Trump continues UK tour, meets Queen amid public protests

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US President Donald Trump and first lady Melanie Trump are greeted by Queen Elizabeth II, during an arrival ceremony with the Guard of Honour at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Friday, July 13, 2018. (AP)
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US President Donald Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump listen to the Coldstream Guards, play the US national anthem, with Britain's Queen Elizabeth, during a visit to Windsor Castle in Windsor, Britain, July 13, 2018. (Reuters)
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US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May meet at Chequers in Buckinghamshire, Britain July 13, 2018. (Reuters)
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Demonstrators protest against the visit of US President Donald Trump, in central London, Britain, July 13, 2018. (Reuters)
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Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and US President Donald Trump walk on his arrival for a meeting at Chequers, the prime minister’s country residence, near Ellesborough, northwest of London on July 13, 2018 on the second day of Trump’s UK visit. (AFP)
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Protesters gather around a giant balloon depicting US President Donald Trump as an orange baby during a demonstration against Trump's visit to the UK in Parliament Square in London on July 13, 2018. (AFP)
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Protesters gather around a giant balloon depicting US President Donald Trump as an orange baby during a demonstration against Trump's visit to the UK in Parliament Square in London on July 13, 2018. (AFP)
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Pedestrians walk past as a giant balloon depicting US President Donald Trump as an orange baby floats next to the towers of Westminster Abbey during a demonstration against Trump's visit to the UK in Parliament Square in London on July 13, 2018. (AFP)
Updated 13 July 2018
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Trump continues UK tour, meets Queen amid public protests

  • In the interview in The Sun tabloid published Friday, Trump said May's plans to keep close economic ties with the EU after Brexit would "kill" its hopes of a US trade deal.
  • He also warned about migration into European cities including London, criticising Mayor Sadiq Khan over recent terror attacks and knife crime.

LONDON: US President Donald Trump met Britain's Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on Friday.
While Trump's trip was not the full state visit he was originally promised, he was heralded by military bands on his arrival at Windsor, before he and First Lady Melania had tea with the 92-year-old queen.
As Elizabeth waited for Trump's arrival, she glanced at her watch. At one point, Trump halted abruptly and the British queen had to walk around the US president while they were inspecting the guard.
He is due to fly to Scotland later on Friday for a private trip, before heading to Helsinki for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier on in the day, US President Donald Trump arrived at British Prime Minister Theresa May's Chequers country residence for talks followed by a news conference.
At the 16th century country house, May and Trump had lunch and then spoke to reporters on the second day of Trump’s visit to the UK.

Tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated in London on Friday against US President Donald Trump, whose four-day visit to Britain has been marred by his extraordinary attack on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit strategy.

"#DumpTrump", "This is the carnival of resistance" and "My mum doesn't like you! And she likes everyone" read some of the signs held up by protesters as they marched down Oxford Street towards Trafalgar Square.

"No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!", the protesters chanted.




Demonstrators, from a number of different groups, take part in an anti-Trump protest in central London, Britain, July 13, 2018. (Reuters)

Some protesters banged on pots and pans, others blew on trumpets and many held up orange "Stop Trump" balloons.

Grant White, 32, carried a sign depicting Trump as the Twitter bird symbol wearing a swastika around his arm.

"I am anti-Brexit, anti-Trump. There is a wave of fascism which we have to get rid of," he said.

Dawn, 49, came with her 11-year-old daughter Sadie.

"Trump is the man with the biggest ego in charge of the biggest power in the world. He doesn't have a grasp of what is needed in the world," the mother said.

Her daughter said: "He doesn't accept people who have a different religion in his country, where there is big diversity."

Campaigners elsewhere in London flew a "Baby Trump" balloon, an act of protest approved by London mayor Sadiq Khan which has proved particularly contentious for Trump and his supporters.

The number of protestors could have been swelled by Trump's interview to The Sun newspaper which emerged after British Prime Minister Theresa May hosted him at an opulent black-tie dinner on Thursday in the leafy splendor of Blenheim Palace.




