WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Senate’s Armed Services Committee, John McCain, has proposed $7.5 billion of new military funding for U.S. forces and their allies in the Asia-Pacific, where tensions have been rising over China’s territorial ambitions. The funds, $1.5 billion a year for five years to 2022, could be used to boost U.S. munitions stocks in the region, build new military infrastructure, such as runways, and to help allies and partner countries increase their capabilities, an aide to McCain and a U.S. military official said. The funding proposal was contained in a White Paper issued by McCain last week entitled “Restoring American Power.” His committee is expected to discuss it at a budget hearing on Tuesday. “Senator McCain believes the United States must sustain its enduring commitment to the security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region,” a spokesman for McCain, Dustin Walker, said.  “The Asia-Pacific Stability Initiative ... would ... make U.S. regional posture more forward-learning, flexible, resilient, and formidable,” he said. “These funds would boost operational military construction, increase munitions procurement, enhance capacity building with allies and partners, and expand military exercises and other training activities.” An official in the administration of new U.S. President Donald Trump, who took office on Friday, said he believed McCain’s proposal was “very much in general alignment with the administration’s goals in the region.”  Trump has vowed to take a tougher line with China and to build up the U.S. military, although it is unclear whether he will succeed in lifting caps on defense spending that have been part of “sequestration” legislation. A U.S. military official, who did not want to be identified, said the funds could go to construct new military runways in countries such as Australia and the Philippines and to make up a shortfall of munitions that the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, complained of last year. “There’s a shortfall in the total number of munitions and also a quality gap,” the official said, adding that more sophisticated missiles were needed in the region to counter China’s “anti-access, area-denial” strategy.  On Monday, the new U.S. administration raised the prospect of worsening tensions with China when it vowed to prevent Beijing from taking over territory in international waters in the South China Sea, something Chinese state media has warned would require Washington to “wage war.”

Summary: मैक्केन ने एशिया-प्रशांत के लिए 7.5 अरब डॉलर के नए अमेरिकी सैन्य वित्त पोषण का प्रस्ताव रखा है।


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia s main Labor opposition party said on Monday it was considering a legal challenge to more than 100 decisions made by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull s conservative government, after two of his cabinet ministers were expelled from parliament. Among the parliamentary votes in question was the government s defeat of a proposed wide-ranging inquiry into Australia s scandal-hit banking sector. A powerful inquiry into Australia s banks, which are under fire after scams involving money-laundering, misleading financial advice, insurance fraud and interest-rate rigging, was approved by the upper house Senate this year, but fell one vote short of passing the lower house. The government lost its one-seat lower house majority on Friday when a court ruled Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was ineligible to sit in parliament as he had held dual citizenship when elected, in contradiction to the constitution. Former cabinet colleague Fiona Nash, along with three other politicians, were also expelled. The ruling has cast doubt over the validity of parliamentary votes Joyce and Nash have cast, said Tanya Plibersek, acting leader of the Australian Labor Party  We re going to look at all of our options,  Plibersek said on Monday in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.  We are very concerned about the fact that Barnaby Joyce has been voting at a time when he shouldn t have been in the Federal Parliament and we narrowly lost votes because of that.  Joyce has said many of those decisions were made by cabinet collectively rather than himself personally and so ought to remain valid. Plibersek said legal challenges could be mounted by anyone aggrieved by the government s decisions. She flagged challenging a narrowly-won vote that cut Sunday pay rates for some workers, as well as decisions taken by Joyce and Nash in their capacity as ministers. That includes a decision to relocate a government department headquarters to Joyce s electorate and decisions on water-rights allocation and the rollout of a national fast-internet scheme.    Constitutional law academic George Williams said the issue was not so clear cut.  It s certainly uncharted waters,  said Williams, Dean of Law at the University of New South Wales. The court would  look very carefully  in particular at decisions taken since August, when Joyce and Nash realized they may be dual nationals.  It s not clear what the result would be,  he said. The Australian constitution bars politicians with dual citizenship from being elected to the national parliament. Both Joyce and Nash said they were not aware they held dual citizenship and have since renounced their New Zealand and British citizenships, respectively. Turnbull s minority government now relies on three independent lawmakers to remain in office. Joyce is expected to win a by-election for his seat on Dec. 2, which would restore the government s one-seat majority.

Summary: ऑस्ट्रेलियाई मंत्रियों के निष्कासन ने 100 से अधिक सरकारी फैसलों पर संदेह पैदा कियाः विपक्षी लेबर


ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Outlining a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, U.S. President Donald Trump chastised Pakistan over its alleged support for Afghan militants - an approach analysts say will probably not change Pakistan’s strategic calculations and might push it in directions Washington does not want it to go. Trump’s call for India to play a greater role in Afghanistan, in particular, will ring alarm bells for Pakistan’s generals, analysts said. “Trump’s policy of engaging India and threatening action may actually constrain Pakistan and lead to the opposite of what he wants,” said Zahid Hussain, a Pakistani security analyst. Trump criticised Pakistan for providing “safe havens to terrorist organisations” and warned Islamabad it had much to lose by supporting insurgents battling the U.S.-backed Kabul government. “It is kind of putting Pakistan on notice,” said Rustam Shah Mohman, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Kabul, predicting a bumpy road ahead for relations. Trump did resist some advisers’ calls to threaten to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism unless Islamabad pursued senior leaders of the Afghan Taliban and the allied Haqqani network. “Pakistan should not be reassured by this speech, but it could have gone a lot worse for them,” said Joshua White, a National Security Council director under former President Barack Obama.  “There were voices within the administration who wanted to move more quickly and aggressively to declare Pakistan not just a problem, but effectively an enemy.” In Washington, a senior administration official said on Tuesday that significant measures were under consideration, including possibly sanctioning Pakistani officials with ties to extremist organizations. The official spoke on condition of anonymity. Pakistan’s powerful military has not commented on Trump’s speech, but the day before it denied any militants had havens in the country.     The Pakistani government said Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif met with the U.S. ambassador on Tuesday and would speak in coming days with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “on the state of play in the bilateral relationship as well as the new U.S. policy on South Asia”.  Successive U.S. administrations have struggled with how to deal with nuclear-armed Pakistan. Washington fumes about inaction against the Taliban, but Pakistan has been helpful on other counterterrorism efforts, including against al Qaeda and Islamic State militants. The United States also has no choice but to use Pakistani roads to resupply its troops in landlocked Afghanistan. U.S. officials worry that if Pakistan becomes an active foe, it could further destabilise Afghanistan and endanger U.S. soldiers. Daniel Feldman, a special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan under Obama, said the Obama administration found it more effective to pressure Islamabad over safe havens “in private than in public, and to keep the long-standing Indo-Pak rivalry from playing out in Afghanistan”. Hussain, the security analyst, said Trump on Monday “crossed a red line” as far as Pakistan was concerned when he implored India to deepen its involvement in Afghanistan. Relations between Pakistan and the United States have endured strain during the 16-year war in Afghanistan, especially after al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces inside Pakistan in 2011.   The Obama administration had already begun trimming military aid to Pakistan. Last year, the Pentagon decided not to pay $300 million in pledged military funding, and Congress effectively blocked a subsidised sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan. Analysts say Trump is likely to further curtail military aid  to pressure Pakistan. But any effort to isolate Pakistan would face problems from China, which has deepened political and military ties to Islamabad as it invested nearly $60 billion in infrastructure in Pakistan. China on Tuesday defended Pakistan after Trump’s remarks, saying its neighbour was on the front line in the struggle against terrorism and had made “great sacrifices” and “important contributions” in the fight. Mohman, the former ambassador, said if the United States kept putting pressure on Pakistan, then Islamabad would drift farther from the American sphere of influence. “We have options,” he said. “We can go to China and Russia, and I think the U.S. can’t afford that.”

Summary: पाकिस्तान के 'आतंकवादियों "के पनाहगाहों पर कड़ी बात करते हैं ट्रंप, लेकिन विकल्प कम


BEIJING (Reuters) - China has denied responsibility for alleged cyber attacks in the United States appearing to target exiled tycoon Guo Wengui, who has levelled corruption allegations against senior Communist Party officials and applied for political asylum. The Ministry of Public Security said in a statement provided to Reuters on Sunday an investigation had found  no evidence  of Chinese government involvement in the alleged cyber attacks. The law enforcement agency said China had also provided the U.S. government with evidence that Guo, who has applied for political asylum in the United States, fabricated documents used to support his claims. It said China would make an official request for U.S. authorities to investigate the matter.  The falsified official documents and the false information he fabricated are sensational and outrageous,  the ministry said in a rare English-language statement. Guo denied the documents were forged and said the Ministry of Public Security s statement should not be believed. The Washington-based Hudson Institute think tank was scheduled to host Guo last Wednesday in a rare public appearance, but canceled the event the day before without explanation.  The event would have coincided with the visit of an official Chinese delegation to the U.S. capital for a high-level law enforcement and cyber security dialogue between the two countries.  The Hudson Institute said it had detected a Shanghai-based attack aimed at shutting down access to its website several days earlier. The suspected attack was raised by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a meeting with China s Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun on Wednesday, a Department of Justice spokesman told Reuters on Sunday.  China had  pledged to cooperate , the spokesman said. However, the New York-based Guo Wengui said:  Just because the Ministry of Public Security said China didn t do it doesn t make it true.   Why did the U.S. raise it in their meeting?  he told Reuters. Guo Wengui applied for U.S. political asylum in September, but said this week the law firm representing him, Clark Hill PLC, had backed out after being targeted by Chinese hackers.  Clark Hill lawyer Thomas Ragland, who lodged the asylum claim, confirmed he was no longer representing Guo Wengui, without elaborating. Guo Wengui held a news conference at the National Press Club on Thursday, after his Hudson event was called off, where he produced what he claimed were  top secret  official documents showing China had sent secret agents into the United States. China s Ministry of Public Security said the documents shown by him were  clumsily forged  and  full of obvious mistakes . Guo Wengui has made wide-ranging corruption allegations against senior Communist Party leaders through a daily stream of Twitter and YouTube posts since the start of the year, which he says are aimed at disrupting a key five-yearly Communist Party congress that begins next week. The Chinese government has been seeking to discredit Guo Wengui, who is the subject of an Interpol red notice issued at Beijing s request, as a criminal suspect who should not be trusted.

