NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton on Thursday faced down protesters angry at the impact his 1994 crime reforms have had on black Americans and defended the record of his wife, Hillary Clinton, who is relying on the support of black voters in her quest for the presidency. The former president spent more than 10 minutes confronting the protesters at a campaign rally in Philadelphia for his wife over criticisms that the crime bill he approved while president led to a surge in the imprisonment of black people.  The Democratic race for the Nov. 8 election has become increasingly heated as Hillary Clinton, stung by a string of losses in state contests, has traded barbs with her rival for the party’s nomination, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, over who is better prepared for the White House.  In Philadelphia, several protesters heckled the former president mid-speech and held up signs, including one that read: “CLINTON Crime Bill Destroyed Our Communities.” Video footage of Hillary Clinton defending the reforms in 1994 has been widely circulated during the campaign by activists in the Black Lives Matter protest movement. In the footage, she calls young people in gangs “super-predators” who need to “be brought to heel.” Hillary Clinton, 68, who also has faced protesters upset by her remarks, said in February she regretted her language. Bill Clinton, 69, who was president from 1993 to 2001, defended her 1994 remarks, which protesters say were racially insensitive, and suggested the protesters’ anger was misplaced.  “I don’t know how you would characterize the gang leaders who got 13-year-old kids hopped on crack and sent them out on the street to murder other African-American children,” he said, shaking his finger at a heckler as Clinton supporters cheered, according to video of the event. “Maybe you thought they were good citizens. She (Hillary Clinton) didn’t.”  “You are defending the people who kill the lives you say matter,” he told a protester. “Tell the truth.” Hillary Clinton promised to end “mass incarceration” in the first major speech of her campaign last year. She has won the support of the majority of black voters in every state nominating contest so far, often by a landslide. Spokesmen for the campaign and Bill Clinton did not immediately respond on Thursday to a request for comment. The United States has more people in prison than any other country. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1.05 million prisoners were held in federal or state facilities in 1994. By 2014, it was 1.56 million. That year, 6 percent of all black men in their 30s were in prison, a rate six times higher than that of white men of the same age. Bill Clinton said last year that he regretted signing the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act into law because it contributed to the high incarceration rate of black people for nonviolent crimes. On Thursday, he did not explicitly recant those regrets, but appeared to be angry at any suggestion the bill was wholly bad. The legislation imposed tougher sentences, put thousands more police on the streets and helped fund the building of extra prisons. It was known for its federal “three strikes” provision that sent violent offenders to prison for life. The bill was backed by congressional Republicans and hailed at the time as a success for Clinton. Although Clinton is popular among Democrats who view him as a gifted orator and crowd pleaser, he has in the past veered from the carefully calibrated message put out by his wife’s campaign, causing problems for her representatives. During Hillary Clinton’s failed 2008 presidential bid, civil rights leaders and high-ranking Democrats in Congress criticized the former president for statements he made during a heated campaign against then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama. Bill Clinton said Obama’s campaign had “played the race card.” Obama became the first U.S. black president in November that year. Bill Clinton’s remarks on Thursday drew criticism online. Some saw him as dismissive of the Black Lives Matter movement, a national outgrowth of anger over a string of encounters in which police officers killed unarmed black people. Johnetta Elzie, a civil rights activist, wrote online that Clinton “can’t handle being confronted by his own record.” “This is like watching a robot malfunction,” she wrote. Earlier in Philadelphia, Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, assailed Clinton as unqualified to be president as the two campaigns became increasingly testy less than two weeks before New York’s nominating contest. “Are you qualified to be president of the United States when you’re raising millions of dollars from Wall Street, an entity whose greed, recklessness and illegal behavior helped destroy our economy?” Sanders said at a news conference. Clinton this week sharply questioned Sanders’ credentials and ability to carry out a campaign pledge to break up the big banks. Spokesmen for Clinton noted she never said the word “unqualified” when she questioned his preparedness for the presidency, but they declined to say whether she believed in that characterization. Clinton aimed for a more magnanimous tone than her aides when speaking to reporters during a subway ride in New York City. “I don’t know why he’s saying that,” she said of Sanders calling her unqualified. “But I will take Bernie Sanders over Ted Cruz or Donald Trump any time,” she said of the two leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination. Sanders returned the sentiment in an interview with the “CBS Evening News” later on Thursday. “I think the idea of a Donald Trump or a Ted Cruz presidency would be an unmitigated disaster for this country. I will do everything in my power and work as hard as I can to make sure that that does not happen, and if Secretary Clinton is the nominee, I will certainly support her,” he said.

Summary: बिल क्लिंटन ने उन प्रदर्शनकारियों का सामना किया जो कहते हैं कि उनके अपराध सुधार अश्वेतों को चोट पहुँचाते हैं


KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepalis began voting in the final round of parliamentary elections on Thursday, a key step to complete a near decade-long democratic transition after the abolition of the centuries-old monarchy and the end of a civil war against Maoist guerrillas. The first phase of the election was held on Nov. 26, with final results not expected for about another 10 days because of the cumbersome vote-counting procedure, officials said. Officials said more than 200,000 soldiers and police had been deployed to maintain security at polling centers after one person was killed and dozens wounded in a series of small blasts in the run-up to the polls.  Hundreds of activists, including from a splinter group of Maoists opposed to the election, have been detained for creating trouble,  army spokesman Nain Raj Dahal said. More than 15 million people were eligible to vote for the  275-member parliament - 165 through first-past-the-post and 110 on a proportional basis in both rounds. Voters will also choose representatives to seven state assemblies for the first time since Nepal became a federal democracy under the first republican constitution in 2015.  The country will achieve political stability after the election ... and will move ahead solidly on the path of economic and social prosperity,  President Bidhya Devi Bhandari said in a statement. Nepal has seen 10 government changes in as many years. Instability has given rise to corruption, retarded growth and slowed recovery from a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people.  I voted in hopes for a stable government that can concentrate on development and create jobs so our children don t have to go abroad to work,  Binita Karki, 57, said after casting her ballots in a Kathmandu suburb, where armed soldiers stood nearby. Her son works on a construction site in Qatar. The election pits the centrist Nepali Congress party of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who heads a loose alliance  that includes the Madhesi parties from Nepal s southern plains and former royalists, against a tight-knit alliance of former Maoists and the moderate Communist UML party. The Nepali Congress party is considered a pro-India group, while the opposition alliance is seen as closer to China. Nepal is a natural buffer between the two and the outcome could indicate whether China or India gets the upper hand in the battle for influence in a nation rich in hydropower and home to Mount Everest. Nepal emerged from a civil war in 2006 and abolished its 239-year-old Hindu monarchy two years later.

Summary: नेपाल में लंबे लोकतांत्रिक संक्रमण के अंत में चुनाव के अंतिम दौर में मतदान हुआ


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Friday to move Brexit talks onto trade and a transition pact but some leaders cautioned that the final year of divorce negotiations before Britain s exit could be fraught with peril. EU leaders, who had offered British Prime Minister Theresa May a rare summit round of applause over dinner in Brussels the night before, took just 10 minutes to agree that she had made  sufficient progress  on divorce terms last week and to give negotiators a mandate to move on to the main phase of talks.  This is an important step on the road to delivering the smooth and orderly Brexit that people voted for in June of last year,  May said outside her home in Berkshire, southern England.  There is still more to do but we re well on the road to delivering a Brexit that will make Britain prosperous, strong and secure,  May said, reassuring her party s ardent Brexit supporters that departure is certain on March 29, 2019. Summit chair Donald Tusk said the world s biggest trading bloc would start  exploratory contacts  with Britain on what London wants in a future trade relationship, as well as starting discussion on the immediate post-Brexit transition. A transition period is crucial for investors and businesses who fear that a  cliff-edge  Brexit would disrupt trade flows and sow chaos through financial markets.  The head of the EU executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, cast May as a  tough, smart, polite and friendly negotiator    a polite nod to a woman facing ferocious and complex pressures at home, whose downfall Brussels fears would complicate talks further. Juncker, a veteran premier of Luxembourg, knows  what it s like to be a prime minister in trouble , one EU official said. While there was a  sigh of relief  at the summit table that Brexit talks can move forward, EU leaders said talks on a future free trade pact will not begin until after March   a date underlined by  guidelines  that set out how to proceed as Britain seeks to unravel more than 40 years of membership. The talks will be tough.   We have made good progress, the second phase of talks can start,  German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.  But this will mean even tougher work - that was clear today in the discussion - than we have experienced so far.   Sterling GBP=D3 reversed gains and fell 0.8 percent on the day to $1.3327. Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern went further, saying even a primary school student could see that the  first phase  deal on the Irish border would come back to haunt the talks because it was impossible for Britain to leave the bloc s single market while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.  Our primary school students can see that there is a riddle to be solved,  the Austrian leader told reporters. In more formal language, leaders used the nine-point guidelines they agreed at the summit to support May s call for a two-year transition out of the bloc, which aims to help British business and citizens adjust to life after the European Union. Both sides see it as looking pretty much like membership of the EU without a say in its rules, though there are also a host of issues that will again demonstrate the complexity of Brexit. Leaders reiterated their position that Britain cannot conclude a free-trade accord with the European Union until it has left and become a  third country . And it may take longer than the 15 months from now that some in London are hoping for. Noting a call from Britain s Brexit Secretary David Davis for a  Canada plus plus plus  deal that would go beyond the pact the EU signed with Ottawa, one senior EU official noted that last year s agreement ran to 1,598 pages of legal text.  Nine months on Brexit have produced 15 pages of non-legal text,  he said, adding that even launching trade talks in March would be  quite ambitious , let alone completing them in 2019. In coded language aimed at ensuring that Britain s departure will not set a precedent for others and further undermine the bloc, leaders also agreed to  ensure a balance of rights and obligations  during Britain s transition period. The question of how Britain might continue to benefit from the EU s free trade deals with other countries, such as Canada or Japan, has yet to be settled legally, EU officials said. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar cautioned that there were  quite divergent opinions  on how a new relationship and transition would look. EU officials are unsure exactly how far Britain should continue to receive the full, unfettered economic benefits of EU membership during a transition after it leaves, even if it loses political representation in Brussels. May, weakened after losing her Conservative Party s majority in a June election, has so far carried her divided government and party with her as she negotiated the first phase of talks. But the next, more decisive phase is likely to lay bare the deep rifts among her top team of ministers over what Britain should become after Brexit. The Dutch, traditionally British allies, said May should explain to voters just what the cost of leaving the EU s single market and customs union would mean for the economy.  It means, for example, that the financial sector of London will have a considerable disadvantage to the position they have now,  Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

