The incumbent US senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders announced his run for the US Presidential Candidacy for the year 2020. This move will mark his second attempt to win the Democratic Party’s nomination. He rose into highest popularity as a progressive political star in 2016 despite losing his candidacy bid.

The 77-year-old US senator claimed that his campaign raised a whopping $1 million (£777,000) within three and half hours of launching. Donald Trump, being as outspoken as he is, labelled Mr. Sanders as a “Pathological Liar” and “Racist”.

Barnie joined a rather crowded milieu of the democrats that include Senator of Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren; Senator of New Jersey, Cory Booker, Senator of California, Kamala Harris and the list goes on.

It is believed that Sanders has vitalized the progressive movement and reshaped the democratic party. He is touted as being the self-styled democratic socialist who spent at least 30 years of his congressional career on the political scene.

In an e-mail announcing his decision to supporters on Tuesday morning, Barnie said, ““Together, you and I and our 2016 campaign began the political revolution,” He further added, “Now, it is time to complete that revolution and implement the vision that we fought for.”

Sanders is certain that he will prevail over diverse field of democrats which includes several females and minority candidates. He swears to beat Donald Trump and wrest power out of his hands. He took a jibe on Donald Trump saying, ““the most dangerous president in modern American history”.

There is no denying that Sanders introduced some progressive strategies in 2016 that raised his respect among the people. He announced Medicare for all, a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, tuition-free college. He even demanded to fight climate change more aggressively which is definitely the need of the hour. Furthermore, what really had a major draw with the common masses was his proposal to tax the wealthy people at a higher rate. His strategies were trailblazing and is now adopted by a number of successive presidential candidates.

Sanders is likely to face condemnation from moderate democrats and from Republicans who are likely to use his candidacy to establish his party as too much liberal. In fact, President Donald Trump used his state of the Union speech earlier this month terming it creep of socialism in America.

Sanders, however, made clear that he will chase Trump directly in his campaign. He will acquire new electoral strategies and ride high on his ideologies to carve a niche in the midterm election cycle that lately saw women and minority candidates sweep to power.

Sanders is to enjoy more advantages that other canditates in the race. He will begin a second run not as a political outsider but as a top-tier candidate with near-universal name recognition, a loyal following and a matchless donor list.

Read more about the news here.

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Recently Pulwama stood witness to the deadliest attack on Indian army by Pakistani terrorists which killed at least 42 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel. An army vehicle carrying the Jawans was blown away by a massive detonation after an explosives-laden Scorpio car rammed into it. Forthwith after the attack, humongous protests from across the world poured in and the mightiest nations stood with India in solidarity. Pakistan was held accountable for the terror attack as it was believed to provide ‘safe haven’ for the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed whose mastermind Masoor Azhar is an U.N designated terrorist.

In the wake of this spiteful attack, the whole world admonished Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for remaining tight-lipped. When Indians are baying for revenge, Imran Khan’s outright denial on Pakistan’s role in the attack stirred up a debate. In a show of major brinkmanship, Pakistan PM Imran Khan said on February 19 that it would retaliate if India calls for a war. Ulta chor kotwal ko date!

He paraded us with 6 brazen and hilarious lies in just 5 minutes and we are in complete awe for his pokerfaced nonchalance. In a televised address, he gave a speech replete with lies where he was seen taunting, challenging and threatening Modi in return. What really amused us was that he seemed remotely repentant while ruling out an unequivocal truth!

Imran Khan added that Pakistan will take actions against the preparators if India shares actionable proof about the misdemeanour. According to Khan, “Pakistan offers full support for any investigation in Pulwama. I guarantee action on this”. He said this in an address to the nation on Radio Pakistan. Sorry sir, we are not buying your lies any more!

Imran Khan further added, “It is in our interest that nobody from our soil spreads violence. I want to tell Indian government that we will take action if evidence is found against anyone from Pakistan,” doesn’t his words ring hollow? We are at our wit’s end after successive attacks on Pathankot, Uri and now Pulwama in the same fashion.

Imran Khan warned any adventurism at India’s end to threaten the sovreignty of Pakistan will attract certain retaliation. He shared that he received calls from India threatening to attack Pakistan. He was quoted as saying, “”I know it’s a poll season in India. If India will attack us we will surely retaliate. It is easy to start a war but difficult to end. The issue should be solved through dialogue,”

He said that India is blaming Pakistan without any concrete evidence at hand and that Pakistan has nothing to gain from this attack. Pakistan is moving towards peace and stability. He further claimed that he has installed the anti-terrorism ideals in the minds of new Pakistan that he has built.

He showed is defiance on this matter and here is the complete interview.

Stop there already guys, too much of spinning a yarn!

