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Detention center opened but migrants too frightened to leave as war reaches Tripoli

Migrants are seen at the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency in Tajora shelter center in Tripoli
Migrants are seen at the Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency in Tajora shelter center in Tripoli, Libya April 24,2019. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

April 24, 2019

By Ahmed Elumami

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan officials have opened the doors of a detention center for illegal migrants in Tripoli, but frightened Somalis and other sub-Saharan Africans told Reuters they had decided to stay for fear of getting caught up in fighting engulfing the capital.

“We don’t want to leave…we have no place to go,” said a 20-year old migrant who gave his name as Daoud, sitting on a mattress in a warehouse where 550 migrants have been held. His pregnant wife sits in a different room.

More than 3,600 jailed migrants have been trapped in the capital since forces from the east of the country started an advance to capture it, the United Nations says.

On Tuesday, some 12 migrants were wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on them in a detention center in a suburb fought over by both sides, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said. Details remain unclear. The injured migrants are being treated in a hospital. Amnesty International called for the incident to be investigated as a war crime.

In the quieter eastern Tajoura suburb, the manager opened the gate of his detention center housing migrants from sub-Saharan countries such as Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and some Arab countries. Everyone stayed, surviving on one meal of pasta a day. On good day they get two.

Large parts of Libya have been lawless since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and the country has become the main transit point for hundreds of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East attempting the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

Officials have been accused in the past of mistreating detainees who are held by the thousands as part of European-backed efforts to curb smuggling.

At the Tajoura detention center, authorities have not supplied any food or water since before fighting started last week, said Nour Eldine Qarilti, the director.

“We have not received any assistance from all international organizations,” he told Reuters. “Some local NGOs still support us with simple needs but it’s not enough.”

Hundreds of migrants lay on mattresses. Others were using a kitchen to cook lunch for others for a small fee.

According the United Nations, Libya is now hosting more than 700,000 people who have fled their homelands, often trekking through desert in pursuit of their dream of crossing to a better life in Europe.

They then try find smugglers to put them on boats. But with Italy and France helping to beef up the Libyan Coast Guard, most now get caught before reaching Europe.

(Writing by Ahmed Elumami and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Peter Graff)

Source: OANN

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Thailand plans $630 million in economic measures to boost growth: Finance Minister

FILE PHOTO: Workers work at a construction site in central Bangkok
FILE PHOTO: Workers work at a construction site in central Bangkok, Thailand, September 26, 2016. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

April 19, 2019

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand will introduce economic measures worth about 20 billion baht ($629.52 million) to spur its slowing economy, the finance minister said on Friday.

The measures will be aimed at boosting consumption, tourism and helping low-income earners, and will be submitted to cabinet within two weeks, Apisak Tantivorawong told reporters.

Thailand’s economic growth is expected to slow to about 3 percent in the first and second quarters of the year, Apisak said, cooling from 3.7 percent in the last quarter of 2018.

Official first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) will be released on May 21.

Thailand’s trade-dependent economy has been affected by slowing global demand, while the country is waiting for the next government to be formed after a March 24 general election.

($1 = 31.7700 baht)

(Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Source: OANN

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North Korea’s Kim to travel to Vietnam by train, summit at Government Guesthouse: sources

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces on occasion of the 71st anniversary of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces on occasion of the 71st anniversary of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in Pyongyang, North Korea in this February 8, 2019 KCNA Photo. KCNA via REUTERS

February 20, 2019

HANOI (Reuters) – Vietnam is preparing for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to arrive by train for his summit in Hanoi next week President Donald Trump, two sources with direct knowledge of security and logistics planning told Reuters on Wednesday.

It could take Kim at least two and a half days to travel the thousands of kilometers through China by train, from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to Vietnam, meaning he would have to set off later this week in time for his planned Feb. 25 arrival.

Kim’s train will stop at the Vietnamese border station of Dong Dang, where he will disembark and drive 170 km (105 miles) to Hanoi by car, the sources said.

Separately, three other sources with direct knowledge of the summit preparations told Reuters the preferred location for the Feb. 27-28 meeting between Trump and Kim is the Government Guesthouse, a colonial-era government building in central Hanoi.