Summary: 'बधाई': यूरोपीय संघ ब्रेक्सिट चरण दो की ओर बढ़ा लेकिन चेतावनी दी कि यह कठिन होगा


(Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump traded barbs and accusations on Monday in the first debate ahead of the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election. Following is a compilation of reaction to the debate from investors, economists and financial market analysts: FACTBOX: Swing states that may determine the election: reut.rs/1UhE642 MORE COVERAGE: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=us-2016 JAMES ATHEY, INVESTMENT MANAGER AT ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT: “What we’re seeing in markets this morning is a small, collective sigh of relief because most commentators, and the few polls that have been released, suggest Clinton won the debate. Equities have undone much of yesterday’s weakness and key Trump indicators such as the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar have rallied. This supports the notion once again that Trump is seen as protectionist and anti-globalization. “The reality is that these moves are all fairly insignificant. Polls on voting intentions still show that the race is essentially neck and neck. It will be these polls which truly have the power to drive a genuine re-pricing.” MICHAEL METCALFE, HEAD OF GLOBAL MACRO STRATEGY AT STATE STREET GLOBAL MARKETS, LONDON:  “In a similar way that sterling became the market proxy for Brexit risk, so moves in the Mexican peso and expected volatility of the Mexican peso appear to have become the main market proxy for expressing the probability of a Trump presidency.  “While there are many weeks of the campaign to run, the market reaction to the first debate does not mean that volatility will dissipate, but it does suggest Trump’s recent momentum has been arrested.” “The recent narrowing in the polls means that markets have had to discount more uncertainty, and one debate will not settle that.” “The press verdict on the first U.S. presidential debate is that Hillary Clinton ‘won’, but Donald Trump didn’t lose badly enough to really reduce the uncertainty. The market verdict is that the Mexican peso, the South African rand and the Korean won all won, while the Japanese yen was the loser.” JACK ABLIN, CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER AT BMO PRIVATE BANK IN CHICAGO: “Investors celebrated that Hillary didn’t lose. Market trading higher and the peso is strengthening.” “Hillary came through the debate unscathed. Trump spent more time on the defensive.” BRIAN JACOBSEN, CHIEF PORTFOLIO STRATEGIST, WELLS FARGO FUNDS MANAGEMENT, MENOMONEE FALLS, WISCONSIN: “I’m not sure I learned anything new listening to the debate. Neither candidate imploded, but based on the strengthening of the Mexican peso ... I think this round goes to Clinton.” RANDY FREDERICK, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRADING AND DERIVATIVES, CHARLES SCHWAB, AUSTIN, TEXAS: “The positive reaction in the (equities) futures markets probably implies that Hillary Clinton was perceived as the winner. The market is often said to dislike uncertainty, and most experts seem to consider Donald Trump as the more uncertain candidate.” PETER KENNY, SENIOR MARKET STRATEGIST, GLOBAL MARKETS ADVISORY GROUP, NEW YORK: “Both futures and the Mexican peso are accurate indicators of how markets interpreted the debates. Both moved only modestly but both moved in tandem - higher. I believe that investors pricing in the odds of either candidate winning. Modest positive moves suggest the Clinton campaign both managed expectations and delivered on beating them. The fear for investors was that she would either have some physical issue, look weak or have an excuse for one or both. She looked sharp, on point and clearly delivered on a message and style that reassured markets.” BRIAN BATTLE, DIRECTOR OF TRADING, PERFORMANCE TRUST CAPITAL PARTNERS, CHICAGO: “Debate really was not outside expectations. Trump was Trump and Clinton kept calm and seemed bemused.  “It was underwhelming on policy and there were no gaffes or revelations. It was a personality debate, not a policy discussion.” AARON JETT, VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL EQUITY RESEARCH, BEL AIR INVESTMENT ADVISORS, LOS ANGELES: “The market wants Hillary to win. The better she does (or the worse Trump does) the better the market will do in the short term. She did well enough to sustain the market for now. She did fine and Trump rambled on at times making her look better. We should gain back some of what we lost on Monday.” “It is interesting that in a debate that was so full of negatives from both sides, the result in the Stock Index Futures was very positive. I guess it does show that some positives can come from an absolute free for all. I don’t know that we learned much about the candidates but the market definitely liked it. Don’t forget in the middle of this we also had some numbers showing slightly better growth than previously expected and that also helped the last 5 points or so in the futures rally. “After a weak day some of this may just be people covering their risk overnight.” MOHAMED EL-ERIAN, CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER, ALLIANZ, NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA:  “While both candidates spoke to the importance of higher economic growth whose benefits are shared more broadly, the debate highlighted their different approaches to tax policies and what ultimately delivers greater prosperity.” HUGH JOHNSON, CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, HUGH JOHNSON ADVISORS, ALBANY, NEW YORK:  “Both presented different views on reviving the economy. Secretary Clinton’s tax and spending plans were well articulated and well thought out. Trump’s thoughts that included significant tax cuts and implicit promises of infrastructure spending were emotionally appealing but not nearly as well thought out or economically sensible. Each will appeal to different sets of voters. A good example of Trump’s emotional, yet uninformed, thoughts were his comments (a) that the recovery was the ‘worst’ ever, (b) that Janet Yellen was political, (c) the rise in stock prices has been a bubble that would ‘burst’ if interest rates were increased.” “I would be inclined to give Secretary Clinton a modest edge although Trump did a good job presenting himself as the candidate of change. “Her stamina answer was a real good - close to a clincher.” JEFFREY GUNDLACH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DOUBLELINE CAPITAL, LOS ANGELES: “It’s the establishment versus the anti-establishment. No one ‘wins’ a debate in September. Trump did himself a little bit of good and set up the later debates to his advantage.” DAN IVASCYN, GROUP CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, PIMCO, NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA: “We continue to believe a Clinton victory will be the most likely outcome. Nothing tonight to change that view STOCKS: S&P 500 emini futures gained ground over the course of the debate, with the contract price moving from down 5 points as the event began to up 14 points by early Tuesday, a few hours after it finished. BONDS: 2- and 10-year Treasury yields rose modestly FOREX: The Mexican peso gained 1.7 percent against the dollar. The dollar index, meanwhile, was little changed as were exchange levels against the yen and euro

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः बाजार प्रतिभागियों ने अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति की बहस पर प्रतिक्रिया व्यक्त की


(Reuters) - The FBI interviewed Michael Flynn in his initial days as U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States, The New York Times reported on Tuesday, citing current and former officials. Flynn resigned late on Monday after revelations that he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the ambassador before Trump took office and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. [nL1N1FY1L9] The FBI interview Flynn on Jan. 26 and it was not clear what Flynn said, the newspaper reported. (nyti.ms/2lNjCqA) The FBI had no immediate comment. A White House spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Summary: एफ. बी. आई. ने ट्रम्प प्रशासन के शुरुआती दिनों में फ्लिन का साक्षात्कार लियाः न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स


(Reuters) - Native American advocates launched an elaborate hoax on Wednesday, creating authentic-looking web pages of major media that purported to report that the National Football League’s Washington Redskins had changed their name to the Redhawks. The campaign, led by a group called the Rising Hearts Coalition, created web pages that appeared strikingly similar to the real pages of those of The Washington Post, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report, plus one for the team itself with a new Redhawks logo. Some Native Americans consider the Redskins name highly offensive and evocative of the genocide of North American tribes by American settlers of European descent. “We created this action to show the NFL and the Washington Football franchise how easy, popular and powerful changing the name could be,” Rebecca Nagle of the Cherokee Nation said in a news release that identified her as “one of the organizers of the stunt.” “What we’re asking for changes only four letters. Just four letters! Certainly the harm that the mascot does to Native Americans outweighs the very, very minor changes the franchise would need to make,” Nagle said.    All the online pages added disclaimers announcing the website as a parody and not endorsed by nor affiliated with sites they were imitating. A Washington Post spokeswoman provided a link to the newspaper’s own report on the stunt, but declined to comment further.  U.S. President Donald Trump regularly derides the mainstream media as “fake news,” raising the stakes for news organizations that might be victims of a hoax. The Redskins have long declined to change their name, saying their fans support keeping it. A Washington Post poll released last year found 90 percent of Native Americans were not offended by the name, but a rival study by the Center for Indigenous Peoples Studies at California State University, San Bernardino found 67 percent of Native Americans considered the name racist. “This morning, the Redskins organization was made aware of fraudulent websites about our team name,” Tony Wyllie, the team’s senior vice president for communications, said in a statement. “The name of the team is the Washington Redskins and will remain that for the future.”

