(Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to abortion rights advocates, striking down a Texas law imposing strict regulations on abortion doctors and facilities. Following is a timeline of that challenge. July 2013 - The Republican-led Texas legislature passes and Republican Governor Rick Perry signs the law known as H.B. 2, putting new requirements on abortion providers. State officials say the law is intended to ensure the health and safety of women. September 2013 – Before the law is enforced, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers challenge the measure. They assert that certain provisions, including one related to doctors’ “admitting privileges” - a type of formal affiliation - at a hospital within 30 miles (48 km) of an abortion clinic, are aimed at decreasing the abortion availability in the state. October 2013 – A U.S. district judge sides largely with the challengers, blocking the admitting privileges provision. March 2014 - The New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, a regional federal appeals court covering Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, reverses the lower court and permits much of the law to take effect.  April 2014 - Whole Woman’s Health and other abortion providers bring a new complaint against Texas, citing the effect of the law’s implementation and the number of clinics that have closed. The challengers focus on the admitting-privileges requirement and regulations governing clinic facility standards. August 2014 – A U.S. district court judge declares the admitting privileges and clinic requirements an unconstitutional burden on women’s access to abortion. October 2014 - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit intervenes to allow implementation of both new regulations, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocks part of the order so that the mandate that clinics meet hospital-grade standards does not go into effect. June 2015 - After considering the full merits of the challenge, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reverses the district judge’s decision, finding the judge should have deferred to the legislature’s stated health and safety goals. The appeals court also says most of the lawsuit should have been barred because the legal issues it raises already were addressed in the case filed by Planned Parenthood. June 2015 - The U.S. Supreme Court by a 5-4 vote puts a temporary hold on the 5th Circuit’s ruling while the justices consider whether to hear the challengers’ appeal. That action blocks the provision regarding hospital-grade standards from taking effect. September 2015 - The abortion providers challenging the Texas restrictions ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their appeal of the 5th Circuit’s ruling. November 2015 - The U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear the challenge by abortion providers to the Texas restrictions. February 2016 - Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a supporter of abortion restrictions, dies at age 79, leaving the court shorthanded and evenly divided with four liberals and four conservatives. March 2016 - The U.S. Supreme Court hears 85 minutes of oral arguments in the case, known as Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt. The court’s four liberal justices indicate they believe the law intrudes on a woman’s constitutional right to abortion. The four conservative justices express doubts about claims by abortion providers that the law forced numerous clinics to shut down. June 2016 - The U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the Texas law, finding that it places an undue burden on women exercising their right under the U.S. Constitution to end a pregnancy. The court declares that both provisions of the law - “admitting privileges” and hospital-grade facilities - are unconstitutional. The ruling marks the firmest endorsement of U.S. abortion rights since the 1992 Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey ruling.

Summary: समयरेखाः टेक्सास गर्भपात कानून पर कानूनी लड़ाई में मील के पत्थर


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia cast its 10th veto on Thursday of United Nations Security Council action on Syria since the war began in 2011, blocking a U.S.-drafted resolution to renew an international inquiry into who is to blame for chemical weapons attacks in Syria.  The mandate for the joint inquiry by the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which found the Syrian government used the banned nerve agent sarin in an April 4 attack, expires at midnight Thursday. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the United States, France, Russia, Britain or China to be adopted. Russia withdrew its rival draft resolution to renew the inquiry shortly before the council vote on the U.S. draft.

Summary: रूस ने सीरिया पर संयुक्त राष्ट्र की कार्रवाई पर संयुक्त राष्ट्र का 10वां वीटो डाला


OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide will on Friday be named minister of foreign affairs, making her the first woman to hold the post, local media reported on Wednesday. If confirmed, she will replace Boerge Brende, who last month was appointed president of the World Economic Forum. Citing unnamed sources, public broadcaster NRK and independent TV2 both reported that Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg would promote Eriksen Soereide to the Foreign Ministry post. The appointment would leave the top three government jobs, that of prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister, in the hands of women.