A giant balloon inflated by activists depicting US President Donald Trump as an orange baby is seen during a demonstration against Trump's visit to the UK in Parliament Square in London on July 13, 2018. (AFP)


In the interview in The Sun tabloid published Friday, Trump said May's plans to keep close economic ties with the EU after Brexit would "kill" its hopes of a US trade deal.
He also warned about migration into European cities including London, criticising Mayor Sadiq Khan over recent terror attacks and knife crime.
He also suggested Boris Johnson, who quit as foreign secretary this week in protest at May's Brexit proposal, would make a good prime minister.
"@realDonaldTrump determined to insult our PM," said Sarah Woollaston, a Conservative MP and chairwoman of parliament's health committee.
However, British Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman said Friday that she has a good relationship with Donald Trump and is confident a trade deal can be agreed with the United States after the president criticised her Brexit plans in an interview.
"Trade is one of the top items for discussions between the president and the PM today and ... we are confident that we can do a good trade deal with the US," the spokeswoman told reporters.
"The prime minister has a good relationship with the president.”
Sitting alongside May at the beginning of talks at the prime minister's country retreat of Chequers, Trump said Friday his relationship with Prime Minister Theresa May was "very, very strong" after his earlier attack on her Brexit strategy.
He said: "The relationship is very, very strong. We really have a very good relationship."
Trump spoke at a news conference with May following meetings at her official country estate outside of London. During the conference, he said that the interview with The Sun was fake news and that he did not criticize May. 




US President Donald Trump (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (R) shake hands during a press conference following their meeting at Chequers.(AFP)

Theresa May is an "incredible woman" who is "doing a fantastic job" as the British prime minister.
Trump commented as he sought to soften the blow after he criticized aspects of her leadership in the interview published by The Sun. 
The US president also said that he discussed a range of priorities including nuclear non-proliferation with May during their meetings. He said that it was the “biggest problem in the world.”

"We discussed a range of priorities including stopping nuclear proliferation. I thanked (May) for her partnership in our pursuit of a nuclear-free North Korea. We both agreed that Iran must never possess a nuclear weapon."

He added that he encouraged May to “sustain pressure on Iran.” 

Contrary to the comments he made in his interview with The Sun regarding Brexit, President Trump also said that however the UK leaves the EU “is ok with me.”

Trump added that “Brexit is a very tough situation...between the borders and the entries into the countries and all of the things."

"The only thing I ask is that she (May) work it out so that we can have very even trade because we do not have a fair deal with the EU right now on trade. They treat the US horribly and that's going to change."
"If it doesn't change, they're going to have to pay a very big price."




Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump walk away after holding a joint news conference at Chequers. (Reuters)

Asked to rate US-UK relations, Trump gave them the "highest level of special."

President Trump also said that he will bring up the issue of Syria at his meeting with Putin in Helsinki on Monday.

(With agencies)


India BJP’s election videos targeting Muslims and opposition spark outrage

Updated 06 May 2024
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India BJP’s election videos targeting Muslims and opposition spark outrage

  • Videos shared by BJP depict Congress giving disproportionate benefits to Muslims over tribal and Hindu groups
  • Manipulated videos have become contentious issue in polls, such as fake videos of top Bollywood stars criticizing Modi

NEW DELHI, May 6 : Animated videos shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party targeting opposition Congress and the Muslim community have evoked complaints and outrage, as the political climate in India heats up midway through its six-week long election.
The videos, shared by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on social media platforms Instagram and X over the last ten days, depict the Congress giving disproportionate benefits to India’s minority Muslim community, at the cost of certain disadvantaged tribal and Hindu caste groups.
The Congress, in a complaint to the poll watchdog Election Commission, said on Sunday that the video has been shared “clearly with an intention to wantonly provocate rioting and promote enmity between different religions.”
A set of guidelines mutually adopted by political parties for how they should conduct themselves during the election period prohibit them from creating “mutual hatred” between caste, religious or linguistic groups.
Manipulated videos on social media have also become a contentious issue in this election, such as fake videos showing top Bollywood stars criticizing the prime minister.
On Monday, the commission warned parties against the misuse of AI tools to create deep fakes and told them not to publish and circulate such videos. It also said parties had been directed to remove such content within three hours of it being brought to their notice.
Modi, the face of the Hindu-nationalist BJP, seeking a rare third consecutive term, had focused his campaign largely on his government’s performance on economic growth and welfare benefits.
But he changed tack after the first phase of voting on April 19 and his campaign speeches have since become more polarizing on religious lines, accusing Congress of planning to redistribute the wealth of the majority Hindus among minority Muslims, who he called “infiltrators” who have “more children.”
The videos shared by the BJP over the last ten days, one of which has since been taken down, illustrated the same message.
A 17-second video shared by a state unit of BJP on May 4, with over 8.5 million views, shows a character resembling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi feeding “funds” to a bird in a skullcap, which eventually pushes out from their common nest three other birds representing other disadvantaged groups.
The Congress has filed a police complaint against BJP leaders for the video, BJP’s head of information and technology Amit Malviya said on X.
“The Congress should in fact thank the BJP for taking their manifesto to the people in a manner that even they couldn’t,” he wrote.
The video has elicited outrage. Nitasha Kaul, a politics professor at London’s Westminster University said on X that the video was a “straightforward 1930s Germany style cartoon.”
In its manifesto for the elections, the Congress has promised to tackle India’s economic inequality by conducting a socio-economic caste census and extending affirmative action. It said it will ensure that minorities receive “their fair share” of education, economic and health care opportunities.
An Election Commission spokesperson, the BJP’s Malviya and Congress spokespersons did not respond to requests seeking comment.


