Latest news with #MarcoRubio
Al Bawaba
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Witkoff departs to the Middle East to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza
ALBAWABA - US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, is heading to the region to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza amid deteriorating situation and ongoing war, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce announced Tuesday at a press conference at the State Department in Washington. Also Read Ten AFP journalists are at risk of starvation in Gaza Bruce said, "During my conversation today with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he indicated that the special envoy is now heading to the Middle East, and everyone—the president, the secretary, and the special envoy—is optimistic about progress in the ceasefire negotiations and about a humanitarian corridor for the flow of aid agreed to by both sides." She added that the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio proposed the idea of an aid corridor in Gaza that would allow multiple entities to deliver aid without it being "hijacked by Hamas". She maintained, "The humanitarian situation in Gaza requires a ceasefire and a corridor for the movement of humanitarian aid convoys." On the other hand, activists staged a protest in front of the US State Department in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening, protesting the continued starvation policy in Gaza and the killing of Palestinian civilians attempting to get humanitarian aid from aid distribution centers in Gaza, which is monitorized by a US-backed organization. They also denounced continued US support for the Israeli occupation.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
US ‘lone wolf' diplomacy helps China win Asean hearts and minds
The Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist temple in Luang Prabang, Laos, stands both as a spiritual sanctuary and a historical artefact. From 2011 to 2014, the US State Department helped fund the temple's restoration. When then US president Barack Obama visited the site in 2016, he framed such efforts as part of America's 'profound moral and humanitarian obligation' to address the devastation still plaguing Laos from the US' largest per capita bombing campaign in history. Advertisement Nine years later, US engagement in Southeast Asia has undergone a tectonic shift; there is little interest in moral obligation, let alone cultural preservation. During July's Asean meetings, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Malaysia armed not with aid, but in the wake of threats of escalated tariffs against Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos. Soon after, the State Department eliminated its Office of Multilateral Affairs for East Asia, dismantling the institution tasked with managing relationships with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' 10 member states. Economic coercion, decoupling and a retreat from multilateralism are the pillars of 'America first' diplomacy. While China previously deployed ' wolf warrior ' tactics, with its diplomats responding aggressively to criticism of the nation, the second Donald Trump administration has spawned a different breed of diplomacy: the 'lone wolf' doctrine. Unmoored from alliances and indifferent to precedent, it is characterised by erratic, self-inflicted isolation. Lone wolf diplomacy apparently seeks to weaken bonds between the US and its allies, framing traditional alliances as burdens rather than assets. The result is a diplomacy of perpetual volatility. The Trump administration has weaponised tariffs as instruments of leverage, recently sending letters that threaten to impose punitive levies of 20 per cent to 50 per cent on over 20 countries on August 1. Advertisement
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Columbia students involved in pro-Palestine protest banned from campus
Pro-Palestinian protesters who stormed Columbia University's library have been banned from campus. A source told The Telegraph that 56 or more of the 70 students involved in the incident would not be allowed to return. The bans will last for between one and three years, the New York Post said. All 70 students involved in the unrest were formally disciplined on Monday, it is understood. Some of them had their degrees revoked or were permanently expelled, according to a statement on the university's website. The incident took place in May, with masked and hooded protesters swarming the New York-based university's library and refusing to leave. At the time, authorities said 80 protesters were arrested with those involved facing up to three months in jail. Columbia alumni and students from other universities were among those detained. Two campus public safety officers were injured as the demonstrators forced their way into the Butler Library, where students were revising ahead of their final exams before the summer break. Protesters were demanding an amnesty for students facing disciplinary action after last summer's protests. They also demanded the release of activists facing deportation including Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder, who was arrested and detained by ICE agents in March and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana. Mr Khalil has since been released. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said those on student visas are facing deportation. Students involved in similar demonstrations have previously been suspended or had their degrees revoked. The university, one of the most prestigious in the US, called police after protesters refused to leave. The university took around five hours to call in the police report, according to Fox News. In spite of the delay, the Trump administration praised the university's acting president for meeting the moment 'with fortitude and conviction'. The move came in stark contrast to the university's handling of pro-Palestinian protests in the summer, when a pro-Gaza encampment remained in place for more than six weeks. The university is currently trying to come to an agreement with President Donald Trump and his team to restore government funding, after the president withheld $400m in federal grants. The money was kept back amid concerns by the White House over Columbia's handling of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-Israel sentiment on campus. 'Violations will generate consequences' In March, Columbia was accused by the Trump administration of 'continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students'. In a statement regarding the sanctioning of students involved in the library incident, a Columbia University spokesperson said: 'Immediately following the disruption at Butler Library during reading period, which affected hundreds of students attempting to study, the university began an investigation into rules violations, banned participating individuals from affiliated institutions and non-affiliates from campus, and placed Columbia participants on interim suspension... Our institution must focus on delivering on its academic mission for our community. 'And to create a thriving academic community, there must be respect for each other and the institution's fundamental work, policies, and rules. 'Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of university policies and rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences. The speed with which our updated UJB system has offered an equitable resolution to the community and students involved is a testament to the hard work of this institution to improve its processes.'