Summary: चीन ने निर्वासित टाइकून गुओ को लक्षित करने वाले संयुक्त राज्य अमेरिका में कथित साइबर हमलों के लिंक से इनकार किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus said on Thursday his group could not yet support the bill to roll back Obamacare in the House of Representatives, saying the measure still lacked the support needed for passage. “We’ve made very reasonable requests and we’re hopeful that those reasonable requests will be listened to and ultimately agreed to,” Representative Mark Meadows told reporters after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. “There are not enough votes as of 1:30 (p.m.) today,” he said.

Summary: स्वास्थ्य सेवा विधेयक पर अभी कोई समझौता नहीं हुआ हैः हाउस फ्रीडम कॉकस के अध्यक्ष


CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela s government and opposition will resume efforts to hold dialogue, the third attempt in a year by the administration of President Nicolas Maduro and his adversaries to break up a bitter political stalemate. Previous dialogue efforts have ended in recriminations  between the two sides and no concrete progress amid a dire economic crisis that has led to increased malnutrition and preventable diseases.  Opposition leaders said that even though Maduro has previously used the talks to stall for time instead of implementing serious reform, a new round would still be needed to help ensure free and fair presidential elections, which are currently scheduled for 2018.   We have developed relations in Latin America so that in the company of friendly countries and governments, we can facilitate the conditions for a presidential election,  Julio Borges, president of the opposition-led National Assembly, told a news conference.  The opposition in September walked away from dialogue with the ruling Socialist Party, insisting the government had not met demands including the release of imprisoned opposition activists and mechanisms to allow foreign humanitarian assistance. Legislator Luis Florido, spokesman for the opposition in the dialogue process, said the opposition would seek a new elections council and would push for presidential elections. He added that Paraguay, Mexico and Chile would accompany the process. Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said via Twitter,  the dialogue continues on Nov 15 in the Dominican Republic.  The two sides in September held  exploratory meetings  with the backing of Dominican President Danilo Medina.

Summary: वेनेजुएला सरकार और विपक्ष बातचीत के प्रयास फिर से शुरू करेंगे


TOKYO (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy carrier Ronald Reagan is conducting drills with Japanese warships in seas south of the Korean peninsula, Japan s military said on Friday, in a show of naval power as Pyongyang threatens further nuclear and missile tests. The Reagan strike group will conduct a separate drill with the South Korean Navy in October, the defense ministry said in a statement distributed to South Korean lawmakers on Monday.  The 100,000-ton Reagan, which is based in Japan, and its escort ships have been holding drills with Japanese navy vessels since Sept 11 in waters south and west of Japan s main islands, the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force said in a statement.  That exercise with the three Japanese warships, including two destroyers and one of the country s two biggest helicopter carriers, the Ise, will run until Sept 28, it added.  The U.S. and regional allies are responding with military drills, including bomber and jet fighter flights near the Korean peninsula, as Pyongyang pursues its nuclear and missile programs, with an apparent hydrogen bomb test and two ballistic missile firings over Japan in recent weeks.  North Korea on Friday said it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to destroy the country.

Summary: उत्तर कोरियाई तनाव के बीच जापानी नौसेना के साथ अमेरिकी नौसेना वाहक अभ्यास


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit aimed at stopping AT&T Inc from buying movie and TV show provider Time Warner Inc will be heard by District Court Judge Richard Leon, according to a court filing on Tuesday. Leon, who was nominated to the court by President George W. Bush, is no stranger to high-profile cases. In the 1990s, he worked on House of Representatives panels looking at the Iran-Contra affair and the Whitewater controversy.

Summary: एटी एंड टी-टाइम वार्नर सौदे के खिलाफ अमेरिकी मुकदमे के लिए नए न्यायाधीश को नियुक्त किया गया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats argued over the best way to rebuild U.S. infrastructure - a high priority of President Donald Trump - with no agreement in sight following skirmishes on Tuesday between the two parties. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected a new, detailed $1 trillion proposal unveiled by Democrats that would rely heavily on new government spending. That came shortly after Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said his party could not accept the tax credit mechanism Trump has proposed to fuel the rebuilding of roads, bridges, sewers, airports and other public works. Schumer vowed to oppose any plan by Trump that would rely on “tax credits for developers” to spur rebuilding U.S. infrastructure. Trump earlier on Tuesday signed an executive action to expedite environmental approvals for high-priority infrastructure projects. That prompted Schumer to warn that Democrats would work to include environmental protections in any infrastructure measure that moves through the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promptly lambasted the Democrats’ proposal. “I don’t think we ought to borrow almost $1 trillion and plus-up a bunch of federal accounts, incur a lot of additional debt and don’t build any projects to speak of,” McConnell said, comparing the plan to President Barack Obama’s 2009 economic stimulus legislation that Republicans opposed. Democrats argue that an investment plan relying on developer tax credits would fail to generate enough construction and would result in the creation of too many toll roads to finance costs over the long term. Instead, Senate Democrats are seeking heavy investments by the government, including $210 billion to rebuild roads and bridges, $110 billion for water and sewage projects, $180 billion for rail and bus systems and $75 billion to rebuild schools. McConnell’s support would be essential to any infrastructure measure succeeding in Congress. Trump campaigned throughout last year on a promise to pursue a $1 trillion infrastructure program, which would come at a time when major public works projects are crumbling. The economy, however, also faces a shortage of the skilled workers needed to build roads, bridges, airports and other facilities.

Summary: बुनियादी ढांचागत योजनाओं को लेकर रिपब्लिकन और डेमोक्रेट में तकरार


HARARE (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen accused of attempting to subvert President Robert Mugabe s government was released from Zimbabwe s maximum security jail on Friday, a day after the High Court ordered her to be freed on bail, Reuters witnesses said. Judge Clement Phiri ruled on Thursday that there was a  patent absence of facts  in the state s case against 25-year-old Martha O Donovan, whose arrest last week centered on accusations she insulted 93-year-old Mugabe in a Twitter post. She denies the accusation. Reuters witnesses saw O Donovan leaving prison in a United States embassy vehicle. O Donovan and her lawyers did not speak to reporters waiting outside Chikurubi Maximum Prison on the outskirts of Harare. State prosecutors accuse O Donovan of writing a Twitter post in October calling Mugabe a  selfish and sick man .  The government has since last year been targeting activists and government critics who use social media to speak out against Mugabe, cash shortages in banks and a foreign currency crunch that has caused a sharp rise in prices. Amnesty International said it feared O Donovan would not be the last to be arrested in the government s  clamp down on social media platforms .  Activist pastor Evan Mawarire, whose #ThisFlag movement last year organized the biggest stay-at-home demonstration in a decade, is on trial on a charge of subversion. He faces a separate trial for a similar offence.

Summary: जिम्बाब्वे में विध्वंस के आरोपों का सामना कर रहे अमेरिकी नागरिक को जेल से रिहा किया गया


LONDON (Reuters) - British counter-terrorism police said they had arrested a woman on Wednesday under the Official Secrets Act. The 65-year-old woman was contracted to carry out work for a government department, they added, without elaborating. She was being held at a south London police station while officers searched an address in north London. No further details were immediately available.

Summary: ब्रिटेन की आतंकवाद-रोधी पुलिस ने आधिकारिक गुप्त अधिनियम के तहत महिला को गिरफ्तार किया


LONDON (Reuters) - British lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of legislation to sever political, financial and legal ties with the European Union at its second reading, allowing the bill to move to the next stage of the parliamentary process. The opposition Labour Party, which said several clauses in the legislation amount to a  power grab  by government, opposed the bill but would have needed to convince EU supporters in the governing Conservatives to side with them to vote it down. After more than eight hours of debate on Monday, lawmakers voted by 326 to 290 in favor of the EU withdrawal bill, which will now go on to face days of line-by-line scrutiny.