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Pakistani terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed has recently carried out a deadly attack on an Indian military convoy in the Awantipora district of Kashmir which claimed the lives of at least 42 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel. The mortal remains of the Jawans were brought to Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid wreaths on them to show gratitude to the martyred. Kashmir is a simmering cauldron of hatred and recently, there have an unprecedented spike of such spiteful incidents. We are really shocked to see how effortlessly the terrorists penetrate the tight secrity barriers and hurl such lethal attacks.

We, as a nation are now angry, frustrated and we will release a sigh of contentment only when the attack is avenged. The diplomatic talks are afoot and the mightiest of nations have extended their solidarity. May be Pakistan and India are at the brink of war, may be another surgican strike in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is going to take place soon. Whatever be the judgement of the Modi government, the hackers have already initiated the revenge operation!

Many of the official websites of Pakistan Foreign Ministry and the Army were hacked on Saturday night, detering those living outside the country to access them. Later, several other websites were hacked and defaced too! The sneering hackers left behind a note that read ‘We will never forget #14/02/2019”.

Going by the report of a Pakistani news agency Dawn, the users stationed in other countries were unable to access the websites in question although they were working fine within the country. According to the spokesperson of Pakistani Foreign Ministry Muhammad Faisal, “”The website is functioning without any issues in Pakistan. However, visitors to the website from Holland, Australia, Britain, and Saudi Arabia are facing difficulty opening it.”

In the wake of social media, the list of hacked websites stared circulating already. You will also get a WhatsApp comprising of the list of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry websites that were hacked on Saturday night by a group of vengeful hackers. Some social media platforms claimed that, “Pakistan has faced its worst cyber attack in history, in last 72 hours”.  However, a Pakistani IT team brought the websites back to normal now. Faisal further added that, “”The IT team is currently occupied in thwarting the hackers onslaught,”

Here is a comprehensive list of the hacked Pakistani websites that sent the users in a tizzy:

1. https://sindhforests.gov.pk/op.html
2. https://mail.sindhforests.gov.pk/op.html
3. https://pkha.gov.pk/op.html
4. https://ebidding.pkha.gov.pk/op.html
5. https://mail.pkha.gov.pk/op.html
6. http://kda.gkp.pk/op.html
7. http://blog.kda.gkp.pk/op.html
8. http://mail.kda.gkp.pk/op.html
9. https://kpsports.gov.pk/op.html
10. https://mail.kpsports.gov.pk/op.html
11. http://seismic.pmd.gov.pk/op.html
12. http://namc.pmd.gov.pk/op.html
13. http://rmcpunjab.pmd.gov.pk/FlightsChartFolder/op.html
14. http://ffd.pmd.gov.pk/modis/op.html
15. https://badin.opf.edu.pk/14-02-2019.php 
16. http://radar.pmd.gov.pk/islamabad/op.html 

You can read the Pakistani news agency Dawn’s report on the issue here.

Pakistan  Ministry’s Foreign Affairs website was accessible in India but whenever someone attempted to open the Pakistani Army website, the following message cropped up, “”The owner of this website has banned the country or region your IP address is in (IN) from accessing this website.”

Read more about the news here.

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This Canadian-American Actor-Activist is known for a lot of things. His slapstick performances can bring the house down and his cartoons too grab eyeballs for their quirky approach. Jim Carrey has recently drawn a cartoon of the US President Donald Trump that he shared online on Friday.

The cartoon definitely tickles the funny bones of the internet users as Jim Carrey called the birth of US President Donald Trump “The real state of emergency”. His artistic reimagining of the President’s birth at the Jamaica Medical Center in Queens, New York in 1946 was galactically uproarious. He added a spunky comment to his painting, “Definitely not human”.

This is not the first time Jim Carrey released something anti-Trump. This cartoon is just another addition to his trailblazing anti-Trump pieces. He released it moments after the President’s declaraction of a National Emergency which was a price for his faulty proposal of U.S Mexico Border Wall.

President Donald Trump’s declaration of National Emergency made a Washington Ethics Group to sit up in alarm and sue him. They challenged the legality of the National Emergency Declaration of Donald Trump.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington claimed that President Donald Trump doesn’t have any legal authority to invoke emergency powers over a border wall. They filed a lawsuit against Trump alleging that the Department of Justice failed to provide documents supporting Trump’s legal authority to exercise that ginormous right!

Jim Carrey has taken jibes over Donald Trump recently for energy issues, climate change and stewarding the longest U.S Government shutdown in history. The ‘kidding’ star has a strong ulnar nerve, one must say!

Jim Careey has long been targetting Trump with his hilarious and blunt political cartoons that became widely popular across the internet in no time. Back in 2018, he even opened exhibition of his political cartoons at Maccarone Gallery in Los Angeles, “is really a revisitation, a re-gifting of my childhood. It’s become a political thing at the moment because I think that’s necessary. But it’s a thing that’s been in my life, my whole life.”, he said in an interview after the event.

