12 people removed from US Capitol duty after background checks: Pentagon
“We’re not taking any chances. Anything that’s flagged is brought to the attention of the command,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said.
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 20, 2021 02:45 PM IST
The National Guard has removed 12 people from duty protecting the US Capitol after background checks found links to extremists or other issues that raised concerns.
“We’re not taking any chances. Anything that’s flagged is brought to the attention of the command,” Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman told reporters at a briefing. “We’re not even asking what the flag was, we’re just removing them.”
The two National Guard troops with links to extremism were flagged to the military by law enforcement and an anonymous tip about inappropriate text messages and comments. Hoffman declined to characterize the communications or say if they represented threats against President-elect Joe Biden or other dignitaries.
The other 10 were flagged by law enforcement as they underwent background checks and their removal from service doesn’t necessarily mean the troops were suspected of committing a crime or otherwise unfit for future duty, Hoffman said.
He declined to specify what caught the attention of law enforcement in those cases.
The soldiers were among 25,000 National Guard members sent to secure Wednesday’s inauguration following a Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol and fears of more violence.
British minister says on Meghan interview: 'No place for racism in our society'
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 01:13 PM IST
- Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, accused Britain's royal family of raising concerns about how dark their son's skin might be and pushing her to the brink of suicide, in a tell-all television interview that will send shockwaves through the monarchy.
Meghan, Harry say UK royals were worried ‘how dark’ their son Archie would be
By Yashwant Raj I Edited by Nadim Siraj
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 01:06 PM IST
In another revelation that underlines the former royal couple’s estranged relationship with Buckingham Palace, Harry and Meghan said they were financially cut off by the UK royal family
Joe Biden’s giant stimulus to easily pass House, say Democrats
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 01:04 PM IST
Progressive House Democrats are already turning their attention to getting their proposals in a second budget reconciliation bill -- which allows for Senate approval by a simple majority.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam 'fully welcomes' proposed electoral changes
AP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 01:04 PM IST
- Chinese authorities have said the draft decision before China's National People’s Congress would mean the largely pro-Beijing committee that elects Hong Kong’s leader would also choose a large part of the legislature to ensure that the city is run by “patriots.”
Vietnam vaccinates Covid-19 front-liners with its 1st doses
AP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:58 PM IST
- The Southeast Asian nation of 96 million people has a goal to inoculate at least half of the population by the end of the year.
Royal interview unlikely to affect New Zealand
AP, Wellington
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:58 PM IST
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was asked by a reporter whether the unflattering picture of the British royal family painted by Harry and Meghan had given her pause about New Zealand's constitutional ties to Britain.
Pope leaves Iraq for Rome after historic whirlwind visit
AP
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:41 PM IST
As the pope's plane took off, Iraqi President Barham Salih was at hand on the tarmac, waving goodbye.
Malaysia to buy more Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:39 PM IST
- The Southeast Asian country last month embarked on a nationwide vaccination programme, targeting to inoculate 80% of its 32 million people by February 2022.
As US mulls Afghan exit, activist sees long fight for women
AP, Kabul
UPDATED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:46 PM IST
Under a 2020 deal between the Taliban and the Trump administration, all US troops are to leave Afghanistan by May 1. The Biden administration says it's reviewing the deal, suggesting it may not meet the deadline.
Jill Biden sees teachable moment in the depths of a pandemic
AP, Waterford
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:27 PM IST
A teacher herself, Biden praised the small circle of parents, teachers and administrators for working together to help reopen Fort LeBoeuf.
China tells Biden to reverse 'dangerous practice' on Taiwan
AP, Beijing
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:26 PM IST
The claim to Taiwan, which split with the mainland in 1949, is an “insurmountable red line,” Wang Yi said at a news conference during the annual meeting of China’s ceremonial legislature.
UKPNP Chairman says part of J-K illegally held by Pakistan since 1947
ANI, Geneva
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 12:14 PM IST
According to a UN resolution, Pakistan is obligated to ensure life, liberty, the dignity of the people of Pakistan-occupied and Gilgit Baltistan, the chairman said.
'Realised soon royal family wouldn't protect me,' says Meghan Markle
AP, Montecito
UPDATED ON MAR 08, 2021 09:56 AM IST
In their pre-taped interview on Sunday night, Meghan also said, when she was first pregnant with son Archie, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.”
It's a girl, Meghan Markle and Harry tell Oprah
AP, Montecito
UPDATED ON MAR 08, 2021 09:09 AM IST
Harry said "to have a boy and then a girl, what more can you ask for? But now we've got our family. We've got the four of us and our two dogs."
Women can be fired for pregnancy in 28 nations, says World Bank’s Reinhart
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON MAR 08, 2021 08:54 AM IST
The pandemic has contributed to an increase in violence against women and is reinforcing gender inequality in many countries, with women on average having roughly three-quarters of the legal rights of men, according to the World Bank.