Summary: विस्तृत अफवाह में, वेबसाइटों का कहना है कि एन. एफ. एल. रेडस्किंस का नाम बदलकर रेडहॉक्स कर दिया गया है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The co-founder of the firm that commissioned a dossier on Donald Trump during the presidential campaign last year is on vacation and will not testify at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Russia probe next week, his lawyers said in a letter released on Friday. Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS is on vacation through July 31 and will be traveling abroad through Aug. 3, his attorneys said in the letter, adding that they were “profoundly disturbed” that the hearing had been expanded due to “partisan agendas” to include allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election and possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Donald Trump Jr. and President Donald Trump’s one-time campaign manager Paul Manafort were due to testify on the same day as Simpson. His attorneys asked that Simpson be excused from appearing, adding that allegations he had failed to register as a foreign agent were “nothing more than an effort to smear him.”

Summary: जिस व्यक्ति की फर्म ट्रम्प डोजियर के पीछे थी, वह सीनेट के सामने गवाही नहीं देगाः वकील


ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland has stripped a Libyan Muslim preacher of his refugee status nearly two decades after he won it following a media firestorm over his sermons that some have branded hate speech. The man who goes by the name of Abu Ramadan has been in the headlines since a Zurich newspaper branded him a Islamist who incited hate in his sermons while living off more than 600,000 Swiss francs ($618,000) in social benefits. The 64-year-old preacher denied the hate speech allegations, saying his remarks were poorly translated from Arabic. In a ruling released on Friday, the Federal Administrative Court said immigration officials had been right to revoke Ramadan s asylum after finding he had kept a Libyan passport and gone home a dozen times, most recently for more than a month this year. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed but separate hearings will have to decide if the man can stay in Switzerland. The preacher has told Swiss media he was unaware he could not travel to his homeland as a refugee and wanted to see his 93-year-old mother.

Summary: लीबिया के उपदेशक से स्विस स्ट्रिप शरणार्थी का दर्जा


CAIRO (Reuters) - The kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Thursday condemned the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.  The Saudi Royal Court issued a statement saying that the kingdom followed  with deep sorrow  Trump s decision and warned of  dangerous consequences of moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem . The statement also urged the U.S. administration to reverse its decision and adhere to international will.       Saudi Arabia described the decision as an  unjustified and irresponsible step  and said it represents  a bias against rights of Palestinian people .  Saudi Arabia also said the move represents  a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process  and said it was  a violation of the U.S. Neutral position regarding Jerusalem .

Summary: सऊदी अरब ने जेरूसलम को इजरायल की राजधानी के रूप में मान्यता देने के ट्रम्प के फैसले की निंदा की


BERLIN (Reuters) - The leader of Germany s Social Democrats (SPD) said on Friday he ruled out no option for forming a new government but stressed that a re-run of the outgoing  grand coalition  with Chancellor Angela Merkel s conservatives was not a done deal. Germany, Europe s political and economic powerhouse, has been struggling to build a new government since a Sept. 24 national election. Merkel s conservative bloc and the SPD lost support in that vote, while an anti-immigrant party surged into parliament, seriously complicating the coalition arithmetic. Merkel, her own political future on the line after 12 years at the helm, is making overtures to the center-left SPD - her partner in government over the past four years - after her bid to form a three-way coalition with two smaller parties failed. The SPD, which had wanted to go into opposition to rebuild after suffering its worst post-World War Two election result, fears its distinctive identity and policy ideas will again be smothered in any tie-up with Merkel s bigger center-right bloc.  Regarding the formation of a new government, there was broad support for not ruling any option out,  SPD leader Martin Schulz said after party board discussions in Berlin. Schulz, who held talks late on Thursday with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Merkel and her Bavarian ally Horst Seehofer, denied he had agreed to another grand coalition.  I can clearly deny the media report about me having given the green light for grand coalition negotiations. This is simply wrong,  Schulz said, adding that the report appeared to be based on sources within Merkel s conservative CDU/CSU bloc. He added that whoever circulated such reports was damaging trust. Ties between the SPD and conservatives - still sharing power in a caretaker capacity - have already been strained this week after a conservative minister backed extending the use of a weedkiller at the European Union level against the SPD s wishes and without its prior knowledge.   We have a lot of options for building a government. We should talk about each of these options. That s exactly what I will propose to the party leadership on Monday,  Schulz said. The SPD will hold a party congress in Berlin on Dec. 7-9, where it is expected to debate its options. Other options apart from a grand coalition include a minority conservative government - which the SPD could support on a case-by-case basis, or fresh elections. Merkel has said in the past she does not want to lead a minority government. Merkel s camp said the ball was in the SPD s court.  It s now up to the SPD to provide clarity,  said CDU manager Klaus Schueler.  The fact that we underlined today that we are prepared to enter such talks with the SPD shows that we re aiming to bring these talks to a successful conclusion.  Another senior member of Merkel s Christian Democrat Union (CDU), Mike Mohring, said he was hopeful for an eventual grand coalition and expected a new government to be formed by March.  The way for a grand coalition has been paved,  Mohring told Reuters after taking part in a teleconference where Merkel had briefed the federal board of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Thursday night s talks with Schulz and the president. Schulz, a former president of the European Parliament, has said he wants changes in Germany s approach to the European Union and in economic and social policy. In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, Schulz said the SPD backed French President Emmanuel Macron s call for closer eurozone integration, including a new finance minister for the currency bloc - ideas that face resistance from conservatives.  Giving Emmanuel Macron a positive answer will be a key element in every negotiation with the SPD,  Schulz was quoted as saying in the interview made available on Friday, adding that he also backed a joint EU tax policy.

Summary: मर्केल के साथ गठबंधन स्वचालित नहीं है, सभी विकल्प खुले हैंः जर्मनी की एस. पी. डी.


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator John McCain said on Sunday he would subpoena 10 U.S. sailors to testify about their brief detention by Iran if the Obama administration does not provide the findings of an investigation into the incident by March 1. “It’s an option that I do not want to exercise,” McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters as he was returning to the United States from an international security conference in Germany.     The sailors were detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after their two patrol boats strayed into Iranian waters on Jan. 12. U.S. officials later blamed a navigational problem.  The Americans were freed the next day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry intervened with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, averting a diplomatic crisis just days before implementation of the Iran nuclear deal and the lifting of international sanctions on Tehran. Iranian media broadcast videos of the detainees, including scenes in which Revolutionary Guards personnel trained weapons on the sailors as they kneeled. The Obama administration has said the sailors’ speedy release showed the power of diplomacy and the promise of its new engagement with Iran. The U.S. Navy had briefed McCain several times about the incident, and would continue to do so as the investigation proceeded, said one U.S. official. Republicans have been critical of the deal with Iran, and some say the detainment of the sailors showed how little regard Iran had for the United States.     McCain said he had been told the sailors were still being debriefed, but added that he assumed that administration members were “dragging their feet” in completing an investigation into the incident, which he accused Iran of exploiting for propaganda purposes.     “I guarantee you, if they don’t have a debrief by the first of March like they said, we’ll have a hearing and we’ll subpoena. We’re not going to wait any longer,” McCain said. “We will subpoena the individuals if we have to.” McCain said he raised the case in a meeting on Saturday with Kerry on the sidelines of the security conference in Munich.

Summary: सीनेटर मैक्केन का कहना है कि ईरान द्वारा पकड़े गए अमेरिकी नाविकों को सम्मन भेजा जा सकता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday the U.S. military did not have all the accurate information on an ambush in Niger earlier this month that killed four U.S. soldiers. “The loss of our troops is under investigation,” Mattis said before a meeting with his Israeli counterpart at the Pentagon. “We, in the Department of Defense, like to know what we are talking about before we talk and so we do not have all the accurate information yet.”  “We will release it as rapidly as we get it,” he added.

Summary: नाइजर में घात लगाकर किए गए हमले के बारे में पूरी जानकारी नहीं हैः मैटिस


ROME (Reuters) - A deal with Libya that has slashed the number of migrants reaching Italy could scupper the ruling center Democratic Party s (PD) already dwindling hopes of staying in power next year as it is opposed by the PD s potential coalition partners. The deal, struck in February, is popular with the Italian public and with right-wing and anti-establishment parties now ahead in opinion polls, but it has drawn criticism from the United Nations, rights groups and many on Italy s left. Under the accord, Italy and the European Union pledged to finance migrant camps in Libya, and Rome also agreed to train the Libyan coastguard, part of a crackdown on migrants attempting the hazardous sea crossing to Europe. But the deal has also led to tens of thousands of migrants being trapped in Libya, where humanitarian groups say they are locked up in appalling conditions, bought and sold, and subjected to crimes on a daily basis. One politician who wants changes to the agreement is Emma Bonino, a former foreign minister in a center government.  I ve always criticized this agreement with Libya. It s a cork in a bottle that cannot hold,  Bonino told Reuters.  Italians have the perception that they are being invaded by Muslim foreigners. It s not true. Fear is fantastic for winning elections, but it s simply useless for controlling migration.   Bonino is considering forming a pro-EU party with other left-leaning figures that could support the PD ahead of next year s national election, which must be held by May. In other criticism of the Libya deal, Giulio Marcon, the top lawmaker in the lower house for the Italian Left party, said:  We cannot be complicit in migrant push backs.  Left-wing voters hold humanitarian values dear, said Marcon, whose party has so far refused an alliance with the PD.  ANTI-IMMIGRANT PARTIES GAINING The PD needs the support of other parties, on the left in particular. It trailed the populist 5-Star Movement in a recent poll with 24 percent to 29 percent, while a center coalition that includes the anti-immigrant Northern League, Silvio Berlusconi s Forza Italia (Go Italy!) and the far-right Brothers of Italy has combined support totaling about 36 percent.   The deal with Libya, modeled on a similar one struck between the EU and Turkey, has been successful in reducing the flow of migrants into Italy, with arrivals down by about a third so far this year compared to the same period in 2016. In October alone arrivals were down about 80 percent from a year earlier. Ordinary Italians, alarmed by the arrival of some 600,000 migrants in the past four years, have welcomed the trend. An SWG poll this month showed two thirds of Italians do not want more immigrants, fearing they will take away jobs and increase crime. The Northern League, tapping into the anti-immigrant mood, has seen its popularity more than double to about 15 percent in three years. Its leader, Matteo Salvini, has accused  fake refugees  of  invading  Italy and bringing crime with them.  Not to be outdone, the 5-Star Movement s candidate for prime minister, Luigi Di Maio, this summer accused charity ships rescuing migrants piled onto overcrowded and unseaworthy boats of being a  taxi service . Under the February deal, Libya s coastguard has so far picked up about 20,000 migrants, including refugees. They are then forced into detention centers where they can be held indefinitely. Last week the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the EU s support for the Libyan coastguard as  inhuman  because intercepted migrants were imprisoned and subjected to  unimaginable horrors . Former U.N. secretary-general and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan said the Libya deal suggested Italy was complicit in a breach of the Geneva Convention, which says refugees cannot be returned to a place where they may be persecuted.  Under the Convention, you cannot push them (refugees) back. But if you make an arrangement with somebody else to keep them from moving, in a way you are complicit,  Annan said during a trip to Rome this month.