He has a fascinating timeline in his Twitter feed where he has depicted the President Trump as a clown, a cyclops, a pig, a witch and a kinky ice-cream eater among other unflattering moguls.

In a recent drawing, he disfigured Trey Gowdy, a Republican Congressman from South Carolina, into a slack-jawed rat set against a background of red and blue scribbles.

However, here are some of the masterpieces of Jim Carrey on President Trump as picked up from his Twitter timeline.

Here are some more:

Finally, here is the tweet that sparked a good laughter:

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Indo-China rivalry goes eons back, they have been at loggerheads since the disputed area called Aksai Chin emerged as a piece of meat both the countries fought for. Now, they are again flexing muscle at each other over the Dokalam area and the spat is only getting uglier with every passing day. However, India and China are not the first in human history to fight over a disputed land, it has a trailblazing history where other countries made their names rise into prominence. Here are a few examples of such disputed lands that made headlines:

Abkhazia and South Ossetia:

These are the two small breakaway republics of Georgia which fought for their independence from Georgia since 1920s, but to no avail until now. They both became part of Georgia after Russian revolution in 1917 but as two autonomous republics. Troubled waters were stirred for them after Soviet Union’s demise in the late 90s, when Georgia declared independence from USSR. Now both the states are refused to be recognized as sovereign states by the UN, EU and NATO.

Kosovo:

After the demise of Soviet Union, 5 new states came into surface Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and FR Yugoslavia. In 1998-99 ‘Kosovo Liberation Army’ fought for the independence of Kosovo against Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. After the war, Yugoslavia abandoned the stranglehold over Kosovo and it became a UN controlled region.

West Sahara:

It is a disputed African territory in Western Sahara which comprises of desert flatlands. The place is thickly populated and according to the UN, its name figures in the non-decolonized territory in the ‘List of non-self-governing territories” which originally belongs to the Spanish Empire. Morocco has a claim to the territory and Arab League is in support for it.

Gibraltar:

It is located in the ideal position of Gibraltar strait which provides access to the Mediterranean and the Suez where there is a control of joint military bases of Morocco and UK. Along the border, Spain also deployed its military. It is recognized by NATO as a ‘British Overseas Territory’ and Spain made several attempt to recapture it through the sieges.

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands:

It is located close to the Falkland Islands on which both Argentina and UK hold their claims since 18^th century. UK claimed sovereignty over it in 1775 after a voyage of James Cook and the Sandwich Islands in 1908 while Argentina established the claim when an Argentine registered whaling company went functional in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. However, it came under Argentine control after 1982 Falkland war and later went to the UK. Argentina still holds its claim over the territory.

Tibet:

In the wake of Yun Dynasty, China claims that Tibet had been an inseparable part of their land which is nodded by USA, UK, EU. Things went adverse after Invasion of Tibet in 1950 and Dalai Lama exiled in India. Tibet is an autonomous region under Chinese control now.

Cyprus:

It is the main reason of war between Greece and Turkey. The Ottoman Turks gained control over the island in the year 1571 which was leased later to UK in the year 1878. In the treaty of Laussane terminated Turkish claim on the island and now NATO has intervened to keep peace in both islands.

These are the instances of infamous rivalries among countries over some disputed areas.

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“Donald Trump’s Awful History”

On Tuesday, Donald Trump won U.S.2016 presidential election and the results left people in shock.

Trump winning the presidency was nothing less than a horror story.

People including big celebrities are still reacting and already assuming that America will now be in a complete danger. Some are even stating that “Donald Trump will be the WORST president in American history”.

The hatred war is on and Americans are claiming that the people who voted Trump did the biggest MISTAKE ever.

Well, we saw Donald’s public appearance and we know that he is in the top-chart to talk shit about Hollywood celebrities especially Beyonce, Katy Perry etc. Apart from that, we researched about his history and surprisingly (Not really!) we came to know that dang, “Trump can really be the TERRIBLE president”.