Summary: ब्रिटेन के सांसदों ने दूसरी रीडिंग में यूरोपीय संघ से वापसी विधेयक का समर्थन किया


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal and state prosecutors said on Thursday they would not bring criminal charges against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio or his aides in two simultaneous year-long investigations into his fundraising practices. But the mayor’s conduct was criticized by prosecutors, with Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance saying de Blasio’s fundraising for other Democratic candidates in 2014 appeared to violate the “intent and spirit” of state campaign finance laws. The decisions are a victory for de Blasio, who was dogged by questions about the probes as he prepared to run for re-election this year. It is unusual for prosecutors to announce the conclusion of criminal inquiries. In a statement, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim in Manhattan said it was done “in order not to unduly influence the upcoming campaign and mayoral election.” At a news conference, de Blasio said the statements confirmed he and his administration had acted lawfully. He dismissed questions pointing out that prosecutors criticized his actions despite deciding not to pursue a case. “I do not agree with some of the characterizations,” he said. “What matters is the fact that this was extensively investigated for a year, and no charges have been brought.” U.S. prosecutors had probed whether the de Blasio administration gave favors to donors who contributed either to his campaign or to a nonprofit organization set up to promote his political agenda. In a statement, Kim said his office had investigated “several circumstances” in which the mayor or his associates contacted or directed agencies on behalf of donors. The decision not to prosecute, Kim said, was made based on several factors, including “the particular difficulty in proving criminal intent in corruption schemes where there is no evidence of personal profit.” Vance’s office separately examined whether de Blasio steered campaign contributions to county committees in order to sidestep New York state campaign finance limits. In a 10-page letter to the state Board of Elections, whose own inquiry led to his investigation, Vance detailed how de Blasio and his allies sought to help Democrats win a majority in the state Senate in 2014. Wealthy donors were encouraged to give to county committees rather than individual candidates because the limits are much higher for the committees. The money then flowed from the committees to individual candidates, often within days. While each individual transaction appeared lawful, the overall effect was to evade campaign finance law by creating an “end run” around contribution limits, Vance said. But Vance said the transfers were approved by an election law attorney working with the coordinated campaign. Under the law, an individual who acts on the advice of an attorney is typically shielded from prosecution. The conclusion not to bring charges “is not an endorsement of the conduct at issue,” wrote Vance. Though City Hall was spared, the investigations have previously uncovered multiple unrelated schemes, including some involving high-ranking police officials. The federal probe was initially centered on two businessmen, Jona Rechnitz and Jeremy Reichberg, who helped raise money for de Blasio in 2013 and 2014. Reichberg and several police officials were charged in June with a bribery scheme involving prostitutes and luxury trips. Rechnitz had already pleaded guilty in secret and cooperated with investigators. His assistance also helped prosecutors build a case against the once-powerful head of the city’s correction officers union, Norman Seabrook, who was charged alongside a hedge fund financier with secretly investing union pension funds in exchange for kickbacks. In yet another fraud linked to the probe, U.S. prosecutors charged two police officers and a Brooklyn man, Alex Lichtenstein, in a bribery scheme involving gun licenses. He was sentenced to more than 2-1/2 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty. Another peripheral figure, restaurateur Hamlet Peralta, was charged last year with running a $12 million Ponzi scheme in a case that grew out of the probe. Several high-ranking police officials have been disciplined as a result of the investigation into Rechnitz and Reichberg.

Summary: धन उगाहने की जांच में न्यूयॉर्क के मेयर पर कोई आरोप नहीं-अभियोजक


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump, who has raised eyebrows by mulling his power to pardon as investigators probe possible ties between his 2016 election campaign and Russia, used his authority in a less controversial way on Tuesday to “pardon” a Thanksgiving turkey. Joined by his wife, Melania, and their son, Barron, Trump entered the Rose Garden for the annual presidential tradition and granted freedom to a large white bird named Drumstick. Americans traditionally feast on turkey, stuffing and other delights on the Thanksgiving holiday, which takes place this coming Thursday, but Drumstick and his pal Wishbone were granted a reprieve. “I’m pleased to report that, unlike millions of other turkeys at this time of the year, Drumstick has a very, very bright future ahead of him,” Trump said. The Republican president couldn’t resist referring to his predecessor, former Democratic President Barack Obama, who pardoned two turkeys named Tater and Tot last year. “As many of you know, I have been very active in overturning a number of executive actions by my predecessor,” Trump quipped. “However, I have been informed by the White House Counsel’s Office that Tater and Tot’s pardons cannot, under any circumstances, be revoked.” The turkeys will live at an enclosure at a nearby university, Virginia Tech. Allegations of potential ties between Trump’s presidential campaign and Moscow have loomed over the White House and investigations are ongoing. Trump and Moscow have denied collusion. In a message on Twitter in July, Trump noted that as president he had “complete power to pardon.”

Summary: ट्रम्प ने वार्षिक धन्यवाद परंपरा में टर्की को माफ कर दिया


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday he had serious concerns over escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and that it was essential to avert new conflict in the region.  We are indeed very worried, and we hope we won t see an escalation,  the United Nations chief told reporters.  It is essential that no new conflict erupts in the region, it could have devastating consequences.  Guterres said he had  very intense  contacts yesterday with Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and other countries in the region.  His comments come amid a deepening crisis between the two Middle Eastern nations that has thrust tiny Lebanon between Saudi Arabia and the region s other powerhouse, Iran. Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia accused Lebanon of declaring war against it, citing aggression by the Iran-backed Lebanese Shi ite group Hezbollah. On Friday, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accused Saudi Arabia of declaring war on Lebanon and Hezbollah. In the midst of the conflict is Saad al-Hariri, Lebanon s former prime minister, who unexpectedly resigned his post over the weekend. Lebanese authorities have said he is being held against his will in Saudi Arabia, a charge that Riyadh has denied.

Summary: संयुक्त राष्ट्र प्रमुख सऊदी-लेबनान तनाव से 'बहुत चिंतित' हैं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress moved swiftly on Thursday to undo Obama-era rules on the environment, corruption, labor and guns, with the Senate wiping from the books a rule aimed at reducing water pollution. By a vote of 54-45, the Senate approved a resolution already passed in the House of Representatives to kill the rule aimed at keeping pollutants out of streams in areas near mountaintop removal coal-mining sites.  The resolution now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it quickly. It was only the second time the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to stop newly minted regulations in their tracks, has been used successfully since it was passed in 2000. The Senate then turned to an equally controversial rule requiring mining and energy companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron to disclose taxes and other payments they make to governments at home and abroad. Democrats, who cannot filibuster the resolution, attempted to slow the process by pushing debate late into the night, with a vote scheduled for shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Friday. Republicans are using their control of Congress and the White House to attack regulations they believe hurt the economy. They cast the stream protection rule as harming industry and usurping state rights. “The Obama Administration’s stream buffer rule was an attack against coal miners and their families,” said the top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell, adding it had threatened jobs in his home state of Kentucky. Environmental activists and many Democrats said it would have made drinking water safer by monitoring for pollutants such as lead. “Given that many of these toxins are known to cause birth defects, developmental delays, and other health and environmental impacts, this basic monitoring provision was essential,” said Jeni Collins, associate legislative representative for environmental group Earthjustice. The coal industry hopes the repeal will lead Trump to overturn a moratorium by former President Barack Obama’s administration on some coal leases. Senator Joe Manchin, who represents West Virginia, historically coal country, was one of the few Democrats who supported killing the rule. He told CNN more than 400 changes had been made to the regulation as it was drafted. “There’s nobody in West Virginia that wants dirty water and dirty air, but you can’t throw 400 different regulations ... on top of what we already have and expect anyone to survive,” he said. Also on Thursday, the House on Thursday overturned Obama administration rules addressing pay discrimination at federal contractors and requiring expanded background checks for gun purchasers who receive Social Security benefits and have a history of mental illness. It plans on Friday to kill a measure addressing methane emissions on public lands. The Senate will then take all three up. The Senate is also targeting rules enacted in the final months of Obama’s administration for extinction. Senator David Perdue, a Republican from Georgia, introduced on Wednesday a resolution for killing one intended to protect users of gift and prepaid cards. Under the Congressional Review Act, lawmakers can vote to undo regulations with a simple majority. Agencies cannot revisit overturned regulations. Timing in the law means any regulation enacted since May is eligible for repeal. The House already approved a resolution ending the rule that requires oil companies to publicly state taxes and payments, which is part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.  Republicans and some oil and mining companies say the rule is burdensome and costly and duplicates other long-standing regulations. Supporters of the rule see it as vital for exposing bribery and questionable financial ties U.S. companies may have with foreign governments, as well as showing shareholders how their money is spent.

Summary: अमेरिकी कांग्रेस द्वारा कोयला शासन को मार दिया गया, अन्य चॉपिंग ब्लॉक के पास


(Reuters) - New Zealand s two main parties are neck and neck in opinion polls after the appointment of a charismatic leader boosted the opposition Labour Party, threatening the governing National Party s decade-long hold on power. The election is on Sept 23. Below are the main parties  positions on key issues: ECONOMYNew Zealand s once booming economy is facing some capacity constraints. Unemployment is at an eight-year low and a labor shortage, most noticeably in construction, threatens to curb growth. Both main parties plan to be fiscally prudent and maintain a budget surplus, but would differ on monetary policy. National plans to cut net debt to 10-15 percent of GDP by 2025, while Labour and the Green Party both plan to cut it to 20 percent of GDP within five years of taking office. Labour proposes adding full employment to the existing inflation mandate of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which economists say could lead to easier monetary policy and fuel longer-term inflation. To form a government, National may be more dependent on New Zealand First, which favors greater currency intervention - something New Zealand has been reluctant to do in the past. National is planning to adjust tax thresholds, or effectively deliver tax cuts, from April 2018 to boost family income. Labour wants to do away with National s planned tax cuts and boost tax credits and subsidies. New Zealand s house prices have risen more than 50 percent in the past decade as the construction industry failed to keep up with demand from a growing population, fueled by record migration and an increasing number of New Zealanders staying home. Labour criticizes National for leaving the housing crisis unresolved after nine years in government. It wants to ban overseas buyers from purchasing existing homes and build 100,000 affordable homes over 10 years. It also plans to create a housing authority to speed up residential development. National questions Labour s ability to build so many houses while curbing immigration. It plans to make NZ$1 billion available to speed up the development of 60,000 houses. New Zealand First wants to ban foreign non-residents from owning a home in New Zealand, except in particular cases, and to  provide government assistance for first-home buyers. The Green Party wants to provide 10,000 new houses over 10 years for low-income groups through a rent-to-buy scheme. The National Party tightened eligibility criteria this year for immigration and believes current levels of immigration are about right to meet the economy s needs. Labour plans to reduce net immigration by up to 30,000 from record levels of over 70,000 annually and to charge every visitor a NZ$25 fee, which would be ring-fenced for a NZ$75 million infrastructure fund. The Greens want to review immigration policy to make sure migrants match the skills employers need, in line with Labour s policy. New Zealand First wants to curb immigration by ensuring New Zealand workers have the first chance at jobs and by capping the number of older migrants. National wants to expand New Zealand s international trade. Among other plans, it wants to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, launch a free trade deal with the European Union and Britain post-Brexit and upgrade its free trade agreement with China. Labour wants to reconsider New Zealand s role in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact if provisions on foreign investment are not changed to allow the New Zealand government to restrict investment into the country. New Zealand First wants to renegotiate the TPP.

