Latest news with #nationalsovereignty
Malay Mail
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Kelantan deputy MB: Illegal border crossings in Kelantan raise serious security concerns
KOTA BHARU, July 6 — The presence of dozens of illegal crossings along the Kelantan-Thailand border has raised serious national security concerns, said Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan. He emphasised that Kelantan's border is an integral part of Malaysia's international boundary with Thailand and must be protected with utmost vigilance. 'The border spans approximately 105 kilometres, with most of it covering Sungai Golok, which separates Kelantan from Thailand's Narathiwat province. 'There are only three official entry points, namely Rantau Panjang, Bukit Bunga and Pengkalan Kubor. However, behind these checkpoints lie dozens of illegal crossings frequently used for cross-border activities,' he said in a statement on his official Facebook page today. Mohamed Fadzli also noted that the region's geography and close familial ties between communities on both sides of the border further heighten its vulnerability to security threats. In light of this, the state government stressed the need to strengthen border enforcement through increased personnel deployment, enhanced security assets and coordinated efforts among all relevant agencies. He added that the state government is fully committed to working together to ensure the nation's borders remain secure. 'This is a shared responsibility to safeguard our sovereignty, protect public safety and secure the future of our nation,' he said. — Bernama
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump calls LA a ‘trash heap' of ‘chaos and disorder' in Fort Bragg troop rally after sending Marines to quell protests
President Donald Trump on Tuesday turned what was meant as a celebration of the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary, for soldiers at one of the nation's most storied military bases, into a bellicose campaign-style rally as he attacked Democratic elected officials and denigrated the country 's second-largest city as a c esspool made rotten by 'uncontrolled migration.' Speaking before a crowd of uniformed soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Trump defended his decision to send National Guard soldiers and active duty Marines to quell protests against his anti-immigrant deportation operations in Los Angeles as necessary to prevent attacks on federal law enforcement from a 'violent mob.' He claimed that had he not ordered the soldiers into federal service over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles would be on fire, and compared the guardsmen's mission to past overseas battles in which the Army had fought over its 250 years. 'Generations of army heroes did not shed their blood on distant shores only to watch our country be destroyed by invasion and third-world lawlessness here at home, like is happening in California. As Commander in Chief, I will not let that happen. It's never going to happen,' Trump said, overstating the current state of affairs in LA by several degrees. Trump told the soldiers that the protests and unrest in Los Angeles represented a 'full-blown assault on peace, on public order and on national sovereignty carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags, with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country,' before segueing into a partisan attack on former President Joe Biden. He accused 'stupid people or radical left people or sick people' in the previous administration of having allowed 'millions of people' to 'come into our country, totally unchecked and unvetted' and claimed those people were responsible for attacks on police in Los Angeles over the last few days. 'They're hurling bricks and cinder blocks at law enforcement ... they're breaking up the sidewalks and the curbs, breaking it up with big, strong hammers. These guys are professionals. These are not amateurs,' he claimed. 'These are animals, but they proudly carry the flags of other countries, but they don't carry the American flag. They only burn it.' The president cast his effort to use military force to tamp down protests against his immigration policies as a battle against a foreign foe rather than repression of the free speech rights guaranteed to all by the U.S. Constitution, telling the soldiers who'd been ordered to attend his speech that his administration would 'not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy.' 'That's what they are. Lot of those people were let in here by the Biden administration. They just poured right in. They came from prisons. They came from jails from all over the world. They came from mental institutions. They were the leaders of gangs. They were drug lords, allowed to come into our country,' he said. Trump's partisan commentary to the troops touched on many of the anti-immigrant tropes that have long been a staple of his political stump speech during his three campaigns for the presidency, including claims that other countries have deliberately sent criminals and mental patients to the United States to claim asylum with the consent of the Biden administration and the aid of Democrats in state and local governments. He also praised the thousands of National Guard soldiers and Marines he has dispatched over the past two days for 'standing guard to protect federal property and personnel and uphold the supremacy of federal law' while accusing Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of fomenting the violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. 'In Los Angeles, the governor of California, the mayor — they're incompetent and they paid troublemakers, agitators and insurrectionists, they're engaged in this willful attempt to nullify federal law and aid the occupation of the city by criminal invaders,' he said. Continuing, the president praised his own election as a turning point when the country rejected Democratic rule and slammed Los Angeles as having 'gone from being one of the cleanest, safest and most beautiful cities on earth to being a trash heap with entire neighborhoods under the control of transnational gangs and criminal networks.' Echoing the openly racist rhetoric of European far-right parties, Trump blamed 'uncontrolled migration' for the city's supposed condition of 'chaos, dysfunction and disorder' and suggested that European leaders should adopt his anti-immigrant stance. 'They have it in Europe too. It's happening in many of the countries of Europe. They don't like it when I say it, but I'll say it loudly and clearly. They better do something before it's too late,' he said. The president's rabidly partisan denunciation of duly elected officials in the nation's most populous state came just hours after he made a chilling threat against free speech rights of Americans in the nation's capital ahead of the military parade he has ordered up to celebrate his own birthday on Saturday. Speaking in the Oval Office following an impromptu event to discuss forest management ahead of the upcoming summer wildfire season, Trump was riffing on what he described as violent excesses by protesters who've been demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles when he was asked about the possibility of protests against the June 14 parade. The president said it would be an 'amazing day' and cited the 'tanks ... planes ... all sorts of things' that will be on display during the spectacle, which is ostensibly meant to mark the Army's 250th. He compared the parade, which breaks from the American tradition that largely eschews militaristic or jingoistic displays of the sort routinely seen in authoritarian countries, to European celebrations of the end of the Second World War. 'We won the war, and we're the only country that didn't celebrate it, and we're going to be celebrating big on Saturday. We're going to have a lot of and if there's any protest that wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,' Trump said. He reiterated the explicit threat a moment later, telling 'those people who want to protest' that they would be 'met with very big force' once more. He also opined further that any protest against the parade on Saturday would consist only of 'people who hate our country.'