Here’s Donald Trump’s Awful History according to Vox: –

• He still claims that “he is the least racist person” which stands out to be completely wrong. Back in 1970’s, Trump appeared in the pages of New York Times, when the US Department of Justice sued him for racial discrimination. Since then, he has appeared in many pages for the same controversies.
• In 1980’s, Kip Brown a former employee at Trump’s Castle, accused Trump’s businesses for discrimination.
• In 1988, During Trump’s speech at Lehigh University- He accused Japan for stripping U.S. of economic dignity.
• In 1989, in one of a controversial case- One Latino and four black teenagers were accused of raping a jogger in the New York City. Trump decided to take action and in local newspapers he demanded “Bring Back The Death Penalty”, “Bring Back Our Police”. The teens later spend 14 years in the prison and despite of their settlement Trump believed that they’re still guilty, in spite of the DNA evidence.
• In 1991, a book by John O’Donnell stated how Trump accused a Black accountant for counting his money and later in an interview Trump confessed that it is indeed a quoted truth.
• 2004, Trump literally fired Kevin Allen, a black contestant in “The Apprentice” only because he was over-educated.
• In 2010- A huge controversy took place over the “Ground Zero Mosque”- which was a proposal to build a Muslim Community, near 9/11 attacks. Trump didn’t support it and called the project as absolute “insensitive”. Later On The Late Show with David Letterman, he attacked Muslims by saying “Somebody’s doing a lot of bad stuff…”
• In 2011- He spread a lot of rumours about Obama stating that he wasn’t born in U.S. and therefore he even sent his investigators to check Obama’s birth certificate.

He has done masters in racism for sure.

Apart from all this, during his presidential campaign – He has played a very BIG role in accusing women. Here are some of his worst sexual comments on women that prove he is totally terrible.

• “If Hilary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America”?
• Angelina Jolie has been with so many guys that she makes me look like a baby. And, I don’t even find her attractive.
• “I’ve said if Ivanka weren’t my daughter, perhaps I’d be dating her”
• “Heidi Klum. Sadly, she’s no longer a 10”.
• “I find women to be far more aggressive than men. In fact, many of the people that are in my company and that I hire are women. I find women to be far more aggressive and SEXUALLY, far more aggressive than men”.

He has done so much that literally he is a man who seems to be horrible and now that he has won the election- people are terrified.

What are your views about Donald Trump’s Awful History? Do you think he really deserves to be a president? Share your views in a comment below.

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In Canberra, on Tuesday night the six-hour joint party room meeting took a sudden twist by PM who opened the bars of boundations to referendum on gay marriage.

Between the meeting MPs were split 60/30, with the majority in favour of maintain the coalition’s position of marriage that should be between a man and woman.

Tony Abbott also successfully killed off the push to legislate for gay marriage that indirectly substantial grabs the voter and win for the embattled Prime Minister.

Mr. Abbott said “That it is not necessary to view of party forever, but now it was the position they took 2013 election and be honoured for the remainder of parliamentary term”.

“If Abbott should dud his people who voted for him only,” that’s what reporters told in Canberra.

The coalition can be on your side if you will support the current position of marriage between a man and a woman, the coalition will be definitely on your side.

The new policy argument arose that caused significant bad blood liberals with Abbott’s deputy leader and also with the foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop, the communications Minister Turnbull were criticising their leader for the way he has conducted the debate.

Mr Abbott also said that the inner personal issue of same-sex marriage was one that should be fully decided by the Australian people, flagging for the possibility of constitutional referendum.

“You can’t stop love and if this parliamentary policy fails to achieve marriage equality we will make sure that one day it has to be taken place and now at its right time it took place,” Australian Marriage Equality’s Rodney Croome said the statement.

At the end of it all, Mr. Abbott summed up by saying that issue would normally warrant a conscience vote for yourself, but it would not in this case because of the amendments to the Marriage Act under John Howard which had enshrined marriage in policy.

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We Indians are weird and truly crazy!

Well, if not all, some of us definitely fall in that category and we haven’t stopped from keeping our insane mindsets within the boundaries of our country, but proudly exhibit them abroad in the countries that adopt us or where we immigrate for greener pastures.

The case in point this time is the latest candidate to file his nomination for the most powerful job on the planet, to be America’s next President: Piyush “Bobby” Jindal!

Did you notice the irony?

His name is Piyush, but he is known in the entire world as Senator Bobby Jindal!

Well, aren’t we all Indians known to have weird nick names like Happy, Lucky, Bobby, Bunty, Chickoo, Pinky, Lovely etc? So this gentleman who decided to use his nickname as his primary name to be counted as an equal amongst the American population and achieved quite a success out of it, is now taking a step further by declaring that he is not Indian anymore, but more like an American!

Yes, he recently made a statement that it is high time people stopped calling themselves as American-Indian or Indian American, African-American, Irish-American etc. and everyone, who is a legitimate citizen of America should be called as American! So much for equality when you’re running for the post of President with a name that has the stamp of a typical Indian all over it!

Wow, Mr. Jindal, has your skin suddenly turned white from the brown texture you were born with? Or you have suddenly got the facial features altered with some cosmetic surgery? Obviously the way you speak English with that typical American accent has already put Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan in deep depression, but that discussion is for some other time!

