(Reuters) - Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the state of Indiana, saying a new state law restricting abortion was unconstitutional. The law, which was signed last month by Indiana Governor Mike Pence and goes into effect on July 1, prohibits abortion in the early stages of a pregnancy based on genetic abnormalities and mandates a fetus be buried or cremated, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court. Planned Parenthood asked for an injunction on the law, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of the nonprofit organization’s  Indiana chapter. “The United States Supreme Court has repeatedly stressed that a woman, not the state, is to determine whether or not to obtain an abortion,” Ken Falk, legal director for ACLU of Indiana, said in a statement. “The state of Indiana’s attempt to invade a woman’s privacy and to control her decision in this regard is unprecedented and unconstitutional.” The lawsuit named the Indiana State Department of Health, prosecutors of several counties and the state medical licensing board.  A spokeswoman for the health department referred all questions to the attorney general’s office, where no one could be reached for comment. A spokesman for the medical licensing board declined to comment about the lawsuit. Pence’s press secretary, Kara Brooks, said the governor is confident the law is constitutional. “We will work with the attorney general to defend the law that enhances information expectant mothers receive and enhances protection for the unborn,” she said. Indiana was the second U.S. state to prohibit abortions based on a prenatal diagnosis of disabilities such as Down syndrome, following North Dakota.  Planned Parenthood does not ask patients to disclose why they are obtaining an abortion, but under the new law, doctors would be mandated to report if a fetal anomaly was present before the abortion.  The new Indiana law would put physicians at risk for legal woes, and require additional costs for a fetus to be buried or cremated, according to the lawsuit. “Gov. Mike Pence isn’t a woman and he isn’t a doctor. He needs to get out and stay out of our doctors’ offices,” Betty Cockrum, chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, said in a statement.

Summary: नियोजित पितृत्व गर्भपात कानून के लिए इंडियाना पर मुकदमा करता है


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia became the 26th nation to legalise same-sex marriage on Thursday, prompting cheers and singing from a packed parliament public gallery in a country where some states ruled homosexual acts to be illegal until just 20 years ago. Lawmakers, who had cast aside a conservative push to allow religious objectors to refuse service to same-sex couples, waved rainbow flags and embraced on the floor of the chamber, after the overwhelming vote in favour of the bill. Fewer than five of 150 MPs voted against it.  What a day. What a day for love, for equality, for respect,  said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.  It is time for more marriages.  The law, which will also recognise same-sex marriages solemnised in foreign countries, takes effect from Saturday. Because a month s notice is required for the state to recognise a marriage, the first legal same-sex unions will be in January. Five-time Olympic gold-medal winner, the swimmer Ian Thorpe, who came out in 2014, said the law reflected contemporary Australia and would support people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual queer or intersex (LGBTQI).   It will give each of us the sense of what modern Australia is, and is, in fact, the way that most of us see this country as being, and will allow LGBTQI people in our nation to know that fairness is one of our values,  he told reporters in Canberra. Australians had overwhelmingly endorsed legalising same-sex marriage in a postal survey.  What a moment for the country,  said Christine Forster, a Sydney councillor and the sister of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, standing among throngs of rainbow-clad campaigners for a  Yes  vote, outside parliament with her female partner. She said she planned to go to her brother s house to celebrate. Abbott, who is still a member of parliament, was one of the most prominent  no  campaigners. He left the chamber before the vote. The bill cleared the upper house last month. During the debate in the lower house on Monday, a politician proposed to his same-sex partner. Both Turnbull s Liberal-National coalition government and the main opposition Labor Party had said they wanted to pass it by Dec. 7. But despite the support of the main parties, religious organisations and conservative lawmakers had voiced strong opposition and proposed dozens of amendments. During the debate, they pressed for broad protections for religious objectors, among them florists and bankers, to refuse service to same-sex couples. But their efforts were rejected.  These amendments, rather, are a shield for people and organisations that hold to a traditional view of marriage. They are not a sword to be wielded in the service of bigotry,  government MP Andrew Hastie said in parliament. Amendments to permit lay celebrants to decline to solemnise same-sex marriages and businesses opposed to the unions to refuse service at wedding receptions were all defeated, one after the other, during three days of debate.  Love has won, and it s time to pop the bubbly,  Greens MP and same-sex marriage supporter Adam Bandt said.

Summary: ऑस्ट्रेलिया 'प्रेम दिवस' मनाता है क्योंकि यह समलैंगिक विवाह की अनुमति देता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz on Sunday said he opposes the latest version of a Senate attempt to repeal Obamacare, casting doubt on the healthcare bill’s chances of passage, Politico reported. Cruz, a Texas conservative, does not support the bill introduced by Senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham, and said Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee is also unlikely to support the measure, Politico reported.  It said Cruz told the Texas Tribune festival in Austin, Texas that amendments that he and Lee proposed to bring down the costs of Obamacare premiums had not been included in the most recent draft of the bill.

Summary: सीनेटर क्रूज़ ने रिपब्लिकन स्वास्थ्य सेवा विधेयक का विरोध किया, वोट पर संदेह व्यक्त कियाः पोलिटिको


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi forces launched an operation on Thursday to clear the desert bordering Syria of Islamic State in a final push to rid Iraq of the militant group, the military said. Troops from the Iraqi army and mainly Shi ite paramilitaries known as Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) were taking part in the campaign against militants hiding in a large strip of border land, Iraqi military officials said.  The objective behind the operation is to prevent remaining Daesh groups from melting into the desert region and using it as a base for future attacks,  said army colonel Salah Kareem, referring to Islamic State by an Arabic acronym. Islamic State fighters who ruled over millions of people in both Iraq and Syria since proclaiming their  caliphate  in 2014, have been largely defeated in both countries this year, pushed out of all population centers to empty desert near the border. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday  Islamic State had been defeated from a military perspective, but he would declare final victory only after the militants were routed in the desert. [nL8N1NR57C] In the latest operation, Iraqi forces had  purified  77 villages and exerted control over a bridge and an airport, operations commander Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah said in a statement. Over 5,800 squared kilometers had been  purified,  he added. On Friday Iraqi forces captured the border town of Rawa, the last remaining town under Islamic State control. Iraqi army commanders say the military campaign will continue until all the frontier with Syria is secured to prevent Islamic State from launching cross border attacks.  We will completely secure the desert from all terrorist groups of Daesh and declare Iraq clean of those germs,  said army Brigadier General Shakir Kadhim. Army officials said troops advancing through sprawling desert towards the Syria border are facing landmines and roadside bombs placed by retreating militants.  We need to clean scattered villages from terrorists to make sure they no longer operate in the desert area with Syria,  said army Lieutenant-Colonel Ahmed Fairs.  Iraqi military helicopters provided cover for the advancing troops and destroyed at least three vehicles used by militants as they were trying to flee a village in the western desert, said the army officer. Islamic State s self-declared caliphate has swiftly collapsed since July, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces captured Mosul, the group s de facto capital in Iraq, after a grueling battle that had lasted nine months. Driven also from its other main bastion in Syria s Raqqa, Islamic State has since been gradually squeezed into an ever-shrinking pocket of desert straddling the Syria-Iraq frontier, pursued by a range of enemies that include most regional states and global powers. The group s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is believed to be hiding in the stretch of desert which runs along the border of both countries.

Summary: इराक ने सीरिया के पास रेगिस्तान से इस्लामिक स्टेट को हटाने के लिए अभियान शुरू किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. forces have captured a militant who is believed to have played a role in a 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, U.S. officials said on Monday. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that U.S. Special Operation Forces captured the militant in Libya in the past few days.  Two of the officials identified him as Mustafa al-Imam and said he had played a role in the attack and the ambassador s death. The officials said the man was now in the custody of the Department of Justice and being transported back to the United States by the military.  They added that the operation was authorized by President Donald Trump and had notified the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord. In a statement, Trump said al-Imam  will face justice in the United States for his alleged role in the September 11, 2012 attacks. [nW1N1N000Y] Attorney General Jeff Sessions said al-Imam was now in custody and the United States would continue to investigate and identify those who were involved in the attack. The appropriate Congressional committees and the families of the Americans killed in the 2012 attack had also been notified, the officials said. The attack on the embassy was the topic of numerous congressional hearings, with Republican lawmakers critical of the way in which then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton responded to the attack. Earlier this month, U.S. prosecutors opened their case against the suspected ringleader, Ahmed Abu Khatallah. Khatallah had been awaiting trial since 2014, when he was captured by a team of U.S. military and FBI officials in Libya and transported on a 13-day journey to the United States aboard a Navy vessel. Militants have exploited chaos following Muammar Gaddafi s 2011 downfall. Islamic State took over Sirte in early 2015, turning it into its most important base outside the Middle East and attracting large numbers of foreign fighters to the city.  Islamic State militants has shifted to desert valleys and inland hills southeast of Tripoli as they seek to exploit Libya s political divisions after their defeat in Sirte. The United States has been carrying out strikes against the militant group in Libya, striking more than a dozen militants in September.