All five sources who spoke to Reuters said the plans were subject to change.

(Reporting by James Pearson; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Source: OANN

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Greece looks to repay IMF early as bond yields tumble

The Greek government says it is in talks with European bailout lenders to repay its debts to the International Monetary Fund early as market borrowing rates tumbled to their lowest level since 2005.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said Greece is hoping to repay a "significant portion" of its remaining 9.6 billion euros ($10.9 billion) owed to the IMF ahead of schedule. His remarks Monday follow a meeting in Washington between Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and IMF managing director Christine Lagarde.

The yield on Greece's 10-year bond dropped further to 3.28% Monday, matching levels not seen in 14 years.

Greece would need approval from the eurozone's rescue fund to repay its IMF loans early, but top officials in the agency and the European Commission have already praised the idea.

Source: Fox News World

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Pakistani woman says husband beat her, shaved her head after she refused to dance for him

A Pakistani woman came forward accusing her husband of beating her and shaving her head after she refused to dance for him and his friends.

Asma Aziz, of Lahore, posted a video on social media on Tuesday, March 26 showing her visibly bruised face and shaved head. In the video she explained what her husband Mian Faisal allegedly did to her.

"He took my clothes off in front of his servants. The servants held me as he shaved my hair off and burned it. My clothes were bloody. I was bound by a pipe and hung from the fan. He threatened to hang me naked," she said, according to the BBC.

INDIA AND PAKISTAN'S FIGHT OVER KASHMIR: A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE AND INSURGENCY

Aziz said she went to the police “to file a complaint” but “they procrastinated.” Police have denied her claims, saying they dispatched officers to her residence but it was locked.

Faisal and the servant were arrested, the BBC reported. Faisal told officers his wife cut her own hair after being under the influence of drugs.

Aziz said in a statement in court last week that she married her husband four year ago and “he quickly turned hostile,” NPR reported.

The alleged incident sparked conversation on social media regarding spousal abuse in the country.  Amnesty International South Asia tweeted, “While we are glad that strong and swift action has been taken against the torturers of Asma Aziz, we note with dismay the alarming rise in reported cases of violence against women. System change to protect women is necessary. Action can’t only be taken on a case-by-case basis.”

PAKISTAN ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF 360 INDIAN FISHERMEN

Pakistani actress Sanam Saeed defended Aziz on Twitter.

“It’s like saying if a prostitute was raped its her fault anyway. When will some of you really understand the meaning of #consent???” she wrote.

The United Nation’s Gender Inequality Index in 2016 ranked Pakistan 147 out of 188 countries based on its women health, political empowerment and education.

Source: Fox News World

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CNN’s Don Lemon tells Booker ‘nice job’ before cutting to commercial during town hall, called out on social media

Sen. Cory Booker, the New Jersey Democrat running for president, did a "nice job" during a wide-ranging town hall on CNN, according to the moderator, Don Lemon, who asked questions ranging from the candidate's life as a vegan to the potential that he'll be elected as a bachelor and may have to plan a "White House wedding."

Lemon was picked up on microphone just before commercial break assuring Booker that he did a “nice job, nice job.” The two shook hands as the camera pulled out, and Booker thanked Lemon.

Booker was asked wide-ranging questions from race relations, healthcare, reparations, to climate change. He got a roaring response from the audience when he agreed that the electoral college needs to go. It was time for the commercial break when the exchange happened.

It is unclear if Lemon was specifically referring to one of Booker’s responses or his overall performance.

The exchange caught the attention of many on social media.

CNN has hosted several town halls featuring prominent 2020 candidates including Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-VT, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-HI, former Rep. John Delaney, D-MD, Democratic South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as well as potential independent candidate, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Trump vows to release FISA docs now that Mueller probe is concluded, slams 'treasonous' FBI

President Trump, in an exclusive wide-ranging interview Wednesday night with Fox News' "Hannity," vowed to release the full and unredacted Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants and related documents used by the FBI to probe his campaign, saying he wants to "get to the bottom" of how the long-running Russia collusion narrative began.

Trump told anchor Sean Hannity that his lawyers previously had advised him not to take that dramatic step out of fear that it could be considered obstruction of justice.