Politicians all over the world are known to be thick-skinned creatures that can’t be trusted or taken seriously; Mr. Jindal here is going all out to entice the American voter that he is one amongst them and should be given a chance! However, his fellow citizens from the same country, that is India, haven’t taken it lightly the way he is trying to disassociate himself from the country of his origin and trying to appear a “Gora”!

Let’s share with you some of the tweets which went viral after his statement. By the way, he suddenly started trending on Twitter with the title, “#BobbyJindalisSoWhite”!

A user by the name of Pavan tweeted, “#BobbyJindalisSoWhite that he uses Mr. white detergent powder to wash his white cloths.”

Another user Priti said, “#BobbyJindalisSoWhite he calls every Indian food ‘curry’!” If that was not enough more people joined in ridiculing him!

A well known Indian comedian in the USA, Hari Kondabolu tweeted, “#BobbyJindalisSoWhite that he calls his parents by their first name”!

A tweet by Rahul Sharma takes the cake as he said, “#BobbyJindalisSoWhite# Jindian He eats his Chapati with a knife and fork”!

Joining the tirade was Suleikha Snyder who tweeted, “#BobbyJindalisSoWhite that Fair & Lovely is made from his tears”!

The list goes on and on, but the core of the matter is that if Mr. Jindal is not proud of his ancestry and the country of his origin and he really thinks that being from India is an obstacle then he should first undergo complete plastic surgery to turn his skin into white, alter his features to look like one of ‘them’ and then try his hand at the top post in the world! As such, with biggies like Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush in the fray, Mr. Jindal doesn’t seem to be having that many chances of succeeding this time around. May be he can try after 8 years! By then he would be completely “gora” and people would have forgotten his stupid thought process and may give him a chance!

Bobby puttar, “brown” bread is good for health, but “white” bread is not! “Brown” works and will work, remember that!

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At least 18 people were killed and 44 wounded in a wave of violent attacks in Iraq on Monday.

A roadside bomb exploded near a market in Baghdad’s Sadriya area in the evening, killing at least 11 people and injuring 25, reported Xinhua citing a police source .

Earlier in the day, seven people were killed and 19 wounded in separate bombings and shootings across Baghdad.

The attack occurred around noon when a car bomb went off near a crowd of civilians gathered outside a police station in Bob al-Sham neighbourhood in Baghdad, leaving at least three dead and 15 wounded.

The civilians were lining up at the police station, following new security measures to avoid violence in the area, to get their badges for entering their neighbourhood.

In a separate incident, gunmen shot dead a government employee in the Shiite neighbourhood of Amil in Baghdad.

A sticky bomb attached to a civilian car detonated in Baghdad’s Doura district, killing the driver and wounding a civilian, the source said.

Another bomb exploded in a car in Baghdad’s Husseiniyah district, killing the driver and wounding two passersby.

In Iraq’s Nineveh province, the provincial governor Atheel al-Nujaifi escaped unharmed from a roadside bomb explosion near his convoy in Mosul city, around 400 km from here, said a provincial source. 

The blast damaged one of the convoy’s vehicles and wounded one of his bodyguards, the source said.

Monday’s assassination attack was the fifth this year against Nujaifi, who is the brother of the Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi.

Also in Mosul, gunmen shot dead an official of the Dawa Islamic party, headed by the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, when they opened fire on his car in al-Muthanna district, the source added.

IANS

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US Secretary of State John Kerry called for quick signing of a bilateral security agreement with Afghanistan after the country’s tribal elders agreed to the pact that governs future ties between Washington and Kabul.

Loya Jirga, or grand assembly of Afghan tribal elders, approved and urged on Sunday that the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the United States be signed by the end of this year, Xinhua reported.

Kerry said “I can’t imagine a more compelling affirmation from the Afghan people themselves of their commitment to a long term partnership with the United States and our international partners.”

“The critical next step must be to get the BSA signed in short order, and put into motion an agreement which will lay a firm foundation for our two countries to continue working together toward a more secure and prosperous future for Afghanistan,” he said.

The pact allows the US and its allies to keep 10,000 to 15,000 troops in Afghanistan after most US and NATO combat troops leave by the end of 2014.

The residual forces will remain until 2024 to train and assist Afghan forces as well as conduct counterterrorism missions. In addition, the deal gives the US jurisdiction for the prosecution of US troops in Afghanistan.

“Afghans are rightly taking the lead in providing for their own peace and security,” Kerry said in his statement. 

“We remain committed to supporting those efforts, and look forward to signing an agreement that will enable us to do so,” he added.

-IANS

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As Iran and six world powers struck a historic deal early on Sunday over Tehran’s nuclear programme, US President Barack Obama said it includes “substantial limitations that will help prevent Iran from creating a nuclear weapon.”

Key players will work over the next six months toward a “comprehensive solution” on Iran’s nuclear programme, Obama said in a nationally televised address from the White House shortly after the deal was announced at 3 a.m. in Geneva.