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः न्यूजीलैंड 2017 चुनाव-मुख्य दल और नीतियाँ


ERBIL, Iraq/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Iraq s Kurds will go ahead with a referendum on independence on Monday because their partnership with Baghdad has failed, Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani said on Sunday, shrugging off international opposition to the vote. In response, the Iraqi government asked the autonomous Kurdish region to hand over control of its international border posts, its international airports and called on foreign countries to stop importing Kurdish crude oil. It asked  the neighboring countries and the countries of the world to deal exclusively with the federal government of Iraq in regards to entry posts and oil,   according to a statement from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi s office. The United States and other Western powers have urged Kurdish authorities in the oil producing region to cancel the vote, arguing that it distracts from the fight against Islamic State. Turkey and Iran have also kept up the pressure to stop the vote, with presidents Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani speaking by phone and expressing concern that it will  bring chaos in the region , according to Erdogan s office. Barzani, at a news conference at his headquarters near Erbil, dismissed the worries of Iraq s neighbors, committing to respect laws on international boundaries and not seek to redraw the region s borders.  We will never go back to the failed partnership  with Baghdad, he said, adding Iraq had become a  theocratic, sectarian state  and not the democratic one that was supposed to be built after the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The vote, expected to result in a comfortable  yes  to  independence, is not binding and is meant to give the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) a mandate to negotiate secession with Baghdad and the neighboring countries. Barzani said Iraq s Kurds would seek talks with the Shi ite-led central government to implement the expected  yes  outcome, even if they take two years or more, to settle land and oil sharing disputes ahead of independence. Abadi s government in Iraq regards the referendum as anti-constitutional and in a televised address on Sunday he said it  could lead to ethnic divisions, exposing (the Iraqis) to disastrous dangers that only God knows.  Earlier, Iranian authorities stopped air traffic to Iraqi Kurdistan s international airports at Erbil and Sulaimaniya in response to a request from Baghdad, Fars News Agency said.      Iran also started war games at the Kurdish border. Speaking by telephone with Abadi, Iran s Rouhani voiced support for Iraq s national unity and territorial integrity, the state news agency IRNA reported.  Iran fully supports Iraq s central government,  Rouhani was quoted as telling Abadi. On Saturday, Turkey s parliament voted to extend by a year a mandate authorizing the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq and Syria. Turkey has also vowed political, economic and security steps without specifying what they are, but Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim reinforced the message on Sunday. Turkey is the transit route of all crude exported by the landlocked Kurdistan region of Iraq.  Turkey will never ever tolerate any status change or any new formations on its southern borders,  he said in a speech in the capital Ankara.  The KRG will be primarily responsible for the probable developments after this referendum.  But Barzani said Ankara  won t benefit  economically should it close the border with Iraqi Kurdistan.  Tehran and Ankara fear the spread of separatism to their own Kurds. Iran also supports Shi ite groups who have been ruling or holding key security and government positions in Iraq since the U.S-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein. Barzani said Kurds will  keep extending their hand  to Iran and Turkey, even if they do not reciprocate. He said he recently met in the Kurdish region Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani, who came to convince him to delay the vote. The KRG has resisted calls to delay the referendum by the United Nations, the United States and Britain who fear it could     lead to unrest in disputed areas like multi-ethnic oil-rich Kirkuk, as well as distracting from the war on Islamic State. But the Iraqi Kurds say the vote acknowledges their crucial contribution in confronting Islamic State after it overwhelmed the Iraqi army in 2014 and seized control of a third of Iraq. Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who control Kirkuk were given instructions not to respond to any provocation meant to disrupt the vote, but they will defend the region if attacked from outside, he said. The U.S. embassy in Iraq warned its citizens that there might be unrest during the referendum, especially in disputed areas like Kirkuk, also claimed by the Iraqi central government. The Iranian military drills, part of annual events held in Iran to mark the beginning of the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, were launched in the Oshnavieh border region, according to Iranian State broadcaster IRIB. Turkey s military said on Sunday its aircraft launched strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq s Gara region on Saturday after spotting militants preparing to attack Turkish military outposts on the border.

Summary: कुर्द स्वतंत्रता मत के साथ बने हुए हैं, 'कभी बगदाद नहीं लौटेंगे': बरजानी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will host Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House of Representatives’ top Democrat Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday night to discuss tax reform and other items on the legislative agenda, the White House said. The president will meet the two top Democrats “for bipartisan discussions on the upcoming legislative agenda, with a focus on tax reform,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Summary: कर सुधार पर शूमर, पेलोसी के साथ काम करना चाहते हैं ट्रंपः व्हाइट हाउस


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Pakistan s cooperation in securing the release of a U.S.-Canadian couple and their children who had been held by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network signaled a new respect for the United States by Islamabad.  The Pakistani government s cooperation is a sign that it is honoring America s wish that it do more to provide security in the region,  Trump said at a White House event.  They worked very hard on this and I believe they are starting to respect the United States again.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने कहा कि उनका मानना है कि पाकिस्तान ने फिर से अमेरिका का सम्मान करना शुरू कर दिया है


MADRID (Reuters) - Spain s northeastern region of Catalonia, hit last week by two Islamist militant attacks which killed 15 people, is to deploy more police, install bollards in Barcelona and step up security around stations and tourist landmarks. The aim is to strike a balance between security and not overloading residents with restrictions.  We re looking at introducing (street) obstacles that could be mobile,  Joaquin Forn, who is in charge of home affairs in Catalonia, told a news conference on Wednesday. A van plowed into crowds of holidaymakers and local residents on Barcelona s crowded Las Ramblas boulevard last Thursday, killing 13 people. Two others were killed during the driver s getaway and in a separate attack in Cambrils. The Barcelona rampage reignited a row over how cities can better prevent such attacks. Militants have used trucks and cars as weapons to kill nearly 130 people in France, Germany, Britain, Sweden and Spain over the past 13 months. Catalan authorities may also erect some permanent barriers and turn some streets into pedestrian-only thoroughfares, Forn said. The regional capital, which receives around 30 million visitors a year, is home to several landmarks designed by architect Antoni Gaudi, including the towering Sagrada Familia. Forn added that some 10 percent more police would be deployed. Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attacks in Catalonia, issued a video via one of its official channels on Wednesday showing two of its fighters making threats in Spanish against Spain, interspersed with images of the aftermath of the Barcelona attack. One fighter pledged to avenge Muslim blood spilled by the Spanish Inquisition, established in 1478, and what he said was the killing Spain was currently engaged in against Islamic State. This was an apparent reference to Iraq, where Spain has several hundred soldiers training local forces in the fight against Islamic State. Investigators are still looking into whether the suspects behind last week s attacks had links to France or Belgium and are examining their movements over recent weeks as they look for connections to possible cells elsewhere in Europe.  The car used in the attack in Cambrils, south of Barcelona, was caught on camera speeding in the Paris region days earlier.  We are still trying to establish why they were in the Paris area,  French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told reporters at a joint news conference in Paris with his Spanish counterpart on Wednesday.  Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido said France and Spain would continue to reinforce border checks and step up information exchanges, including of passenger information in real time. One of the suspects has said the leader of the militant group was an imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, who died a day before the Barcelona attack when a house the group was using to build bombs blew up. Court officials in Spain s Valencia region said on Wednesday that Spain had issued an expulsion order against Es Satty after he served a four-year jail term for drug-trafficking but that this was annulled by a court in 2015 after Es Satty appealed. The judge at the time overturned the expulsion order partly because Es Satty had employment roots in Spain which he said  shows his efforts to integrate in Spanish society.   A dozen Islamist militants suspected of involvement in the plot were either killed or arrested. A judge on Tuesday ordered two suspects jailed, one remained in police custody pending further investigation and a fourth was freed with conditions.

