Trump blasts Pakistan 'deceit' in first tweet of the year


President Donald Trump has accused Pakistan of lying and deceiving the United States while receiving billions of dollars in foreign aid.
In his first tweet of the year, he also alleged Pakistan harboured terrorists.
Pakistan reacted angrily to the tweet, saying all the funding was accounted for and that Mr Trump was bitter due to the "US defeat in Afghanistan".
The US is considering withholding more than $250m (£185m) in aid that it delayed sending to Islamabad in August.
The move is being considered due to Pakistan's perceived failure to crack down more effectively on terror groups, The New York Times reports.
"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools," Mr Trump wrote.
He added: "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!"
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif told Pakistan's Geo TV: "We have already told the US that we will not do more, so Trump's 'no more' does not hold any importance,"Pakistan is ready to publicly provide every detail of the US aid that it has received."‏
US Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale was summoned to the foreign officeon Monday to hear a protest over Mr Trump's tweet.
Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan tweeted that the US had given Pakistan "nothing but invective & mistrust".
Mr Trump has criticised Pakistan for offering a "safe haven" to terrorists in the past.
In a speech in August, he said: "We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting."
"It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order, and to peace", he added.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also put pressure on Pakistan over its perceived backing for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The US is a key ally to the country, which enjoys a special status as a non-Nato alliance partner.
But Mr Tillerson has said aid funding "could be on the table for discussion if in fact they are unwilling to change their posture or change their approach to how they are dealing with the numerous terrorist organisations that find safe haven in Pakistan".
Pakistan has already had millions of dollars of US aid withheld for allegedly not taking enough action against the Taliban-allied Haqqani network.
The New York Times said US officials had been denied access to a member of the organisation who they believed could help with information on an American hostage.
The Afghan Ambassador to the US Hamdullah Mohib and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai both welcomed Mr Trump's latest tweet.
Mr Karzai said the tweet "on Pakistan's duplicitous position over the past 15 years is vindication that the war on terror is not in bombing Afghan villages and homes but in the sanctuaries beyond Afghanistan".

Time's Up: Women launch campaign to fight sexual harassment


More than 300 actresses, writers and directors have launched a project to help fight sexual harassment in the film industry and other workplaces.
The initiative, which is called Time's Up, was announced via a full-page advert printed in the New York Times.
The Hollywood project is described as a "unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere".
It comes in the wake of sexual abuse allegations by high-profile actresses against film producer Harvey Weinstein.

Legal funding

In a "solidarity letter" published on its website, Time's Up says the "struggle for women to break in, to rise up the ranks and to simply be heard" must end, adding: "Time's up on this impenetrable monopoly."
The letter, which is aimed at "every woman... who has had to fend off sexual advances", goes on to say that such harassment can often continue because "perpetrators and employers never face any consequences".
The campaign, which is backed by hundreds of actresses including Natalie Portman, Reese Witherspoon, Cate Blanchett, Eva Longoria and Emma Stone, has already raised more than $13m (£9.6m) of its $15m target.
The money raised will be used to fund legal support for both female and male victims of sexual harassment at work.
The project is aimed primarily at those who are unable to meet the payments to defend themselves, such as agricultural or factory workers, caretakers and waitresses.
It also calls for "gender inequality and the imbalance of power" to be addressed, stressing the need for more women to gain positions of authority and parity of pay.
In December, Time magazine named "the Silence Breakers" - women and men who spoke out against sexual abuse and harassment - as its "Person of the Year" for 2017.
Last year also saw the rise of the #MeToo hashtag, which inspired a global movement of women and men to share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment.
The term gained momentum after actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter to ask victims of sexual assault to come forward in a show of solidarity.


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