The “initial, six-month” deal freezes Iran’s nuclear development programme in exchange for lifting some sanctions while a more formal agreement is worked out, CNN reported.

The deal, which capped days of marathon talks, addresses Iran’s ability to enrich uranium, what to do about its existing enriched uranium stockpiles, the number and potential of its centrifuges and Tehran’s “ability to produce
weapons-grade plutonium using the Arak reactor,” according to a statement released by the White House.

Iran also agreed to provide “increased transparency and intrusive monitoring of its nuclear program,” it said.

The deal halts Tehran’s nuclear programme, including halting the development at the Arak reactor and requiring all of the uranium enriched to 20 percent — close to weapons-grade — to be diluted so it cannot be converted for military purposes, the White House statement said.

Catherine Ashton, the EU’s foreign policy chief, formally announced the agreement in Geneva where the foreign ministers representing Iran, the United States, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany were meeting, the news channel said.

The Iran nuclear deal is a first step requiring actions by both sides, which have “a strong commitment to negotiate a final comprehensive solution,” Ashton said.

CNN said there were conflicting reports about whether Iran’s right to enrich uranium had been recognized. The deal does not recognize the right, the news channel cited a senior administration official as saying.

But Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi — on a Twitter feed commonly attributed to him by Iranian media — said that “our enrichment programme was recognized.”

“Congratulation(s) to my nation which stood tall and resisted for the last 10 years,” Araghchi was quoted as saying in the post.

-IANS

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US President Barack Obama pledged there would be no more sanctions on Iran after the Islamic republic closed a first-step deal with the six major nations on its nuclear programme, but acknowledged “huge challenges” ahead for reaching a comprehensive agreement.

In remarks delivered at the White House, Obama hailed the deal as “an important first step toward a comprehensive solution” to Iran’s nuclear programme, which the West suspects is a cover for making nuclear weapons, Xinhua reported Saturday.

“For the first time in nearly a decade, we have halted the progress of the Iranian nuclear programme, and key parts of the programme will be rolled back,” Obama said, adding “Iran has committed to halting certain levels of enrichment and neutralising part of its stockpile.”

According to the White House, Iran was committed to halting enrichment above five percent and neutralizing its stockpile of near-20 percent uranium by means of dilution or converting.

Obama acknowledged Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy as he said, “We approach these negotiations with a basic understanding: Iran, like any nation, should be able to access peaceful nuclear energy.”

In return for Iran’s curbing of its nuclear programme, Obama said, “We will refrain from imposing new sanctions, and we will allow the Iranian government access to a portion of the revenue that they have been denied through sanctions.”

-IANS

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Thousands of political activists in Pakistan on Saturday blocked the main supply route for NATO troops in Afghanistan to protest against US drone attacks in the country.

The protestors staged a sit-in on the main supply route in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Xinhua reported.

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), which rules the province, started closure of the supply line as part of its anti-drones protest strategy.

Activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, a coalition partner in the provincial government, also joined the protest on Peshawar’s Ring Road that is used by hundreds of NATO containers to enter Afghanistan daily.

Cricketer-turned-politician, Imran Khan, who leads the PTI, attended the protest. Earlier, Khan said the protest will continue unless the US stops drone strikes. 

Protest rallies outside the US embassy and UN mission in Islamabad have also been planned in the coming days, said Shah Farman, spokesman for the provincial government.

Earlier, the authorities closed the main border point of Torkham with Afghanistan ahead of the protest over security concerns, officials said. It is one of the two main border points used for NATO supplies.

Officials said nearly 70 percent of supplies for thousands of foreign troops are transported through Pakistan.

The police in Peshawar Saturday blocked “Ring Road”, the route NATO containers use to head to Afghanistan.

Officials said hundreds of police personnel were deployed in the city to tighten security in Peshawar and surrounding areas. Experts from the Bomb Disposal Squad also visited the venue of the sit-in and searched the area.

Speaking at a rally, former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the world is silent on the killing of over 40,000 people in Pakistan in terrorist attacks due to joining the US war.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch, speaking on the occasion, asked the government to shoot down the American drones. He said that Jamaat will also block NATO trucks in Karachi on Sunday.

The protest was planned after the Nov 1 drone strike in North Waziristan which killed the Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud just a day ahead of a meeting between a government-led team and the Taliban. 

Pakistan accused the US of sabotaging the peace process with the Taliban.

The US expanded its drone campaign and rained missiles on a religious school in Hangu district Nov 21 and killed six students and teachers.

-IANS

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Pakistan on Saturday closed its border with Afghanistan ahead of protests against US drone attacks, official sources said.

Thousands of people will begin a protest sit-in on the main NATO supply route in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, later Saturday, Xinhua reported.