"I do, I have plans to declassify and release. I have plans to absolutely release," Trump said. "I have some very talented people working for me, lawyers, they really didn't want me to do it early on."

Trump also accused FBI officials of committing "treason" following Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report clearing him of Russian collusion -- slamming former FBI Director James Comey as "terrible," former CIA Director John Brennan as potentially mentally ill, and House Intelligence Committee Chairman as a criminal.

"I think [former Obama administration CIA Director John] Brennan's a sick person, really I do," Trump said, sharply criticizing Brennan's "horrible" claims in recent weeks that Trump had committed treason himself. "I think there's something wrong with him."

FILE - In this May 23, 2017, file photo, former CIA Director John Brennan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation Task Force. President Donald Trump is revoking the security clearance of former Obama administration CIA director Brennan (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

FILE - In this May 23, 2017, file photo, former CIA Director John Brennan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the House Intelligence Committee Russia Investigation Task Force. President Donald Trump is revoking the security clearance of former Obama administration CIA director Brennan (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Brennan was one of the loudest and most virulent voices to trumpet the Russian collusion theory over the past two years, asserting falsely just weeks ago that Special Counsel Robert Mueller was likely planning to indict members of the Trump administration's family in a scene reminiscent of the "ides of March” and the assassination of Julius Caesar. He since implied he had "bad information."

Just hours earlier Wednesday, Trump made clear he was enthusiastic about the idea of appointing a second special counsel to review the origins of the Russia investigation when it came up during a meeting Tuesday with Republican senators, a source familiar with the discussions told Fox News.

In an apparent shot at former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Trump also told Hannity "this all would not have happened" if Attorney General William Barr had been with his administration from the beginning.

"If you wrote this as a novel, nobody would buy it; it would be a failure, because it would be too unbelievable," Trump said. "We're getting to the bottom of it. This can never, ever happen to a president again. That was a disgrace and an embarrassment to our country. ... Hopefully they won't get away with it.

"We'll have to see how it all started, but I'm going to leave that to other people, including the attorney general and others, to make that determination," Trump continued. "Fifty years, 100 years from now -- if someone tries the same thing, they have to know the penalty will be very very great if and when they get caught."

Trump also lashed out at House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who has pushed strongly for investigations into possible Trump-Russia links. "Schiff is a bad guy, he knew he was lying -- he's not a dummy. For a year and a half he would just leak and call up CNN and others. You know, I watch him, so sanctimonious ... He knew it was a lie, and he'd get in the back room with his friends in the Democrat Party, and they would laugh like hell. In one way, you could say it's a crime what he did -- he was making statements he knew were false. He's a disgrace to our country."

FILE - In this March 22, 2018 photo, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., then ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, exits a secure area to speak to reporters, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Though the special counsel’s findings remain unknown, Trump has grown increasingly confident that the report would produce what he insisted all along _ no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign. And the president and his closest advisers are now considering how to weaponize those possible findings. A subtle change is underway among congressional Democrats, as well, who have long believed the report would offer damning evidence against the president. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - In this March 22, 2018 photo, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., then ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, exits a secure area to speak to reporters, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Though the special counsel’s findings remain unknown, Trump has grown increasingly confident that the report would produce what he insisted all along _ no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign. And the president and his closest advisers are now considering how to weaponize those possible findings. A subtle change is underway among congressional Democrats, as well, who have long believed the report would offer damning evidence against the president. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The president insisted the U.S. should have a "great relationship" with Russia and China, but that the "fake news" and "nonsense" distorted his intentions into something more sinister.

"When I said there could be somebody spying on my campaign, it went wild out there," Trump told Sean Hannity. "They couldn't believe I could say such a thing. As it turned out, that was small potatoes compared to what went on. ... Millions and millions on the phony dossier, and then they used the dossier to start things."

Trump also criticized former FBI Director James Comey, whom he'd fired in 2017, as a "terrible guy."

"It was treason, it was really treason," Trump said, referring to texts between former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page that discussed an "insurance policy" in the event of Trump's election.

I think [former CIA Director John] Brennan's a sick person, really I do."

— President Trump

"You had dirty cops, you had people who are bad FBI folks ... At the top, they were not clean, to put it mildly." He said later, "We can never allow these treasonous acts to happen to another president."

