North Korea’s threats to US will be met with ‘fire and fury’, says Trump

Agencies
August 9, 2017

Washington, Aug 09: President Donald Trump has vowed to answer any more threats by North Korea with “fire and fury”, remarks that followed Pyongyang saying that it is considering strikes near U.S. strategic military installations in Guam island with its intermediate range ballistic missiles.

“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He (Kim Jong-Un) has been very threatening, beyond a normal statement,” Mr. Trump told reporters at his vacation home in New Jersey yesterday.

He was responding to questions on the North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.

“As said, they will be met with fire, fury, and, frankly, power the likes of which this world has never seen before,” he said.

The remarks came amidst reports that the nuclear-armed country is coming close to obtaining an atomic weapon that can strike the US.

Media reports said North Korea has successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday said Pyongyang is “now carefully examining the operational plan for making an enveloping fire at the areas around Guam with medium-to-long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-1.

However, US Democratic lawmakers criticised Trump for making such a statement.

“This is not the time to push North Korea to make more threats and continue to test its long—range missiles. Instead the US must listen to senior statesman such as Bill Perry, Sam Nunn, and George Schultz to engage in bilateral diplomacy,” Ro Khanna, the Indian-American Congressman representing Silicon Valley, said.

“The strict economic sanctions imposed by the UN should be used as a tool to start direct negotiations. Such tactics worked 20 years ago and the framework should be revisited given the disastrous consequences of any military conflict,” he said.

Senator Dianne Feinstein said isolating the North Koreans has not halted their pursuit of nuclear weapons and Trump is not helping the situation with his bombastic comments.

“There is no question that North Korea is seeking to add a nuclear warhead to an ICBM capable of reaching the United States,” she said.

“What this tells me is that our policy of isolating North Korea has not worked. The United States must quickly engage North Korea in a high-level dialogue without any preconditions. Hopefully, secretary Tillerson is already discussing the possibility of reopening talks with our Asian partners during his current trip. In my view, diplomacy is the only sound path forward,” she added.

According to the Arms Control Association, a peaceful resolution to the escalating crisis is more difficult than ever to achieve.

“Trump’s attempt to play the role of nuclear madman is as dangerous, foolish, and counterproductive as North Korea’s frequent hyperbolic threats against the United States,” it said in a statement.

“Trump’s latest statement is a blatant threat of nuclear force that will not compel Kim to shift course. In fact, repeated threats of US military force only give credibility to the North Korean propaganda line that nuclear weapons are necessary to deter US aggression, and it may lead Kim to try to accelerate his nuclear program,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the US State Department said that they are willing to talk with the North Koreans.

“I know he (secretary of state) was quoted most recently about willing to talk with the North Koreans and we assure them that their peace and prosperity is best served by engaging with us and having a denuclearised North Korean peninsula, it’s on the assumption that they stop their missile tests and stop their nuke tests and stop the development of a nuclear weapon,” Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told a news conference.

Congressman Mike Turner, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Force, said that China has to step up to the plate and take a firm stance that North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons programs are unacceptable.

“The threat North Korea poses to global stability grows daily under its erratic regime. China must be responsible for bringing North Korea to the table with the international community to discuss a de—escalation and surrender of its advanced weapons capabilities,” he said.

Senator Joe Donnelly, ranking member of the strategic forces subcommittee, said the Asian nation is pressing forward on the development of a nuclear missile that threatens the US.

“It is long past time for the United States to have a clear, comprehensive strategy to address this rapidly growing threat,” he said.

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Agencies
February 12,2020

London, Feb 12: Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya returned to the courtroom here on Wednesday, the second day of hearing at the UK High Court, where the former billionaire has appealed against the extradition decision of Westminster Magistrates Court in December 2018.

On being asked about his expectations from the lengthy appeals process against the extradition order as today is the last day for Mallya to present his defence, the embattled former Kingfisher Airlines boss replied, "I have no clue. You see. I'll also see it. Let's not get into a speculative game."

When asked on what would happen if Mallya loses the case and has to return to India, the liquor baron responded: "We do have arguments."