Summary: अमेरिका ने बेनगाज़ी हमले के संदिग्ध आतंकवादी को पकड़ा


VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria s conservatives and far-right Freedom Party (FPO) could complete coalition talks as soon as Friday evening and be sworn in on Monday, officials from both parties said. A deal between the center-right People s Party (OVP) led by 31-year-old Sebastian Kurz and the anti-immigration Freedom Party would mark a major victory for a European far-right party after a flurry of elections this year.  We are putting effort into this and we would be happy if it was possible to announce an agreement to you today, but I cannot promise it yet,  said Gernot Bluemel, a close Kurz ally and leader of the conservatives in Vienna.  We hope that we can properly conclude (the last issues) over the course of today. If you want to compare it to a skiing race, we are now doing the last turns before the finish line... I am in good spirits.  Conservative Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka, whom local media and a source close to the coalition talks have named as a candidate for finance minister, told ORF radio  a new government will be sworn in on Monday . An FPO source confirmed the envisaged timing for an agreement and swearing-in ceremony, adding a news conference with Kurz and Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache was planned for 1800 Vienna time (1700 GMT) on Friday. The Freedom Party last entered government in 2000, triggering European sanctions against Austria. Such a step has not been flagged this time around, with many European countries having shifted to the political right. Kurz, whose party won just over 31 percent in October s parliamentary elections, is all but certain to become chancellor with Strache   whose FPO got 26 percent for third place after the Social Democrats   as his deputy. Freedom Party officials are set to fill major ministries, including the interior, foreign, defense, health and social affairs and infrastructure portfolios. This list has been neither confirmed nor denied by party officials.

Summary: ऑस्ट्रियाई रूढ़िवादी-सुदूर दक्षिणपंथी गठबंधन वार्ता समाप्ति रेखा के करीब


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Energy Department said on Tuesday it will not comply with a request from President-elect Donald Trump’s Energy Department transition team for the names of people who have worked on climate change and the professional society memberships of lab workers. The Energy Department’s response could signal a rocky transition for the president-elect’s energy team and potential friction between the new leadership and the staffers who remain in place. The memo sent to the Energy Department on Tuesday and reviewed by Reuters last week contains 74 questions, including a request for a list of all department employees and contractors who attended the annual global climate talks hosted by the United Nations within the last five years. Energy Department spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder said Tuesday the department will not comply. “Our career workforce, including our contractors and employees at our labs, comprise the backbone of (the Energy Department) and the important work our department does to benefit the American people,” Burnham-Snyder said. “We are going to respect the professional and scientific integrity and independence of our employees at our labs and across our department,” he added. “We will be forthcoming with all publicly available information with the transition team. We will not be providing any individual names to the transition team.” He added that the request “left many in our workforce unsettled.” Andrew Rosenberg, an official at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the Energy Department “made the right choice in refusing this absurd and dangerous request. Federal agencies need the best available science to respond to the growing risk of climate change.” Reuters reported late Monday that former Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to be named by Trump to run the Energy Department. The agency employs more than 90,000 people working on nuclear weapons maintenance and research labs, nuclear energy, advanced renewable energy, batteries and climate science. The memo sought a list of all department employees or contractors who have attended any meetings on the social cost of carbon, a measurement that federal agencies use to weigh the costs and benefits of new energy and environmental regulations. It also asked for all publications written by employees at the department’s 17 national laboratories for the past three years. Trump transition officials declined to comment on the memo. “This feels like the first draft of an eventual political enemies list,” a Department of Energy employee, who asked not to be identified because he feared a reprisal by the Trump transition team, had told Reuters. Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman, said in a news briefing on Tuesday that the queries “could have been an attempt to target civil servants,” including “scientists and lawyers and other experts who are critical to the success of the federal government’s ability to make policy.”  By design, their work transcends the term of any one president, Earnest said.  Trump, a Republican, said during his election campaign that climate change was a hoax perpetrated by China to damage U.S. manufacturing. He said he would rip up last year’s landmark global climate deal struck in Paris that was signed by President Barack Obama. Since winning the Nov. 8 election, however, Trump has said he will keep an “open mind” about the Paris deal. He also met with former Vice President Al Gore, a strong advocate for action on climate change.  After that meeting, he picked Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a climate change skeptic, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Summary: अमेरिकी ऊर्जा विभाग ने जलवायु परिवर्तन पर नामों के लिए ट्रम्प के अनुरोध पर आपत्ति जताई


TRIPOLI (Reuters) - At least five African migrants died and more were missing off western Libya on Monday after a boat carrying about 140 people capsized and then some migrants refused rescue by the Libyan coast guard and tried instead to swim to a German rescue vessel. The migrants  rubber boat overturned some 30 miles off the Libyan coast, said Libyan officials and rescue workers in Tripoli to where the coast guard brought some 45 survivors. A video obtained by Reuters showed how, during the rescue operation, some migrants tried jumping off the Libyan patrol boat which had rescued them to reach a ship of Seawatch, a German non-governmental organization, a few meters away. Some screamed to be allowed to leave the Libyan boat as the German vessel came closer. The Libyans tried to discourage the migrants from trying to reach the German boat, Seawatch said. The incident sparked mutual recrimination by Seawatch and the Libyan coast guard. At least five migrants had died, including a toddler, due to the  violent and reckless behavior of (the) Libyan coast guards,  Seawatch said on its Twitter feed, adding that 58 had been rescued.  The so-called Libyan Coastguard forced as many as they could into their vessel to take them back to Tripoli,  the German group added. The Libyan coast guard said an unknown number of people had died after their inflatable boat had sunk and Abu Ajala Amer Abdelbari, a coast guard commander, said the German NGO had undermined its rescue operations by approaching its boat.  The Seawatch was approaching while we were rescuing migrants,  he said.  This was encouraging the migrants to swim to the Seawatch and a (nearby) French navy ship.  The survivors brought to Tripoli were from West African countries including Nigeria and Senegal.  I wanted to reach Italy. I don t know what to do now,  said Dora Onoruyi, a 23-year old arts student from the southern Nigerian city of Benin known as hub for human traffickers to smuggle women to Italy where they often end up as prostitutes.  I see no future in Nigeria, there are no jobs,  she said, standing next to a group of weeping Nigerian survivors. Libya is the main departure point for migrants trying to travel by boat to Europe. But numbers crossing to Italy have fallen sharply since July due to a drop in people smuggling and increased activity by Libya s European-backed coastguard.

Summary: नाव डूबने से पांच प्रवासियों की मौत, लीबिया के तटरक्षक और जर्मन एनजीओ ने एक-दूसरे पर लगाया आरोप


BERLIN (Reuters) - Relations between Berlin and Washington are in a difficult phase but the United States is “bigger and better” than the current spat shows and ties will improve again, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Tuesday. “It is true that we have a difficult situation in relations between the United States and Germany,” Gabriel said. “But the United States are older and bigger than the current conflict and so I think we will return to good relations in the future.” “Things are getting trivialized now. I think it is inappropriate that we are now communicating with each other between a beer tent and Twitter,” Gabriel added in Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel told her Bavarian allies in a beer tent in Munich on Sunday that Europe could no longer completely rely on its allies. U.S. President Donald Trump responded by criticizing Germany via Twitter earlier on Tuesday.

Summary: जर्मनी के गैब्रियल का कहना है कि अमेरिका के साथ संबंध 'मुश्किल' हैं, सुधरेंगे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued requests for proposals for prototypes for a wall along the Mexican border, saying ideally it should be 30 feet (9 meters) high and the wall facing the U.S. side should be “aesthetically pleasing in color.” A wall to stem illegal immigration was one of Donald Trump’s main campaign promises and has been highly controversial. The president has vowed to make Mexico reimburse the United States for its cost but Mexico has repeatedly said it will not do so. Earlier this week, the White House requested $3 billion more for Homeland Security, with some of that intended for planning and building the border wall. According to one document posted online by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Friday night, the wall should be 30 feet high, built using concrete, and “physically imposing.” However, it says designs over 18 feet (5.5 meters) high could be acceptable. “Designs with heights of less than 18 feet are not acceptable,” the document said. It said the wall should have features that do not allow people to climb over it and should prevent digging below the wall. “The wall shall prevent/deter for a minimum of 1 hour the creation of a physical breach of the wall (e.g., punching through the wall) larger than 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter or square using sledgehammer, car jack, pickaxe, chisel, battery-operated impact tools, battery-operated cutting tools, oxy/acetylene torch or other similar hand-held tools,” it said. The other document requesting proposals has many of the same requirements but it does not specify that it be solid concrete.

Summary: यूएस होमलैंड सिक्योरिटी ने मेक्सिको के साथ दीवार बनाने का प्रस्ताव मांगा


PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech billionaire Andrej Babis gained possible support on Monday for his bid to form a minority government with his ANO movement when the small Communist party said it could  tolerate  the prospect. ANO won nearly three times as many votes as its closest competitor in a parliamentary election this month when voters shunned traditional parties but fell short of a majority in the lower house. Since then, the other eight parties that won seats have refused cooperation with ANO with the exception of the SPD, a far-right, anti-European Union party that is not a preferred coalition partner for Babis. The businessman ran on an anti-establishment platform and pledged to fight political corruption but he faces potential fraud charges himself. The ANO has 78 seats in the 200-seat lower house and is considering forming a minority government but it must win a confidence vote with a simple majority of those present. The head of the far-left Communist party (KSCM) said he could tolerate a minority cabinet as a way out of the impasse.  It is a question of how much the government s program would fit us, to tolerate this government,  KSCM chairman Vojtech Filip told Czech Television.  I am not saying we will support it, I am speaking about tolerance.  KSCM with its 15 seats would have to leave the lower house during a confidence vote thus lowering the threshold ANO would need to win. President Milos Zeman, who will meet with Babis on Tuesday, told Czech Radio a minority government would be a good option. Most parties shun Babis and his ANO party because of the fraud charges. Police say he hid ownership of a farm and conference center near Prague in 2008 so he could qualify for a 2 million euro EU subsidy normally meant for small businesses. Babis denies wrongdoing and says the charges were politically motivated. ** For a GRAPHIC of election results: tmsnrt.rs/2vO4hPW

Summary: अल्पसंख्यक सरकार के लिए बोली में चेक बाबियों को संभावित समर्थन मिला


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast on Saturday that he wanted to give a shot at achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians before moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In June Trump signed a temporary order to keep the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv, despite a campaign promise he made to move it to Jerusalem. In an interview with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on the TBN program  Huckabee,  Trump noted his administration was working on a plan for peace between the two sides.  I want to give that a shot before I even think about moving the embassy to Jerusalem,  he said.  If we can make peace between the Palestinians and Israel, I think it ll lead to ultimately peace in the Middle East, which has to happen,  he said. Asked if there was a timeframe for the embassy move, Trump said:  We re going to make a decision in the not too distant future.