Trump's interview came as multiple GOP lawmakers have claimed the president trampled all over what may have been the best week of his presidency by backing the complete overturn of ObamaCare.

On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans to affirm last year's ruling by a Texas federal judge stating that the Affordable Care Act was no longer constitutional because the 2017 tax reform legislation eliminated the health care law’s penalty for not having health insurance.

Multiple congressional Republicans told Fox News they were bothered by the timing of the Trump administration's intervention in the matter, which came on the heels of the Mueller report findings, the House sustaining the president's veto of a bill to halt the national emergency for the border wall and a Senate vote that shined a spotlight on what conservatives described as problems with the Green New Deal, championed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Source: Fox News Politics

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FILE PHOTO: Naqvi Founder and Group Chief Executive of Abraaj Group attends the annual meeting of the WEF in Davos
FILE PHOTO: Arif Naqvi, Founder and Group Chief Executive of Abraaj Group attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Tom Arnold

LONDON (Reuters) – A London court case to extradite Arif Naqvi, founder of collapsed private equity firm Abraaj Group, to the United States on fraud charges was adjourned until May 24, a court official said on Friday.

Naqvi was remanded in custody until that date, the official said. A former managing partner of Dubai-based Abraaj, Sev Vettivetpillai, was released on conditional bail to appear again at Westminster Magistrates Court on June 12, the official said.

Under the U.S. charges, both men are accused of defrauding U.S. investors by inflating positions held by Abraaj in order to attract greater funds from them, causing them financial loss, the official said.

Vettivetpillai could not be reached for a comment.

Naqvi, in a statement released through a PR firm, has pleaded innocent.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Naqvi and his firm raised money for the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund, collecting more than $100 million over three years from U.S.-based charitable organizations and other U.S. investors.

Naqvi and Vettivetpillai were arrested in Britain earlier this month. Another executive, Mustafa Abdel-Wadood was arrested at a New York hotel, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Griswold said at a hearing in Manhattan federal court on April 11.

Abdel-Wadood appeared at the Manhattan hearing and pleaded not guilty to securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy charges.

(Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: OANN

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Former Vice President Joe Biden announces his 2020 candidacy
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden announces his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination in this still image taken from a video released April 25, 2019. BIDEN CAMPAIGN HANDOUT via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES

April 26, 2019

By James Oliphant

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, in his first interview as a Democratic presidential candidate, said on Friday that he does not believe he treated law professor Anita Hill badly during the 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Biden had joined the burgeoning 2020 Democratic field a day earlier.

Biden’s conduct during those hearings, when he was chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, became a renewed subject of controversy after the New York Times reported that Biden had called Hill earlier this month in the run-up to his presidential bid and that Hill was dissatisfied with Biden’s expression of regret.

Appearing on ABC’s “The View,” Biden largely defended his actions as a senator almost 30 years ago, saying he believed Hill’s allegations of sexual harassment levied at Thomas and tried to derail his confirmation.

Activists have long been unhappy that Hill was questioned in graphic detail by the all-white, all-male committee chaired by Biden.

“I’m sorry she was treated the way she was treated,” Biden said, but later, he asserted, “I don’t think I treated her badly. … How do you stop people from asking inflammatory questions?”

“There were a lot of mistakes made across the board and for those I apologize,” he said.

Biden praised Hill as “remarkable” and said she is “one of the reasons we have the #MeToo movement.”

Asked why he had not reached out to Hill earlier, Biden said he had previously publicly stated he had regrets about her treatment and that he “didn’t want to quote invade her space.”

That seemed to be a reference to another controversy that looms over Biden’s presidential run: allegations by several women that he made them uncomfortable by touching them at political events.

Biden also addressed that criticism, saying he was now more “cognizant” about a woman’s “private space.” But he maintained that he had been “trying to bring solace.”

He suggested he was still trying to sort out the guidelines for his conduct going forward.

“I should be able to read better,” he said. “I have to be more careful.”

Pressed by the show’s panel for an apology to his accusers, Biden would not entirely capitulate.

“So, I invaded your space,” he replied. “I mean, I’m sorry this happened. But I’m not sorry in a sense that I think I did anything that was intentionally designed to do anything wrong or be inappropriate.”

