CHINA WARNS TAIWAN AGAINST ‘SEPARATIST SCHEMES’
BEIJING: China warned Taiwan on Monday that it “will never tolerate any separatist schemes” amid tensions between the mainland and the self-ruled island. The government issued the warning in a report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang to the opening of the annual session of the National People’s Congress, the Communist Party-controlled rubber-stamp parliament. The report says Beijing will continue to uphold its “one China” principle and promote the “peaceful growth” of cross-strait relations under the 1992 consensus, which agrees that there is only one country without specifying which is its rightful representative. Beijing will also “advance China’s peaceful reunification,” according to the text. “We will remain firm in safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never tolerate any separatist schemes or activities for ‘Taiwan independence’,” it says. China still sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification and has cut off official communications with Taipei as President Tsai Ing-wen refuses to acknowledge the democratic island as part of “one China.”
IRAQ ORDERS SEIZURE OF ASSETS OF SADDAM-ERA OFFICIALS
BAGHDAD: Iraq has ordered the seizure of assets that belonged to executed dictator Saddam Hussein and more than 4,200 officials from his former regime, an official statement said on Monday. The list of ex- regime bosses was drawn up by the Iraqi agency charged with tracking down former officials from Saddam’s Baath Party, and includes their relatives. Saddam’s name appeared at the top of the list and it also said it included “his children, grandchildren, relatives.” The list of names includes Saddam- era government ministers, security bosses and officials from the Baath Party, including some who are in prison, who have been executed or have died. This new order now seeks to put an official stamp on the confiscation of the assets. After the fall of the Saddam regime following the 2003 US invasion, property belonging to the former ruler and his cronies was
CURFEW IN INDIAN KASHMIR AFTER TROOPS KILL SIX INCLUDING CIVILIANS
SRINAGAR, India: Indian authorities on Monday shut schools and suspended internet services across swathes of Kashmir after soldiers killed at least six people including four alleged civilians in the restive region. Army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said a military checkpoint came under fire Sunday evening in Shopian, a southern district of Indianadministered Kashmir, sparking a skirmish that left four dead. One of those killed was a suspected militant, Kalia said. Three others were found dead in a car some distance away. The army described them as accomplices but police were investigating this claim. Police later found another apparent civilian dead in a separate car. A sixth victim found Monday was identified by police as a suspected militant. The shootings sparked an outpouring of anger among locals, who said the civilians were non-combatants.
TURKEY DETAINS 12 IN ANTI- IS RAIDS AFTER US EMBASSY CLOSURE
ANKARA: Turkey on Monday launched a crackdown on the Islamic State extremist group and boosted security in Ankara after the US embassy said it would be closed for a day. The Ankara prosecutor said 12 suspects had been detained after it issued 20 arrest warrants as part of an operation against IS, state news agency Anadolu reported. Those detained were foreigners who were trying to recruit members for IS, Anadolu reported, adding that the suspects were in contact with those in “conflict zones.” IS has lost control of swathes of Iraq and Syria after US-led military operations but it still holds sway over small pockets in Syria. The US embassy said it would be closed on Monday because of a “security threat,” without giving further details. The Ankara governor’s office said in a statement it had taken “extra security measures” after US sources provided Turkish intelligence with information on the possibility of terror attacks against the embassy and where Americans lived. The US embassy is in the heart of the capital, close to parliament.