Summary: जेरूसलम में अमेरिकी दूतावास स्थानांतरित करने से पहले शांति को एक मौका देने के लिए ट्रम्प कहते हैंः साक्षात्कार


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan told President Donald Trump on Friday that there are not enough votes to pass Republicans’ healthcare bill, CNN reported, citing a Republican source. Ryan, at a meeting with Trump at the White House, is seeking guidance from Trump about possible next steps, according to CNN. Republican leaders had been planning a vote later on Friday on the measure, which seeks to dismantle Obamacare.

Summary: हाउस स्पीकर ने ट्रम्प से कहा कि स्वास्थ्य देखभाल विधेयक में वोटों की कमी हैः सीएनएन


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ronald Vitiello has been appointed chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday, replacing Mark Morgan, who had been asked to step down as the agency moves toward tougher immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. Vitiello’s appointment was announced in a memo by Kevin McAleenan, acting commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol.

Summary: रोनाल्ड विटीलो को अमेरिकी सीमा गश्ती दल का प्रमुख नियुक्त किया गया


(Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed ongoing trade disagreements between their two countries on Friday on the sidelines of a gathering of U.S. governors. President Donald Trump plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada and Mexico with talks to begin in mid-August. Trump feels the two allies and neighbors are taking advantage of lax American trade policies. Pence and Trudeau met on the fringes of the National Governors Association meeting in Providence, Rhode Island. “On behalf of President Trump, the vice president recognized the importance of the beneficial U.S. trade and investment relationship with Canada, while expressing the need to work together to address lingering trade disagreements,” a White House statement said. It added the two leaders also expressed “their shared commitment to update and modernize NAFTA through constructive renegotiation.”

Summary: पेंस, ट्रूडो ने व्यापार असहमति पर चर्चा की


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will host Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj at the White House on Friday for talks on counterterrorism cooperation and ways to expand bilateral engagement, the White House in a statement on Wednesday.

Summary: ट्रंप शुक्रवार को व्हाइट हाउस में लीबिया के प्रधानमंत्री सरराज की मेजबानी करेंगे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The three top Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives  called on Democratic congressman John Conyers on Thursday to resign in light of the sexual harassment allegations he faces, but Conyers’ attorney said he was not thinking of stepping down. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the allegations were “serious, disappointing and very credible” as she shifted away from comments four days ago in which she said Conyers, the longest-serving House member, was an “icon” who deserved due process. “Zero tolerance means consequences for everyone,” she told reporters on Thursday. “The brave women who came forward are owed justice ... Congressman Conyers should resign.” Pelosi’s call was echoed by her second-in-command, Representative Steny Hoyer, and the No. 3 Democrat in the House, Representative James Clyburn. Like Conyers, Clyburn is known for his activism during the civil rights movement. House Speaker Paul Ryan, the top House Republican, also said Conyers, who is 88 and has served since 1965, should step aside. An attorney for the congressman said Conyers would not be hounded from office. “It is not up to Nancy Pelosi,” attorney Arnold Reed told reporters in Detroit, Michigan. “Nancy Pelosi did not elect the congressman, and she sure as hell won’t be the one that tells the congressman to leave.” “That decision will be completely up to the congressman. He’s not thought of that,” Reed said.  Instead, Conyers was focusing on his health after being hospitalized late on Wednesday after suffering dizziness, light-headedness and shortness of breath, Reed said. Conyers, who is facing an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, is one of numerous prominent men in U.S. politics, media and entertainment who have been accused in recent months of sexual harassment and misconduct. Others include former Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein, Democratic Senator Al Franken and Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore. Conyers has acknowledged settling with one former staffer over her claims of harassment, but he has denied wrongdoing. He has relinquished his post as the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and has said he will cooperate with the ethics probe. The resignation calls came after one of Conyers’ accusers, Marion Brown, detailed her allegations in a television interview on Thursday morning. Brown told NBC’s “Today” show that the congressman had “violated my body” and frequently propositioned her for sex. “No one should have to go through something like that, let alone here in Congress, so yes I think he should resign. He should resign immediately,” said Ryan. Reuters has not verified the allegations. Republican and Democratic House members introduced a bill on Wednesday that would bar public funds from being used to settle sexual harassment claims against members and require previously made payments to be made public. U.S. media have reported that Conyers used public funds to settle a claim with one of the women who had worked in his office.

Summary: कोनयर्स ने डेमोक्रेट नेताओं से इस्तीफे की मांग की


NEW YORK (Reuters) - T-shirts inspired by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s “such a nasty woman” comment on Democrat Hillary Clinton in Wednesday night’s debate were flying off internet retailers’ shelves, offering a possible hint on the Nov. 8 election result.  Sellers said on Thursday that demand came swiftly and was unrivaled minutes after the final debate ended. “I have had nonstop orders since last night,” Pennsylvania part-time graphic designer Naheed Snyder said of her T-shirt, designed simply with the words “Nasty women vote,” selling on Etsy. “It’s unbelievable how well this one has done... there’s no comparison.”  Merchandise retailers typically see a profit boost during election season as voters on both sides seek to wear support for their candidates, particularly around conventions, voting and this year, debates.  Traffic to Teespring.com, a website that allows users to create, sell and buy personalized T-shirts, spiked 40 percent during the second presidential debate and 120 percent in the third debate, the company said.  Merchandise promoting the Republican candidate was steadily higher earlier in the race, said Maheesh Jain, co-founder of online customizable merchandise retailer CafePress. Some of the most popular items included the slogans “I am a deplorable” and “Hillary for prison.”  At a fundraiser in September, Clinton said Trump had given voice to hateful rhetoric through his behavior as a candidate, and that “you can put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the ‘basket of deplorables.’” The following day she said she regretted saying “half” and that she had been “grossly generalistic.”  In the last two weeks, after the release of Trump’s 2005 lewd remarks toward women and an onslaught of women accusing him of sexual harassment or assault, the items have declined in popularity, Jain said. Trump has apologized for the remarks and denied the accusations. “Right now, we’re definitely seeing a lot more Hillary merchandise selling than Trump merchandise,” said Jain. Sales of pro-Clinton merchandise last week were 53.5 percent higher than for Trump, Jain said. After the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday, Trump’s “nasty woman” comment gave life to a new merchandise line aimed at assailing him. “If Hillary Clinton is a nasty woman for being most likely our next president, maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” said Amanda Brinkman, who runs the online feminist-centered accessory shop Google Ghost. “Maybe that’s something you should wear as a badge of honor.” Brinkman’s “Nasty Woman” T-shirt, featuring the phrase with a heart around it, sold more than 6,000 times since she designed and posted it during Wednesday’s debate. The second most-popular item in her store’s history, a pen, at its peak garnered 25 sales in a single day. Brinkman, from New Orleans, said she is donating half of the proceeds to reproductive healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, which Trump opposes because it offers abortions. “I thought it only made sense to use his own words to sell a product that would then benefit Planned Parenthood,” Brinkman said. In past elections, Jain said, her company had seen a direct link between the most merchandise sold and the candidate that won the election. “Typically, whoever is winning in the sales column will win the election,” Jain said. “Right now, we’re seeing Clinton winning the election.”

Summary: अमेरिकी चुनाव टी-शर्ट की लड़ाई में, 'खराब महिला' नियम


ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Thursday its ballistic missile programme would accelerate despite U.S. and European Union pressure to suspend it, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. In a significant U.S. policy shift on Oct. 13, President Donald Trump disavowed Iran s compliance with a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and launched a more aggressive approach to the Islamic Republic over its missile development activity.   Iran s ballistic missile programme will expand and it will continue with more speed in reaction to Trump s hostile approach towards this revolutionary organisation (the Guards),  the IRGC said in a statement published by Tasnim. The Trump administration has imposed new unilateral sanctions aimed at impairing Iran s missile programme. It has called on Tehran not to develop missiles capable of delivering nuclear bombs. Iran says it has no such plans. Tehran has repeatedly pledged to continue what it calls a defensive missile capability in defiance of Western criticism.  Trump s anxiety and trembling voice in his speech was a sign of beginning of the era of failure for America s hegemony,  Tasnim quoted IRGC chief commander Mohammad Ali Jafari as saying.  Boosting Iran s defence power remains our top priority.  Iran has one of the most advanced ballistic missile programmes in the Middle East, viewing it as an essential precautionary defence against the United States and other adversaries, primarily Gulf Arab states and Israel.  Imposing cruel sanctions against the Guards and hostile approach of the rogue and brute (U.S.) president shows the failure of America and the Zionist regime s (Israel) wicked policies in the region,  the Guards statement said. Signalling no respite in tension in the Middle East, where Shi ite Muslim Iran has waged a long proxy war with U.S.-allied Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia, the Guards also vowed to continue confronting the United States and Israel.   More decisive and stronger than ever, the Guards will continue to defend Islamic Iran and its interests,  the statement said, alluding to the Quds force, the Guards  overseas arm that operates in Iraq, Syria and Yemen among other places.  Trump s hardened Iran stance has united officials behind the IRGC.  Today, Iranians, boys, girls, men, women, are all IRGC.  Standing firm with those who defend us and the region against aggression and terror,  U.S.-educated Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his twitter account after Trump s speech.