Summary: प्रवासियों को रोकने के इतालवी वामपंथियों के प्रयासों का चुनाव में उल्टा असर पड़ सकता है


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Wednesday called running his family’s charitable foundation one of the great honors of his life in a passionate defense against criticism of its work as his wife, Hillary Clinton, campaigns to become president. Speaking onstage in a New York City hotel ballroom for about an hour, he told supporters of the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation that it had brought about “a profound advance in the conduct and impact of modern philanthropy.”  “Don’t give up what brought you here,” he said, closing out the 12th and final annual conference organized by the foundation, called the Clinton Global Initiative. “You have done something good and noble and worthy.” The foundation, which Clinton founded as he prepared to leave the White House in 2001, has come under intense scrutiny brought about by a long presidential campaign.  Journalists have scoured newly released email records from Hillary Clinton’s tenure running the State Department from 2009 to 2013, which show foundation officials seeking meetings with Clinton or other diplomats on behalf of donors.  Donald Trump, Clinton’s Republican opponent for the presidency, has called for a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of breaching government ethics rules. The Clintons have said that even if some of their wealthiest donors, which include corporations and foreign governments with interests before the U.S. government, may have hoped for special favors in return, none were granted. To avert suggestions of conflicts of interest, the foundation has said it will drastically limit its operations if Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, wins the election to succeed Barack Obama on Nov. 8.  It would stop accepting money from foreign and corporate donors, foundation officials say, and much of its work would be spun off into independent entities not controlled by the Clintons. Bill Clinton, 70, has expressed frustration that political journalists covering his wife’s campaign have written more about the foundation’s donors, which include the government of Saudi Arabia and foreign billionaires, than the charitable programs it runs.  He spoke at length about how he had been moved by meeting children with HIV in Cambodia, orphans left behind by the 2004 tsunami that struck Indonesia and victims of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. He made only oblique references to the 2016 election campaign. “Everywhere today there is a temptation to say that everything I just told you is wrong, ‘Life is a zero-sum game and I’m losing; no, you’re wrong, our differences matter more than our common humanity,’” he said. “These are not the right choices.” (Refiles to make clear in paragraph 5 that foundation officials were seeking the meetings on behalf of donors.)

Summary: बिल क्लिंटन ने अपने फाउंडेशन के 'गहन' काम का बचाव किया


JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli intelligence experts are gravely concerned that U.S. President Donald Trump’s sharing of classified information with Russia may have compromised an Israeli agent, but don’t expect any long-term consequences for intelligence cooperation. Trump has confirmed via Twitter that during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the White House last week he shared information related to a potential airline plot by Islamic State, thought to involve a laptop bomb. The New York Times, citing a current and a former U.S. official, reported on Tuesday that the information Trump divulged came from an Israeli intelligence asset based in Islamic State-held territory in Syria.  Israeli officials have declined to confirm whether they were the source of the information Trump shared, but have been quick to say counter-terrorism coordination with the United States is strong. On Tuesday, Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss his visit to Israel next week, but the two did not discuss the intelligence leak during their 20-minute conversation, the prime minister’s office said.  “The security relationship between Israel & our greatest ally the United States is deep, significant &  unprecedented in volume,” Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Twitter, remarks that were echoed by the intelligence minister.  Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, issued a similar statement, saying: “Israel has full confidence in our intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States and looks forward to deepening that relationship in the years ahead under President Trump.” Israeli intelligence experts said they could not confirm whether an Israeli asset was the source. But they said Israel had developed a deep network of human and signal intelligence across the region and it was plausible that it had managed to infiltrate Islamic State as part of that long-running effort. “Israeli intelligence agencies have shown that they can have such human sources,” said Aviv Oreg, former head of the Al Qaeda and global jihad desk in the army’s military intelligence department, who now runs a counter-terrorism consultancy.  “It would take a lot to put someone inside ISIS. If there is an agent, I’m sure it’s the only one. If we have really lost a human source over there, it’s a major loss and it will take years to regenerate another one,” he said. “Israel will be furious about it,” he added, highlighting that it was likely to have implications for how Israel operates its human intelligence assets more broadly, and may make others unwilling to cooperate with it in the future. At the same time, he said Israel understood that Trump, as president and commander-in-chief, had the authority to divulge the information, even if in doing so he had shown that he “has no experience in how to deal with intelligence.” Kobi Michael, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and the former deputy director of Israel’s ministry of strategic affairs, described Trump’s leak as “very concerning” if there was a risk of having endangered an Israeli asset. While there were good reasons to assume the compromised source was an agent, he said it was also possible it was a well-placed piece of signal intelligence.  “When it comes to ISIS, they are very active in the social network world and on digital platforms. So who knows, all options are valid, even if as far as I understand the context, it looks like a human intelligence source.” Michael described Israel as having far better intelligence capabilities in the region than the United States, making it a critical partner for Washington. Yet both sides have an interest in continuing to cooperate fully on intelligence. “What happened is a problem, it shouldn’t have happened. But mistakes do get made, not only by the Americans, but sometimes by the Israelis too,” said Michael.  “I assume that Trump had other considerations in mind and was perhaps not aware of the consequences of what he was saying. But this should not change the level of cooperation, which needs to be constantly broadened and deepened.” Amnon Sofrin, former head of Mossad’s intelligence directorate, said the issue was unlikely to be touched on when Trump visits Israel on his first foreign trip next week. Handling the fallout from the leak would be dealt with through intelligence channels — between Mossad and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency — not diplomatic ones. “Cooperation between our two organizations is so solid that I don’t believe that a special event will cause any big damage, it may cause local damage, but not a disaster,” he said. “None of us in Israel’s intelligence community likes this event. But I think it can be put aside and allow (Trump’s) visit to be very fulfilling and I hope very successful.”

Summary: इजरायली खुफिया विशेषज्ञ ट्रम्प के लीक होने से चिंतित हैं लेकिन किसी भी नुकसान को कम करते हैं


(Reuters) - An Air France flight from Paris to Los Angeles made an emergency landing in eastern Canada on Saturday after one of its four engines sustained  serious damage  over the Atlantic, the airline said. Air France Flight 66, originating at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, landed at Goose Bay in Labrador at 1542 GMT, the airline said, and no one was hurt in the incident.   The regularly trained pilots and cabin crew handled this serious incident perfectly,  the airline said in a statement. The aircraft involved in the incident was an Airbus 380 that was about seven years old, according to airfleets.net, an aircraft database. The engine was made by Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric Co and United Technologies Corp s Pratt & Whitney unit.       The forced landing in Canada s easternmost province is reminiscent of an incident seven years ago in which one of the Rolls Royce engines on a Qantas A380 suffered mid-engine damage after taking off in Singapore. The November 2010 incident prompted the grounding of the entire Qantas A380 fleet   six A380s at the time   for over three weeks. Photographs taken by passengers aboard the Air France flight circulated on the internet soon after the aircraft landed. The images appeared to show that the inlet, or front part, of the engine had torn off, but the main part of the engine was intact.  Rick Engebretsen, one of the passengers, wrote a Twitter message saying he had heard a loud thud and felt vibration while in the air. It was not immediately clear how the engine became damaged. Airbus was not immediately available for comment. Engine Alliance said in a statement that it was looking into  reports of an issue  involving one of its engines. Officials with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada could not immediately be reached for comment on Saturday. The airline said it was making arrangements to send the plane s passengers to their destination of Los Angeles. Aircraft on trans-Atlantic flights commonly use Goose Bay Airport in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador for emergency fueling stops.