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Obama stands by intelligence conclusion that Russia tried to influence 2016 election
Former President Barack Obama on July 22 said he stood by the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election. Obama was hitting back at a report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on July 18, which claimed to demonstrate how the former president and his national security Cabinet had 'manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup' against Donald Trump after he had defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump earlier in the day also accused Obama of 'treason' during an Oval Office meeting with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos, calling him a 'ringleader' and his actions 'seditious.' Obama's office dismissed the claims as another example of the constant "nonsense and misinformation" that emanates out of the White House. 'Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes," Obama's office said in a statement on July 22. 'These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.' Rubio currently serves as Trump's Secretary of State. The U.S. intelligence community in 2017 said Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections and sought to hurt Clinton, who was Trump's Democratic opponent, while trying to help Trump. Obama's office added: 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who released the report, said the intelligence community's assessment was "politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump's victory." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Obama responds to DNI report on Russian influence 2016 election
Deccan Herald
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
TRF's terror tag bolsters India's case
The designation of The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a global terrorist organisation by the United States is a victory for India and a vindication of New Delhi's position on cross-border terrorism. It is significant in view of India's contention that the organisation was behind the April 22 Pahalgam attack. .TRF twice claimed responsibility for the attack though it later denied involvement, probably under pressure from its handlers across the border. India has mounted persistent diplomatic pressure on the US and other countries to recognise the existence of the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan which is directed against India. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that TRF had claimed responsibility also for other attacks, against Indian security forces. But it will be noted that Rubio did not name Pakistan, where the LeT is US has described TRF as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) and a front for the LeT. The LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammad have been marked for involvement in terrorist activities directed against India. Both organisations have been in the US FTO list from 2001. Pakistan has denied their existence while India has contended that both are active in that country. .India should continue its efforts to get TRF named as a terrorist outfit in the UN Security Council records. The UNSC resolution on the Pahalgam attack avoided mentioning TRF, under Pakistan's and China's pressure. The US designation will hopefully make the process easier, though Pakistan and China will continue to oppose it. The Ministry of External Affairs has welcomed the US decision and noted that it reflects the cooperation between India and the US on counter-terrorism. Earlier this year, the US had extradited Tahawwur Rana who was part of the conspiracy behind the 2008 Mumbai the US may have sent a positive signal to India with its stance on TRF, its position is not without contradictions. It has not fully accepted India's position on the Pahalgam attack and Pakistan's role in promoting terrorism in the country. Washington has played host to Pakistan's army and air force chiefs in recent weeks and sought to equate Pakistan with India. .The US and most other countries have the tendency to look at terrorism through the prism of their national interest and geopolitical considerations. India will have to initiate stronger diplomatic efforts to make its case fully heard and accepted. It will also not go unnoticed that the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack are yet to be arrested.