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) or Justice Movement, which rules the province, has announced it will close the supply line for NATO troops in neighbouring Afghanistan as part of its anti-drones protest strategy.

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who leads PTI, said the protest will continue unless the US stops drone strikes.

Protest rallies outside the US embassy and UN mission in Islamabad have also been planned in the coming days, said Shah Farman, spokesman for the provincial government.

The authorities closed the main border point of Torkham with Afghanistan ahead of the protest over security concerns, officials said. 

It is one of the two main border points used for NATO supplies.

Officials say nearly 70 percent of supplies for thousands of foreign troops are transported through Pakistan.

The police in Peshawar Saturday blocked “Ring Road”, the route NATO containers use to head to Afghanistan.

Officials said hundreds of police personnel were deployed in the city to tighten security in Peshawar and surrounding areas. Experts from the Bomb Disposal Squad also visited the venue of the sit-in and searched the area.

PTI chief Imran Khan would speak at the rally and announce the future protests strategy, organisers said. 

Activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a coalition partner of the provincial government, will also join the protest.

Processions from other areas of the country are on the way to Peshawar to make the show successful, PTI leaders said.

The protest was planned after the Nov 1 drone strike in North Waziristan which killed the Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud just a day ahead of a meeting between a government-led team and the Taliban. 

Pakistan accused the US of sabotaging the peace process with the Taliban.

The US expanded its drone campaign and rained missiles on a religious school in a non-tribal district of Hangu Nov 21 and killed six students and teachers.

-IANS

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As Americans remembered the tragic assassination of charismatic John F. Kennedy fifty years ago, President Barack Obama, who was just two then, said “thankfully” his own safety does not weigh heavily on his mind.

“It’s not something I think about,” Obama told ABC in an interview set to air in full next Friday. “Mainly, because we’ve got a Secret Service that does such an outstanding job every single day.”

“Obviously, tragedy reshaped the Secret Service in many ways, but they do an outstanding job, and it’s, thankfully, not something that I spend a lot of time thinking about.”

“When you think about the legacy of the Kennedy family, it has been part of all of modern American history, and it’s been an incredible legacy, but JFK in particular, I think, captured the idealism, the ability to imagine and remake America to meets its ideals, in a way we haven’t seen before or since,” Obama said.

Obama’s remarks came as Americans remembered the traumatic event with Dallas’ Dealey Plaza close to the spot where Kennedy was shot taking center stage once again Friday.

Bells tolled, and after a brief pause, cadets from the Naval Academy sang “America the Beautiful.” Historian David McCullough read excerpts from famous Kennedy speeches, CNN reported.

A new JFK monument also was unveiled, in the infamous section of land known as the “grassy knoll.” The inscription on the monument was the final paragraph of the speech JFK intended to deliver at the Dallas Trade Mart on Nov 22, 1963.

A series of commemorations marked the day Friday, including wreath-laying events in Kennedy’s home town of Boston and at his Arlington National Cemetery gravesite.

In Washington, where flags flew at half-staff over the Capitol and White House, Kennedy’s last living sibling, Jean Kennedy Smith, participated in the Arlington wreath-laying. Earlier, Attorney General Eric Holder visited the gravesite.

Moments of silence were also held at various other locations around the nation.

A CNN/ORC International survey indicates that 90 percent of all Americans approve of how Kennedy handled his job as President – an approval rating higher than any other president of the last half century.

But Americans remain at odds as to whether a greater conspiracy surrounds the murder of the 35th president. One-third of Americans believe the CIA was part of a plot to kill JFK and 30 percent believe the Mafia had its hand in Kennedy’s death.

As many as 21 percent of Americans believe Kennedy’s vice president Lyndon Baines Johnson- and successor – played a role in his death.

-IANS

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The Pakistan Taliban has ruled out the possibility of holding any peace talks with the Pakistan government, a media report said on Friday.

Shahidullah Shahid, spokesman of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), said they would not forgive the killers of Hakimullah Mehsud and would chase them even in the far-flung areas of Punjab and Balochistan, the Geo News quoted the spokesman as saying in a video message.

Shahidullah Shahid said the TTP would continue its activities against security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as most of the action was being taken against them in this province. He, however, said common people would not be targeted.

The spokesman added that Nawaz Sharif’s government was powerless and the way Sharif pleads to the US for halting drone attacks, even a common tribal man could do so.

Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone attack in North Waziristan tribal region Nov 1, just one day before a team of top Islamic scholars were to meet him to discuss the agenda and venue for the negotiations.

-IANS

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Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday said the government has no double standards in condemning the drone strikes by the US.

“The government has always taken a forthright and genuine stance in condemning the drone attacks. We condemn these acts from the core of our heart,” the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted Sharif as saying.