Summary: ईरान के गार्ड्स का कहना है कि दबाव के बावजूद मिसाइल कार्यक्रम में तेजी आएगी


BEIJING (Reuters) - Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula should be achieved through peaceful and diplomatic means, China s foreign ministry said on Monday, as the United Nations discusses fresh sanctions against North Korea following its latest nuclear test. At a regular news briefing, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated China s call for more steps by the U.N. Security Council, saying he hoped its members could reach consensus. A U.S.-drafted resolution originally called for an oil embargo on the North, a halt to key textile exports and financial and travel bans on leader Kim Jong Un, but appears to have been watered down, according to a draft seen by Reuters.     North Korea drew global condemnation for conducting its sixth nuclear test on Sept 3, which it said was of an advanced hydrogen bomb.

Summary: कोरियाई प्रायद्वीप को परमाणु हथियारों से मुक्त करने के लिए कूटनीति की आवश्यकताः चीन


BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her conservative Bavarian allies meet the leader of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) on Wednesday to start exploring the possibility of governing together. The two groups have ruled in a  grand coalition  for the last four years, but the SPD had vowed to go into opposition after voters rewarded it with its worst-ever post-war election result. The collapse of talks on a three-way coalition forced the SPD to re-consider in the interests of political stability. The conservative bloc and SPD are likely to clash over healthcare, immigration, Europe, work regulations and pensions. The SPD wants to introduce  citizen insurance,  to end the differences between Germany s private and public systems which, it argues, cater for the rich and poor respectively. The SPD wants everyone to be insured in the same way via citizen insurance. However, conservatives, including Merkel, have rejected this, saying switching to one healthcare system would decrease market competition and lead to worse healthcare. The SPD wants to stabilize pensions at 48 percent of the average wage by 2030, to be financed from reserves in the pension fund in the next few years. It aims to raise the contribution rate faster from 2024. The total cost of the SPD s proposal will amount to 19.2 billion euros ($22.55 billion) in 2030. The conservatives want to first form a commission to debate what is necessary to do.  The two parties agree in broad terms on a pro-Europe agenda for Germany, but the SPD wants deeper integration than the conservatives. SPD leader Martin Schulz has called for closer EU integration, with the aim of achieving a  United States of Europe  by 2025. This goes too far for Merkel s conservatives. [L8N1O90IU] Last October, Merkel s Christian Democrats (CDU) agreed with her conservative Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), to put a number on how many people Germany would accept per year on humanitarian grounds. The SPD rejects such a cap. The two parties also disagree on the suspension of family reunifications for asylum seekers who were granted humanitarian protection in Germany.  The SPD is against a conservative plan to extend a suspension for reunifications which will expire in March 2018.  The two blocs are also at odds on the repatriation of Syrian refugees accused of crimes. [L1N1NZ1LI]

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः जर्मन गठबंधन पर बातचीत में विवाद के बिंदु


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior U.S. administration officials said sanctions imposed against Iran earlier on Friday were only the “initial steps in response to Iranian provocative behavior.” The U.S. Treasury sanctioned 13 individuals and 12 entities under its Iran sanctions authority, days after the White House put Tehran “on notice” over a ballistic missile test and other activities.

Summary: ईरान ने 'उत्तेजक' व्यवहार के जवाब में प्रारंभिक कदम उठाएः अमेरिकी अधिकारी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Friday that lawmakers will replenish a federal disaster relief fund to keep federal aid flowing to Hurricane Harvey victims but that full assistance will come from Congress in installments. “We won’t fully know what all is needed for some time. But we do know that the cash drain is fast. And so we’re going to have to do some quick responses,” Ryan said in an interview with WCLO Radio in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. “We’re fashioning legislation right now in concert with the administration to get the resources in the FEMA fund quickly so that that fund stays full and doesn’t run out, while the larger assessment is done.”

Summary: हाउस स्पीकर रयान ने हार्वे सहायता 'किश्तों' की योजना बनाई


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House of Representatives vote to overhaul Obamacare before lawmakers leave Washington for a two-week break looked unlikely late on Tuesday as top White House deputies and key Republican groups said more discussions were needed. Vice President Mike Pence and administration officials met on Capitol Hill for two hours with lawmakers from the moderate “Tuesday Group,” the conservative Republican Study Committee, and the House Freedom Caucus, the rebel group of conservative lawmakers that derailed the first administration-backed healthcare bill last month. While progress had been made, the officials and House lawmakers said no bill text had been agreed on and no decisions had been made by the various Republican factions. The lack of a resolution complicates a White House push for a House vote on a healthcare proposal before Friday, when lawmakers return to their districts for two weeks. “Good talk, good progress,” Pence told reporters without providing details. Freedom Caucus leader Mark Meadows said the meeting had focused on an amendment to create a “backstop” to ensure individuals with chronic illnesses in high-risk pools do not see spikes in insurance premium costs if other aspects of Obamacare, also known as the 2010 Affordable Care Act, are repealed. “No decisions were made. We’re going to get back together tomorrow at a time to be determined,” Meadows told reporters. Republican Study Committee Chairman Mark Walker said the focus when talks resumed would be on sticking points such as whether to allow states to opt out of Obamacare mandates that insurers must cover a minimum tier of services and cannot charge more to those with pre-existing conditions - a popular provision of the law that Trump has promised to protect. The Republican failure last month to dismantle Obamacare was President Donald Trump’s first major legislative setback and it raised questions about how he would build Republican consensus to deliver on other major legislative goals. Many Republicans were elected on promises to repeal and replace Obamacare but House Speaker Paul Ryan was forced to withdraw the bill when it became clear there were not enough Republican votes to pass it. Hard-line conservatives, such as those in the Freedom Caucus, thought it was too similar to former Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law. Moderate conservatives balked at proposed changes to some of its most popular provisions that were sought by conservative lawmakers. Trump initially said he would move on to fulfilling other campaign promises such as a tax overhaul and infrastructure-spending package, but a new attempt at reviving the failed healthcare push took off on Monday when White House officials met Republican lawmakers.  A source familiar with internal House Republican deliberations said healthcare, not taxes, now topped the House agenda and that the White House was driving the healthcare effort. “They want to get this done as quickly as possible,” Meadows told reporters after Tuesday’s meeting. Republican lawmakers have said the new push on healthcare would maintain Obamacare’s essential health benefits clause listing services and care that insurers must cover. However, in a move to attract hard-line conservatives, states could apply for a waiver if they showed it would improve coverage and reduce costs. The “backstop” for individuals in the high-risk pool discussed on Tuesday would direct additional funds to a $115 billion state stability fund authorized in the first Republican bill. No final decision was made, even though there was consensus, lawmakers said. “We’re taking our time and working through policy and structure until we reach consensus,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady. “Let’s let the solution and common ground drive the timetable, rather than the other way. That was really the consensus,” he said. Ryan told reporters after a closed meeting with fellow Republicans on Tuesday morning that the renewed healthcare effort was simply in the “conceptual stage right now,” and did not give a timeline for having a bill on the House floor. Talk of a revived plan hurt shares of hospitals and insurers that have benefited from Obamacare’s expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor, which extended insurance to millions of people and helped cut hospital debt. Major hospital and medical groups, including the American Medical Association, were opposed to the initial Republican bill because it would lead to massive coverage losses and cuts in hospital revenue.