Bangladeshi students rally in solidarity with global student movement against Israel

Students gather at Dhaka University in a solidarity protest with Palestine and the global student movement against Israel.
Updated 06 May 2024
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Bangladeshi students rally in solidarity with global student movement against Israel

  • US student protests have sparked more around the world, including in India, France, Australia
  • Dhaka’s thousands-strong rally took place at Bangladesh’s largest, oldest tertiary institution

DHAKA: Thousands of people protesting Israel’s war on Gaza rallied at one of Bangladesh’s top universities on Monday in solidarity with the student-led protests and occupations sweeping the globe. 

Pro-Palestinian student leaders and activists from different universities marched and carried flags of Bangladesh and Palestine, chanting slogans in solidarity with Gaza as they made their way to Dhaka University, Bangladesh’s largest and oldest tertiary institution. 

Their protest culminated at the symbolic Aparajeyo Bangla sculpture, one of the most well-known landmarks dedicated to the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

“Our stance is very clear: We express solidarity in support of a free Palestine state, in favor of a world free from war. And we support the demands made by US students, like divestment from Israel and other organizations that support the Israeli aggression,” Saddam Hussain, president of the organizing student group Bangladesh Students’ League, told Arab News. 

They are also rallying in solidarity with the global student movement, he added. 

“We believe all protests hold the same spirit of the youth, be it on the banks of the Atlantic or here on the bank of River Padma,” he said. 

“The youths around the world have a common dream, and I urge all of them to move forward to make this dream come true. I hope all the youths of the world will join in this protest to build a world free from war, free and guided with humanitarian spirit.”

The Israeli strikes on Gaza that began in October have killed nearly 35,000 people in the Palestinian territory, mostly women and children. The leader of the World Food Program said over the weekend that parts of the Gaza strip were experiencing a “full-blown famine” that was spreading across the besieged enclave. 

Students started to rally or set up tents at various universities around the US last month to protest Israel’s war on Gaza, sparking a global solidarity movement among the youth in India, Australia, France and elsewhere, with many putting pressure on their administrators and governments to cut ties with Tel Aviv. 

While US colleges have seen protests since October, the unrest has escalated in recent weeks after police arrested pro-Palestine demonstrators at an encampment in Columbia University, sparking even more campsites at other campuses, as well as more crackdowns and arrests.

Unlike in the US, students in Dhaka were able to protest peacefully with scant police presence.

“The US and some other big players always speak in favor of freedom of speech. But what we have seen in the university campuses in the US is a shame for world leaders,” Solaiman Khan, a 23-year-old Dhaka University student, told Arab News. 

“It’s a double standard. We, the youth (of Bangladesh), came out to the streets against this sort of hypocrisy from the superpowers of the world.” 

Khan said the violence against Palestinians must be “stopped now and forever.” 

“We have seen enough atrocities done by the Israeli forces. How many more lives must the world lose? Is it not enough?” he said. 

“I think world leaders should come to their senses and act more rationally in stopping the atrocities in Gaza orchestrated by the occupying Israeli forces. Now is the time to play a decisive role. Otherwise, the next generation will not forgive us.”


Pro-Palestine Oxbridge students set up encampments

Updated 06 May 2024
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Pro-Palestine Oxbridge students set up encampments

  • They are demanding transparency about the universities’ financial links to Israel
  • ‘We will not move until our demands are met’

LONDON: Students at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge have set up encampments in support of Palestine, The Times reported on Monday.

Around 50 have refused to leave the lawn of King’s College, Cambridge, while students have also declared a “liberated zone” outside Oxford’s Pitt Rivers Museum.

A banner hung outside King’s College read: “Welcome to the people’s university for Palestine.” Chants of “stop the bombing now” have also been heard on the campus.

The protests have been organized by Oxford Action for Palestine and Cambridge for Palestine.