Summary: घातक हमलों के बाद बार्सिलोना ने सुरक्षा और स्वतंत्रता को संतुलित किया


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia accused the West on Thursday of  whipping up hysteria  over large-scale military exercises underway in eastern Europe and denied charges that they were being conducted with a lack of transparency. The exercises, codenamed "Zapad", or "West", started on Thursday and will last until Sept. 20. They are being conducted  on military ranges in Belarus, western Russia, Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad and in the Baltic Sea. (For graphic, click tmsnrt.rs/2iIkjEU)  We reject complaints of these exercises not being transparent,  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters.  We believe that whipping up hysteria around these exercises is a provocation.   It is a normal practice for any country to hold such exercises. Everything is being held in line with international law,  Peskov said. Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit one of the stages of these drills, he said.     NATO is closely watching the exercises and says they are larger than the 12,700 servicemen Moscow has publicized, actually numbering some 100,000 troops, and involve firing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Russia s defense ministry reiterated on Thursday that the exercises are of a purely defensive nature and are not a threat to any third country or group of countries. But NATO officials say the drills will simulate a conflict with the U.S.-led alliance intended to show Russia s ability to mass large numbers of troops at short notice in the event of a conflict. In a statement, the Pentagon said that while Russia and Belarus had taken some steps towards providing transparency, there were concerns about the official estimate of troop numbers.  We urge Russia to share information regarding its exercises and operations in NATO s vicinity to clearly convey its intentions and minimize any misunderstandings,  Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said in a statement.   In response to this uncertainty, the U.S. has built a joint, persistent rotational presence of air, land, and sea presence in the region to support our Allies,  she added. Amid allegations about Moscow s aggressive ambitions from its post-communist neighbors, Russia s defense ministry has said that it does not intend to use the drills as a springboard to attack Lithuania, Poland or Ukraine. Moscow says it is the West that threatens stability in eastern Europe, because NATO has put a 4,000-strong multinational force in the Baltics and Poland. Russia s defense ministry said the current drills involve some 7,200 troops from Belarus and 5,500 from Russia, up to 70 aircraft and helicopters, up to 680 units of military hardware, including 250 tanks, up to 200 artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers and mortars, and up to 10 warships.

Summary: क्रेमलिन ने पश्चिम पर रूसी युद्ध खेलों को लेकर 'उन्माद फैलाने' का आरोप लगाया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former FBI Director Robert Mueller on Wednesday was named special prosecutor into an investigation of “Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election, and related matters,” the Justice Department said.

Summary: एफबीआई के पूर्व प्रमुख मुलर को ट्रम्प-रूस जांच के लिए विशेष अभियोजक नामित किया गया


DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Argentine President Mauricio Macri said on Friday U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump was a “very tough negotiator”. The new leader of Argentina, who was sworn in as president in December, also told Reuters that Venezuela was not respecting human rights.

Summary: अर्जेंटीना के राष्ट्रपति ने ट्रम्प को 'बहुत कठिन वार्ताकार' कहा


TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, stung by a meager fundraising haul compared with that of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, predicted on Friday his campaign would draw “staggering” numbers this summer. Supporters have voiced concern he will not have enough money to finance his campaign for the Nov. 8 presidential election. Trump had $1.3 million in cash to start the month, compared with rival Democrat Hillary Clinton’s $42 million war chest. “The numbers are going to be, I think, quite staggering, especially in July,” Trump, a New York real estate developer, said at a news conference in Turnberry, Scotland, where he reopened a golf resort. He said he had only begun fundraising in earnest a few weeks ago and that the numbers, especially for small donations, had been “amazing.” Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s top fundraiser, told CNBC on Thursday that in the past week the campaign had raised about $10 million together with the Republican Party at fundraising events. He said Trump also raised $6 million through online donations. [L1N19F0VD] Trump said on Friday the July report “will show you some pretty massive numbers.” Trump also has suggested he could use more of his personal wealth to help win the White House.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने व्हाइट हाउस की बोली के लिए 'चौंका देने वाले' जुलाई के धन उगाहने की भविष्यवाणी की


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who has refused to accept Saad Hariri s resignation as prime minister unless Hariri returns from Saudi Arabia, welcomed comments from Hariri that he plans to come home soon, palace sources and visitors said on Monday. Hariri, who threw Lebanon into political crisis by reading out his resignation on Nov. 4 from Riyadh, gave his first public remarks since then in an interview late on Sunday, saying he planned to return within days. He suggested he could even withdraw his resignation, provided the Shi ite group Hezbollah   allied to Saudi Arabia s regional rival Iran   renounces interference in conflicts across the Middle East. The crisis has thrust tiny Lebanon   where Sunni, Shi ite, Christian and Druze groups with backing from regional powers fought a 1975-1990 civil war   to the forefront of the rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran being played out on battlefields from Syria to Yemen.  Aoun has said he believes Hariri does not have free control over his own movements while in Saudi Arabia, and that this casts doubt on any statements Hariri makes. Nevertheless those close to Aoun said the president welcomed Hariri s comments.  President Aoun expressed his pleasure at Hariri s announcement of his return to Lebanon soon,  a source said. Aoun said that Hariri was  leaving all doors open including rescinding his resignation , according to one of a group of visitors who met Aoun. The visitors declined to be identified while discussing the closed-door conversations. The visitors quoted Aoun as saying that Hariri s remarks showed that the political deal underpinning Lebanon s coalition government   which includes both Hariri s Sunni party and the heavily armed Shi ite movement Hezbollah   still stands. Aoun has been convening high level meetings with Lebanese politicians and diplomats since Hariri stepped down, and the visitors said the president believed that Hariri s comments showed such efforts were working. Nearly 24 hours after Hariri s interview, which appeared on a TV station he owns, Hezbollah had still not commented on his remarks. Hezbollah s allies in Iran said Hariri s remarks gave hope he would return to Lebanon. In his resignation speech Hariri, whose father, also a former prime minister, was killed by a bomb in 2005, said he feared assassination. He said in his interview eight days later that he was free to leave Saudi Arabia but that his movements were also guided by concern for his family s safety. Hariri s Future Movement political party said on Monday it saw his plan to return to Beirut within days as a  good sign  and a step on the road to repairing Lebanon s foreign relations.  In a televised statement, Future Movement lawmaker Ammar Houri said it supported Hariri s statement that Lebanon should stay out of regional conflicts and reject Iran s interference. Saudi Arabia denies that it coerced Hariri into resigning or has kept him from leaving. It has accused Lebanon of declaring war on it because of Hezbollah, and has advised Saudi citizens to leave Lebanon. Hezbollah says it was the Saudis who have declared war on Lebanon. Hariri s comments encouraged a recovery on Monday in Lebanese dollar bonds, which slumped last week.

Summary: लेबनान के राष्ट्रपति ने हरीरी की वापसी की योजना का स्वागत किया


BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union s budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger said on Thursday he expected German parties exploring a three-way  Jamaica  coalition government to strike a deal, warning that a failure of talks would damage Europe and strengthen populists.  There will be a Jamaica coalition ... nobody wants new elections,  Oettinger told a business conference in Berlin. The possible three-way alliance Chancellor Angela Merkel is trying to form is also called a  Jamaica coalition  because the parties  colors match those of the Caribbean country s flag. The Social Democrats (SPD), the second biggest party in the Bundestag lower house after Merkel s conservatives bloc, have decided to rebuild their forces in opposition after suffering their worst election result since 1933.

Summary: जर्मन गठबंधन वार्ता की विफलता लोकलुभावन लोगों को मजबूत करेगीः यूरोपीय संघ के ओटिंगर


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - An international investigation into who is to blame for chemical weapons attacks in Syria will end on Friday after Russia blocked for the third time in a month attempts at the United Nations to renew the inquiry, which Moscow has slammed as flawed.  In the past two years, the joint U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry has found the Syrian government used the nerve agent sarin in an April 4 attack and has also several times used chlorine as a weapon. It blamed Islamic State militants for using mustard gas. Russia vetoed on Friday a Japanese-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the inquiry for one month. It was an eleventh-hour bid to buy more time for negotiations after Russia blocked U.S.-drafted resolutions on Thursday and Oct. 24 to renew the investigation, which the council created in 2015. Syrian ally Russia has cast 11 vetoes on possible Security Council action on Syria since the country s civil war began in 2011. The Japanese draft received 12 votes in favor on Friday, while China abstained and Bolivia joined Russia to vote no. After Friday s vote, the council moved to closed-door discussions at the request of Sweden s U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog to  ensure we are absolutely convinced we have exhausted every avenue, every effort  to try and renew the investigation. After a brief discussion, Italian U.N. Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, council president for November, told reporters:  The council will continue to work in the coming hours and days, constructively, to find a common position.  Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council earlier on Friday that the inquiry could only be extended if  fundamental flaws in its work  were fixed. He said that for the past two year the investigators had  rubber-stamped baseless accusations against Syria.  The council voted on a rival Russian-drafted resolution on Thursday to renew the inquiry, but it failed after only garnering four votes in favor. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Russia, Britain or China to be adopted.   Russia is wasting our time,  U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the council on Friday.  Russia s actions today and in recent weeks have been designed to delay, to distract and ultimately to defeat the effort to secure accountability for chemical weapons attacks in Syria,  Haley said. While Russia agreed to the creation of the inquiry two years ago, it has consistently questioned its work and conclusions. The April 4 sarin attack on Khan Sheikhoun that killed dozens of people prompted the United States to launch missiles on a Syrian air base. Haley warned on Thursday:  We will do it again if we must.  Despite the public deadlock and war of words between the United States and Russia at the United Nations, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said on Thursday that President Donald Trump believed he could work with Russian President Vladimir Putin on issues like Syria. Syria agreed to destroy its chemical weapons in 2013 under a deal brokered by Russia and the United States.