The prime minister said the government never took a casual stance on the issue of drone strikes and always termed these as acts violating the country’s sovereignty and integrity.

Sharif said all stakeholders must remain united on the issues of national security and should refrain from misguiding the nation about the government’s sincerity.

At least six people were killed on Thursday when US drones fired missiles at a seminary in Pakistan’s northwest Hangu district.

Iftikhar Ahmad, district police officer of Hangu, said a religious school, Madrassa Dar-ul-Uloom, was targeted by the US drones, and those killed include four students and two Islamic scholars who were believed to be associated with the Haqqani network.

He said that the killed scholars included Mufti Hameed Ullah and Mufti Ahmad Jan who had very good relations with the Haqqani network.

Thursday’s attack came a day after Sartaj Aziz, Sharif’s advisor on foreign affairs and national security, said in a briefing to a senate committee that the US had assured Pakistan that it would not launch any drone strikes during the peace-talks between the Pakistan government and the Taliban.

-IANS

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Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said US assurances over the drone attacks issue could not be trusted, a media report said.

Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s advisor on foreign affairs and national security, on Wednesday said in a briefing to a senate committee that the US had assured Pakistan that it would not launch any drone strikes during the peace talks between the Pakistan government and the Taliban.

But barely a day after Aziz’s statement, US drones fired missiles at a seminary in Pakistan’s northwest Hangu district on Thursday morning, in which at least six people were killed.

Iftikhar Ahmad, district police officer of Hangu said a religious school, Madrassa Dar-ul-Uloom, was targeted by the US drones, and those killed include four students and two Islamic scholars who were believed to be associated with the Haqqani network.

He said that the killed scholars include Mufti Hameed Ullah and Mufti Ahmad Jan who had very good relations with the Haqqani network.

Nisar said he was dumbfounded on how Sartaj Aziz believed the US assurance over drone strikes, according to a report in the News International.

“Actions have made it clear that the US neither wants peace in Pakistan nor talks with the Taliban,” the report quoted Nisar as saying.

Thursday’s attack was the first in the country after the Nov 1 drone attack that killed Taliban chief Hakimulla Mehsud. 

The Nov 1 attack seriously affected the efforts of peace talks between the Taliban and the Pakistan government.

-IANS

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As America prepared to mark the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination on Friday with solemn ceremonies across the nation, President Barack Obama ordered flags to be lowered at government buildings. While ceremonies have been planned across the nation, hundreds of journalists from around the world have descended on Dallas, Texas, where Kennedy was shot as was driven through in an open-top limousine on Nov 22, 1963.

In a presidential proclamation released on Thursday, Obama said the anniversary is a day to honour Kennedy’s memory and “celebrate his enduring imprint on American history.”

Kennedy’s vision for the US and the world lives “in the generations he inspired,” said Obama of his charismatic predecessor remembered for his clarion call “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

A moment of silence will fill Dealey Plaza and its infamous grassy knoll as Dallas marks the moment the shots rang out at 12:30 pm before celebrating Kennedy’s legacy with music, prayer and speeches.

“From Europe, from Asia, from Latin America, they’re here to be the eyes of their nations, here from places like Serbia, Germany, Spain and Japan,” Dallas News reported noting, “Five decades have passed, but even beyond America, the Kennedy charisma still charms, the mystery still intrigues.”

The gathering of reporters, photographers, satellite-truck drivers and cable technicians marks the culmination of a yearlong crescendo of media interest, ranging from Toronto’s Globe and Mail to Britain’s BBC, it said.

Obama Wednesday visited Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery with former president Bill Clinton and later hailed the slain president’s legacy at a ceremony for recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom established by Kennedy.

“Fifty years later, John F. Kennedy stands for posterity as he did in life – young, bold and daring,” said Obama, who was two years old when Kennedy was killed at the age of 46.

“He stays with us in our imagination, not because he left us so soon, but because he embodied the character of the people that he led,” Obama said.

Paying tributes to “Kennedy’s Legacy of Inspiration” the New York Times said “Fifty years after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, he remains an object of almost universal admiration.”

“And yet, particularly this year, his legacy has aroused the ire of debunkers who complain that Kennedy is unworthy of all this adulation,” wrote Robert Dallek, author of “Camelot’s Court: Inside the Kennedy White House” in an opinion piece.

“But Kennedy’s greatest success was the very thing that critics often cast as a shortcoming: his charisma, his feel for the importance of inspirational leadership and his willingness to use it to great ends,” he wrote.

Kennedy has “become fodder for an interpretation industry toiling to make his life malleable enough to soothe the sensitivities and serve the agendas of the interpreters,” wrote George F. Will in the Washington Post.

“The quantity of writing about him is inversely proportional to the brevity of his presidency,” he added.

-IANS

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