Summary: नॉर्वे पहली महिला विदेश मंत्री नियुक्त करेगाः रिपोर्ट


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia should introduce a law forcing religious leaders to report child abuse, including Catholic priests told of abuse during confession, said a report on Friday which detailed institutional abuse, particularly in the Catholic Church. One the country s top catholics, Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart, said such a law would undermine a central tenet of Catholicism, the confidentiality of the confessional, and warned that any priest breaking the seal of confession would be excommunicated. The 17-volume document from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse marks the end of one of the world s biggest inquiries into child abuse and leaves it to the government to decide whether to enact its recommendations. The five-year investigation found  multiple and persistent failings of institutions to keep children safe, the cultures of secrecy and cover-up, and the devastating affects child sexual abuse can have on an individual s life , the commission said in a statement. The report detailed tens of thousands of child victims, saying their abusers were  not a case of a few rotten apples .  We will never know the true number,  it read. In a statement, the Vatican said the report  deserves to be studied seriously  but made no mention of its specific suggestions.  The Holy See remains committed to being close to the Catholic Church in Australia   lay faithful, religious, and clergy alike   as they listen to and accompany victims and survivors in an effort to bring about healing and justice,  the statement said. The inquiry spanned religious, government, educational and professional organizations but heard many accounts alleging abuse cover-ups in the Australian Catholic Church, including allegations of moving priests suspected of abuse between parishes to avoid detection. Of survivors who reported abuse in religious institutions, more than 60 percent cited the Catholic Church, which demonstrated  catastrophic failures of leadership , particularly before the 1990s, the report said. The Vatican statement said Pope Francis had made clear that  the Church is called to be a place of compassion, especially for those who have suffered, and reaffirmed that the Church is committed to safe environments for the protection of all children and vulnerable adults.  The Royal Commission report said clergy told of child abuse in the confessional should be required by law to report it and called for the Catholic Church to make celibacy voluntary for clergy, adding that it contributed to child abuse.  I would feel terribly conflicted, and I would try even harder to get that person outside confessional, but I cannot break the seal,  Hart told reporters.  The penalty for any priest breaking the seal is excommunication, being cast out of the church, so it s a real, serious, spiritual matter, and I want to observe the law of the land ... but as part of my identity as a priest, I have to observe the seal of the confession.  A similar recommendation was made during Ireland s 2009 child abuse inquiry, leading to a mandatory reporting law in 2015. Some U.S. states have similar requirements. The Australian report also called for a National Office for Child Safety and national child safety standards, child abuse reporting and record keeping, which would cover all institutions engaged in child-related work. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the inquiry had  exposed a national tragedy  and that the government would consider the recommendations and respond in full next year. Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher, said in a statement that he was  appalled by the sinful and criminal activity of some clergy, religious and lay church-workers (and) ashamed of the failure to respond by some church leaders . The inquiry heard previously that the Australian Catholic Church had paid A$276 million ($212 million) in compensation to thousands of child abuse victims since 1980. ($1 = 1.3040 Australian dollars)

Summary: ऑस्ट्रेलियाई दुर्व्यवहार रिपोर्ट ने स्वीकारोक्ति की पवित्रता को समाप्त करने का आह्वान किया


BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed militias in Syria said they have formed a joint military center with the Iraqi army to protect their common border region after ousting Islamic State militants. Commanders of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, met with Iraqi military leaders on Sunday. They  discussed protecting the Syrian-Iraqi border in the region adjacent to Deir al-Zor province, and how to finally eradicate Daesh mercenaries there,  the SDF said in a statement. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.  The two sides decided to form a joint coordination center to guarantee the security of the border,  it said. Last week, the SDF declared victory in its assault in Syria s Deir al-Zor, which borders Iraq. The offensive focused on seizing territory east of the Euphrates river that bisects the oil-rich province. The Kurdish-led SDF has been battling for months with the help of jets and special forces from the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS). On the other side, Iraqi forces recaptured the last swathes of territory still under Islamic State control along the frontier with Syria on Saturday and secured the western desert. It marked the end of the war against IS, three years after they overran about a third of Iraq s territory. Iraqi forces who fought IS came from the army, air force, police, elite counter-terrorism forces as well as Shi ite and Sunni paramilitaries and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. They received key air support from the U.S.-led global coalition. Syrian government forces and their allies, backed by Russian air power, have taken most of the remaining areas of Deir al-Zor province. They are mostly on the western side of the Euphrates, while the SDF is on the eastern bank. Russia and the United States set up a communications channel to reduce the chance of fighting between the two rival campaigns against Islamic State.  Forces arrayed against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria now anticipate a new phase of guerrilla warfare. Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the coalition, said Iraqi security forces and the SDF had linked up at their shared stretch of the frontier on Sunday.   Secure international border protects Iraqis (and) Syrians from remnant Daesh movement into (and) across the region as terrorist fighters/leaders attempt to flee the battlefield,  he wrote on Twitter.