Biden, 76, served as former President Barack Obama’s vice president for two terms. He is competing with 19 others for the Democratic presidential nomination and the chance to likely face President Donald Trump next year in the general election.

His first public event as a presidential candidate is scheduled for Monday in Pittsburgh.

(Reporting by James Oliphant; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: The logo of Tesla is seen in Taipei
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Tesla is seen in Taipei, Taiwan August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Noel Randewich

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Tesla Inc’s stock slumped over 4% on Friday to its lowest price in two years, rounding out a rough week that included worse-than-expected quarterly results and a pitch by Chief Executive Elon Musk on autonomous cars that failed to win over investors.

With investors betting Tesla will soon raise capital, the stock has fallen 13% for the week to its lowest level since January 2017, before the launch of the Model 3 sedan aimed at making the electric car maker profitable.

One positive development for Tesla: a U.S. District Court judge on Friday granted a request by Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commission for a second extension to resolve a dispute over Musk’s use of Twitter.

On Wednesday, Tesla posted a worse-than-expected loss of $702 million for the March quarter. Musk said Tesla would return to profit in the third quarter and that there was “some merit” to raising capital.

Musk is still battling to convince investors that demand for the Model 3, the company’s first car aimed at the mass consumer market, is “insanely” high, and that it can be delivered efficiently to customers around the world.

Tesla ended its first quarter with $2.2 billion, down from $3.7 billion in the prior quarter, and the company is planning expansions including a Shanghai factory, an upcoming Model Y SUV, and other projects.

(GRAPHIC: Tesla’s cash – https://tmsnrt.rs/2DyJjX6)

On Monday, Musk hosted a self-driving event, where he predicted Tesla would have over a million autonomous vehicles by next year. Some analysts perceived the presentation as a way to deflect attention from questions about demand, margin pressure, increasing competition and even Musk’s ongoing battle with U.S. regulators.

Tesla’s stock has now fallen 29 percent in 2019 and the company’s market capitalization has declined to $41 billion from $63 billion in mid-December.

(GRAPHIC: Tesla’s declining market cap – https://tmsnrt.rs/2Dwd62r)

Analysts now expect Tesla’s revenue to expand 19% in 2019, compared with 83% growth in 2018 and 68% growth in 2017, according to Refinitiv.

Following Tesla’s quarterly report, 12 analysts recommend selling the stock, while 11 recommend buying and eight are neutral. The median analyst price target is $275, up 16% from the stock’s current price of $236. Berenberg analyst Alexander Haissl has the most optimistic price target, at $500, while Cowen and Company’s Jeffrey Osborne has the lowest, at $160, according to Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

Source: OANN

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Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said Friday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s rare public criticism of the Obama administration was a “soft” way of accusing the previous administration of covering up Russia’s attempts at hacking the 2016 presidential election.

While speaking Thursday in New York at the Public Servants Dinner of the Armenian Bar Association, Rosenstein said that the Obama administration “chose not to publicize the full story about Russian computer hackers and social media trolls and how they relate to Russia’s broader strategy to undermine America.”

During an appearance on “America’s Newsroom” Friday morning, Huckabee called the comments an “unusually candid moment for Rosenstein.”

“I thought it was a soft way of him saying there was a cover-up,” Huckabee said. “They knew the Russians were attempting to influence the election and attempting to hack the election but they didn’t fully disclose that to the American people and certainly didn’t disclose it to the Trump campaign.

SWALWELL NOT CERTAIN TRUMP ISN’T A ‘RUSSIAN ASSET’

“Instead they tried to set a trap for them. It failed. The Trump team did not take the bait. And that’s the one conclusion that we can certainly come away with from the $35 million worth of investigation,” Huckabee continued.

Next week, Attorney General William Barr will testify before Congress and is expected to answer questions about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of President Trump, which found that there was not adequate evidence to conclude that President Trump and his administration colluded with Russia, though the president could not be exonerated in terms of the possibility that he obstructed justice.

Barr will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee next Wednesday and to the House Judiciary Committee the following day.