Summary: अधिक बातचीत लेकिन स्वास्थ्य सेवा में सुधार के लिए रिपब्लिकन दबाव पर कोई निर्णय नहीं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Israel  faced repeated heckling at a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday before he apologized for his stinging criticism of liberal American Jews and promised to be less inflammatory in an official capacity. David Friedman, a bankruptcy lawyer Trump has called a longtime friend and trusted adviser, has supported Jewish settlement building and advocated the annexation of the West Bank, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. His nomination has been fiercely opposed by some American Jewish groups. Friedman repeatedly expressed regret for likening liberal American Jews to Jewish prisoners who worked for the Nazis during the Holocaust, telling the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in his opening statement, “I regret the use of such language.” Trump is following through on a promised shift in U.S. policy toward Israel after years of friction between former President Barack Obama and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. Flanked by Netanyahu at a White House news conference, Trump on Wednesday dropped a U.S. commitment to a two-state solution, long a bedrock of its Middle East policy, even as he urged Netanyahu to curb settlement construction. The heated opposition to Friedman’s nomination erupted in the hearing room as Friedman began his opening statement, with several hecklers including a man who held up the Palestinian flag and shouted about Palestinian claims to the land of Israel. “My grandfather was exiled,” the man said before being escorted out of the room. “Palestinians will always be in Palestine!” Democratic senators pressed Friedman on incendiary comments he made including calling Obama an anti-Semite and Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish, an appeaser. “Frankly the language you have regularly used against those who disagree with your views has me concerned about your preparedness to enter the world of diplomacy,” Ben Cardin, the senior Democrat on the committee, told the nominee. Friedman acknowledged using overheated rhetoric as part of his passionate support for the Jewish state, which has included financial support of Jewish settlements built on land claimed by Palestinians. He promised to avoid inflammatory comments as a U.S. diplomat. He told Cardin, “There is no excuse. If you want me to rationalize it or justify it, I cannot. These were hurtful words and I deeply regret them.” Cardin, citing Friedman’s criticism of Schumer as having done the “worst appeasement of terrorists since Munich,” retorted that those words were “beyond hurtful.”  “We need a steady hand in the Middle East, not a bomb thrower,” admonished Tom Udall, another Democrat. Under questioning, Friedman tried to soften his positions on a number of hot-button regional issues.  While expressing skepticism of a two-state solution calling for the creation of Palestinian state next to Israel, he acknowledged it was the best option for peace. He said he did not personally support Israeli annexation of the West Bank and agreed with Trump’s view that settlement activity “may not be helpful” to achieving peace. “You’re here today having to recant every single strongly held belief that you’ve expressed, almost,” the committee’s Republican chairman, Bob Corker, noted. Friedman is likely to be confirmed by the Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham acknowledged that Friedman has said things he did not agree with but backed the nominee as qualified, experienced and passionate. “I believe he is the right guy at the right time. He’ll be Trump’s voice. Trump won the election,” Graham said.  Five former U.S. ambassadors to Israel from both Republican and Democratic administrations urged the Senate in a letter to reject Friedman, saying that he holds “extreme, radical positions” on issues such as Jewish settlements and the two-state solution. “We believe him to be unqualified for the position,” wrote the former ambassadors including Thomas Pickering, Edward Walker, Daniel Kurtzer, James Cunningham and William Harrop. While campaigning for the presidency, Trump pledged to switch the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, where it has been located for 68 years, to Jerusalem, all but enshrining the city as Israel’s capital regardless of international objections.

Summary: इज़राइल के राजदूत के लिए ट्रम्प के उम्मीदवार से सीनेट में पूछताछ की गई


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Friday on legislation broadening sanctions against North Korea that is expected to pass with overwhelming support, sending the measure to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law. The House backed the sanctions measure 418-2 in January, but the Senate included some new provisions, including cybersecurity measures, in the version of the bill that it passed 96-0 on Wednesday, sending it back to the House. The proposed sanctions come after a satellite launch seen by Washington and its allies as cover for development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon. House Speaker Paul Ryan said the House would consider the amended version of the bill this week, and aides said the vote would likely take place on Friday morning. “We have moved one step closer to a new round of North Korea sanctions,” Ryan told reporters in his weekly news conference. Obama is not expected to veto the bill, given its huge support in Congress. Ben Rhodes, his deputy national security adviser, said the White House would review the measure but does not oppose Congress’ efforts. “I think this is an area where we and Congress are in the same space and agree on the need for increased sanctions,” Rhodes told an event at the Center for American Progress on Thursday.

Summary: सदन ने शुक्रवार को उत्तर कोरिया प्रतिबंध विधेयक पारित किया


TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Friday that North Korea’s remarks and behavior were “absolutely unacceptable” and provocative to regional and international security. Suga was speaking after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to make U.S. President Donald Trump pay dearly for threatening to destroy his country, and after North Korea’s foreign minister was quoted as saying he believes the North could consider a hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean. Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said the comment by North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho was utterly unacceptable.

Summary: जापान ने उत्तर कोरिया के व्यवहार को 'बिल्कुल अस्वीकार्य' बताया


BEDMINSTER, N.J. (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency and said his administration was drafting papers to make it official. “The opioid crisis is an emergency and I’m saying officially right now it is an emergency,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey. “We’re going to draw it up and we’re going to make it a national emergency. It is a serious problem, the likes of which we have never had.” Trump spoke about a week after a White House commission on the opioid crisis led by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie recommended the president declare it a national emergency. The declaration could help unlock more support and resources to address the drug overdose epidemic, such as additional funding and expanded access to various forms of treatment, and it gives the government more flexibility in waiving rules and restrictions to expedite action. National emergencies are typically declared for short-term crises, such as the Zika virus outbreak or a natural disaster. It is unclear what Trump’s declaration will mean for a complex, long-term public health problem.  “We’re going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis,” Trump said. “This is a worldwide problem, not just a United States problem.” More than 100 Americans die of drug overdoses every day, the commission wrote in a report, noting that “America is enduring a death toll equal to September 11th every three weeks.” Opioids played a role in more than 33,000 deaths in 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trump held a “major briefing” on the epidemic on Tuesday, but stopped short of following the commission’s recommendation. Instead, he talked mostly about stopping the flow of drugs into the United States and ensuring young people never start using drugs. He did not discuss access to treatment.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने ओपिओइड के दुरुपयोग पर राष्ट्रीय आपातकाल की घोषणा की


CHICAGO (Reuters) - An Illinois lawmaker on Monday introduced a bill to ban the forcible removal of travelers from flights by state or local government employees after a United Airlines passenger was dragged from an aircraft last week. The Airline Passenger Protection Act, sponsored by  Republican state Representative Peter Breen, came after Dr. David Dao, 69, was pulled from a United flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to make space for four crew members.  The treatment of Dao sparked international outrage, as well as multiple apologies from the carrier, and raised questions about the overbooking policies of airlines. Under Breen’s measure, passengers could not be removed from flights unless they were presenting a danger to themselves or others, an emergency was taking place or the passenger had caused a serious disturbance, according to a copy of the bill introduced in the state capital, Springfield.    “A commercial airline that removes validly seated customers without serious cause breaches the sacred trust between passengers and their airlines,” the bill said.  The legislation would also bar the state of Illinois from making travel arrangements, doing business with or having investments in any commercial airline that maintained a policy of removing paying passengers to make room for employees traveling on non-revenue tickets.  Dao, who was traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, on April 9, suffered a broken nose, a concussion and lost two teeth when he was pulled from his seat by officers from the Chicago Department of Aviation to make room for four employees on the overbooked flight.  The three officers, who have not been named, were put on paid leave last week, the department said.  “The treatment of the passenger in last week’s incident at O’Hare is inexcusable and must be stopped,” Breen said in a statement. “It reflected badly on the airline, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois.” United Chief Executive Oscar Munoz on Monday again apologized for the incident. [nL1N1HP1HM] United said on Friday it was changing its policy on booking its flight crews onto its own planes. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Illinois bill. Lawyers for Dao have moved to preserve evidence from the flight, filing a motion to keep surveillance videos and other materials related to United Flight 3411 in preparation for a possible lawsuit.  The city and United agreed to preserve the evidence, Dao’s attorney said on Saturday.

Summary: इलिनोइस विधेयक यूएएल घटना के बाद यात्रियों को हटाने पर प्रतिबंध लगा देगा


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iraqis who say their lives are in danger because they worked with the U.S. government in Iraq fear their chances of finding refuge in the United States may vanish under a new order signed on Friday by President Donald Trump. The order temporarily suspends the United States’ main refugee program and halts visas being issued to citizens of several predominantly Muslim countries, including Iraq. It is expected to affect two programs U.S. lawmakers created a few years after the 2003 invasion of Iraq to help the tens of thousands of Iraqis who risked their lives helping Americans. Trump says the order is necessary to prevent Islamist militants from coming to the United States posing as refugees, but refugee advocacy groups say the lengthy screening of applicants by multiple U.S. agencies makes this fear unfounded. Iraqis coming to the United States under the Special Immigrant Visa program for Iraqis, which stopped accepting new applications in 2014, or the ongoing Direct Access Program for U.S.-Affiliated Iraqis are losing hope of ever getting out.  “Mr. Trump, the new president, killed our dreams,” said one Baghdad man whose wife worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a bookkeeper. “I don’t have any hope to go to the United States,” he said in a telephone interview, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution by Iraq’s Sunni and Shia militant groups  and also of unfavorable treatment by the Trump administration. More than 7,000 Iraqis, many of them interpreters for the U.S. military, have resettled in the United States under the Special Immigrant Visa program since 2008, while another 500 or so are still being processed, according to State Department figures. Another 58,000 Iraqis were awaiting interviews under the Direct Access program, according to the International Refugee Assistance Project. Tens of thousands have already arrived under the second program, but no recent total was available.   “A lot of translators were trying to get the hell out of there because they had a mark on their head for working with U.S. forces,” Allen Vaught, a former U.S. Army captain who went to Fallujah in western Iraq in 2003, said in a telephone interview. “They’re viewed as collaborators.” He fears the order would endanger American troops by making it harder to recruit local support in war zones, a belief echoed by several advocacy groups working on behalf of America’s Iraqi employees.  While in Iraq, Vaught employed five local interpreters who initially earned $5 a week traveling with troops, sometimes without weapons or armor. He helped two of the interpreters come to the United States as refugees with their families, putting them up initially in his home in Dallas, Texas. Another two were executed by militia groups, he said.  The fifth was still mired in the refugee screening process, which can last months or years even after the initial interview. Vaught had expected to also welcome him into his home this year before he had seen a draft of Trump’s order. “This executive order is based on ignorance and fear,” he said. “And you do not lead a country with ignorance and fear.” In Baghdad, the Iraqi man waiting for a visa recalled U.S, soldiers had laughed at his concerns, telling him the United States is too big a democracy to be changed on “the decision of one person like Trump,” he said. But he now wonders if the soldiers were right. In 2013, a USAID official encouraged his family to apply as refugees under the Direct Access program. He checked in every week or so, but is still waiting word on an appointment at the U.S. consulate for the necessary interview. The same year he filed his application, he was shot in the head while driving to work, hospitalizing him for a month and leaving him deaf in one ear. He connected that to the threats that had often flashed as text messages on his cellphone, sent by Islamist militants angered by his wife’s work for USAID. Others in Iraq remained hopeful they would eventually get out.  An Iraqi man who worked for a U.S. defense contractor and later alongside U.S. troops as a mid-ranking Iraqi Army officer, recalled his excitement at getting the phone call a few weeks ago telling him that his family had an interview appointment at the U.S. consulate after two years and four applications.   He was hopeful it would still take place in mid-February, believing that American officials would be concerned about the threats to his family. He was unaware that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday temporarily halted trips by staff to interview applicants. “I believe this is politics, things you hear on the news,” he told Reuters by phone from Baghad on condition of anonymity. “I don’t think they would prevent Iraqis coming to America.”

