Washington, Aug 1 (IANS) The mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on US soil, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and two of his accomplices have agreed to plead guilty, the Pentagon said in a statement.

They are held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Pentagon said that the Convening Authority for Military Commissions, Susan Escallier, has entered into pretrial agreements with Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, three of the co-accused in the 9/11 case said the statement.

The official said that the specific terms and conditions of the pretrial agreements are not available to the public at this time.

The three accused, along with Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Ramzi Bin al Shibh, were initially charged jointly and arraigned on June 5, 2008, and then were again charged jointly and arraigned a second time on May 5, 2012, in connection with their alleged roles in the September 11, 2001, attacks against the US, the Pentagon said.

US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the plea deals. “The Biden-Harris Administration’s cowardice in the face of terror is a national disgrace. The plea deal with terrorists, including those behind the 9/11 attacks, is a revolting abdication of the government’s responsibility to defend America and provide justice” McConnell stated on X.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

During this, PM Modi received his counterpart, and both leaders shared a warm hug as they greeted each other. After this, the Vietnamese PM inspected a Guard of Honour by the Indian defence forces.

PM Modi and Pham Minh Chinh then met the ministers and delegations of the two countries.

Later, Pham Minh paid his tribute to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, at Rajghat.

He will engage in bilateral discussions with PM Modi, who will also host a luncheon in honour of the visiting delegation.

Chinh reached New Delhi late on Tuesday evening for a three-day state visit, aiming to further strengthen the age-old ties between the two countries.

The Vietnam PM is also scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the visit.

On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishanakar called on the visiting Prime Minister and appreciated his guidance in bolstering the India-Vietnam bilateral relations.

“Honoured to call on PM Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam during his State visit to India. Appreciate his guidance on our bilateral relationship and on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the EAM said in a post on ‘X’.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister also addressed a business event organised in the national capital on Wednesday. He stated that India’s interest in exploring investments in Vietnam will extend cooperation into new areas such as transportation, economy, digitalisation and energy.

He also appreciated the economic and trade cooperation as a “beacon of cooperation” between the two nations and called on to raise the bilateral trade to $20 billion.

He also hailed the development of India under the leadership of PM Modi.

India-Vietnam relations have been on the upswing since the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during PM Modi’s visit to Hanoi in 2016.

PM Modi has maintained Vietnam’s importance as an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy and the Indo-Pacific vision while seeking to enhance the scope of the bilateral relationship, including defence partnership, besides working for expeditious progress on the existing initiatives.

–IANS

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Tehran, Aug 1 (IANS) Iran would seek revenge for the alleged Israeli assassination of Hamas Politburo Chief Ismail Haniyeh in a “well-managed” way without escalating the regional crisis, an Iranian expert said.

“We would witness an escalation of tension in the region, but in a managed way,” Hassan Beheshtipour, a Tehran-based international affairs analyst, told Xinhua.

Beheshtipour emphasised that intensifying the crisis is not in Iran’s interest nor in that of the resistance groups. He noted Iran’s past actions, such as its measured response to the deadly Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria in early April, as examples of Iran’s strategic approach, Xinhua news agency reported.

Haniyeh, who was invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, was killed along with his bodyguard early Wednesday when their residence in Tehran was hit, according to Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, which accused Israel of carrying out the “terrorist attack” and vowed “a harsh and painful response.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel had prepared the ground for a “harsh punishment” for itself.

The alleged Israeli assassination of Haniyeh occurred a day after Israel claimed that a strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut had killed Fouad Shokor, Hezbollah’s top military commander.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would respond with overwhelming force to any counter-attacks, following the deaths of Haniyeh and Shokor.

He said the country is prepared “for any scenario,” adding it “will exact a very heavy price against any aggression — from any front.”

–IANS

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Caracas, Aug 1 (IANS) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro submitted an appeal to the Electoral Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice to audit and certify the results of presidential elections amid calls for greater transparency.

Maduro asked the highest court to summon the pertinent institutions “to compare all the elements of evidence and certify, by carrying out an expert opinion of the highest technical level, the electoral results of July 28”, Xinhua news agency reported.

He went to the Supreme Court accompanied by First Lady Cilia Flores, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, Attorney General Reinaldo Munoz and Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil, among other members of his cabinet.

In remarks to the press upon leaving the court, Maduro said: “I have told the Electoral Chamber that I am willing to be summoned, interrogated … investigated by the Electoral Chamber as the winning presidential candidate of Sunday’s elections and as head of state; I am showing up, I am submitting to justice.”

The Great Patriotic Pole and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which backed Maduro’s reelection bid, are ready “to present 100 per cent of the electoral records that are in our hands,” he said, adding that the Electoral Chamber should expect the same from each candidate and political organisation.

On Monday, Venezuela’s National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the presidential elections, paving the way for his third six-year term, from 2025 to 2031.

–IANS

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Tel Aviv, Aug 1 (IANS) The Chief of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, will give a public address today after the funeral of Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli attack on Tuesday night.

The body of Shukr, who was also an advisor to Nasarullah, was found among the rubble in southern Beirut on Wednesday evening.

Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant has publicly said that Fuad Shukr had the blood of several Israelis on his hands and that the killing of Shukr was a message that Israel would reach out to its enemies anywhere in the world.

It may be recalled that Hezbollah has been continuously attacking Israel since October 8, especially in the Northern Territory of Israel. Israel has evacuated a large number of its population from its Northern Territory.

On July 27, 12 children were killed in a Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in Golan Heights.

The killings of Fuad Shukr and Ismail Haniyeh are likely to accelerate the war against Israel in the days to come.

–IANS

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