Summary: U.S.-backed सीरियाई सेना और इराकी सेना ने सीमा पर समन्वय कियाः SDF


(Reuters) - U.S. Republican President-elect Donald Trump holds more meetings on Monday as he continues to form the cabinet and administration that will take over from President Barack Obama on Jan. 20. He is scheduled to meet with the following people, according to his transition team: *U.S. labor secretary under President George W. Bush *Deputy U.S. transportation secretary under President George H.W. Bush *Wife of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell *Current Oklahoma governor serving second term; first elected in 2010  *One of 64 agriculture policy advisers to Trump’s presidential campaign *Former U.S. House of Representatives speaker, 1995-1999; represented Georgia from 1979-1999 *Has said he hopes to have an advisory position to Trump administration rather than a Cabinet post; had been floated as possible secretary of state  *Former Texas governor and Republican presidential candidate in 2012 and 2016 *Under consideration for Cabinet posts including defense, energy and veterans affairs *A Democratic U.S. representative from Hawaii, who was an early supporter of Bernie Sanders  *Serves on the U.S. House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः ओकलाहोमा के गवर्नर, टेक्सास के पूर्व गवर्नर पेरी, हवाई के डेमोक्रेट गबार्ड और अन्य लोगों से मिलेंगे ट्रंप


DUBAI (Reuters) - Islamist militant group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has condemned the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital and called on militants to close ranks to support Palestinians. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday reversed decades of U.S. policy and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In the statement carried by the U.S. SITE monitoring group, the Yemen-based AQAP said Trump s decision was the result of what it said were  normalization steps  between some Gulf Arab countries and Israel.  It is also a clear challenge to the Muslim world that sees the centrality of the Palestinian cause,  the group said.  In the face of this serious events, we stand by our people in Palestine and support them with all we possess.  Addressing Islamist militants, the group called on them to close ranks to be ready to support Palestinians and urged Muslims to help with money and weapons.  If you do not move, God forbid, then tomorrow the holiest of places and the Muslims  Qiblah, Mecca, will be sold and you will find then no one to defend it,  it said. The AQAP, which was formed in 2009 by the merger of al Qaeda s Saudi and Yemeni branches, is regarded by the United States as one of the most dangerous groups of the network founded by Osama bin Laden.  The United States has repeatedly carried out drone strikes on members and leaders of the group, which makes remote areas in southern Yemen as its main base.

Summary: अल कायदा ने ट्रम्प के येरुशलम कदम की निंदा की, कार्रवाई का आह्वान किया


RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Saudi Arabia s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday to discuss regional security, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. The two discussed  ways to combat terrorism  and  coordination of efforts to reinforce security and the stability of the region,  according to the report.

Summary: अमेरिका के टिलरसन और सऊदी क्राउन प्रिंस ने फोन पर आतंकवाद पर चर्चा की


LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthis targeting Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh were a reaction to what he called Saudi aggression.  “How should the Yemeni people react to bombardment of their country. So they are not allowed to use their own weapons? You stop the bombardment first and see if the Yemenis would not do the same,” Rouhani was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. Rouhani also said Saudi Arabia had made a “strategic mistake” by considering the United States and Israel as friends and Iran as an enemy.

Summary: ईरान ने रियाद को निशाना बनाने वाले हौती मिसाइल हमले को सऊदी आक्रामकता की 'प्रतिक्रिया' बताया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told reporters on Monday that recent bomb threats made against Jewish groups are “unacceptable” and a “very serious and destructive practice.” Several Jewish community centers and schools in at least 12 states received bomb threats on Monday, following the destruction of graves in a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia last week.

