UK lawmakers slam Trump, but most oppose banning him ADVERTISING UK lawmakers slam Trump, but most oppose banning him LONDON (AP) — Donald Trump doesn’t have many fans in Britain’s Parliament. But a debate among lawmakers’ calls to ban Trump
UK lawmakers slam Trump, but most oppose banning him
LONDON (AP) — Donald Trump doesn’t have many fans in Britain’s Parliament.
But a debate among lawmakers’ calls to ban Trump from the country revealed little appetite to close Britain’s doors to the provocative Republican U.S. presidential contender.
During a three-hour debate Monday, legislators from Britain’s main parties stood to call Trump an attention-seeker, a demagogue and a fool. Many, though, argued he should not be stifled or banned.
“While I think this man is crazy, while I think this man has no valid points to make, I will not be the one to silence his voice,” said Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat.
Parliament took up the topic after half a million people signed a petition calling for Trump to be excluded because of his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States in the wake of extremist violence. Trump also has claimed some areas of Britain are so radicalized that police fear for their lives.
Under British law, any petition supported by 100,000 people — who must each provide and confirm an email address — is considered for parliamentary debate. Monday’s debate was intended to air the subject rather than take a vote.
UN chief urges agreement on opposition list for Syria talks
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged countries supporting opposing sides in the Syrian conflict on Monday to redouble efforts to reach agreement on a list of opposition groups to be invited to talks with the government scheduled to start in just a week.
Ban’s appeal came as the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, briefed the Security Council on his efforts to get the talks started and the leaders of Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Qatar, an opposition backer, met in Moscow to try to narrow their differences.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the United Nations is focusing on starting the talks on Jan. 25, but he said it can’t send out invitations until the key countries agree on an opposition list. He hinted the talks could be delayed, telling reporters they would be notified “as soon as we can” if there is any “slippage” in the date.
Uruguay’s U.N. Ambassador Elbio Rosselli, the current council president, provided no details about de Mistura’s video briefing to the council, except to say that he is working to convene the meeting on Jan. 25. He said de Mistura got assurances from the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia that Riyadh’s rupture of diplomatic relations with Tehran “is completely isolated” from the Syria peace effort.
Palestinian attacker stabs Israeli woman in West Bank
JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian attacker stabbed and wounded a pregnant Israeli woman in the West Bank on Monday before being shot, Israeli officials said.
The attacker entered the Tekoa settlement and stabbed the 30-year-old woman, the Israeli military said, before being shot by the settlement’s head of security.
As a result, the military said “security measures” have been imposed in the West Bank and that effective immediately, Palestinian workers will not be allowed to enter Israeli settlements, though they will still be able to enter industrial zones. The decision will be reviewed on a daily basis, it said.
Shoham Ruvio, a spokeswoman for Jerusalem’s Shaarei Tzedek hospital, said the woman stabbed Monday was five-months pregnant. The woman was moderately wounded after being stabbed in the upper body and there was no damage caused to the fetus, the spokeswoman added.
Ruvio identified the woman as Michal Froman, the daughter-in-law of a late settler rabbi known to promote coexistence between Arabs and Jews.
Eli Bin, the head of Israel’s rescue service MDA, had earlier told Israeli Channel 10 TV that the woman was seriously wounded.
The attacker’s condition was not immediately known.