LBCI
06-06-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Berri backs President Aoun's stance, says Israeli aggression targets all Lebanon
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri affirmed that his position is fully aligned with that of President Joseph Aoun regarding national sovereignty and in condemnation of the Israeli attacks on Beirut and Ain Qana. Berri stressed that the assaults are not aimed at a specific sect or region but at all of Lebanon and its people—Christians and Muslims alike—as well as the broader Arab and Muslim communities, especially as they prepare to celebrate Eid al-Adha.
LBCI
04-06-2025
- General
- LBCI
Hezbollah MP says meeting with President Aoun focused on sovereignty, occupation, and common ground
MP Mohammad Raad stated that Hezbollah and the bloc initiated a meeting between Loyalty to the Resistance and President Joseph Aoun to commemorate the anniversary of Resistance and Liberation Day. He noted that the two sides exchanged general views on the country's pressing priorities and challenges—chief among them safeguarding national sovereignty, ending the Israeli occupation, halting ongoing violations backed by some countries involved in the ceasefire agreement, rebuilding areas destroyed by Israeli attacks, ensuring stability, and revitalizing state institutions through upcoming elections. Raad stressed that there is broad common ground between them, which can be built upon. 'We don't feel bound by specific timelines, locations, tools, or methods to make use of this common ground, as long as things in Lebanon are progressing under the president's careful stewardship and his commitment to achieving these priorities,' he said. He added that there are no closed doors when it comes to dialogue with the president at any level.
Russia Today
03-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
We don't need American solutions – former South African president
Former South African president Jacob Zuma has issued a pointed rebuke of President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent diplomatic outreach to the United States, suggesting that foreign involvement in domestic matters undermines national sovereignty. Addressing a crowd of his uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party supporters in KwaMaphumulo over the weekend, Zuma questioned the legitimacy and wisdom of appealing to international actors, particularly the United States, for assistance with South Africa's internal challenges. 'Why must we expect strangers, sitting in Washington, to understand what we are going through?' Zuma asked during his speech. 'We know our problems better than anyone else. We should be the ones to solve them.' The comments come just weeks after President Ramaphosa led a high-profile ministerial delegation to Washington, D.C., to mend strained diplomatic ties with the Trump administration and attract investment amid growing economic pressures at home. The visit included meetings at the White House and with key business stakeholders, with the South African delegation seeking to promote technology partnerships and quell rising tensions over land reform and crime. Relations between Pretoria and Washington have recently soured over controversial remarks from US officials alleging human rights violations and accusing the South African government of mismanaging key sectors. Ramaphosa's team used the visit to push back against what they termed 'inflammatory rhetoric' and to reaffirm South Africa's commitment to democratic principles. Zuma, however, painted the outreach as a desperate move by an administration out of touch with its people. He stopped short of naming Ramaphosa directly but left little doubt about whom his remarks were aimed at. 'You can hold your meetings with Americans all you want, but we will not accept solutions from people who have never set foot in our townships,' Zuma said, to applause from the crowd. Zuma has been steadily ramping up his public appearances under the MK Party banner in recent months, positioning himself as an alternative voice to the ruling African National Congress (ANC), which he once led. His critique reflects growing frustration in parts of the electorate over the country's stagnant economy, persistent inequality, and rising crime levels. Political analysts say Zuma's remarks tap into a wider sentiment of scepticism toward foreign influence and the perceived failure of the government to address urgent local needs.'This is classic Zuma,' said political commentator Thandi Maseko. 'He is playing to a base that feels abandoned by the current leadership and distrustful of foreign agendas.' While Ramaphosa's office has not formally responded to Zuma's comments, government officials have continued to defend the US trip as a necessary step to rebuild investor confidence and foster international cooperation. Whether Zuma's rhetoric will translate into broader support for the MK Party remains to be seen. But as the country inches closer to the next general election, his re-emergence on the national stage is once again stirring the political published by IOL