Summary: अमेरिकी अटॉर्नी जनरल ने यहूदी समूहों के खिलाफ धमकियों को 'अस्वीकार्य' कहा


NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Wednesday proposed an increase of 0.25 percent on average in payments to health insurers who offer Medicare Advantage insurance, which provides health benefits to more than 18 million elderly or disabled people. Enrollment in these plans grew by about 7 percent last year to account for about one-third of Medicare members, making it an important growth business for private insurers who are facing changes in their business as Republicans seek to repeal and replace Obamacare. It is not clear if Republicans will make any broad changes to the Medicare Advantage program, or to Medicare. Ipsita Smolinski, managing director at Capitol Street in Washington D.C. said on Wednesday that Medicare Advantage could get a boost amid the Republican push for private programs.  The payment rate increase of 25 basis points was in line with estimates that analysts had released ahead of time and shares of insurers including UnitedHealth Group Inc and Humana Inc, two of the largest providers of these plans, were little changed in after-hours trading. JPMorgan’s Gary Taylor said in a research note last week that he had been expecting a proposal for payments that were flat to slightly up from the rate that the government is now paying insurers who provide plans. Last year, the government proposed an increase of about 1.35 percent but later trimmed that back about 50 basis points. But insurers have 30 days to respond to the proposed payment rates and other changes included in the regulatory notice, which this year was 159 pages long, and may ask for a bigger increase.  “The 2018 update is only a smidge better than flat which I suspect may anger some plans,” Smolinski said. She said she expected that the payment rate could rise between now and when final rates are set. Insurers use the payment rate information provided by the government to prepare bids to sell Medicare Advantage plans in specific areas.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that regulates Medicare, will announce the final rate on April 3.  It said that it expected an additional 2.5 percent increase in payments related to coding of medical services.  The payment rate takes into account annual growth in medical costs and statutory requirements to reduce government payments to insurers for Medicare Advantage closer to the level it pays in traditional fee-for-service Medicare. Marilyn Tavenner, the CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry’s biggest lobbying group, said that it is reviewing the notice to be sure “the program is protected from harmful cuts.”

Summary: अमेरिका ने मेडिकेयर एडवांटेज भुगतान में 0.25 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि का प्रस्ताव रखा


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration has accepted the resignations of two top State Department officials effective on Friday, a step entirely within the new president’s rights but an abrupt departure for the diplomats, officials said on Thursday. Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy and acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas Countryman both plan to leave their posts by Friday, the officials said. Turnover is the rule, rather than the exception, among the top officials in the U.S. government when the White House changes hands from one party to another, in this case from Democrat Barack Obama to Republican Donald Trump. In his first week in office, Trump has illustrated stark policy differences from Obama on trade and immigration. On Monday, Trump formally withdrew the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and on Wednesday he ordered construction of a wall on the border with Mexico and threatened to punish U.S. cities shielding illegal immigrants. Political appointees chosen by the president and confirmed by the Senate were obliged, as usual, after Trump’s Nov. 8 election victory, to submit letters of resignation to give the new president the opportunity to name his own people to the jobs. Kennedy and Countryman were recently told their resignations had been accepted effective Friday, leaving their bureaus - one of which handles the department’s management and the other which oversees arms control - in the hands of more junior officials. Gregory Starr, Assistant Secretary for State for Diplomatic Security and Michele Bond, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs, are also leaving, officials said, though it was not clear under what circumstances or whether they were asked to step down by Friday. Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, former Exxon Mobil Corp chairman Rex Tillerson, has yet to be confirmed by the full Senate, leaving the agency in the hands of number three official Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. The departures were discussed at State Department Thursday morning meetings and caused some unease, in part because at least two of the officials had been asked to go by Friday.  “It’s not two weeks’ notice,” said one official who spoke on condition of anonymity. However, the department itself stressed that turnover is the norm when a new political party comes to power. “Of the officers whose resignations were accepted, some will continue in the Foreign Service in other positions and others will retire by choice or because they have exceeded the time limits of their grade in service,” acting State Department spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. It did not provide a detailed breakdown of whose resignations were accepted or when they were leaving. At least one media report suggested that the departures  amounted to a mass resignation, but several U.S. officials said this was not the case. “It’s not a mass protest or a show of indignation,” said one senior U.S. official. A former senior Obama administration official said there were no plans at the National Security Council for a mass resignation and that recent conversations there with Trump’s inner circle had been viewed as productive and encouraging. The State Department departures amounted to a “huge brain drain,” the former official said, adding that their collective experience would be difficult to recover. However, a current State Department official rejected this view, saying that while Kennedy, in particular, was seen as an institution, he could certainly be replaced. “Everybody is (acting) like it is a big apocalypse. He has large shoes to fill, but the culture of the State Department is about change and moving around every few years,” said the official. “It’s not like the building is going to fall apart.”

