Trump says 80,000 pages of unredacted files on JFK assassination to be released today

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Washington, March 18 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said that he will release 80,000 pages of unredacted files related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy (JFK) on Tuesday.

“We’re going to be releasing the JFK files, and that would be tomorrow,” Trump told reporters at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., where he attended a board meeting, Xinhua news agency reported.

“You got a lot of reading. I don’t believe we’re going to redact anything. I said, just don’t. But we’re going to be releasing the JFK files,” Trump said.

“People have been waiting for decades for this,” Trump added.

When asked if there would be a summary of the 80,000 pages of files, Trump replied, “No.”

JFK, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a motorcade. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the murder, yet numerous conspiracy theories about the circumstances of Oswald’s dramatic death two days after the assassination remain prevalent even today.

In 1992, Congress required that all documents related to the assassinations be made available to the public within 25 years, by October 26, 2017.

In his first term as president starting January 2017, Trump accepted proposed redactions from executive departments and agencies, but ordered the continued re-evaluation of those remaining redactions.

Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, issued subsequent certifications concerning these records in 2021, 2022, and 2023, which gave agencies additional time to review the documents and withhold information from public disclosure.

Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said on June 30, 2023 that 99 per cent of records associated with JFK’s assassination were available for public consumption through the National Archives and Records Administration.

On January 23, Trump signed an executive order to declassify any remaining files from the assassinations of former President JFK, his brother Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK).

–IANS

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20 Ethiopian migrants killed as boat capsizes off Yemen: IOM

Aden, Jan 22 (IANS) A total of 20 Ethiopian migrants, including nine women and 11 men, were killed when their boat capsized off the southern Yemeni coast over the weekend, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported.

The vessel, carrying 35 Ethiopian migrants along with a Yemeni captain and his assistant, reportedly departed from the Hammarta area in Djibouti and capsized on Saturday night “amid strong seasonal winds” near Al-Hajjajah in Dubab District, Taiz Governorate, the IOM said in a statement, adding that the survivors have successfully reached the shore.

“This tragedy is a grim reminder of the treacherous conditions migrants endure in their search for safety and a better life,” the statement quoted IOM’s Chief of Mission in Yemen Abdusattor Esoev as saying.

“The international community must strengthen its resolve to address the root causes of irregular migration and prioritise the protection and dignity of migrants,” Esoev said.

Yemen’s coastal waters are among the world’s most dangerous. According to IOM statistics, more than 60,000 migrant arrivals in Yemen were documented in 2024 alone, reports Xinhua news agency.

Since 2014, 3,435 deaths and disappearances have been recorded along the Eastern Route, including 1,416 lives lost to drowning.

On Tuesday, a Yemeni government official, speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, confirmed that “the incident occurred days ago” and said that dozens of people had died, without providing specific casualty figures.

In another significant development, the IOM commended the Ethiopian Statistical Service (ESS) and 13 government institutions involved in migration data-generating for signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and data-sharing protocol on 15 January.

The Ethiopian Statistical Service, the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labor and Skills, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, the Ethiopian Diaspora Service, the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission, the Ethiopian National ID Program, the Immigration and Citizenship Service, and the Refugees and Returnees Service were among the key institutions that formalised this agreement with the ESS.

–IANS

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KT Rama Rao moves High Court to quash ACB case in Formula E race

Hyderabad, Dec 20 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former minister K.T. Rama Rao has approached the Telangana High Court, seeking orders to quash the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) case booked against him for alleged corruption in organising the Formula E race.

Rama Rao filed a lunch motion petition before the Justice Shravan Kumar Bench.

The petitioner requested that the petition be taken up for hearing after lunch.

The ACB on Thursday registered a case against Rama Rao for alleged misuse of government funds in conducting Formula E race in Hyderabad last year when BRS was in power.

The First Information Report (FIR) was registered under Sections 13(1)(A) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Sections 409 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code.

It is alleged that on the direction of then industry minister Rama Rao, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority paid Rs.55 crore to a foreign company in violation of RBI guidelines.

The payments were reportedly made without obtaining approvals from the Cabinet or the Finance Department.

The ACB named Rama Rao as accused number one in the FIR and IAS officer and then HMDA Commissioner Arvind Kumar and former HMDA Chief Engineer BLN Reddy have been named as accused number two and three respectively.

The ACB registered the FIR a few days after Governor Jishnu Dev Varma gave permission to try Rama Rao on a request made by the state government.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday night, Rama Rao denied the allegations and revealed details of the transaction.

Rama Rao said it was a fact that HMDA paid Rs.55 crore to organisers while the organisers also confirmed that they received Rs.55 crore.

He asked the state government to explain where was the corruption in this transaction. Accusing the government of political vendetta, the BRS leader claimed that the Formula E Race held last year was an attempt to enhance the brand image of Hyderabad and Telangana.

Recalling that the Formula-E Race was contracted for four seasons on October 25, 2022, the former minister said the intention was to make Telangana a hub for Electric Vehicles (EV).

Rama Rao clarified that the HMDA had adhered to legal provisions, and funds were transparently transferred through government bank channels.

He emphasised that Hyderabad had gained global recognition through the Formula E event, attracting significant investments in the EV sector.

However, the state government’s inept handling of the situation caused reputational damage to Hyderabad and Telangana on the international stage.

Accusing the government of filing baseless and politically motivated cases to divert public attention from its administrative failures, he said that he was not afraid of anybody and that he would face the case legally.

–IANS

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Fiji Airways resumes commercial flights to quake-hit Vanuatu

Suva, Dec 23 (IANS) Fiji Airways restarted commercial passenger operations to Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu, on Monday, after days of suspension following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Vanuatu on December 17.

According to Fiji Airways, the aircraft carried 98 passengers, including a Fiji government relief team, returning Vanuatu nationals and residents as well as aid workers, with a payload of assistance goods onboard.

Also on board was a Fiji Airways ground team to service the aircraft at Port Vila and prepare for its return journey.

The Fijian national carrier resumed its normal schedule on Monday afternoon and further services will be operated on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The earthquake in Vanuatu last week killed at least 14 people, injured more than 200 and caused widespread damage, with homes flattened and vehicles destroyed.

A Fiji military team was sent to Vanuatu as part of Fiji’s broader commitment to support neighbouring nations in times of crisis, as the country stands in solidarity with Vanuatu during its recovery from the devastating earthquake.

Earlier On December 21, Port Vila International Airport said that it will reopen on Sunday commercial airline operations, which had been suspended following a 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Vanuatu.

Airports Vanuatu Limited, owner and operator of Port Vila International Airport, made the announcement on Saturday via its social media account.

The company encouraged stranded passengers both in Vanuatu and abroad to contact relevant airlines to confirm details of their travel plans.

“Our certified aviation infrastructure engineers have completed a thorough inspection of all our airport pavements and have certified them as safe for operations having sustained no damage from the recent earthquake,” Airports Vanuatu said, adding that aviation fuel supplied at Port Vila Airport is also not contaminated based on assessments conducted by fuel specialists.

The devastating earthquake has caused dozens dead, with more than 200 others injured.

Airports Vanuatu said the country’s capital city, Port Vila, is still recovering from the devastating earthquake, with intermittent disruptions to utilities, communications and various services ongoing.

–IANS

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