Tag: plan

High-ranking former European politicians have condemned the Trump administration’s one-sided Israel-Palestine policy and called in a letter for Europe to reject any US Middle East peace plan unless it is fair to Palestinians. The letter, sent to the Guardian, the EU and European governments, was signed by 25 former foreign ministers, six former prime ministers, and two former Nato secretary generals. Europe must stand by the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine | Letter Read more Europe, it said, should reject any plan that does not create a Palestinian state alongside Israel with Jerusalem as the capital for both countries. Since taking office, and amid praise from Israel’s government, Trump has taken measures seen as both punishing to Palestinians and which also stifle the viability of a Palestinian state. Friedman told the pro-Israel lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington last month that Trump was “Israel’s greatest ally ever to reside in the White House” and now was the time to push through a plan as his administration understood Israel should have permanent military control over the Palestinian territories. On Tuesday, Netanyahu won the Israeli election and is expected to secure a fifth term in office by forging a coalition government from rightwing and pro-settler parties. A few days before the polls, the prime minister said that, if he won, he planned to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move Palestinians see as the end of their hopes for a state as there would be no unbroken land on which to build it. There aren’t going to be any settlers or settlements that are going to be torn. Queried about Netanyahu’s annexation plans, Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said they would not damage the undisclosed peace plan, hinting the US proposal did not envision Palestinian statehood. “I think that the vision that we’ll lay out is going to represent a significant change from the model that’s been used,” said Pompeo, who has previously stated he believes, as a Christian, it was possible God made Trump president to save the Jewish people.

The Troika (the UK, US and Norway) on Tuesday released a joint statement on the current unrest in Sudan, urging the Sudanese authorities to respond to the demand from peaceful protesters for a transition to a political system that is “inclusive and has greater legitimacy.” The Troika urged a “credible plan for this political transition”, warning that failing to do so would risk “causing greater instability.” The Troika also called on the Sudanese authorities to “release all political detainees, stop the use of violence against peaceful protestors, remove all restrictions to freedoms, lift the state of emergency and allow for a credible political dialogue in a conducive environment with all key Sudanese actors that has as its basis the goal of a political and economic transition to a new type of Sudan.” The protests in Sudan began in December 2018, due to economic deterioration, such as a currency crisis, tripled bread prices and continued fuel shortage. Protesters also demand that president Omar al-Bashir steps down.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s company is scrapping plans for two new hotel chains announced two years ago, casting blame in part on a hostile political environment. The Trump Organization said Thursday that it will no longer try to open hotels under its Scion and American Idea brands catering to budget and mid-priced travelers, a departure from its focus on luxury hotels. The announcement comes as the company has posted losses at a few of its golf properties and brand experts say it has lost some of its appeal. “We live in a climate where everything will be used against us, whether by the fake news or by Democrats who are only interested in presidential harassment and wasting everyone’s time, barraging us with nonsense letters,” the president’s son, Eric Trump, said in an emailed statement. “We already have the greatest properties in the world and if we have to slow down our growth for the time being, we are happy to do it.” The rollout began with promises of fast success. The company said in March 2017 that nearly two dozen developers had already signed letters of intent to open mid-priced Scion hotels, and was enthusiastic about the future prospects. “It’s full steam ahead,” said Eric Danziger, who oversees the hotel business for the family. The only developer willing to strike a deal was Chawla Hotels of Mississippi. The Trump Organization owns or has licensed its name to 17 golf clubs and more than two dozen hotels and residential buildings around the world. More recently, it is facing blowback from Democrats in Congress for firing long-time workers at several of its U.S. golf clubs for being in the country illegally, raising doubts about its hiring practices amid the president’s vow to crack down on such workers and build a wall to keep more from coming in.

Instead of returning to politics, former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama might try his hand in oil – and become a talk show host on television. The traffic circle is around 3.3 kilometers from Ahok’s previous office, City Hall. "The [new] office may not be big, but it would be sufficient," Teguh said on Tuesday as quoted by Antara. The lawyer also said that Ahok would sign a contract with a private television station to host a show after his release. Politics, however, is not completely off the table. “[Ahok] said, ‘If I return to politics, I will certainly join the PDI-P,” Djarot said at the time. Ahok started his political career in 2004 when he ran for the legislative council in his home province of Bangka Belitung. In 2012, he defected to the Gerindra Party, which backed his bid in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election with then-Surakarta mayor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. In 2016, Ahok signed a political contract with the PDI-P, which supported his reelection bid. (ggq)

The offer to examine a possible timetable for a second vote drawn up by the Lib Dems was made during discussions between senior Liberal Democrats and two cabinet ministers involved in the talks, Michael Gove and David Lidington, in the Cabinet Office on Thursday morning. It has also suggested that a second vote would take up to a year to prepare and conduct. Cable spoke in the Commons to the prime minister on Wednesday evening, after Labour’s no-confidence motion was defeated and soon after May had said she was ready to open talks on a way forward with opposition MPs, including party leaders. While May reiterated her opposition to the idea to Cable, senior Lib Dems then repeated the demand at the subsequent meeting with Gove and Lidington on Thursday. The Lib Dems say Gove asked at the second meeting to see the detailed plans, suggesting an active interest. “As you will know, we have published on a cross-party basis two bills. The first is a two-clause bill which could be enacted within a week, to enable the Electoral Commission to begin consultation on a referendum question. Dominic Grieve tabled these in presentation bills in parliament last week. Voters would back remaining in EU over May's Brexit deal Read more “With sufficient political will, a referendum bill could be passed in very short order – perhaps within days. While Liberal Democrats firmly reject her deal, we have no doubt the prime minister would campaign vigorously for public approval of it.

