiratorial elements in his story took another twist late on Thursday as The Wall Street Journal reported Trump had sent Epstein a "bawdy" birthday greeting in 2003. The pair's one-time friendship is well-known, but Trump says he cut ties with Epstein long ago and filed a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal's parent company, its owner and two reporters following the report. Meanwhile, Trump seemed more willing to indulge the conspiracy theorists, posting on Truth Social: "Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval."There is no doubt that conspiracy theories clearly have the power to motivate some of the president's base. QAnon supporters were among some of the most visible participants at the January 2021 riot at the US a survey conducted just before last November's election, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) think tank found that nearly a fifth of Americans agree with QAnon-linked statements, including most pointedly: "The government, media, and financial worlds in the US are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping paedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation."Many see the Epstein case as a confirmation of those views, and the QAnon-believing population is heavily pro-Trump, the PRRI found, with 80% backing the with that support has come influence. Posobiec, the Pizzagate and Epstein conspiracy theorist who was at the DOJ meeting in February, reportedly accompanied Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on a recent trip to also has been photographed meeting with neo-Nazi's, although he denies being a white nationalist did not respond to the BBC's request for is adamant that Epstein's case is connected to the wider conspiracy world."It ties to Covid, it ties to lockdowns, it ties to vaccines," Posobiec said, on the Alex Marlow podcast, which was recorded at a conference last week where multiple speakers brought up Epstein and demanded further revelations."It ties to so many different buckets of the anger people are feeling."Rich Logis, a former longtime Trump supporter who broke ranks and started an organisation called Leaving MAGA, said that these outlandish theories serve "as ties that bind many within the MAGA community", even amongst those who doubt says Trump's dismissal this week of their concerns this left some supporters "feeling confused and stunned"."They expected Trump to keep his promise and reveal those who allegedly aided and abetted Epstein," he the Epstein case presents a political quagmire for Trump, there is also a problem for his supporters, particularly the vocal influencer class, in figuring out where to funnel their rage. Targeting the president could backfire when it comes to their own followers."Many of the major influencers are furious," Rothschild said, "and while they might not take it out on Trump, they might take it out on the GOP (Republican Party) in general."Trump has so far stood by Pam Bondi, his attorney general. But she, Patel and Bongino may increasingly feel the pressure if MAGA's conspiracy wing continues to demand more files - whether or not they actually exist.
Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
US moves to free up Patriot missiles for Ukraine
The Trump administration has started freeing up Patriot air defence systems to send to Ukraine, days after the US president vowed to send more weapons to Kyiv. The Pentagon has moved Germany ahead of Switzerland to receive the next Patriots, which will allow Berlin to send Ukraine the two weapons it already has, US officials told The Wall Street Journal. Switzerland had purchased five Patriot systems which were scheduled to be delivered between 2026 and 2028. It comes days after Donald Trump announced his decision reversal on supplying weapons to Ukraine, proposing a pipeline plan to sell weapons to Nato allies in Europe, who could in turn provide them to Kyiv. Mr Trump gave Vladimir Putin a deadline of 50 days to negotiate a peace deal or face 'very significant' tariffs and sanctions, including on its trading partners. The costly Patriot systems – in high demand among US allies – have proven effective at destroying Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Ukraine's cities. 'We're sending weapons to Nato, and Nato is paying for those weapons, 100 per cent,' Mr Trump said in an interview with NBC News last week. 'So what we're doing is, the weapons that are going out are going to Nato, and then Nato is going to be giving those weapons (to Ukraine), and Nato is paying for those weapons.' Mr Trump said last week the weapons were 'already being shipped', adding: 'They're coming in from Germany and then replaced by Germany, and in all cases, the United States gets paid back in full.' Germany was believed to be the nation most invested in the scheme. Friedrich Merz, its chancellor, proposed buying Patriot air defence batteries for Ukraine in a deal with the US. Some European allies had so far refrained from committing to the $10 billion (£7.5 billion)initiative, which involves countries giving up their prized systems, including the Patriot missile batteries that Kyiv has been desperately seeking. The Trump administration will manoeuvre plans for its future deliveries to prioritise the countries who sign on to send Patriots to Ukraine, a US official told the WSJ. Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, is scheduled to meet his Nato counterparts on Monday to discuss the issue. A separate meeting Wednesday involving countries that own Patriots will be chaired by Gen Alexus Grynkewich, chief of European Command. The Swiss government said the US had 'decided to reprioritise the delivery of Patriot ground-based air defence systems' as part of its effort to support Ukraine. It is now not clear when the country will receive the equipment. Kyiv has six fully operational Patriot batteries – two from the US, two from Germany, one from Romania and one jointly given by Germany and the Netherlands, according to the arms monitoring group Action on Armed Violence. During his Oval Office meeting with Mr Trump last week, Nato secretary general Mark Rutte mentioned six Nato countries – Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada – that were willing to participate in the weapons-purchasing scheme. Some had been hesitant to make a decision on whether to join the scheme without the release of key details. France had told allies it will not join the initiative, according to officials briefed on the discussions. The Italian government said it would not purchase weapons but could help with the logistics of transporting them to Ukraine, Italian media reported.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Defiant Bolsonaro says he is the one to stop Lula, China and Trump tariffs
BRASILIA, July 18 (Reuters) - With dark jeans pulled over an ankle monitor attached just hours earlier, Brazil's right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro made clear on Friday that the humiliation of court-ordered restraints would not curb his role in global politics. In a defiant interview with Reuters at his party's offices, raided at dawn in the latest crackdown from the Supreme Court, Bolsonaro cast himself as the man to renegotiate U.S. tariffs, curb Chinese influence and beat back leftists in Brazil. "They want to get me out of the political game next year," he said, referring to an election in which President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to seek a fourth term. "Without me in the race, Lula could beat anyone." Even after Brazil's Supreme Court barred him on Friday from contact with foreign officials, the ex-president insisted he wants to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, who slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods last week and demanded an end to Bolsonaro's trial for trying to overturn the last election. While some allies worry Trump's tactic is backfiring, tying Bolsonaro to the economic fallout and rallying support behind Lula, the ex-president remained supportive of his ally in the White House. "I would never give advice to Trump. Who am I? I respect him," said Bolsonaro, seated at a table with two volumes within reach: a copy of the Brazilian constitution and a magazine with Trump on the cover. "His country is an example for us. We're not an example for them." In court orders on Friday, based on allegations that Bolsonaro had courted Trump's intervention in legal matters, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes slapped the ex-president with a curfew and ankle monitor and banned him from using social media, approaching foreign embassies or dealing with foreign officials. Bolsonaro called Moraes a "dictator" and described the latest court orders as acts of "cowardice." "I feel supreme humiliation," he said, when asked how it felt to wear the ankle monitor. "I am 70 years old, I was president of the republic for four years." Bolsonaro denied any plans to leave the country, but said he would meet with Trump if he could get back his passport, which police seized last year. He also said he wanted to discuss Trump's tariff threat with the top U.S. diplomat in Brazil. Trump has praised Bolsonaro, but told journalists this week that he is "not like a friend." When pressed for details of their relationship, the Brazilian former army captain began describing the advance of Chinese interests in Latin America. "China is taking over Brazil. Many see that in Brazil I am the person who can stop China, as long as I have a warlike, nuclear nation behind me. Which one? Up north," he said. He said the BRICS bloc of developing nations, formed originally by Brazil, Russia, India and China, had become a "brotherhood of dictatorships and war criminals." While hosting the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro this month, Lula compared Trump to an unwanted "emperor," drawing the ire of the U.S. president, who threatened to raise tariffs on the group for its "anti-American policies."