Summary: रूस द्वारा संयुक्त राष्ट्र के नवीनीकरण को फिर से अवरुद्ध करने के बाद सीरिया की विषाक्त गैस जांच समाप्त हो जाएगी


MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - For a country still in mourning and counting its dead from Tuesday s devastating earthquake, Frida the Navy rescue dog has emerged as a source of inspiration and pride in the search for survivors. Known for her custom-made doggy goggles and boots, the 7-year-old yellow Labrador has become a social media star, appearing on one man s tattoo and the unofficial image of a 500-peso note. Some posts have wildly exaggerated her feats. In her career, Frida has located 12 people alive beneath the rubble plus more than 40 others dead, more than any other Mexican rescue dog, the Navy said. She has put her nose to work in disasters such as an earthquake in Ecuador last year, another one in southern Mexico two weeks ago, a landslide in Guatemala in 2015 and a Mexico City gas explosion in 2013. Her credits for the most recent disaster has not been tallied yet, said Navy Captain Armando Segura, because she is still busy trying to save lives. The 7.1-magnitude quake has killed nearly 300 people, and rescuers were still digging through some of the 52 buildings that collapsed in Mexico City alone. Frida has spent most of her efforts at a school in southern Mexico City where 19 school children and six adults died, but 11 more children were rescued. As one of the of the country s most trusted institutions, the Mexican Navy has a wider role than most armadas, including a canine unit that has two other dogs, a pair of 18-month-old Belgian shepherds, Echo and Evil. Mexico s army also has rescue dogs digging through the debris of damaged buildings, and a dog named Maya from the Jalisco state government was credited with finding two dead bodies on Thursday. The United States and Chile have also brought rescue dogs for the Mexican quake. None can match the fame of Frida.  It s a source of pride to work with Frida. She s a very, very special dog,  said Israel Arauz, her handler for the past two years. Frida only has about a year left as a life-scent dog before her olfactory senses are expected to decline, after which she will retire to live with Arauz.

Summary: बचाव कुत्ता फ्रिडा मैक्सिकन भूकंप के नायक के रूप में उभरा


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama commuted the prison sentences of 330 federal inmates, particularly drug offenders, on Thursday, making his quest to reduce what he viewed as overly harsh punishments one of his final acts in office. Obama leaves the White House on Friday, when Republican President-elect Donald Trump will succeed him. The commutations were the most done in a single day, the White House said, and brought the total number of sentences reduced by Obama to 1,715. “The vast majority of these men and women are serving unduly long sentences for drug crimes,” White House counsel Neil Eggleston said in a statement. The move means Obama has granted more commutations than any other U.S. president in history and, Eggleston said, surpassed the number granted by the past 13 presidents combined. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates said the Office of the Pardon Attorney had processed more than 16,000 petitions since a clemency initiative was launched in April 2014. “By restoring proportionality to unnecessarily long drug sentences, this Administration has made a lasting impact on our criminal justice system,” she said. Stymied by Congress in efforts to pass comprehensive criminal justice reform, Obama focused on reducing the sentences of drug offenders who would have served less time if convicted under current laws. Eggleston said he hoped the people whose sentences were commuted would set an example for others. “As the President has written to you, your example will influence whether someone in similar circumstances will get his or her own second chance in the future,” he said.

Summary: ओबामा ने पद छोड़ने से पहले 330 लोगों की जेल की सजा को कम किया


LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria s president said on Wednesday the government had started bringing stranded citizens home from Libya after a global outcry over reports that migrants there were being sold into slavery. Muhammadu Buhari s comments came days after CNN aired footage that appeared to show men being auctioned as farm hands in Libya after being smuggled across the Sahara. Libya s U.N.-backed government has said it is investigating.     The situation in Libya, of people being sold into slavery, is appalling and unacceptable. We will do everything to protect our citizens wherever they might be,  Buhari wrote on his Twitter account. Nigeria had  started bringing back home all Nigerians stranded in Libya and elsewhere,  he added. The U.N. s International Organization for Migration said 239 Nigerians flew home from Tripoli on Tuesday.  It has said Nigerian migrants risk exploitation, detention and abuse as they head north to Libya, hoping to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Summary: नाइजीरिया ने गुलामी के डर से प्रवासियों को लीबिया से घर भेजा


MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Britain s junior Brexit minister said on Monday he was hopeful that EU negotiators would agree to move on to discuss future relationships in October, even after the head of the European Commission said it would take  miracles  for that to happen.   I am very hopeful that everyone will see the mutual advantage  of moving on to a discussion of the future relationship in October,  Steve Baker told an event at the Conservative Party s annual conference.  Britain has been seeking to push the talks beyond the terms of the divorce and on to future ties, including trade, at a European meeting later in October. But Jean-Claude Juncker appeared to dash those hopes when he said last week that the first stage of talks had not made enough progress.

Summary: ब्रिटेन को अभी भी भविष्य के संबंधों पर यूरोपीय संघ की वार्ता को आगे बढ़ाने की उम्मीद हैः कनिष्ठ मंत्री


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tensions among Republicans about President Donald Trump boiled over on Tuesday as two senators accused Trump of debasing U.S. politics and the country’s standing abroad, a rebellion that could portend trouble for his legislative agenda. The extraordinary public criticism of the president from Jeff Flake and Bob Corker further strained what had already been a fraught relationship between Trump and fellow Republicans as they try to enact tax reform and other policy items. In an emotional speech on the Senate floor, Flake repeatedly targeted Trump’s style of governing, saying American politics had become “inured” to “reckless, outrageous and undignified” behavior from the White House. “The instinct to scapegoat and belittle threatens to turn us into a fearful, backward-looking people,” said the Arizona lawmaker, who announced he would not run for re-election next year. “I will not be complicit or silent,” Flake said. Trump, via Twitter, has been unrelenting in his criticism of Corker and Flake, accusing them of supporting Democratic priorities, and using sometimes slashing language, such as his dismissal of Corker as “liddle Bob Corker.” By announcing he will be leaving when his term ends in early 2019, Flake effectively freed himself up to speak his mind, without having one eye on voter reactions in his home state.  A Morning Consult survey conducted Sept. 24 to Oct. 24 said Flake had an approval rating in Arizona of 30 percent. Corker, who has also said he is not running for re-election in Tennessee, accused Trump of telling falsehoods that could be easily proven wrong and willfully damaging the country’s standing in the world, eviscerating the president with comments that stirred deepening divisions in the Republican Party. “You would think he would aspire to be the president of the United States and act like a president of the United States, but that’s not going to be the case apparently,” Corker told reporters. “I’ve seen no evolution in an upward way. In fact, I would say, he’s almost devolved.” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders dismissed the comments from Flake and Corker and said Trump wanted senators who could make progress on his policy goals. “He wants people to be in the Senate that are committed to actually moving the ball down the field, and I don’t think these two individuals necessarily have been as focused on that,” she told reporters. Republican congressional leaders who have learned to tread carefully amid controversies surrounding Trump, largely stayed on the sidelines of the latest fight. “We’re going to concentrate on what our agenda is and not any of these other distractions that you all may be interested in,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan played down Corker’s criticism of Trump, urging reporters to “put this Twitter dispute aside.” Great American Pac, a pro-Trump political group, declared victory over Flake and sent out a fund-raising appeal. “Senator Flake wisely decided to give up on his own terms rather than fight a losing battle for re-election and have the voters retire him at the ballot box next year,” said the group’s top strategist, Ed Rollins. The president is seeking to build consensus around proposed tax cuts. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but hold just a 52-48 majority in the Senate. Securing passage of his tax-cut plan is critically important to Trump, who has yet to get major legislation through Congress since taking office in January. Trump visited the Capitol on Tuesday for a policy lunch that was described by participants as productive. Over the summer, Trump pilloried Senate Republicans - as a group and some by name - after they failed to generate sufficient votes to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, one of his top presidential campaign promises. The dollar lost ground on news that Flake would not seek re-election because it added to investor worries about the fate of the tax plan, which has widely been seen as a potential boost to American companies. It recovered after a Bloomberg report that Trump asked senators at a closed-door lunch whom they would support to become the next Federal Reserve chairman. Bloomberg quoted one senator as saying that John Taylor, viewed in the markets as an inflation hawk, got the most votes. Trump has also provoked the ire of another respected senior Republican, Senator John McCain, whose war record he mocked during last year’s campaign. Last week, former Republican President George W. Bush, who has kept a low profile since leaving office in January 2009, took a thinly veiled swipe at Trump in a speech in which he decried “bullying and prejudice” and denounced anti-immigrant sentiment.