Summary: इंजन खराब होने के कारण एयर फ्रांस के विमान की कनाडा में आपात स्थिति में लैंडिंग


JAKARTA (Reuters) - A powerful magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the island of Java in Indonesia just before midnight on Friday, with authorities reporting three deaths and damage to hundreds of buildings. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the quake was located at a depth of 92 km (57 miles), about 52 km southwest of Tasikmalaya.  Indonesia s national disaster management agency said the quake activated early tsunami warning systems in the south of Java, prompting thousands to evacuate from some coastal areas, but no tsunami was detected. Tremors were felt in central and west Java.     Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the disaster agency, said in a press briefing on Saturday three people had been killed, seven injured and hundreds of buildings damaged, including schools, hospitals, and government buildings in West and Central Java. Dozens of patients had to be helped to safety from a hospital in Banyumas and were given shelter in tents, he said. He posted on his Twitter page photos of people scouring collapsed buildings. The quake swayed buildings for several seconds in the capital Jakarta. Some residents of high rise apartment buildings in central Jakarta quickly escaped their apartments, local media reported. Indonesia s meteorology and geophysics agency said a magnitude 5.7 quake early on Saturday also struck south of West Java. It said the quake did not have tsunami potential. Java, Indonesia s most densely populated island, is home to more than half of its 250 million people.

Summary: इंडोनेशिया के जावा में भूकंप के तेज झटके, तीन की मौत


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, a Republican and a former federal judge, is being considered by President Barack Obama for a possible appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court replacing the late Justice Antonin Scalia, a source close to the process said on Wednesday. The source, who asked not to be identified, said Sandoval met on Monday in the U.S. Capitol with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, at which time Reid asked the governor whether he would be interested in being considered for the high court job. “He said he was interested,” the source said, adding that “a number of people are being checked out” for the job.

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस गवर्नर सैंडोवल के सुप्रीम कोर्ट में संभावित नामांकन पर विचार कर रहा हैः सूत्र


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republicans would repeal most of the taxes that pay for Obamacare, roll back expanded Medicaid coverage under the healthcare law approved in 2010, reshape its subsidies, give states wider latitude to opt out of its regulations and eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, under a draft bill reported by the Washington Post on Wednesday. The Senate legislation would link federal insurance subsidies to income, a change from a House-passed bill that tied them to age, the Post reported. The Senate bill also cuts off Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion more gradually than the House legislation, which passed on May 4, and it removes language restricting federally subsidized health plans from covering abortions, the newspaper said.

Summary: सीनेट स्वास्थ्य सेवा विधेयक का मसौदा सब्सिडी को आय से जोड़ेगाः वाशिंगटन पोस्ट


LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is facing an open rebellion from some of her own lawmakers, will attend an event in her electoral district on Friday, the first engagement since a disastrous speech to her Conservative Party s conference. May is due to attend a charity coffee morning in her constituency, the BBC said.

Summary: ब्रिटिश प्रधानमंत्री अपने स्थानीय चुनावी जिले में कार्यक्रम में भाग लेंगीः बीबीसी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday accused Republicans of trying to “talk down” the U.S. economy by painting a doomsday picture on the campaign trail and said the rhetoric used by Republican candidates was unworthy of the American people.   In remarks to reporters at the White House, Obama said there would be a debate about the budget in the coming months on issues related to policies that could raise Americans’ wages. “That’s what we should be debating. That’s the debate that is worthy of the American people. Not fantasy. Not name calling. Not trying to talk down the American economy,” he said. “There’s a huge gap between the rhetoric that’s going on out there and the reality of success that we’re seeing in America’s economy.”   (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Eric Beech) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production.

Summary: ओबामाः रिपब्लिकन अमेरिकी अर्थव्यवस्था को 'कम करने' की कोशिश कर रहे हैं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rarely have two U.S. presidential front-runners needed more from running mates than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The Democratic and Republican leaders in the 2016 White House race are unusually unpopular nationally, polls show, despite their success with voters in their respective parties. Clinton has struggled to generate excitement about her candidacy and assuage voter concerns about her trustworthiness, while Trump fares badly among women and minorities in polls. Their weaknesses only increase the importance of their vice presidential pick, who could potentially help them rally support in key demographics ahead of the Nov. 8 vote - if each gets their party’s nomination.  Hispanic advocacy groups are lobbying Clinton to choose a Hispanic running mate. The person most often mentioned - Julian Castro, the housing and urban development secretary who is one of the party’s rising stars - is opposed by liberal activists who accuse him of favoring Wall Street firms in the sale of distressed mortgages. Some of the groups have started an online petition against Castro’s candidacy, which has angered the Latino Victory Fund, a nonpartisan advocacy group that has been pushing for a Latino vice-presidential nominee.  “These attacks against Secretary Castro are completely unfounded, short sighted, and only serve to pit us against each other,” said Cristobal Alex, the fund’s president. The U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has called on Clinton to choose Castro.  Democratic strategist Joe Velasquez, a Clinton supporter, said a Hispanic running mate could make a difference in swing states like Florida, Colorado, Nevada and Virginia, which have large Hispanic populations. Polls show Hispanic voters overwhelmingly dislike Trump, in part because of his comments likening illegal immigrants to criminals. U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez has also been mentioned as a possible Latino pick. But Clinton’s decision isn’t clear-cut. Given Trump’s unpopularity with some moderate Republicans, she may want a vice-president who can wrest away some of those voters. Someone like Tim Kaine, a senator from Virginia who personally opposes abortion but supports a woman’s right to choose, or New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who has close ties to the financial sector.  There was no immediate comment from Castro, Kaine, Perez or Booker. Clinton though could give a higher priority to winning over liberal democrats, who see her as too pro-Wall Street and have flocked to her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Sherrod Brown, a senator from Ohio who is a fierce opponent of global trade deals, and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a fierce critic of the banking industry, have both been named as possible vice president picks.   Brown and Warren did not respond to requests for comment. The Clinton campaign confirmed a report in the Boston Globe that Clinton would include at least one woman in any short list of vice presidential candidates to be vetted. Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis is skeptical that Clinton needs to spend much time appeasing the liberal wing of her party if she wins the nomination. “As much as people have made out this race between Clinton and Sanders to be an ideological death match, Donald Trump will do more to bring the Democratic Party together than anyone has ever done,” he said. Trump is viewed unfavorably by 80 percent of Democrats,     according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll.  But other Democrats fear the increasingly bitter Clinton-Sanders battle, has fractured the party. Jim Manley, a former top aide to Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, said Clinton’s pick “has to be viewed through a prism of, among other things, their ability to bring on Sanders voters.” Reuters/Ipsos polling suggests Clinton would struggle to attract some Sanders voters. When asked what they would do if Clinton was the nominee, 15 percent of Sanders supporters said they would stay home on Election Day and 16 percent said they would vote for the Republican nominee. Forty-nine percent said they would vote for Clinton. Both the Clinton and Trump campaigns refused to comment on the vice-presidential speculation, saying they remain focused on winning their respective nominating contests. Clinton holds a commanding lead among the party delegates who will pick the party’s nominee, but Sanders has pledged to keep fighting. Trump may not have the Republican nomination locked down until the summer, if he can beat off challenges by Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich, who is running a distant third in the Republican race. Typically, vice-presidential selections are vetted for weeks after a candidate has emerged as the party’s nominee and are announced shortly before the party conventions in the summer.  Trump’s polarizing candidacy could make his job of finding a running mate more difficult. For much of the campaign season, many in the Republican establishment, along with well-funded political committees, have been looking for ways to keep Trump from winning the Republican nomination. Trump has stated his preference for an established office-holder rather than a political neophyte like himself, specifically listing Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and Kasich.  Walker, who has endorsed Cruz, laughed when he was asked about the prospect, but has been noncommittal. Rubio has repeatedly rejected the idea. Kasich last week said there was “zero chance” of his playing second fiddle to Trump, despite mounting speculation that he would be an ideal candidate because of his deep government experience and Ohio’s crucial role as a general election swing state.  A source close to Kasich told Reuters the governor has no interest in working with Trump as the two don’t agree on much.  Cruz, too, said this week he would not be Trump’s running mate, while telling reporters in Hollywood, Florida on Wednesday that “a Trump-Kasich ticket loses to Hillary Clinton.” Tony Fratto, a Republican strategist, said Trump may be forced to turn to “guys at the end of their careers, not people who believe they have a future. Someone in their last act who has nothing to lose by accepting an offer from Trump.”  That might include New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has been one or the few establishment politicians to campaign for Trump, or Florida Governor Rick Scott, who has endorsed Trump. Both are in their final terms in office.  Christie was asked about the prospect in an interview with a New Jersey radio station on Thursday. “The way I think about these things, you never say ‘never,’” he said.  Other names linked to Trump include former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, a Trump adviser, and Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate. There was no immediate comment from Sessions, Scott and Giuliani. Armstrong Williams, a close adviser to Carson, said the former White House hopeful doesn’t want the slot. “At this point he has no interest in being in politics ... none,” Williams said. “I think Trump is looking for someone with government experience, someone who is more political.”