Summary: ट्रम्प के शरणार्थी आदेश ने इराकियों की उम्मीदों को धराशायी कर दिया जिन्होंने अमेरिका की मदद की।


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic leaders in Congress said on Monday they had accepted an invitation from President Donald Trump to meet with him and Republican leaders to discuss year-end legislative priorities, including efforts to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who canceled a previous meeting with Trump after he issued a disparaging note on Twitter, said in a statement they hoped the president would remain open-minded about reaching a deal with Democrats. “We need to reach a budget agreement that equally boosts funds for our military and key priorities here at home,” they said, listing a series of political priorities. “There is a bipartisan path forward on all of these items.”

Summary: कांग्रेस में शीर्ष डेमोक्रेट ने साल के अंत में प्राथमिकताओं पर मिलने के ट्रम्प के प्रस्ताव को स्वीकार किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Representative Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of a committee looking into President Donald Trump’s decision to fire FBI chief James Comey, said on Thursday he will depart Congress at the end of next month. “As you know, after careful consideration and long discussion with my wife, Julie, we agree the time has come for us to move on from this part of our life,” he said in a letter to his Utah constituents. Chaffetz, a conservative Republican who was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2008, gained prominence as head of the committee that investigated Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state. The House Oversight Committee he heads is one of several congressional panels looking into aspects of Russia’s alleged attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election. In addition to the firing of Comey, it is conducting a probe of whether former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn misled security clearance investigators about Russia contacts. Chaffetz had considered running for a U.S. Senate seat in the past. A former aide told Reuters last month the congressman may run for governor of Utah in 2020, though no firm decision had been made.

Summary: हाउस ओवरसाइट पैनल के अध्यक्ष चैफेट्ज़ 30 जून को कांग्रेस छोड़ेंगे


CARACAS (Reuters) - In another setback for Venezuela s dispirited opposition, four of its five state governors broke with their coalition s official stance on Monday to swear themselves in before a pro-government legislative superbody. The Democratic Unity coalition went into the Oct. 15 gubernatorial polls as favorites for a big win against President Nicolas Maduro s candidates because of voter anger at a brutal economic crisis in the OPEC member. But it ended up taking just five of 23 states. Initially alleging fraud, the opposition later acknowledged that abstentionism in its ranks played a big part in the defeat, which shed doubt on its ability to beat the ruling socialists in next year s presidential vote. After the regional ballot, the coalition said none of its winning candidates would  kneel  before the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly body, which it has refused to recognize since its establishment in an election in July.   But the newly elected governors for Tachira, Merida, Nuevo Esparta and Anzoategui - all from the Democratic Action party, one of Venezuela s biggest and oldest - swore themselves in before assembly directors as a prerequisite to taking office. After presiding over the ceremony, Constituent Assembly head Delcy Rodriguez chided the one winning opposition candidate, Juan Pablo Guanipa of oil-rich Zulia state, who held out.  These actions will have consequences,  she said. Maduro previously warned there may be a new election in any state where the winner does not swear loyalty to the assembly. Guanipa, of the Justice First party, which has a militant line against Maduro, said he would not legitimize the  fraudulent  Constituent Assembly whose election the opposition boycotted.  Zulia will never kneel before the dictatorship,  he added. Critics see the creation of the Constituent Assembly, which has superseded all powers including the opposition-led congress, as the cementing of dictatorship in Venezuela. Major Western and Latin American nations have refused to recognize its legitimacy. But Maduro said it was the only way to bring peace back after four months of opposition protests this year that led to 125 deaths, thousands of arrests and injuries, and widespread damage to property and infrastructure. Appearing on state TV late on Monday, Maduro said he had congratulated the four Democratic Action governors by telephone and would meet with them, possibly as soon as Tuesday.   I ve told them:  Let s turn the page ... and get down to work,  he said. Democratic Action is one of the biggest parties in the opposition coalition, and its decision on Monday infuriated many opposition supporters who viewed it as a sellout. The move could presage a complete reformulation, or possible breakup, of the coalition, which consists of more than two dozen parties and has long suffered from infighting.  We are going to see a new unity. In the worst crises and circumstances, opportunities always crop up,  wrote opposition leader Henrique Capriles, of the Justice First party, hinting at imminent changes.    The coalition s biggest triumph was a resounding victory at December 2015 legislative elections. But it has been in the doldrums since Maduro survived this year s protests, and many Venezuelans perceive its leaders as elitist.  Further pummeling his foes, Maduro named five senior officials as  protectors  for the states won by the opposition, undermining its influence on the ground by granting new funding and parallel responsibilities to government figures there.

Summary: वेनेजुएला के राज्यपालों ने विपक्ष में अनबन दिखाते हुए शपथ ली


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is changing its social media policy following a tweet mistakenly sent from the department’s official account on Tuesday that called CNN “the biggest troll of them all,” a department official said. In a statement, the staff member in the public affairs office “erroneously used the official Department of Justice Twitter handle to post a tweet that was intended for a personal account.” The statement did not identify the staff member, but said the person’s access to the department’s social media accounts had been revoked. Going forward, the Justice Department’s public affairs office will implement “procedural changes” around the use of social media accounts and provide additional training to its employees, the statement said.  The tweet was sent early on Tuesday in response to a CNN story about the campaign of Donald Trump denying his wife Melania’s speech at the Republican Nominating Convention was plagiarized from a 2008 speech by first lady Michelle Obama. “CNN is the biggest troll of them all lmao #petty,” said the tweet, which was later deleted. The Justice Department said, “the tweet does not represent the department’s views and was inappropriate for the Department of Justice’s official account.” “The Justice Department takes this matter very seriously and will continue to take the appropriate steps to prevent it from happening in the future,” said the statement.

Summary: सी. एन. एन. की आलोचना करने वाले दुष्ट ट्वीट के बाद न्याय विभाग ने सोशल मीडिया नीति में बदलाव किया


PARIS (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he had spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel late on Sunday when her efforts to form a coalition government collapsed and that it was not in French interests for the process to stall.  It s not in our interests that the process freezes up,  Macron told reporters in Paris.   Germany s pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) unexpectedly pulled out after more than four weeks of talks with Merkel s conservative bloc and the ecologist Greens, citing irreconcilable differences.

Summary: मैक्रों ने कहा कि जर्मन गठबंधन वार्ता के लिए फ्रांसीसी हित में नहीं है


GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea told a U.N. rights panel that international sanctions imposed on it over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs would endanger the survival of North Korean children. Han Tae Song, Pyongyang s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, was speaking at a hearing of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child late on Wednesday. The panel of independent experts challenged North Korean officials over allegations of forced child labor, sexual abuse and trafficking in North Korea, Pyongyang s health and education budget, and Internet access for children. Han said North Korea, whose population is 26 million, is a  people-centered socialist country... where protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of the child are given top priority ... There is room for improvement.  But Han said that new sanctions imposed by the United States and the U.N. Security Council over North Korea s nuclear and ballistic missile tests were hampering the production of nutritional goods for children and provision of textbooks.  The persistent and vicious blockade and sanctions against the DPRK (Democratic People s Republic of Korea) are not only hampering the endeavors for the protection and promotion of the rights of the child but also seriously threatening their right to survival,  he said, calling for sanctions to be lifted. The U.N. Security Council has unanimously imposed nine rounds of sanctions on North Korea since 2006, the latest earlier this month capping fuel supplies to the isolated state. Han said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un - denounced by U.S. President Donald Trump as  Rocket Man  -  personally guides the construction in different parts of the country of schoolchildren s palaces, children s hospitals, baby homes, children s homes, and primary and secondary boarding schools and works with devotion for the well-being of the young generation . South Korea approved a plan on Thursday to send $8 million worth of aid to North Korea as China warned the crisis on the divided Korean peninsula was getting more serious by the day and the war of words between Pyongyang and Washington continued. The U.N. panel asked how North Korea s  songbun  (caste system) that ranks citizens based on family loyalty to the ruling dynasty affected children s access to education, health and food. The North Korean delegation replied that this was an  imaginary concept  invented by hostile forces. Human Rights Watch has called on the rights panel to press North Korea s delegation on cases of child sexual abuse, which the New York-based group said it had documented.       The (North Korean government) report was silent on the issue of sexual abuse so the delegation was asked to provide data,  read a U.N. summary of the hearing.  North Korea s delegation said that forced child labor did not exist in the country and was banned, and that the maximum duration of young people s work in agricultural fields was limited to three weeks per year.   In response to a question on the use of the Internet, the delegation explained that there was public control of this medium in order to give preference to access to positive information for children. In addition, all children had access to the (North Korean internal) Intranet,  the summary said. The committee will issue its conclusions on Oct. 4.