They are demanding transparency about the universities’ financial links to Israel, which they have described as a “settler colonial state,” and are calling for the end of all investments and endowments from Israeli and Israel-linked companies.

“We have set up camp in university grounds, and we will not move until our demands are met,” the groups said in a statement, adding that the universities are legitimate targets for protests because of their “role in the British empire and its disastrous colonial legacies.”

The Times reported that protesters had been given an itinerary for their involvement including “de-escalation training” and “banner-making.”

A spokesperson for Cambridge University said it is for the college to decide whether to call the police, adding: “The university is fully committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech within the law and we acknowledge the right to protest.

“We ask everyone in our community to treat each other with understanding and empathy. Our priority is the safety of all staff and students.

“We will not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia and any other form of racial or religious hatred, or other unlawful activity.”

The relatively small UK protests come after nearly 2,000 people were arrested across the US after widespread demonstrations on over 130 American university campuses about Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.


Muslim group issues UK Labour Party leader with demands over Gaza

Britain’s main opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer speaks during a post local election rally in central England.
Updated 06 May 2024
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Muslim group issues UK Labour Party leader with demands over Gaza

  • Muslim Vote group calls for ‘real action’ to regain trust
  • Support for Labour in recent local elections fell in areas with high Muslim populations

LONDON: Pro-Palestinian activists have presented a list of 18 demands to the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party and said they will not vote for the party at the next general election if he does not fulfill them.

The Muslim Vote, a campaign to get Muslim voters to back pro-Palestine candidates, has called for Sir Keir Starmer to promise to cut military ties with Israel, implement a travel ban on Israeli politicians involved in the war in Gaza and impose sanctions on companies operating in occupied territories. 

The group told Starmer he must commit to “real action” and deliver on its requests if he was “serious” about his pledge to rebuild trust with those angered by his stance on the conflict in Gaza, The Telegraph reported.

Supporters would vote for the Green Party or Liberal Democrats if he could not commit to their demands, it said.

Labour’s campaign chief Pat McFadden acknowledged that Starmer’s approach to the conflict had cost the party votes at last week’s local elections. Support for Labour dropped dramatically in areas with a high Muslim populations, including Oldham in Greater Manchester, where the party lost overall control of the council in a shock defeat.

After the result, Starmer said he was determined to regain the trust of those who abandoned Labour as a result of his stance on the Gaza war but did not make any concrete pledges on the matter.

The Muslim Vote challenged Starmer with committing to the 18 demands and implementing them should he become the next prime minister.

They include removing the definition of extremism introduced by Secretary of State for Leveling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove and issuing guidance that allows Muslims to pray at school.


Philippines rules out use of water cannon in disputed South China Sea

Updated 06 May 2024
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Philippines rules out use of water cannon in disputed South China Sea

  • Philippines and China have clashed several times in disputed, resource-rich waterway
  • Latest skirmish took place late last month, in an incident Manila describes as dangerous

MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Monday that Manila will not use offensive equipment in the disputed South China Sea, after China’s coast guard used high-pressure water cannon on Philippine vessels last week.

The Philippines and China have had several confrontations in the resource-rich area, where Beijing has used water cannon against Filipino vessels in incidents Manila has described as harassment and dangerous.

The latest in a string of maritime clashes occurred on April 30 as tensions continued to rise in the vital waterway that Beijing claims almost in its entirety despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling that rejected its assertion.

“What we are doing is defending our sovereign rights and our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. And we have no intention of attacking anyone with water cannons or any other such offensive (weapons),” Marcos said Monday.

“We will not follow the Chinese coast guard and the Chinese vessels down that road because it is not the mission of the navy (or) our coast guard to start or to increase tensions … Their mission is precisely the opposite, it’s to lower tensions.”

Philippine vessels have been regularly targeted by Chinese ships in areas of the South China Sea that are internationally recognized as belonging to the Philippines, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Thursday summoned Zhou Zhiyong, China’s deputy chief of mission, after the incident left a Philippine coast guard vessel and another government boat damaged.

It was the 20th protest Manila has made against Beijing’s conduct in the South China Sea this year alone, while more than 150 diplomatic complaints have been made over the past two years.

Marcos said the Philippines will continue to respond to South China Sea incidents through diplomatic means.

Marcos’s statement comes days after the defense ministers of the Philippines, the US, Japan and Australia met in Hawaii and issued a joint statement on their strong objections to the “dangerous and destabilizing conduct” of China in the South China Sea.