Summary: क्लिंटन की लोकप्रियता में कमी, ट्रम्प ने संभावित चुनाव लड़ने वाले साथियों पर प्रकाश डाला


MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Medics who rushed to help victims of a huge bomb explosion in the Somali capital Mogadishu that killed more than 300 people say the country s threadbare emergency services have been pushed beyond their limit.  From a lack of ambulance drivers to break-downs of the ambulances themselves, to checkpoints blocking routes to hospitals to a shortage of blood, the chaotic response to the deadliest truck bombing in Somalia s history cost additional lives, they said.  Officials say that Saturday s bombing, which also wounded at least 400 people, bore the hallmarks of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, but the group has not claimed responsibility. More than three days after the bombing at a busy intersection in the capital, hundreds of people were still searching for relatives in hospitals and trying to access the blast site, Reuters witnesses said. Dr Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulances, a privately-funded ambulance service responding to the attack, described the limitations of his country s emergency system.  We have old ambulances and after working 24 hours for days, three broke down. The telephones got jammed and we had no walkie talkies.  He said road blocks manned by the security forces delayed ambulances, and there were not enough medics to respond to the devastating attack. Somalia has been mired in conflict since 1991, when clan warlords overthrew a dictator and then turned on each other. One of the poorest countries in Africa, it faces severe food insecurity and relies on foreign donors to support its institutions and basic services. One ambulance driver said security forces badly hampered efforts at the blast site and even fired at vehicles.  Ambulance driver Mohamed Saiid told Reuters:  I could see people screaming in a burning public vehicle and police opened fire refusing [help] that could save them.    When you want to save a screaming casualty but a soldier denies you access at gun point ... it is a tough work,  he said.  Such delays caused  many injured people to die from blood loss,  he said.  Another ambulance driver said police stopped him entering the blast scene.  I was stopped by forces at gunpoint as I was just some meters away from the blast scene,  said Mohamed Howle, a driver from a hospital in the city.  A spokesman for Mogadishu s mayor said safety was the top priority in the response and there was no delay in rescuing injured people. Spokesman Abdifatah Omar Halane said some injured people may have died while being carried from the scene:  No one can save the lives of someone whose brain mucus was oozing.  Police officer Mohamed Hussein told Reuters he was at the blast site several times daily since the bombing and ambulances were not fired upon.  Soldiers often fire in the air in the city to clear traffic jams, he said, suggesting that guns may have been discharged by security forces to establish order. Information Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman earlier said Somalia does not have a blood bank. But doctors said the public had responded quickly to calls for blood donations. Countries including Turkey, Qatar and Kenya were providing medical assistance and evacuating wounded.  We are requesting blood. We are requesting assistance for verifying the dead in order for their relatives to know,  the minister said. Osman said the bodies of more than 100 people buried on Monday  were blown beyond recognition . He hoped other bodies could still be identified. Mohamed Nur, head of the emergency unit at Medina hospital in Mogadishu said on Tuesday that doctors and nurses were working around the clock and the number of casualties had overwhelmed the hospital.          Turkish doctors, mainly surgeons and specialists in spine injuries, arrived along with Turkey s health minister on Monday and were still treating injured in local hospitals, the minister said. Turkey evacuated 35 critically wounded Somalis to Ankara by plane on Monday, Turkish deputy prime minister Recep Akdag told reporters on returning from Somalia. An increasingly close ally of Somalia, Turkey opened a $50 million military base in the capital last month.  Medicine from neighboring nations Djibouti and Kenya arrived by plane on Tuesday, the minister said. Qatar sent a plane with medical equipment and planned to evacuate injured people for treatment outside Somalia, Qatar s state news agency reported.

Summary: सोमाली बमबारी के लिए अराजक प्रतिक्रिया ने लोगों की जान ले ली, चिकित्सकों का कहना है


HAMAT, Lebanon (Reuters) - The United States delivered two A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Lebanon s army on Tuesday, a sign of continued U.S. support despite Israeli accusations that the Lebanese military is controlled by Hezbollah.  The planes will be used as armed observation aircraft, a security source in Lebanon said, and represent a big upgrade for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).  Earlier this month, U.S. ally Israel said Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shi ite Muslim movement, had gained control over Lebanon s conventional military, a charge the Lebanese army denies. Hezbollah, which was designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. State Department in 1997, last fought Israel in a war in 2006. Lebanon is formally in a state of war with Israel.    The significant increase in LAF combat capability that this aircraft represents will ensure that the LAF will remain a national unifying force, a bulwark against extremism and terrorism,  said U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth Richard. The Islamic State militant group held a pocket of land straddling Lebanon s border with Syria until August.  Over the last decade, the U.S. government has invested over $1.5 billion in training and equipment, and has trained over 32,000 Lebanese troops, Richard said.  We have recently announced another $120 million in foreign military financing, which brings the total investment in the LAF to over $160 million just this year,  she said. The United States will deliver another four Super Tucanos to Lebanon.  The two new aircraft - which have advanced combat and surveillance capabilities - will  make a qualitative leap in improving the aerial capabilities of the LAF,  said Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.

Summary: लेबनान की सेना को अमेरिका से दो ए-29 हल्के हमले वाले विमान मिले


BEIJING (Reuters) - A top Chinese coal miner, Yankuang Group, and U.S. industrial gas supplier Air Products and Chemicals Inc on Thursday said they planned to build a $3.5 billion coal-to-synthesis gas (syngas) plant in China.  The announcement on the facility in the province of Shaanxi comes as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to China, the world’s biggest consumer of coal. The deal is yet to be finalised, although the companies said in a statement that they would look to do this as soon as possible. Syngas is a combination of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and some carbon dioxide that is typically manufactured by gasifying a solid hydrocarbon fuel. It can be used to create energy or to help churn out products such as methane or methanol. Under the agreement, Air Products and Shaanxi Future Energy Group Co (SFEC), a subsidiary of Yankuang, will form a joint venture, in which Air Products will have a majority stake. It will build, own and operate an air separation, gasification and syngas clean-up system in the city of Yulin to supply SFEC, the firms said in a statement.  The air separation units are expected to produce about 40,000 tonnes per day (TPD) of oxygen to support the production of about 2.5 million normal cubic meters an hour of syngas.  SFEC will supply coal, steam and power and receive syngas under a long-term, onsite contract. Air Products currently supplies SFEC’s Phase 1 project in Yulin with 12,000 TPD of oxygen.  The addition of Phase 2 would make the complex one of the largest coal-to-fuel and chemicals facilities in China, with SFEC Phase 2 producing 4 million tonnes per year of liquid fuels and downstream chemicals, it said. The companies expect the overall project to come onstream in 2021.

Summary: अमेरिकी कंपनी एयर प्रोडक्ट्स, चीन की यांकुआंग ने चीन में 3.5 अरब डॉलर का कोयला-से-सिंगैस संयंत्र बनाने की योजना बनाई है।


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will retaliate against the United States in a row over a treaty that allows both states to conduct military observation flights over each other s territory, Russia s deputy foreign minister said, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. In the latest sign of escalating tensions between the two countries, the United States has accused Russia of flouting the so-called Open Skies Treaty, an agreement designed to build confidence between the two countries  militaries, and said it plans to take measures against Moscow. The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported on Tuesday that would include restricting Russian military flights over American territory in response to what it said was Moscow preventing U.S. observation flights over its heavily militarized Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.   Russian news agencies cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Wednesday as saying that Moscow was itself unhappy about Washington s compliance with the same treaty and would take its own measures against the United States in response to any new U.S. restrictions.  I have no doubt there will be a (Russian) response,  agencies cited Ryabkov as telling reporters.  But before announcing something on this, we have to analyze the situation with our military and look at how we ll respond to the Americans.  Ryabkov was quoted as describing Washington s approach to the disagreement as one-sided and as saying Russia would not yield to U.S. pressure for it to make concessions. U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the military s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that Washington believed it would be best if the Open Skies Treaty with Russia continued, but that it should not be in place if Moscow was flouting it.

Summary: रूस सैन्य अवलोकन उड़ानों के विवाद में अमेरिका के खिलाफ जवाबी कार्रवाई करेगाः एजेंसियां


KIEV (Reuters) - The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said she had a constructive phone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko late on Thursday in which she urged him to speed up the fight against corruption.  Perceived backsliding on reform commitments, including delays in establishing an independent court to handle corruption cases, has held up billions of dollars in loans under Ukraine s $17.5 billion IMF program. Action by parliament and prosecutors against existing anti-corruption institutions such as the NABU investigative bureau   also provoked a wave of criticism this week from reformists in Ukraine and its foreign backers, including the IMF.  I had a constructive and open discussion with President Poroshenko on Ukraine s efforts to fight corruption,  Lagarde said in a statement. Lagarde said she and Poroshenko discussed the need to safeguard the independence of NABU and similar institutions and that they agreed on the urgency of establishing an anti-corruption court.  I assured the President that the IMF stands ready to continue to support Ukraine, along with other international partners, in the fight against corruption and encouraged the authorities to accelerate the implementation of reforms,  she said.

Summary: आईएमएफ के लेगार्ड ने यूक्रेन के राष्ट्रपति से सुधारों में तेजी लाने को कहा


BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A walking tour to learn about Budapest s Muslim community and its mosques has become popular with Hungarians as a way of overcoming fears and reservations amid a strident anti-immigrant campaign by the government. Budapest-based tour operator Setamuhely (Budapest Walkshop) runs 30 different walks taking visitors around the city s architectural and cultural sites and the Jewish and Muslim communities.  I can say that this walk,  Muslims who live among us , is the most popular tour,  said Anna Lenard who runs the business. When the Muslim tour was set up three years ago very few people were interested.  Most people have never met a Muslim in their life and this ... together with what they hear every day in the media causes a lot of tension and stress in daily life. I think this is the main reason why people are coming now.  Most of the people on the four-hour walk have a college degree, and two-thirds are women, she said. Hungary s Muslim community, estimated to number about  40,000, grew with the migration crisis of 2015, though most of them arrived earlier to study at Hungarian universities.  Though hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed into Hungary from the Balkans at the peak of the crisis the majority went on to richer parts of western Europe. Data from think tank Tarki shows the proportion of people deemed to be xenophobic and resentful of foreign immigrants shot up to 60 percent this year, rising 19 points from two years ago. About 80 people go on the Muslim tour per month, the organizers said. A typical group of around 30 people first goes to a small mosque hidden in an old apartment where Muslims come to pray at the time of the visit.   I am very interested in everything multi-cultural and in cultures and religions that live among us,  said Nauszika, a psychologist who did not want to give her full name.  It is the best way to lose your fears if you start to ask the one who you (are) afraid of,  added tour leader Marianna Karman, an Africa expert who converted to Islam herself.  These people choose to come on these walks because they would like to talk about this problem. They want to fight against their fears.  Other points on the tour can include Muslim food shops and Budapest s largest mosque, located in a former office building.