Summary: उत्तर कोरिया का कहना है कि प्रतिबंधों से उसके बच्चों के अस्तित्व को खतरा है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans and Democrats in Congress sparred on Tuesday over U.S. states setting rules for testing and deployment of self-driving cars and a proposal to allow automakers and technology companies to bypass existing regulations in introducing autonomous cars. Democrats on a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee said that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) must play a more aggressive role in mandating self-driving car safety. A Republican draft package of 14 bills would allow NHTSA to exempt up to 100,000 vehicles per year from federal motor vehicle safety rules, which currently prevent the sale of self-driving vehicles without human controls. It would also bar states from setting self-driving rules and prevent NHTSA from preapproving self-driving car technologies. “We simply cannot have cars that stop at state lines,”  Representative Robert Latta said at a hearing of the subcommittee. “This isn’t the government saying you have to get in a self-driving car. This is government make sure that industry can innovate.” Latta said he hoped to win committee approval of a bipartisan legislative package by the end of July. General Motors Co, Alphabet Inc, Tesla Inc and others have been lobbying Congress to pre-empt rules under consideration in California and other states that could limit self-driving vehicle deployment. Representative Frank Pallone, a Democrat, said that under the Republican proposal, states would be barred from regulating self-driving car safety “without a guarantee that NHTSA will step in” to set binding rules. “We need to be sure that we get this right and that safety is the first priority,” Pallone said. Democrats noted that the administration of President Donald Trump, a Republican, has not nominated a candidate to head NHTSA, which has a number of vacant senior positions. NHTSA did not sent an official to testify. Two automaker trade associations said in testimony it is essential they do not face a “patchwork” of self-driving state rules. They said NHTSA will have to approve exemptions. Republicans, citing competition from other countries and the rising number of traffic deaths, say it is urgent Congress approve sweeping legislation to ensure automakers and technology companies test the vehicles inside the United States.  The administration of former Democratic President Barack Obama last year unveiled voluntary guidelines on self-driving cars. Trump’s Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has vowed to quickly update those.

Summary: सेल्फ-ड्राइविंग कार नियमों को लेकर हाउस पैनल में खलबली


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to release a wide-ranging executive order to reduce the role that climate change plays in policy decisions, according to a Trump administration official who reviewed a draft of the order. The move could alter how U.S. agencies weigh regulations on  a broad array of industries, from drilling, coal mining and auto manufacturing to refining. The official on Tuesday confirmed a Bloomberg News report that the executive order will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to overhaul their use of the “social cost of carbon,” an Obama-era policy that seeks to quantify potential economic damage from climate change for the purposes of drafting regulation. White House spokeswoman Kelly Love declined to discuss the timing of an executive order on energy. “We have nothing to announce at this time,” she said. Under rules put in by place by former President Barack Obama, the current cost of carbon in policy decisions is $36 per ton, which will rise to $50 by 2030. The Trump order would direct regulators to use a “discount rate” that would dramatically reduce, or eliminate, that cost. Discount rates are used to come up with a net present value of something whose benefits and costs will be distributed over time. In the case of carbon, the impact of emissions on the earth’s climate can take several years to appear. Under some scenarios referenced in the executive order, carbon could have a zero or “negative value,” the source said. The source said that the order may be an initial step to ultimately phasing out the carbon evaluation entirely. The executive order could be issued as soon as this week, the source said, and may include other energy-specific measures, like a requirement for the EPA to conduct a review of regulations that could harm energy production.  Reuters and others have reported previously that Trump planned to target Obama-era green regulations, including a federal coal mining ban and an initiative forcing states to cut carbon emissions. The Department of Interior under Obama had issued a moratorium on coal leasing on federal land in 2015 as it sought to review the program and evaluate whether the government adequately priced the value of coal extracted from public lands on behalf of taxpayers. The Clean Power Plan was Obama’s centerpiece initiative to combat climate change, requiring states to slash emissions of carbon dioxide. But it was never implemented due to legal challenges launched by several Republican states. The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, said last week he is not convinced that carbon dioxide from human activity is the main driver of climate change and said he wants Congress to weigh in on whether CO2 is a harmful pollutant that should be regulated. The Obama administration’s carbon cost estimates were first issued in 2010 and have been used to analyze rules directly targeting carbon dioxide emissions, like car and truck emissions standards. They have also been used to cover rules on indirect emissions, like one to control mercury and other air pollutants from power plants.

Summary: नीतिगत समीक्षाओं में जलवायु परिवर्तन के उपयोग को वापस लेंगे ट्रम्पः सूत्र


CHICAGO (Reuters) - Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon’s firing has been met with a collective shrug by some of President Donald Trump’s most committed supporters who argue the controversial nationalist became an obstacle to the administration’s agenda.    In interviews in multiple cities this weekend, Americans who voted for Trump said Bannon’s departure on Friday was the removal of an unnecessary distraction for the Trump presidency, while others saw his role as largely inconsequential and possibly overblown. Many expected Trump to stay the course without him. “Bannon was becoming too big of a story and taking the spotlight from President Trump,” Bob Janda, a 67-year-old small business owner, said in a bar in Chicago. “When that happens, your days are numbered. I think Trump will be fine.” At the same bar, Frank Cardone, 67, pointed out that Bannon had a brief tenure in Trump’s inner circle, having joined the Republican businessman’s presidential campaign as its chief executive less than three months before the Nov. 8 election. “Bannon wasn’t with Trump for too long so it’s no big loss,” said Cardone, a retired electrician.  Before hitching himself to Trump, Bannon was the executive chairman of Breitbart News, a hard-right site. He immediately returned to that role after his exit from the White House, vowing to use it as a platform to defend Trump.   Bannon, 63, has touted Breitbart as a conservative counterpoint to what he views as the liberal bias of U.S. news outlets and a platform for the so-called alt-right, a loose confederation of neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites. He played a key role in some of Trump’s most contentious policy moves including the travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority nations, departure from the Paris climate accord and rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. Bannon’s exit gives Trump a chance to distance himself from “fringe” politics, said Mike Corbitt, a machinist from Florida’s West Palm Beach. “He (Trump) needs to be more center-right because the far right and the far left is not where America is,” Corbitt, 48, said at a Fort Lauderdale bar. “Steve Bannon was great for getting Trump elected, but now the president needs someone who can get his policies enacted.” Bannon joined a string of senior officials who have left the Trump administration in the past five weeks, leading to the appointment of retired Marine general John Kelly as the new White House chief of staff. While some observers have characterized the moves as a sign of chaos in the White House, others see it as a sign that Trump is running his administration like a well-oiled corporation. “All these shakeups mean is that Trump is doing his job,” Liz Lingafelter, a 60-year-old nurse, said in Fort Lauderdale. “He’s a businessman and is doing what’s best for the organization.” That view was echoed by Rick Weatherly, a 61-year-old Denver maintenance technician. “I voted for Trump, not Bannon,” he said.

Summary: ट्रम्प के अटूट मतदाताओं का कहना है कि वे स्टीव बैनन को याद नहीं करेंगे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will travel to the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia Aug. 5 to Aug. 9, the State Department said on Tuesday. Tillerson will participate in meetings of diplomats of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila, and discuss “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maritime security, and counterterrorism,” the State Department said. In Thailand, Tillerson will pay his respects to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016, and discuss the U.S.-Thai relationship with officials there. In Malaysia, he will discuss bilateral relations with officials. “Secretary Tillerson’s travel reaffirms the Administration’s commitment to further broaden and enhance U.S. economic and security interests in the Asia-Pacific region,” the State Department said.

Summary: टिलरसन फिलीपींस, थाईलैंड और मलेशिया की यात्रा करेंगेः विदेश मंत्रालय


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats in the U.S. Congress warned on Tuesday that Republican moves to grant new tax breaks to the wealthy could jeopardize Democratic support for an increase in the government’s borrowing authority later this year. “If they’re (Republicans) going to put on the table a massive tax cut for the very wealthy that increases the deficit by trillions (of dollars), it’s harder to get Democrats to increase the debt ceiling,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told reporters. A healthcare reform bill passed by the House of Representatives contains a tax cut for the wealthy, and a major tax reform initiative by Republicans this year could contain additional reductions.

Summary: डेमोक्रेट ने अमेरिकी ऋण सीमा मतदान को रिपब्लिकन कर कटौती के कदमों से जोड़ा


CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a blast on Friday that injured 22 people on a packed commuter train on the London underground network, the militant group s Amaq news agency said.

