Mattis will discuss Iran arms smuggling into Yemen on Oman trip 3/12/2018 5:08:21 AM Mattis emphasised past and ongoing international efforts to interject Iranian shipments to the Houthis French, Australian and US Navy forces in the area. The National- 12 Mach 2018-  US Defense Secretary James Mattis has arrived in Oman and will meet Sultan Qaboos on Monday, with the pair set to discuss a packed agenda that includes arms trafficking into Yemen, defence relations and counterterrorism. On his first trip to Oman as Pentagon chief, Mr Mattis said in a gaggle with reporters on Sunday that he will “find out” from his Omani counterparts “how they assess any [arms] trafficking that’s going on at all [into Yemen].” Asked by a reporter if Oman is either looking the other way or being complicit in providing weapons or allowing weapons to go through the porous border into Yemen, Mr Mattis said that the Omanis “have been on the record that they want to see this ci...

Asma Jahangir passes away in Lahore 2/11/2018 11:27:01 AM   facebook Google+ ► Print Renowned lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir ISLAMABAD, Feb. 11, 2018  - Renowned lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jahangir passed away in Lahore on Sunday due to a cardiac arrest. Jahangir, 66, was a human rights lawyer based in Pakistan and was Pakistan’s first woman to serve as the President of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan. Jahangir was known for her activism on women, minority and human rights issues. She was also the  United Nations  Rapporteur for Human Rights. She served on various national and international bodies as an expert on law and legal affairs. Profile She co-chaired South Asia Forum for Human Rights and was the vice president of International Federation for Human Rights. Jahangir became a democracy activist and was imprisoned in 1983 for participating in the Movement for the Restoration of...

Iran rejects Macron call for talks on Iranian missiles 11/12/2017 3:29:13 PM A display featuring missiles and a portrait of Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran DUBAI, Reuters, November 12, 2017  - Iran rejected on Sunday a call by French President Emmanuel Macron for talks on Tehran's ballistic missiles, saying they were defensive and unrelated to a nuclear agreement with world powers. On Thursday, Macron said during a visit to Dubai that he was 'very concerned' by Iran's ballistic missile programme, mentioning a missile fired from Yemen and intercepted by Saudi Arabia earlier this month. He raised the prospect of possible sanctions with regard to those activities. 'There are negotiations we need to start on Iran's ballistic missiles,' Macron said. But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi rejected that possibility. 'France is fully aware of our country'...

Don't 'underestimate' US, warns Trump as he kicks off Asia tour 11/5/2017 6:45:36 PM Trump and Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, enjoy a close personal relationship AFP, November 5, 2017  - President Donald Trump Sunday issued a stern warning that 'no dictator' should underestimate the United States as he kicked off an Asian tour dominated by the North Korea nuclear crisis. Speaking to cheering military personnel at Yokota Air Base just west of Tokyo minutes after landing, Trump donned a bomber jacket and said 'no one, no dictator, no regime and no nation should underestimate... American resolve'. 'Every once in a while in the past, they underestimated us. It was not pleasant for them, was it?' roared Trump. 'We will never yield, never waver and never falter in defence of our people, our freedom and our great American flag.' Trump's marathon trip comes with the North Korea crisis at fever pitch, as US bombers f...

Japan insists it WON'T shoot down Kim Jong-un's missiles 10/6/2017 2:56:13 PM Japans defence secretary said that they wold not take action JAPAN,   EXPRESS, Oct 4, 2017 -- North Korea has fired two rockets over Japan in recent months. One of the rockets was an intercontinental ballistic missile fired in the direction of US territory Guam. Japan did not attempt to shoot down the missiles on either occasion despite the flyover sparking sparking loudspeaker alerts and TV warnings telling citizens to take cover. Minister of defence Itsunori Onodera today said that there was no need for action as the rockets didn’t pose a threat to Japan. He said: “The recent missile tests by North Korea passed at high altitude and there was no fear of them falling in our territory or territorial waters so we did not shoot them down. “Whether it is Japan or any other country, I think that shooting down a ballistic missile could be construed as a military action. ...

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