Summary: पार्टी में कलह बढ़ने पर दो रिपब्लिकन सीनेटरों ने ट्रंप को लताड़ा


VIENTIANE (Reuters) - (Note: paragraphs 1, 6 and 19 contain language that may offend some readers) New Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte sought to defuse a row with the United States on Tuesday, voicing regret for calling President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch”, a comment that prompted Washington to call off a bilateral meeting. The tiff between the two allies overshadowed the opening of a summit of East and Southeast Asian nations in Vientiane, Laos. It also soured Obama’s last swing as president through a region he has tried to make a focus of U.S. foreign policy, a strategy widely seen as a response to China’s economic and military muscle-flexing. Diplomats say strains with longtime ally the Philippines could compound Washington’s difficulties in forging a united front with Southeast Asian partners on the geostrategic jostle with Beijing over the South China Sea. Duterte has bristled repeatedly at criticism over his “war on drugs”, which has killed about 2,400 people since he took office two months ago, and on Monday said it would be “rude” for Obama to raise the question of human rights when they met. Such a conversation, Duterte told reporters, would prompt him to curse at Obama, using a Filipino phrase “putang ina” which can mean “son of a bitch” or “son of a whore”. He has previously used the epithet against Pope Francis, although he later apologized, and the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines. After Washington called off Tuesday’s bilateral meeting between Obama and Duterte in response to his latest comment, the Philippines issued two statements expressing regret and also briefed reporters. “President Duterte explained that the press reports that President Obama would ‘lecture’ him on extrajudicial killings led to his strong comments, which in turn elicited concern,” the Philippines government said in a statement. “He regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy,” it added. “He expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations.” Obama’s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said the focus on Duterte’s comments leading into the summit had not created a constructive environment for a bilateral meeting. “All of the attention frankly was on those comments, and therefore not on the very substantive agenda that we have with the Philippines,” he told reporters. Officials from both countries said there would be no formal meeting rescheduled in Laos but a short conversation between the two presidents was possible.  Instead of the Duterte meeting, Obama held talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, a day after North Korea fired three medium-range missiles into the sea. He urged a full implementation of sanctions against North Korea, adding that the missile test demonstrated the threat that Pyongyang posed. Obama is also likely to hold an unscheduled meeting in Laos with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss North Korea, Rhodes said. He said Washington needed to maintain a sense of urgency within the international community on sanctions against Pyongyang.  Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos, said on Tuesday he wanted to address the legacy of U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War. He announced that Washington would provide an additional $90 million over three years to help clear unexploded ordnance, which has killed or wounded over 20,000 people.  But the unusually open tensions between the United States and the Philippines, its former colony, threaten to overshadow the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Summits in Laos, which run until Thursday. The 10-member ASEAN will also meet leaders of other regional powers: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia and the United States. Duterte won the presidency in May after promising to suppress crime and wipe out the illegal drug trade in a country where the number of methamphetamine users is estimated to be at least 1.3 million in a population of 100 million.  About 900 people linked to drugs have been killed in police operations since July 1 and a further 1,500 have been classified as “deaths under investigation”, a term human rights activists in the Philippines say is a euphemism for extrajudicial killings. Duterte has poured scorn on critics of his uncompromising campaign, usually larding it with curses.  He lambasted the United Nations after it criticized the surge in killings and he turned down a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the Laos summit. He has accused a senator heading an inquiry into the killings of getting payoffs from drug lords. Manila has been aligned with the United States in its dispute with China over the South China Sea, in which Washington blames Beijing for militarizing a vital global trade route and jeopardizing freedom of movement at sea and in the air. China rejects those accusations and accuses the United States of ratcheting up tensions unnecessarily. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims. An arbitration court in The Hague in July invalidated China’s territorial claims after a case was brought by the Philippines, a ruling Beijing refuses to recognize. Duterte said last month he expected all ASEAN members to support the arbitration court’s ruling, but that the Philippines would not raise the issue in Laos.

Summary: ओबामा के अपशब्दों के बाद तनाव को शांत करने के लिए फिलीपींस लड़खड़ा रहा है


(Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday released details of a 429-page tax bill that calls for slashing taxes on corporations, along with many other changes affecting individuals, families and businesses. Based on publicly released documents and comments from Republican lawmakers, here are the bill’s main features, which are expected to change as the tax debate unfolds in weeks ahead.  * Permanently reduces the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 20 percent from a current statutory rate of 35 percent, a change that is in line with initial Republican proposals.  * Dramatically reshapes the tax system for U.S. multinational corporations. Worldwide taxation of their foreign profits would end. A territorial tax system exempting those foreign profits from the corporate tax would be imposed.  * Gives multinationals a tax break on $2.6 trillion in profits they have stashed offshore on a tax-exempt basis. The measure would require those profits to be brought into the United States, or repatriated, but not at the full 35-percent corporate tax rate that would normally be due. Instead, those profits would be taxed at only 12 percent for cash assets and 5 percent for illiquid assets. Repatriation tax due under the proposal would be payable over eight years. * Imposes a new 10-percent minimum tax on U.S. companies’ high-profit foreign units, calculated on a global basis, to discourage shifting profits abroad.  * Proposes a tax on foreign companies operating in the United States of up to 20 percent on payments made abroad from U.S. operations. Companies could lower those taxes by putting more operations in the U.S. tax system. * Repeals the 20 percent corporate alternative minimum tax.  ‘PASS-THROUGH’ BUSINESSES * Caps the maximum tax rate on small businesses and other non-corporate enterprises to 25 percent, down from the present maximum rate on “pass-through” income of 39.6 percent. * Sets standards for distinguishing between individual wage income and actual pass-through business income to prevent tax-avoidance abuse of the new, lower tax level. * Allows immediate and full expensing of capital investments by businesses. * Allows businesses to deduct interest costs up to 30 percent of taxable income. Exempts from this rule businesses with average gross receipts of $25 million or less. Certain public utilities and “real property trades” are also exempted. * Preserves the research and development tax credit. * Phases out tax credits for solar, geothermal and wind power. * Consolidates three higher education tax credits into a single credit. * Ends tax-exempt bonds for professional sports stadiums. * Ends deductions for employee entertainment and recreation activities, as well as other fringe benefits. * Consolidates the number of tax brackets from seven to the following: zero tax on income up to $24,000; 12 percent up to $90,000; 25 percent up to $260,000; 35 percent up to $1 million; and 39.6 percent over $1 million. That top bracket is the same as the present level and was added to the bill after critics hammered Republicans’ original proposal to cut the top rate. * Increases the standard deduction for taxpayers to $12,000 from $6,350 for individuals, and to $24,000 from $12,700 for married couples. * Repeals the $4,050 individual personal exemption. * Preserves the home mortgage interest deduction for existing mortgages, but reduces the amount of interest that taxpayers can deduct from their taxes on new mortgages, capping it at $500,000. The cap is now $1 million. * Caps the deduction for state and local property taxes at $10,000. Repeals the deduction for state and local income and sales taxes, a measure that hurts high-income tax states, such as New York, New Jersey and California. * Retains popular retirement savings programs including the 401(k) and IRA pension plans. * Expands the child tax credit to $1,600 from $1,000, and establishes a new $300 credit for each parent and non-child dependent. Also preserves the child and dependent care tax credit. * Preserves the earned income tax credit. * Preserves the deduction for charitable giving. * Changes higher education benefits, such as college tuition, with further details not immediately available. * Repeals the individual alternative minimum tax on high-income taxpayers. * Doubles the exemption from the estate tax on inherited assets and repeals the tax over six years. * Adds $1.51 trillion to the federal budget deficit over a decade. The deficit is now about $700 billion a year. The national debt now exceeds $20 trillion.

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः ट्रम्प, हाउस रिपब्लिकन के कर बिल में क्या है?


MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (Reuters) - Seven satellite calls that Argentine officials detected recently believed to have come from a navy submarine missing in the South Atlantic have not helped to determine the vessel s location, a navy official said on Sunday.  We analyzed these signals, which as we know were  intermittent and weak,  said Gabriel Galeazzi, a naval commander.  They could not help determine a point on the map to help the search.

Summary: अर्जेंटीना की पनडुब्बी की खोज के लिए उपग्रह संकेत मददगार नहीं हैंः नौसेना अधिकारी


VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian conservatives led by Sebastian Kurz have reached a coalition deal with the anti-immigration Freedom Party, a source said on Friday, paving the way for Austria to become the only western European country with a far-right party in government. The deal, in the wake of an Oct. 15 parliamentary election dominated by Europe s migration crisis, brings the Freedom Party back into government for the first time in more than a decade. A person familiar with the talks confirmed that a deal had been reached shortly after it was initially reported by Austrian news agency APA.

Summary: ऑस्ट्रियाई रूढ़िवादी सुदूर दक्षिणपंथियों के साथ गठबंधन समझौते पर पहुंचेः सूत्र


PARIS (Reuters) - Venezuela s government and opposition will hold a round of talks in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, France s foreign minister said on Tuesday, warning Caracas that it risked EU sanctions if it failed to engage in negotiations.  Venezuela was convulsed for months by demonstrations against leftist President Nicolas Maduro, accused by critics of knocking the oil-rich country into its worst-ever economic crisis and bringing it to the brink of dictatorship.  I was happy to learn that dialogue with the opposition would restart tomorrow in the Dominican Republic,  Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement after meeting his Venezuelan counterpart, Jorge Arreaza Montserrat, in Paris.  Venezuela s Democratic Unity Coalition said it would send a delegation to meet with Dominican President Danilo Medina to discuss the conditions under which dialogue could be held, but denied that any talks as such had begun.  The invitation by (Medina) does NOT represent the start of a formal dialogue with the government,  the coalition said in a statement.  To begin serious negotiations, we demand immediate concrete actions that show true willingness to solve problems rather than to buy time.  The statement reiterated long standing opposition demands including the release of political prisoners, respect for the opposition-run congress and measures to ease a crippling economic crisis. Le Drian said Wednesday s meeting would involve Medina and former Spanish Prime Minister Jos  Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his full support for the talks.  The Secretary-General encourages the Venezuelan political actors to seize this opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to address the country s challenges through mediation and peaceful means,  U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Maduro routinely calls for dialogue with the opposition, but his adversaries see dialogue as a stalling mechanism that burnishes the government s image without producing concrete results. In a televised broadcast on Tuesday evening, he voiced renewed support for dialogue and said he was sending Socialist Party heavyweight Jorge Rodriguez to represent the government in the Dominican Republic.     A dialogue process brokered by Zapatero and backed by the Vatican in 2016 did little to advance opposition demands. Many Maduro critics believe opposition leaders were duped in that dialogue process, and have grown suspicious of Zapatero as an intermediary.  Like fellow-EU member Spain a few days earlier, Le Drian also warned Arreaza that if the situation continued there would be consequences.   I reminded him of the risk of European sanctions and the need to rapidly see evidence from Venezuela that it is ready to relaunch negotiations with the opposition and engage in a sincere and credible process,  he said.