The UK High Court, on Tuesday, had also heard Mallya's appeal against the Westminster Magistrates' Court order extraditing him to India to face alleged fraud and money laundering charges amounting to Rs 9,000 crore.

Mallya was present in the court along with his counsel Clare Montgomery during the hearing. Officials from Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) along with counsel Mark Summers representing the Indian government were also present.

When the judge asked if there was a timeline in the case, Clare said," This is a very dense case," involving multiple individuals and organisations and that not everything had been taken into account by the magistrate Emma Arbuthnot in her ruling against Mallya.

Montgomery contended that the magistrate's ruling had been riddled with "multiple errors". She also brought into question the admissibility of documents submitted by the Indian government - including witness statements and emails that proved crucial in the ruling by judge Arbuthnot, who found "clear evidence of misapplication of loan funds" and that there was a prima facie case of fraud against Mallya.

As she had done throughout the trial, Montgomery continued to assert that Mallya had not acted in a fraudulent manner or run a pyramid and that the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines was, in fact, the failure of a business in difficult economic circumstances.

She also reiterated concerns about the conduct of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in bringing charges against Mallya, claiming that the tycoon had been made a scapegoat.

Montgomery also stated that the Indian government had presented the loan taken out by Kingfisher Airlines, not as a simple business loan but was part of a larger and elaborate attempt at defrauding the banks by Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines management.

This, Montgomery contended, was but one example of a wider misinterpretation of the case by judge Arbuthnot.

The High Court justices reprimanded Montgomery for concentrating on the evidence - in essence rehashing the case presented at the lower court - rather than the apparent "mistakes" made by judge Arbuthnot in her ruling.

Mallya remains on bail of £650,000 as he has done throughout this legal process.

The Crown Prosecution Service which is representing the Government of India will present its case for the extradition of Mallya on Wednesday.

The 63-year-old businessman fled India in March 2016 and has been living in the UK since then.

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News Network
April 22,2020

London, Apr 22: The toll from coronavirus in the United Kingdom has jumped above 18,000 after 759 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, the Department of Health and Social Care announced in a statistical bulletin on Wednesday.

In total, 18,100 people have died in the UK hospitals after contracting COVID-19 as of 16:00 GMT on Tuesday.

A further 4,451 new cases of the disease were reported over the preceding 24 hours up to 08:00 GMT on Wednesday, the ministry said. The total number of cases reported since the start of the outbreak now stands at 1,33,495.

On Tuesday, the Office of National Statistics published a report stating that the coronavirus disease death toll as of April 10, when accounting for deaths in care homes and private residences, was 41 per cent higher than the government's figures.

In parliament on Wednesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock stated that the United Kingdom has reached the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, praising the social distancing measures enforced in the country.

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April 9,2020

Washington, Apr 9: At least 11 Indians have died of COVID-19 in the United States with another 16 testing positive for the infection which has claimed more than 14,000 lives and afflicted more than four lakh people in the US.

All Indian citizens who have succumbed to the deadly infection in the US are male, with ten of them from New York and New Jersey area. Four of the victims are said to be taxi drivers in New York City.

New York City has emerged as the US epicentre for COVID-19 spurt, accounting for more than 6,000 deaths and over 1,38,000 cases of infections. New Jersey accounts for 1,500 fatalities and nearly 48,000 infections.

One Indian national reportedly died in Florida because of coronavirus. Authorities are also ascertaining the nationality of some other Indian origin people in the States of California and Texas.

All 16 Indians, including four females, who have tested positive for coronavirus are in self-quarantine. Coming from diverse background, eight of them are from New York, three from New Jersey and rest from other states like Texas and California. They hail from Indian states like Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

Indian Embassy and consulates across the United States are working closely with local authorities and Indian-American organizations to provide necessary assistance to Indian nationals and students affected with COVID-19.

Because of the strict travel restrictions and regulations to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, local city officials have been performing the last rites of the deceased and in many cases are not allowing even their immediate family members to attend their cremations, officials said.

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