Summary: हंगरी के लोग मुसलमानों के डर को दूर करने के लिए पैदल यात्रा करते हैं


LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday the next Brexit talks had been postponed until Sept. 25 to give  negotiators the flexibility to make progress in the September round . Earlier, Brussels diplomats told Reuters a new round of talks between Britain and the European Union had been delayed until the end of the month to let Prime Minister Theresa May make a key speech on Sept. 21.  The UK and the European Commission have today jointly agreed to start the fourth round of negotiations on September 25,  a government spokesman said in a statement.  Both sides settled on the date after discussions between senior officials in recognition that more time for consultation would give negotiators the flexibility to make progress in the September round.

Summary: वार्ताकारों को अधिक लचीला बनाने के लिए ब्रेक्सिट वार्ता स्थगित की गईः ब्रिटेन


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A key Republican lawmaker said on Wednesday he did not believe the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election campaign, adding to pressure on FBI Director James Comey to provide evidence supporting or debunking Republican President Donald Trump’s claim. “We don’t have any evidence that that took place,” House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told a news conference. “I don’t think there was an actual tap of Trump Tower.” Trump made the claim on Twitter on March 4 without providing evidence. Nunes’ congressional committee is one of at least four that have added the startling accusation to investigations of possible Russian meddling in the election campaign and Russian ties to Trump and his associates. James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under Obama, has said he knew of no warrant to wiretap Trump Tower. Nunes said if Trump’s tweets were taken literally, then “clearly the president was wrong.” With his statements, Nunes, who served on Trump’s transition team, joined other lawmakers, including some of his fellow Republicans, who have been skeptical about the president’s claim, and frustrated with what they see as federal law enforcement’s failure to provide them with information. The top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, Adam Schiff, said at the news conference with Nunes that Comey would be asked about wiretap evidence at a rare public hearing on Monday. “It deeply concerns me that the president would make such an accusation without basis,” Schiff said. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia  conducted cyber attacks on Democrats in an effort to influence the 2016 U.S. election on Trump’s behalf. Russia has denied this. At the same time, Trump has been dogged by allegations that his associates had ties to Russian officials. Trump fired his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, last month after he failed to disclose contacts with Russia’s ambassador before Trump took office on Jan. 20.   Trump seemed to back away from his accusation of wiretapping in a Fox News interview on Wednesday, saying “wiretap covers a lot of different things.” Without providing details, the president added, “I think you’re going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks,” according to excerpts of the interview, which will air later on Wednesday. Schiff and Nunes said they sent a letter asking Comey, Rogers and CIA Director Mike Pompeo to provide by Friday information on leaks of classified information, including names of any Americans that might have been gathered. Schiff said he expected the Federal Bureau of Investigation to cooperate. The committee leaders said they were prepared to issue subpoenas if they did not. In Richmond, Virginia, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told reporters that he never gave Trump any reason to believe he was wiretapped by the previous administration, according to a transcript provided by CBS News. While White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters Trump “feels very comfortable” that information existed regarding surveillance conducted during 2016, a number of Trump’s fellow Republicans in Congress remained unconvinced. Spicer told reporters traveling on Air Force One on Wednesday that Trump had not meant wiretaps specifically. “He was very clear that he used the word ‘wiretap’ generally, he put it in quotes to mean that it counts for surveillance and all types of activity of that sort,” Spicer said. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said he had no reason to believe a judge ever issued a warrant, which would have reflected there was probable cause that the Trump campaign was colluding with the Russians. If it is not true, he said, the FBI should confirm that. Graham and Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on crime and terrorism, asked Comey two weeks ago to provide information on Russian activities and the wiretapping by Wednesday.  Graham said on Wednesday that the FBI had responded that it would provide an answer to him and Whitehouse at a future classified briefing. “The bottom line is a lot of Americans are wondering what’s going on here,” Graham said at a subcommittee hearing, titled “The Modus Operandi and Toolbox of Russia and Other Autocracies for Undermining Democracies Throughout the World.” Whitehouse said he would prefer an unclassified briefing. Comey met on Wednesday with the Judiciary Committee chairman, Chuck Grassley, and its top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein. A law enforcement official said the meeting was an opportunity for the senators to ask Comey about subjects that concern them, expected to center on FBI investigations of Trump and associates’ Russia contacts, as well as the wiretap claim.

Summary: संदिग्ध सांसदों ने ट्रम्प के वायरटैप दावे पर कोमी पर दबाव डाला


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday revived talk of the possibility the United States may move its embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, saying President Donald Trump was seriously considering the matter. During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, Trump’s team spoke often about moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. But since taking office, the contentious issue appears to have moved to the backburner. “After decades of simply talking about it, the president of the United States is giving serious consideration to moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Pence said in a speech to the influential, pro-Israel U.S. lobbying group AIPAC. Israel regards Jerusalem as its eternal and indivisible capital and wants all countries to base their embassies there, though Israeli politicians also understand that moving the U.S. embassy there could be destabilizing. The relocation is strongly opposed by many U.S. allies as the Palestinians also claim the city as their capital. The final status of Jerusalem is supposed to be determined via direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians. If the United States were to relocate its embassy, it would be seen as an explicit recognition of Jerusalem belonging to Israel, potentially pre-determining the outcome of eventual peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrowly confirmed Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer allied with the Israeli right, who favors moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Summary: पेंस ने तेल अवीव में अमेरिकी दूतावास को यरुशलम स्थानांतरित करने की चर्चा को पुनर्जीवित किया


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israeli jets flew low over the city of Saida in southern Lebanon on Sunday causing sonic booms that broke windows and shook buildings for the first time in years, security sources and residents said. Israeli warplanes regularly enter Lebanese airspace, the Lebanese military says, but rarely fly so low. The Israeli military gave no immediate comment. The sonic booms also caused panic in Saida, residents said. Tension has risen between Lebanon s Shi ite group Hezbollah and Israel, which last fought a war in 2006.  Hezbollah has played down the prospects of another imminent conflict but warned it could take place on Israeli territory, and said its rockets could hit targets anywhere in Israel. Israel s air force chief has said it would use all its strength in a future war with Hezbollah. The 2006 war killed 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Summary: इजरायली विमानों ने दक्षिण लेबनान में ध्वनि अवरोध तोड़ दिया जिससे नुकसान हुआ


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump turned up the heat on Friday on fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate to pass a bill dismantling the Obamacare law, but with their retooled healthcare plan drawing fire within the party even one more defection would doom it. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has planned for a vote next week on revised legislation, unveiled on Thursday, and he has his work cut out for him in the coming days to get the 50 “yes” votes needed for passage. Republicans control the Senate by a 52-48 margin and cannot afford to lose more than two from within their ranks because of united Democratic opposition, but two Republican senators already have declared opposition. “After all of these years of suffering thru Obamacare, Republican Senators must come through as they have promised,” Trump, who made gutting Obamacare one of his central campaign promises last year, wrote on Twitter from Paris, where he attended Bastille Day celebrations. The top U.S. doctors’ group, the American Medical Association, on Friday called the new bill inadequate and said more bipartisan collaboration is needed in the months ahead to improve the delivery and financing of healthcare. Hospital and medical advocacy groups also have criticized the bill. “The revised bill does not address the key concerns of physicians and patients regarding proposed Medicaid cuts and inadequate subsidies that will result in millions of Americans losing health insurance coverage,” AMA President Dr. David Barbe said, referring to the government insurance program for the poor and disabled. A major test for McConnell’s legislation expected early next week is an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which last month forecast that the prior version of the bill would have resulted in 22 million Americans losing  insurance over the next decade. A day after that CBO analysis was issued, McConnell postponed a planned vote on the legislation because of a revolt within his own party, including moderates and hard-line conservatives. While the bill’s prospects may look precarious, the same could have been said of healthcare legislation that ultimately was passed by the House of Representatives. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan called off a vote in March in the face of a rebellion involving the disparate factions of the party but managed to coax enough lawmakers to back it and engineered narrow approval on May 4. Vice President Mike Pence sought to shore up support among the nation’s governors at a meeting in Rhode Island, but a key Republican governor, Ohio’s John Kasich, came out strongly against the revised bill, saying its Medicaid cuts were too deep and it does too little to stabilize the insurance market. Kasich’s opposition could put pressure on Rob Portman, a  Republican senator from Ohio, who has not yet taken a position on the bill. If the current Senate legislation collapses, some lawmakers have raised the possibility of seeking bipartisan legislation to fix parts of Obamacare but leaving intact the structure of the Affordable Care Act, Democratic former President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, commonly known as Obamacare. “There are changes that need to be made to the law,” Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, told MSNBC, citing “a bipartisan appetite to tackle this issue.” Moderate Susan Collins and conservative Rand Paul already oppose the revised Senate bill. Other Republican senators have either expressed concern or remained noncommittal, including Portman, Mike Lee, Shelley Moore Capito, John McCain, Dean Heller, John Hoeven, Lisa Murkowski, Jeff Flake, Ben Sasse, Cory Gardner, Todd Young and Thom Tillis. Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy floated an alternative plan. The new version was crafted to satisfy the Republican Party’s various elements, including moderates worried about Americans who would be left without medical coverage and hard-line conservatives who demand less government regulation of health insurance. A provision championed by Republican Senator Ted Cruz and aimed at attracting conservatives would let insurers sell cheap, bare-bones insurance policies that would not have to cover broad benefits mandated under Obamacare. But two major health insurance groups, America’s Health Insurance Plans and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, called on McConnell to drop the Cruz proposal, saying it would undermine protections for pre-existing medical conditions, raise insurance premiums and destabilize the individual insurance market. The bill retained certain Obamacare taxes on the wealthy that the earlier version would have eliminated, a step moderates could embrace. But it kept the core of the earlier bill, including ending the expansion of Medicaid that was instrumental in enabling Obamacare to expand coverage to 20 million people, and restructuring that social safety-net program. John Thune, a member of the Senate Republican leadership, said in order to complete work on the bill by the end of next week, Senate leaders would have to try to formally begin debate on Tuesday or Wednesday, a move that requires a majority vote.