Brussels is the seat of the European Union. And so to find out how politicians there are reacting, we've reached Jeremy Cliffe, Brussels bureau chief for The Economist. SHAPIRO: When British parliament overwhelmingly voted down this deal that Theresa May had worked out with the EU, how did EU leaders react? The two-year period in which Britain is supposed to be negotiating its exit from the EU is almost up. SHAPIRO: Another - a number of British lawmakers said, we can get a better deal from the EU. CLIFFE: It's not realistic within the U.K.'s existing red lines. There's a real gap between, I think, what many people in London think they can get and what the Europeans are willing to give. And many people here don't want Britain to stay in beyond the start of the new parliament session, which is in July, simply because then you'd have the question of what do you do with - do you give British politicians seats in that new parliament, or does Britain somehow sit in the EU without having representation in its legislature? It's not completely inconceivable that Britain could extend its membership and extend the negotiating period beyond the start of the new parliament, which might mean having British members of that European parliament sitting for the remaining period of the negotiation. SHAPIRO: Jeremy Cliffe, thanks so much for joining us.

MADISON, WI (WSAU) -- Outgoing Governor Scott Walker will not completely leave the political realm when he hands the position over to Democrat Tony Evers next Monday. In a message on Tuesday Walker announced he will be part of several organizations including a "speakers bureau" that will provide "new and exciting opportunities." Walker said he intends to work towards "broaden our scope with an additional focus on returning power to the people in the states — from a federal government grown out-of-control," adding that is the best way to "drain the Swamp on a permanent basis." He also spoke of lowering taxes on the hard-working people of the state. Additionally, the Walkers intend to stay in Wisconsin but didn't provide details of where they would be moving once they vacate the Governors Mansion, which has been their home since they sold their house in Wauwatosa three years ago. Walker did say that he and his wife Tonette will be working to re-elect President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence in the 2020 election.

ITV has withdrawn plans for a Brexit debate on Sunday night, meaning there is now little chance of a televised head-to-head encounter between Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May before next week’s crucial vote. Brexit: Debate between May and Corbyn will not go ahead - Politics live Read more In what might turn out to be one of the most pointless and tortuous stories of the Brexit process, the broadcaster abandoned its planned debate over the prime minister’s withdrawal deal despite two weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations after Downing Street refused to sign up to its proposed head-to-head format. Earlier this week the BBC announced it was pulling its rival bid to host the debate after becoming exasperated with Jeremy Corbyn’s team, who were not willing to allow representatives of minor parties and proponents of a second referendum to be included on a panel. In the end all bids involving May and Corbyn collapsed. Instead, Channel 4 will push ahead with its already announced plans to host “The Real Brexit Debate”, featuring other politicians. Perhaps unexpectedly, Labour swiftly agreed, prompting BBC, ITV, and Sky News to bid against each other for the right to host the debate. It would have supplanted a celebrity special edition of The Chase. The classic Christmas movie will need to be shunted out of the way to make way for a debate at 7pm between “four high-profile politicians” representing “the main divisions in the House of Commons”. Jeremy Corbyn accepted the prime minister’s offer of a debate on Brexit immediately. He said he would relish the opportunity to debate her, and that remains the case.

The Trump Administration outlined a plan to make a “Space Force” the sixth branch of the U.S. military Thursday, but there are still significant hurdles before it could become a reality. “The time has come to establish the United States Space Force.” “Space Force all the way!” Donald Trump tweeted shortly after Pence spoke. This would be the first new branch since the Air Force was established in 1947 after World War II. Pence also announced their intent to set up a new combatant command. He also argued that the U.S. military must match that activity to defend American interests in space. And in the realm of outer space, the United States Space Force will be that strength in the years ahead.” A 15-page Pentagon report released shortly after Pence spoke explained that the Department of Defense would “usher in a new age of space technology” and “deter, and if necessary degrade, deny, disrupt, destroy, and manipulate adversary capabilities to protect U.S. interests, assets, and way of life.” The U.S. military is not new to the space game. The Pentagon currently has more than 100 satellites in total, including 31 GPS satellites that much of the world depends on. Congress representatives Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Jim Cooper (D-TN), respectively Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, said in a joint statement, “We have been warning for years of the need to protect our space assets and to develop more capable space systems. President Trump first called for a space defense operation in May. We’ll call it the space force,” he said.

The publication of Theresa May's new Brexit plan descended into chaos when speaker John Bercow had to suspend the Commons to allow MPs to see copies of the white paper. Labour described it as an "utter shambles" that MPs were unable to read the 98-page document until Brexit secretary Dominic Raab appeared to give a statement on the plans, which could allow some EU migrants preferable treatment as part of future trade deals. It comes as Tory rebels ramped up pressure on Ms May to scrap her new Brexit plan, which has already caused the resignations of Boris Johnson and David Davis, as well as several other Tory Eurosceptics. In a show of strength, Eurosceptic backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg and allies have tabled a string of amendments to the government’s trade and customs bill, raising the threat of Commons defeats on Monday. Meanwhile, Donald Trump was due to face major protests after he arrived in the UK for his much-anticipated working visit. See below for live updates Live Updates