Summary: इस्लामिक स्टेट ने ली लंदन विस्फोट की जिम्मेदारीः अमाक समाचार एजेंसी


JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli tanks and aircraft struck militant positions in the Gaza Strip on Thursday soon after Palestinian militants fired mortar shells at an Israeli military post close to the territory, the Israeli army said. A Reuters witness in Gaza said he saw smoke rising from at least two targets struck by Israel, one belonging to Hamas and another to Islamic Jihad militants. Witnesses in the southern Gaza Strip said two Islamic Jihad posts was hit there.  No casualties were reported initially on either side. Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the militants  mortar barrage was aimed the Israeli army post and at construction crews working close by on the Israeli side of the Gaza border.  Israel has been constructing a sensor-equipped underground wall along the 60-km (36-mile) Gaza border, aiming to complete the $1.1 billion project by mid-2019. Conricus said Israel was not looking to escalate the situation but any further Israeli action would depend on what  Gaza militants did. At least three rounds of airstrikes had taken place by dusk, the Reuters witness said.   We remain ready with the tools necessary and the capabilities at hand should Hamas or the Islamic Jihad act aggressively again... We are not looking to escalate the situation or to initiate hostilities,  Conricus said. The train service between the Israeli town of Sderot close the Gaza border and Ashkelon to the north was briefly suspended but resumed later in the evening. The mortars were fired exactly a month after Israel blew up an attack tunnel that led from Gaza into Israeli in which 14 militants were killed. Following the tunnel demolition, Islamic Jihad vowed to retaliate but Thursday s action was their first significant reaction. During the last Gaza war, in 2014, Hamas fighters used dozens of tunnels to blindside Israel s superior forces and threaten civilian communities near the frontier, a counterpoint to the Iron Dome anti-missile system that largely protected the country s heartland from militant rocket barrages. Israel and the United States have called for Hamas to be disarmed as part of the pact between it and the Palestinian Authority, so Israeli peace efforts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which collapsed in 2014, could proceed. Hamas has rejected the demand. On Wednesday, Abbas s Fatah and Hamas agreed to delay the final transfer of power of Gaza from Hamas to the Western-backed Palestinian government by 10 days to Dec. 10 to allow time to complete arrangements, officials said.

Summary: इजरायल ने मोर्टार हमले के बाद गाजा में आतंकवादियों के ठिकानों पर हमला किया


BEIRUT (Reuters) - France said on Wednesday that Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, who Lebanon s president says is being held hostage by Saudi Arabia, will visit France with his family in coming days.  Hariri travelled to Riyadh on Nov. 3 before abruptly resigning in a televised statement a day later. He has stayed in Riyadh and top Lebanese officials and senior politicians close to Hariri have told Reuters he was forced to quit.  Hariri and Saudi Arabia have both denied he is being held in Riyadh or was coerced to resign. Hariri has said he will return to Lebanon in the next few days to formally submit his resignation.    The crisis has thrust Lebanon onto the frontline of a Middle East contest for power pitting a Saudi-led bloc against Iran and its allies, including the Lebanese Shi ite group Hezbollah.      French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement that he had invited Hariri to France after speaking to him and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.  The invitation is to visit for a few days and is not an offer of political exile, Macron said, speaking in Germany.   We will not accept (Hariri) remaining a hostage whose reason for detention we do not know,  Lebanese President Michel Aoun said in a statement.  Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, the head of Aoun s political party, said the situation was  not normal  but that Beirut wanted  good relations  with Riyadh. Aoun has said he will not accept Hariri s resignation until he returns to Lebanon to formally tender it and explain his reasons, which Hariri has said he will do in the coming days.     Saudi Arabia has long been considered Hariri s main external supporter. Aoun is a political ally of Lebanon s Hezbollah, a powerful Shi ite Muslim group with close ties to Iran.  Lebanon s coalition government was formed last year through a political deal that made Aoun president, Hariri prime minister, and included members of Hezbollah in the cabinet.  Saudi Arabia last week accused Lebanon of having declared war on it because of Hezbollah s role in other Arab countries. It regards Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.  Riyadh s main ally, the United States, has struck a different tone, continuing its support for Lebanon including military aid. The European Union has also repeatedly stated its support for Lebanon, which hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees.  In an interview on Sunday night with a television station he owns, Hariri warned of economic sanctions against Lebanon and of a threat to the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese workers living in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies.   Nothing justifies Hariri s lack of return for 12 days. We therefore consider him detained,  Aoun said. He added that Lebanon had confirmed that Hariri s family were under detention in their house in Saudi Arabia and were searched whenever they entered or left it.  Speaking in Italy, Foreign Minister Bassil said:  We will continue all steps...for this problem to be solved in a brotherly way through good relations that we want to have with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.   He added, however:  If Saudi Arabia has a problem with Iran or with Hezbollah, they have to solve it with Iran, not with Lebanon and not with all the Lebanese.   Hariri wrote on Twitter that he was  perfectly fine  and would return,  God willing, to dear Lebanon as I promised . On Wednesday he said he would return in a couple of days but that his family was staying in Saudi Arabia, calling it  their country . Hariri holds Saudi nationality and his family fortune is based on the construction company - Saudi Oger - built by his father Rafik al-Hariri, who served twice as Lebanese prime minister and was assassinated in 2005.       Okab Sakr, a member of parliament for Hariri s Future Movement, told Reuters he had spoken on Wednesday to Hariri and that he told him neither he nor his family were being held.  On Tuesday, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said after meeting Bassil in Paris that she expected Hariri and his family to return to Lebanon soon.  Sources from across Lebanon s political spectrum have said Hariri struck a more compromising tone in his Sunday interview than in his resignation statement, when he bitterly attacked Iran and Hezbollah.  The sources said this represented a retreat by Riyadh attributable to Western pressure. On Wednesday, Aoun said Riyadh had not responded to Arab countries who tried to secure Hariri s return so he had asked the international community to help.  French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrives in Riyadh late on Wednesday and is due to discuss Lebanon with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and meet Hariri on Thursday, a French diplomatic source said. France has close relations with Lebanon, which was under French control between the world wars, and with Hariri, who has a home in France and spent several years in the country.

Summary: लेबनान ने सऊदी अरब पर अपने प्रधानमंत्री को बंधक बनाने का आरोप लगाया


KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Two more Saudi Arabian companies said on Monday they were operating normally after local media reported that members of their boards had been detained in a sweeping anti-corruption probe. In a brief statement, Saudi Aseer Trading, Tourism and Manufacturing 4080.SE said two board members had been reported held, though it did not name them or confirm they were being detained by authorities. Saudi media reported earlier that the company s chairman Abdullah Saleh Kamel had been detained. Saudi officials told Reuters that another Aseer board member, former Saudi Arabian Airlines director-general Khalid al-Mulheim, was being held. Meanwhile Red Sea International 4230.SE, a builder of housing, said its business was continuing despite media reports that its chairman Amr al-Dabbagh had been detained. Saudi officials told Reuters that Dabbagh, a former governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, was being held. [nL5N1NB02A] Saudi royals, ministers and businessmen are among those held in the biggest anti-corruption purge of the kingdom s affluent elite in its modern history. [nL5N1NC1OF] The arrests are the latest in a series of dramatic steps by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to assert Saudi influence internationally and centralize his own power within a hereditary ruling system at home.  Among other detained businessmen are Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of investment firm Kingdom Holding 4280.SE.  Al Tayyar Travel 1810.SE said on Monday that it was continuing to operate after local media reported its founder Nasser bin Aqeel al-Tayyar was being held.

Summary: दो और सऊदी कंपनियों का कहना है कि बोर्ड के सदस्यों को हिरासत में लिया गया है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is likely to make a stop in China in November during his first official visit to Asia, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a trip that will come amid tensions over North Korea s nuclear tests. Washington and its allies have said there is a growing urgency for China, North Korea s top ally and trading partner, to apply more pressure on its already isolated neighbor to get it to back down on its nuclear weapons and missiles programs. Chinese President Xi Jinping had invited Trump to visit China during their meeting in April in Palm Beach, Florida. The two leaders also met on the sidelines on the G20 summit in July. Trump is set to attend the U.S.-ASEAN summit and the East Asia summit in the Philippines in November, as well as the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam. China s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Trump s potential visit. Japanese public broadcaster NHK cited unnamed diplomatic sources saying that Trump was also considering visiting Japan and South Korea during his Asian tour in November. In February, Trump accepted Prime Minister Shinzo Abe s invitation to visit Japan by the end of the year.  The February agreement is still valid. We would definitely like to make it happen sometime within this year. But no specific timing has been fixed yet,  a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. Also, the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun said on Wednesday Japan, the United States and South Korea are in final stages of talks to hold a trilateral summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The newspaper, citing unnamed government sources, reported the meeting between Trump, Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in could take place on Sept. 21 and would focus on bolstering cooperation in response to North Korean provocation. On Monday, the U.N. Security Council unanimously voted to step up sanctions on North Korea, with its profitable textile exports now banned and fuel supplies capped. After several days of negotiations on the resolution, Washington dropped several measures to win the support of Russia and China, including a bid for an oil embargo and the blacklisting of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the national airline. In Hong Kong, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told the South China Morning Post the results of a U.S.-led investigation into alleged Chinese intellectual property theft would be announced before the Beijing summit to reset bilateral trade. The far-right architect of Trump s 2016 election victory, Bannon told an investor conference, organized by a unit of China s largest brokerage, that Trump and Xi had a rapport that should enable them to work out differences, said an attendee at the meeting which was closed to the press. Bannon, who was let go by Trump last month, told a private lunch gathering in Hong Kong that he still  speaks with President Donald Trump every two to three days,  the Wall Street Journal reported.

Summary: नवंबर की एशिया यात्रा के दौरान ट्रम्प के चीन जाने की संभावनाः अमेरिकी अधिकारी