Summary: फ्रांस का कहना है कि वेनेजुएला में वार्ता होगी, प्रतिबंधों की चेतावनी दी


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he did not know who was behind the hacking of U.S. Democratic Party organizations but the information uncovered was important, Bloomberg news agency reported on Friday. In an interview two days before a G20 meeting in China with U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders, Putin said it might be impossible to establish who engineered the release of sensitive Democratic Party emails but it was not done by the Russian government. “Does it even matter who hacked this data?” Putin said. “The important thing is the content that was given to the public.” “There’s no need to distract the public’s attention from the essence of the problem by raising some minor issues connected with the search for who did it,” he added. “But I want to tell you again, I don’t know anything about it, and on a state level Russia has never done this.” The hacked emails, released by activist group WikiLeaks in July, appeared to show favoritism within the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and prompted the resignation of the body’s chairwoman. A computer network used by Clinton’s campaign, and the party’s fundraising committee for the U.S. House of Representatives were also hacked. Clinton, who polls show as leading Donald Trump in the campaign for the U.S. presidential election in November, has said Russian intelligence services conducted a cyber attack against her party. Some officials have suggested Moscow is trying to influence the U.S. election. Putin dismissed the allegations. “We have never interfered, are not interfering and do not intend to interfere in domestic politics,” he said.  “We will carefully watch what happens and wait for the election results. Then we are ready to work with any American administration, if they want to themselves.” Relations between Russia and United States hit a post-Cold War low in 2014 over the Ukraine crisis, and Washington and Moscow have since clashed over diverging policies in Syria. Obama said in August he would discuss the cyber attack with Putin if Russia was responsible, but it would not “wildly” alter the two countries’ relationship. The U.S. election contest has been hard fought and frequently dominated by both candidates’ attitudes toward Russia. Clinton has rounded on her Republican rival Trump for his perceived praise of Putin and what she says is an “absolute allegiance” to Russia’s foreign policy aims. Trump, in return, has said Clinton’s own close ties to the Russian president deserve greater scrutiny. Putin said both candidates were using shock tactics and that playing “the anti-Russian card” was short-sighted. “I wouldn’t like for us to follow their example,” he said. “I don’t think they are setting the best example.”

Summary: पुतिन का कहना है कि उन्हें नहीं पता कि अमेरिकी डेमोक्रेटिक पार्टी को किसने हैक कियाः ब्लूमबर्ग


MUMBAI (Reuters) - For Grishma, an Indian software designer, President Donald Trump’s review of the visa programme for bringing highly skilled workers into the United States comes at a bad time. Fresh from gaining a master’s degree in Europe, and with an offer of employment from a well-known U.S. design firm, she was well on her way to fulfilling the ambition of many young Indian IT workers - a dream job in America. But as she waits in the H-1B visa queue for the green light, she is caught in a bind. “It’s a weird time to be applying, with all the scrutiny,” said Grishma, who gave only her first name for fear of jeopardizing her chances of getting a visa. The United States has already suspended the “expedited processing option” for applicants, under which she may have received a visa in weeks. More broadly, uncertainty over the review announced this week has unsettled Grishma and many others like her. She will have to wait until at least around August to learn her fate, but having accepted the U.S. job offer she is not in a position to apply for positions elsewhere, including in Europe. “It’s pretty debilitating,” Grishma told Reuters. “I’d like to start work to mitigate the financial damage.” Trump’s decision was not a huge surprise, given his election campaign pledge to put American jobs first. But the executive order he signed, though vague in many areas, has prompted thousands of foreign workers already in the United States or applying for visas to work there to re-think their plans. Companies who send them also face huge uncertainty. The concerns are particularly acute in India, where IT firms like Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd are top beneficiaries of the H-1B visa programme, using it to send computer engineers to service clients in the United States, their largest overseas market. Experts say Trump’s order to review visa processes is aimed at firms like TCS, Infosys and Wipro, which from 2005-14 snagged around 86,000 H-1B visas, roughly equivalent to the number of H-1B visas the United States issues in total each year. Two industry sources said Infosys, India’s No. 2 information technology (IT) services company, is applying for just under 1,000 H-1B visas this year, which one of the sources said was down from 6,500 applications in 2016 and some 9,000 in 2015. It was not clear whether the sharp reduction in 2017 was in direct response to Trump’s presidency, although the company has said for some time it wanted to cut dependence on “fly-in” staff. TCS, Infosys and Wipro said they would not share data on the number of H-1B visas they had applied for this year. With fewer visas going to Infosys, more might become available for smaller IT companies and big U.S. tech companies, like Facebook and Microsoft Corp, that typically send in fewer H-1B applications each year. U.S.-based immigration lawyer Murali Bashyam, managing partner of Bashyam Spiro LLP which advises and works with small to mid-sized Indian IT firms, said clients had been in contact seeking clarity, while the number of visa applicants had fallen. “I think the reason for that is they get the sense that it’s going to get so much tougher to comply with all of the changes ... that it might not be worth their money,” he said. “There is a fear that radical immigration changes are coming, and if those radical immigration changes come then it could completely change the way IT staffing companies do business.” Bashyam said the number of people on H-1B visas already working in the United States who were considering returning to their home country had risen. An engineer working at Cisco, who has been in the United States since 2011, said that three months ago he would not have considered returning to India. But the review of the visa system, and any rule change that revoked the right for his wife to work in the United States on a dependent visa, could force him to change his mind. “If that happens, then I would definitely be interested in going back to India. Even though I’m secure, I don’t want to be in a situation where my wife cannot work,” said the engineer, who declined to be named. “Those who have heavily invested here, who’ve bought houses, property and are still on visas, are afraid.” According to Bashyam, some Indians on H-1B visas were cancelling plans to return home to visit their families in case they had problems getting back into the United States. “With everything that’s going on, traveling outside the U.S. is the biggest fear for a lot of the H-1B workers working in the IT staffing industry,” he said. And the uncertainty is not limited to IT. Trump’s campaign rhetoric around tighter visa rules has led some Indian students considering studying abroad to look beyond the United States, which typically draws in over 100,000 Indian students annually. One Canadian official said the number of student visa applications for certain courses in Canada had spiked over 250 percent since Trump’s election win in November. Akshay Baliga, a management consultant with a H-1B visa that is valid until 2018, said he was not considering returning to the United States for work any time soon. “As a professional I’m looking eastward,” said Baliga, now based in India but who earlier studied and lived for years in America.

Summary: ट्रंप के अमेरिकी वीजा समीक्षा के आदेश से भारतीय तकनीकी विशेषज्ञ, आईटी कंपनियां परेशान


HARARE (Reuters) - New President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday called for the removal of Western sanctions on members of Zimbabwe s ruling elite and said elections due in 2018 were  nearer than you expect .  The United States maintains a travel and economic embargo on several ZANU-PF party officials, top military figures and some government-owned firms. It imposed it during former president Robert Mugabe s rule over what it called violations of human rights and democracy. The EU lifted most of its sanctions in 2014 but kept them on Mugabe and his wife Grace.   We call for the unconditional lifting of the political and economic sanctions, which have crippled our national development,  Mnangagwa told a meeting of the ZANU-PF central committee in downtown Harare.   We realize that isolation is not splendid or viable as there is more to gain through solidarity, mutually beneficial partnerships.  Mnangagwa, 75, became leader of the southern African nation last month after the military and ruling ZANU-PF turned against Mugabe, who had ruled the country for 37 years and was thought to be grooming his wife to succeed him. In the latter half of Mugabe s rule, the economy collapsed, especially after violent and chaotic seizures of thousands of white-owned commercial farms. The issuance of billions of dollars of domestic debt to pay for a bloated civil service triggered a collapse in the value of Zimbabwe s de facto currency and hyperinflation. The International Monetary Fund has promised to send a staff mission to Zimbabwe soon to meet with officials of the new government and assess the country s fiscal and economic situation. The international community will also be closely watching the next elections in 2018. The vote is due at the end of July in 2018 but there is talk it could be brought forward to as early as March.  Government will do all in its powers to ensure that the elections are credible, free and fair. These elections are nearer than what you expect,  Mnangagwa said without elaborating. The ruling and opposition parties have said they will ask electoral authorities to extend next week s voter registration deadline into February after the de facto military coup last month disrupted the registration process. Mnangagwa will be confirmed as party leader and its candidate for the presidential elections at a special one-day congress on Friday with Mugabe absent.  The 93-year-old former leader reportedly visited a hospital in Singapore for medical checks this week.  In comments suggesting he intends to draw a line under years of endemic corruption and impunity, Mnangagwa said he would name and shame those who failed to return stolen public funds after a three-month amnesty ending in February next year. He is under pressure to deliver, especially on the economy, which is in the grip of severe foreign currency shortages.  I have given three months for those who have taken money out of this country to bring it back,  the president said.   I didn t say that without knowledge. I have a list of who took money out, so in March when the period expires, those who have not heeded my moratorium, I will name them and shame them,  he said to loud applause. Separately, Former Zimbabwe finance minister Ignatius Chombo faced new corruption charges on Thursday.

Summary: जिम्बाब्वे के मनांगाग्वा ने पश्चिमी प्रतिबंधों को समाप्त करने का आह्वान किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee wants to speak with Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump’s eldest son, about a meeting he held with a Russian lawyer during his father’s  campaign, NBC News reported on Monday, citing a committee source. Donald Trump Jr. tweeted earlier on Monday that he would be “Happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know.” Trump Jr. has said he agreed to meet the lawyer, whom the New York Times described as having links to the Kremlin, after being promised damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Summary: अमेरिकी सीनेट का खुफिया पैनल डोनाल्ड ट्रम्प जूनियर से बात करना चाहता है