Summary: एक और रिपब्लिकन दलबदल सीनेट स्वास्थ्य सेवा विधेयक को बर्बाद कर देगा


BARCELONA (Reuters) - The leader of Catalonia s government called on Tuesday for a reduction in tensions in its standoff with Madrid over a bid in the wealthy northeastern region for independence from Spain.  With our differences and discrepancies, we make up one people,  Carles Puigdemont told the regional parliament in Barcelona.

Summary: कैटलन नेता ने तनाव कम करने का आह्वान किया


JUCHITAN, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexico s president on Monday threw himself into areas badly hit by last week s devastating earthquake amid frustration at delays in getting food and water to stricken communities where at least 96 people died and 2.5 million were left in need of aid. Accompanied by several cabinet ministers, President Enrique Pena Nieto took on a busy schedule as he toured the battered southern state of Chiapas, seeking to inspire confidence in the government s relief effort. Pena Nieto s approval ratings have plumbed depths lower than any recent president, and his Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) faces a major struggle to retain power in presidential elections next July. The law bars him from seeking re-election. Speaking in the hard-hit city of Tonala, Pena Nieto urged construction companies to aid rebuilding efforts.  If construction firms commit to showing solidarity by building a few homes ... construction efforts can be carried out quicker,  he said.  Don t let anyone take advantage of you, or take control of your affairs. The government is here.  Mexican cement producer Cemex said on Monday it would donate $1 million worth of aid to reconstruction efforts. The final cost of the quake is likely to be far higher. Among those with Pena Nieto were Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong and Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade, both potential PRI candidates for the presidency. The quake killed at least sixteen people in Chiapas and four others in Tabasco. The vast majority of deaths so far reported were the 76 in neighboring Oaxaca state. Many Oaxaca fatalities were in the town of Juchitan, where more than 5,000 homes were destroyed. Tens of thousands of others were damaged in the region. Government officials delivered bags of simple rations including water and canned food on Sunday, but many Juchitan residents complained about the slow pace of assistance.  We don t have food or water, we re desperate,  said Jesus Ramirez, 27, who works in a plastics factory.  We re trying to eat whatever we can find, any kind of food.  Much of Juchitan and its surroundings had no running water, and piles of rubble were still restricting access to streets. Electricity was returning, but residents complained officials were slow to conduct house-by-house damage assessments. Alfredo Jimenez, a 19-year-old engineering student, said he and neighbors banded together to help victims of seven flattened homes in the area, feeling unable to count on the government.   We see government people passing by, the army and the marines, but they haven t offered us anything,  he said. Margarita Lopez, 56, a domestic worker, lined up for assistance in one Juchitan neighborhood where nearly every house was severely damaged.  Almost nothing has arrived from the government, and we don t know what else we can do,  Lopez said. Thursday s 8.1 magnitude quake was the most powerful to hit Mexico in 85 years, surpassing a 1985 temblor that killed thousands in Mexico City and triggered public outcry over the government response. That disaster hurt the PRI s reputation and some analysts believe it contributed to its removal from power in a 2000 vote, ending 71 consecutive years of one-party rule. Under pressure to do more at home, the government on Monday withdrew an offer to help victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Mexico has been coping with heavy rains and the impact from Hurricane Katia on the Gulf state of Veracruz. The quake struck off the coast of Chiapas, and Mexico s national seismological institute said more than 1,000 aftershocks have since been reported. State-run oil company Pemex said on Monday it has not restarted its Salina Cruz refinery due to the aftershocks.

Summary: मेक्सिको के राष्ट्रपति ने भूकंप क्षेत्र में सरकारी प्रतिक्रिया का नेतृत्व किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of mobile artillery rocket systems to Romania worth up to $1.25 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said on Friday. The Pentagon agency said it notified Congress of the possible sale on Thursday. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the weapons system. Romania has asked for up to 54 high mobility artillery rocket systems and related services and equipment, the agency said in a statement.

Summary: रोमानिया 25 करोड़ डॉलर के अमेरिकी रॉकेट सिस्टम खरीदने के लिए बातचीत कर रहा हैः पेंटागन


AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Bosnian Croat war crimes convict Slobodan Praljak used cyanide to kill himself in court after losing his appeal, according to preliminary autopsy findings, Dutch prosecutors said on Friday. Praljak, 72, announced that he had taken poison immediately after his conviction and 20-year sentence were upheld by appeals judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia on Wednesday, and died shortly afterward. In a statement, prosecutors said a toxicological test had found that Praljak  had a concentration of potassium cyanide in his blood .  This resulted in a failure of the heart, which is indicated as the suspected cause of death,  they added. Earlier on Friday, the tribunal said it had launched its own independent review into the death. Praljak committed suicide in the final minutes of the last verdict at the court before it closes later this month.  I just drank poison,  the ex-general told the stunned court in a hearing that was being broadcast online.  I am not a war criminal. I oppose this conviction.  Prosecutors said they were focusing their investigation on how Praljak had managed to obtain a banned substance in the high-security U.N. building.

Summary: बोस्नियाई क्रोएशियाई युद्ध अपराधी प्रालजाक ने साइनाइड से खुद को मार डालाः अभियोजक


NAIROBI (Reuters) - A prominent strategist for Kenya s opposition who has strongly criticized President Uhuru Kenyatta and called for some parts of the country to secede was released on Monday after being briefly detained on suspicion of inciting violence. Kenya s public prosecutor said on Twitter that David Ndii had been released on police bond and that  appropriate actions  would be taken after investigations are completed.  Police had earlier said Ndii, an economist and anti-corruption campaigner who was arrested on Sunday in the coastal town of Diani, was  under interrogation regarding ... the offence of incitement to violence . Opposition leader Raila Odinga condemned the arrest, saying on Monday:  He has committed no crime. (This is) designed to intimidate and fragment the people of Kenya.  Pro-democracy groups said Ndii s arrest raised concerns about freedom of expression.   Ndii has been at the forefront of articulating the problems with the way the country is run,  said Gladwell Otieno, executive director of Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) in Nairobi.      Ndii is an outspoken critic of Kenyatta, who was sworn in for a second presidential term last week after a prolonged elections season that has disrupted the economy and spurred protests that killed more than 60 people.  A senior policy adviser to the opposition National Super Alliance (NASA), he has called since a disputed August election that was voided by the Supreme Court for western and coastal areas that are opposition strongholds to declare independence.   Odinga, who boycotted a repeat poll in October saying the election commission had failed to carry out sufficient reforms, has said his preference is for Kenya to remain united. Kenyatta won the re-run election with 98 percent of the vote but the country, a Western ally in a volatile region, remains deeply divided after months of bitter campaigning and sporadic violent clashes. Salim Lone, an Odinga adviser, said Ndii was helping to organize the  swearing in  of Odinga by a people s assembly on Dec. 12, Kenya s independence day, a plan that has raised the prospect of further confrontations with security forces. Ndii s wife Judith Mwende Gatabaki told journalists on Monday that he was arrested by men who identified themselves as members of the  flying squad    a police unit that is part of the criminal investigation directorate.  She said they searched the couple s hotel room before taking him away and that she had been unable to reach her husband since.     We came here to attend a wedding. There was nothing political about it and my husband is not a criminal,  Gatabaki  said.

Summary: केन्या ने हिंसा भड़काने के संदेह में गिरफ्तार ओडिंगा सलाहकार को रिहा किया


PARIS (Reuters) - France reacted cautiously on Friday to U.S. evidence which allegedly proved Iran supplied weapons to Houthi militia in Yemen, saying it was still studying information at its disposal and the United Nations had yet to draw any conclusions. The United States on Thursday presented for the first time pieces of what it said were Iranian weapons supplied to the Houthis, describing it as conclusive evidence that Tehran was violating U.N. resolutions.  The arms included charred remnants of what the Pentagon said was an Iranian-made short-range ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Nov. 4 at King Khaled International Airport outside Saudi Arabia s capital Riyadh, as well as a drone and an anti-tank weapon recovered in Yemen by the Saudis. When asked whether Paris believed that evidence was irrefutable, foreign ministry deputy spokesman Alexandre Giorgini declined to respond directly.  The United Nations secretariat has not, at this stage, drawn any conclusions. France continues to examine the information at its disposal,  he said. Tensions between Iran and France have increased in recent weeks after President Emmanuel Macron said Tehran should be less aggressive in the region and clarify its ballistic missile program. Giorgini said France remained concerned by Iran s ballistic missile program and urged it to abide fully by U.N. Security Council resolution 2231. Resolution 2231, which enshrined the landmark nuclear deal with world powers, calls on Iran not to undertake activities related to missiles capable of delivering nuclear bombs, including launches using such technology. It stops short of explicitly barring such activity. France s foreign minister is due in Washington on Monday to in part to discuss Iran and will travel to Tehran at the start of January.  (Corrects spelling of spokesman surname)

Summary: यमन में ईरान के हथियारों पर अमेरिकी 'साक्ष्य' को लेकर फ्रांस सतर्क