TRUMP ASSESSES 2020 DEMS; TAKES SWIPES AT BIDEN, SANDERS; DISMISSES HARRIS, O’ROURKE; SAYS HE’S ROOTING FOR BUTTIGIEG 

“It is going to be a theater, an absolute show,” Huckabee said of the hearings. “Just like the Kavanaugh hearings were and like everything else is in Congress. We ought to close the curtain on them and can’t come back until after the election. They aren’t doing their job anyway. We aren’t paying them because they’re doing a wonderful service to the country and spare us the hypocrisy of thinking they’re interested in getting to the bottom of the facts,” he continued.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Ultimately, Huckabee argued, if Americans “took their partisan hats off,” they would see that President Trump was exonerated by the investigation.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Sri Lanka's former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa greets his supporters after his return from the United States, in Katunayake
Sri Lanka’s former defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa greets his supporters after his return from the United States, in Katunayake, Sri Lanka April 12, 2019. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

April 26, 2019

By Sanjeev Miglani and Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s former wartime defense chief, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, said on Friday he would run for president in elections this year and would stop the spread of Islamist extremism by rebuilding the intelligence service and surveilling citizens.

Gotabaya, as he is popularly known, is the younger brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the two led the country to a crushing defeat of separatist Tamil rebels a decade ago after a 26-year civil war.

More than 250 people were killed in bomb attacks on hotels and churches on Easter Sunday that the government has blamed on Islamist militants and that Islamic State has claimed responsibility for.

Gotabaya said the attacks could have been prevented if the island’s current government had not dismantled the intelligence network and extensive surveillance capabilities that he built up during the war and later on.

“Because the government was not prepared, that’s why you see a panic situation,” he said in an interview with Reuters.

Gotabaya said he would be a candidate “100 percent”, firming up months of speculation that he plans to run in the elections, which are due by December.

He was critical of the government’s response to the bombings. Since the attacks, the government has struggled to provide clear information about how they were staged, who was behind them and how serious the threat is from Islamic State to the country.

“Various people are blaming various people, not giving exactly the details as to what happened, even people expect the names, what organization did this, and how they came up to this level, that explanation was not given,” he said.

On Friday, President Maithripala Sirisena said the government led by premier Ranil Wickremesinghe should take responsibility for the attacks and that prior information warning of attacks was not shared with him.

Wickremesinghe said earlier he was not advised about warnings that came from India’s spy service either, presenting a picture of a government still in disarray since the two leaders fell out last October.

Gotabaya is facing lawsuits in the United States, where he is a dual citizen, over his role in the war and afterwards.

The South Africa-based International Truth and Justice Project, in partnership with U.S. law firm Hausfeld, filed a civil case in California this month against Gotabaya on behalf of a Tamil torture survivor.

In a separate case, Ahimsa Wickrematunga, the daughter of murdered investigative editor Lasantha Wickrematunga, filed a complaint for damages in the same U.S. District Court in California for allegedly instigating and authorizing the extrajudicial killing of her father.

Gotabaya said the cases were baseless and only a “little distraction” as he prepared for the election campaign. He said he had asked U.S. authorities to renounce his citizenship and that process was nearly done, clearing the way for his candidature.

‘DISMANTLE THE NETWORKS’

He said that if he won, his immediate focus would to be tackle the threat from radical Islam and to rebuild the security set-up.

“It’s a serious problem, you have to go deep into the groups, dismantle the networks,” he said, adding he would give the military a mandate to collect intelligence from the ground and to mount surveillance of groups turning to extremism.

Gotabaya said that a military intelligence cell he had set up in 2011 of 5,000 people, some of them with Arabic language skills and that was tracking the bent towards extremist ideology some of the Islamist groups were taking in eastern Sri Lanka was disbanded by the current government.

“They did not give priority to national security, there was a mix-up. They were talking about ethnic reconciliation, then they were talking about human rights issues, they were talking about individual freedoms,” he said.

President Sirisena’s government sought to forge reconciliation with minority Tamils and close the wounds of the war and launched investigations into allegations of rights abuse and torture against military officers.

Officials said many of these secret intelligence cells were disbanded because they faced allegations of abuse, including torture and extra judicial killings.

Muslims make up nearly 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s population of 22 million, which is predominantly Buddhist.

(Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by Frances Kerry)

Source: OANN

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