Dubai hotel cuts ties with Chef Atul Kochhar following tweet

A Dubai hotel has cut ties with celebrity chef Atul Kochhar following an inflammatory tweet that caused outrage on social media amid accusations of racism, bigotry and Islamophobia.
The Michelin-starred chef operated the award-winning Rang Mahal Indian restaurant at Dubai’s JW Marriott Marquis Hotel.

“Following the recent comments made by Chef Atul Kochhar, we have taken the decision to end our agreement with him for Rang Mahal. With the termination of our agreement, Chef Atul will no longer be associated with the restaurant,” Bill Keffer, general manager of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai said in an emailed statement to Gulf News tabloid!.

“At the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai we pride ourselves on creating a culture of diversity and inclusion for our guests and associates across the hotel and our restaurants. We also remain committed to delivering the traditional culinary experience and high service standards that Rang Mahal is renowned for.”

On Tuesday, Kochhar issued a second apology 48 hours after his tweet to actress Priyanka Chopra.

In the statement issued on his Twitter timeline, Kochhar reached out to his “Muslims friends” and the “Islamic community and everyone I have offended”, calling his words “insensitive and wrong.”

Kochhar faced the wrath of social media users after he called out Chopra on Twitter, who had posted an apology of her own on her timeline for causing offense by a recent episode of her TV show Quantico that portrayed a Hindu nationalist group as terrorists.

In Kochhar’s now deleted tweet, the chef responded to Chopra’s mea culpa, stating: “It’s sad to see that you have not respected the sentiments of Hindus who have been terrorised by Islam over 2000 years. Shame on you.”

However, social media was not so forgiving, with many calling out the chef once again for his choice of words in his apology, with Twitter user Masarat Daud posting:  When I saw your tweet, I didn’t even notice 2000, I noticed dehumanizing bigotry… but your apology focused on 2000 Vs 1400 semantics,” tweeted Baba.

While Chopra has yet to put out a response to Kochhar’s remark, his latest apology has elicited mixed reactions on social media.

Donald Trump arrives in Singapore ahead of historic US-North Korea summit

US President Donald Trump arrived in Singapore on Sunday ahead of a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the future of Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.
Trump flew into Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base aboard Air Force One, looking to lay the groundwork for a nuclear deal with one of America's most bitter long-time foes, directly following his divisive meeting in Canada + with some of Washington's closest allies that further strained global trade ties.

Trump's arrival came just hours after Kim, wearing his trademark dark "Mao suit" and distinctive high-cut hairstyle, landed in the ultra-modern city-state on his longest trip overseas as head of state.

The two are due to meet on Tuesday on the resort island of Sentosa for their high-stakes summit, the first-ever talks between a US and North Korean leader and the culmination of a head-spinning diplomatic dance.

Such a meeting was unthinkable just months ago when Trump and Kim were exchanging insults and threats that raised fears + of war in the region. But a series of diplomatic overtures involving North Korea, South Korea and the United States reduced tensions and led Trump in March to quickly accept Kim's invitation to meet.

Trump initially touted the potential for a grand bargain with North Korea to rid itself of a nuclear missile programme that has advanced rapidly to threaten the United States, insisting he would swiftly achieve what previous US administrations have failed to do.

But he has since lowered expectations, saying the talks would be more about starting a relationship with Kim for a negotiating process that would take more than one summit. This has included backing away from an original demand for North Korea's swift denuclearisation.

Kim has given little sign of any willingness to dismantle his nuclear programme, which experts believe he sees a vital to the survival of his family's dynastic rule.
However, Trump and his aides insist that a US-led "maximum pressure" campaign of the toughest-ever economic sanctions, diplomatic action and military threats is what has drawn Kim to the negotiating table.

After Kim Kardashian's Appeal, Trump Commutes 63-Year-Old Woman's Life Sentence

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday commuted the life sentence of a woman for a first-time drug offence whose cause was taken up by celebrity Kim Kardashian West, and he is prepared to use his constitutional clemency powers to give relief to dozens more convicts, a White House source said.

Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old from Tennessee, has already served more than 20 years in prison on drug conspiracy and money laundering charges. Johnson "has been a model prisoner over the past two decades" White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

Sanders said that while "this administration will always be very tough on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance."

While Johnson was deserving of clemency, the manner in which her case was brought to Trump’s attention was unprecedented and raises fairness concerns, said Margaret Love, a lawyer who formerly served as the U.S. Pardon Attorney in the Justice Department.

"Never in history has this been done," Love said. Kardashian West personally lobbied Trump and also met with Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump who has spearheaded efforts at sentencing and prison reform for the administration.
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A White House official familiar with the clemency process said that Trump continues to examine the cases of people whom he believes have been victims of the criminal justice system.

Trump last week pardoned conservative commentator and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, convicted of making illegal campaign contributions. He pardoned the late heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson, controversial former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, a former top aide to then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

Trump is still considering pardoning lifestyle maven Martha Stewart, who was convicted in an insider trading case, and commuting the sentence of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, serving 14 years on felony corruption charges, along with several others, the White House official said.

Stewart and Blagojevich both have ties to Trump's former "Apprentice" TV shows, but the White House has denied that Trump is only considering pardons for well-known figures.

"President Trump saved Alice Johnson’s life today," said Brittany K Barnett, a lawyer for Johnson.

Most clemency requests are handled by the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney, which receives thousands of requests from prisoners every year, said Mark Osler, a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Applications are usually reviewed by multiple government attorneys before being shared with the president.

Did China just bribe Donald Trump to undermine national security?

Did the president of the United States just betray the nation’s security in return for a bribe from the Chinese government?

Don’t say that this suggestion is ridiculous: Given everything we know about Donald Trump, it’s well within the bounds of possibility, even plausibility.

Don’t say there’s no proof: We’re not talking about a court of law, where the accused are presumed innocent until proved guilty. Where the behavior of high officials is concerned, the standard is very nearly the opposite: They’re supposed to avoid situations in which there is even a hint that their actions might be motivated by personal gain.

Oh, and don’t say that it doesn’t matter one way or the other, because the Republicans who control Congress won’t do anything about it. That in itself is a key part of the story: An entire political party — a party that has historically wrapped itself in the flag and questioned the patriotism of its opponents — has become entirely complaisant in the possibility of raw corruption, even if it involves payoffs from hostile foreign powers.

The story so far: In the past few years ZTE, a Chinese electronics company that, among other things, makes cheap smartphones, has gotten into repeated trouble with the U.S. government. Many of its products contain U.S. technology — technology that, by law, must not be exported to embargoed nations, including North Korea and Iran. But ZTE was circumventing the ban.

Initially, the company was fined $1.2 billion. Then, when it became clear that the company had rewarded rather than punished the executives involved, the Commerce Department forbade U.S. technology companies from selling components to ZTE for the next seven years.

And two weeks ago the Pentagon banned sales of ZTE phones on military bases, following warnings from intelligence agencies that the Chinese government may be using the company’s products to conduct espionage.
All of which made it very strange indeed to see Trump suddenly declare that he was working with President Xi Jinping of China to help save ZTE — “Too many jobs in China lost” — and that he was ordering the Commerce Department to make it happen.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton introduce royal baby boy to the world

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, appeared on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's Hospital on Monday to introduce their new baby boy to the world.

Wearing a red dress with a white collar, Middleton looked in good health after giving birth to her as yet un-named prince, who is fifth in line to the throne.

Prince William, while getting into his car, said, "We're very happy but thrice worried now."
Prince William and Kate Middleton introduce royal baby boy to the world

The Kensington Palace, which is currently the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, also posted pictures of Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their third child.
Prince William and Kate Middleton introduce royal baby boy to the world

Earlier, Prince William took Prince George and Princess Charlotte to the St Mary's Hospital to meet their little brother.
Prince William and Kate Middleton introduce royal baby boy to the world

Two-year-old Princess Charlotte waved happily to crowds outside the Lindo Wing on her way to meet her little brother. READ MORE