US writer alleges Trump raped her in mid-1990s
WASHINGTON: An advice columnist for Elle fashion magazine said in an account published Friday that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a New York department store more than two decades ago.
Trump reacted with a statement saying he'd never met his accuser, E. Jean Carroll, and that the incident "never happened."
According to Carroll, the rape occurred in either 1995 or 1996, when Trump was a prominent real estate developer and she was a well-known magazine writer and host of a television show.
The account, revealed in an excerpt of Carroll's latest book and published Friday by New York magazine, makes her at least the 16th woman to have accused Trump of sexual misconduct before he became president.
Carroll, 75, says she ran into Trump at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan while they were both shopping.
She says that in an initially friendly encounter, Trump asked her for advice on buying a piece of lingerie for an unnamed woman. Then jokingly, they each suggested that the other should try it on.
"The moment the dressing-room door is closed, he lunges at me, pushes me against the wall, hitting my head quite badly, and puts his mouth against my lips," Carroll wrote.
Pinning her against the wall, Carroll says, Trump proceeded to pull down her tights, unzip his pants and penetrate her -- all while himself fully dressed -- until she finally managed to push him out and run from the dressing room.
Carroll never went to the police because, she said, she was afraid of repercussions.
Carroll wrote that she did not come forward sooner because she was afraid of "receiving death threats, being driven from my home, being dismissed, being dragged through the mud."
"Joining the 15 women who've come forward with credible stories about how the man grabbed, badgered, belittled, mauled, molested and assaulted them, only to see the man turn it around, deny, threaten, and attack them, never sounded like much fun," she wrote.
Trump shot back that Carroll was an attention seeker.
"I've never met this person in my life. She is trying to sell a new book --that should indicate her motivation," he said in a statement. "It should be sold in the fiction section."
He also said that New York magazine is a "dying publication" and had tried to "prop itself up by peddling fake news."
The magazine quoted a senior White House official saying that the accusation "was created simply to make the president look bad," while Trump asked if Carroll had links to his opponents in the Democratic party.
courtesy: Agence France-Presse
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India asks its nationals in Iran to leave by available means
New Delhi (PTI): India on Wednesday asked all its nationals residing in Iran to leave by available means and avoid any travel to the country as tensions mounted over possible military intervention by the US over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests that killed over 2,500 people.
In a fresh advisory, the Indian embassy in Tehran urged all Indians, including students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists, to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights.
According to estimates, a little over 10,000 Indians, including students, are currently living in Iran.
The mission also urged all Indian citizens and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) to exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations and stay in contact with the embassy.
It also urged the Indian nationals to have their travel and immigration documents, including passports, readily available. Indians living in Iran on resident visas were also advised to register with the embassy.
In case any Indian national is unable to register due to internet disruptions in Iran, their families in India are requested to do so, the mission said.
"In view of the evolving situation in Iran, Indian nationals who are currently in Iran (students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists) are advised to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights," the embassy said.
India's advisory came amid rising tensions in Iran and the region after Trump indicated military action if Tehran continues its crackdown on the protesters.
"If they hang them, you're going to see some things... We will take very strong action if they do such a thing," the US president told CBS News.
In a message to the protesters, Trump said on Tuesday that "help is on the way". The US president has already announced a 25 per cent tariff on countries having trade with Tehran.
The protests began late last month in Tehran after the Iranian currency rial plunged to record lows. The protests have since spread to all 31 provinces, evolving from an agitation against economic woes to a demand for political change.
Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) advised Indians to avoid travelling to Iran.
In view of the ongoing developments in Iran, Indian nationals are once again strongly advised to avoid travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice, it said.
In a previous advisory issued on January 5, the MEA urged its nationals to avoid non-essential travel to Iran.
It had also asked Indian citizens and PIOs residing in Iran to exercise due caution and avoid visiting areas of protests.
The overall situation in Iran in the last few days has deteriorated dramatically as the death toll from the nationwide protests has increased to over 2,500, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