Summary: विदेश मंत्रालय के कई वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों ने पद छोड़ेः अधिकारी


NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he thought the dispute between Qatar and some of its Arab neighbors would be resolved quickly.  We are right now in a situation where we re trying to solve a problem in the Middle East. And I think we ll get it solved, I have a very strong feeling that it will be solved pretty quickly,  Trump said in New York as he met Qatar s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

Summary: ट्रंप ने कहा कि उन्हें उम्मीद है कि कतर, अरब पड़ोसी जल्द ही विवाद सुलझा लेंगे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A diplomatic dispute between Turkey and the United States has not affected military operations or personnel out of Turkey, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.  I can confirm that these developments have not impacted our operations or personnel,  Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning told reporters.  The Turkish air force base in Incirlik continues to fulfill an important role supporting NATO and coalition efforts.  He said that Turkey was a close NATO ally and the U.S. would continue to coordinate joint and separate military activities with Ankara.

Summary: पेंटागन का कहना है कि तुर्की के साथ राजनयिक तनाव सैन्य अभियानों को प्रभावित नहीं कर रहा है


RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The speaker of Brazil s lower house said on Tuesday that it will not be easy to obtain the 308 votes needed to pass a much anticipated pension reform, but that doing so is  fundamental and urgent  for the country. In an interview with Brazil s CBN radio, Maia said it was important that the government completed a reform to Brazil s ministerial framework soon, so that it can advance in negotiations regarding pensions.

Summary: ब्राजील के सदन के अध्यक्ष ने कहा कि पेंशन सुधार के लिए वोट को कोड़ा मारना मुश्किल है, लेकिन जरूरी है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday giving Congress the power to kill dozens of recently enacted rules in one fell swoop, as Republicans charged ahead on their campaign to strip down federal regulations. It was the second time the Republican-dominated chamber took up legislation blocking “midnight rules,” those rolled out at the close of a president’s term. But the previous bill, introduced in November, had faced a certain veto from President Barack Obama, a Democrat.  On its second day back in session, the House passed the bill on a vote of 238 to 184. The Senate is expected to soon consider companion legislation, which could face a harder time because it would need eight votes from Democrats.  Under a law known as the Congressional Review Act, Congress has the right to review regulations for a certain period of time after they are issued. That means any federal regulation approved since May could be voided by the Republican-led Congress once President-elect Donald Trump moves into the White House and can sign off on their disapproval.  It takes only a simple majority of both chambers to reverse a rule, giving Senate Democrats little power to block a vote with a filibuster. As disapproving each regulation separately could span days, Republicans would like to simply vote once to end a variety of new rules on energy, the environment, transportation, banking, finance, education and media ownership. Many Wall Street regulations inspired by the 2007-09 financial crisis have only recently taken final form or are on the cusp of completion, putting them in the disapproval line of fire. That includes two pending rules on payday lending and mandatory arbitration clauses in contracts - both of which have raised Republican ire. “Because outgoing administrations are no longer accountable to the voters, they are much more prone to issue midnight regulations that fly in the face of the electoral mandate the voters just gave the new, incoming administration,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte before the vote. “Waves of midnight rules can also be very hard for Congress or a new administration to check adequately.” Cutting down regulation was a near-constant theme in Republican political campaigns last year, and is part of House Speaker Paul Ryan’s “Better Way” agenda. The House is also expected to consider soon legislation that would require a congressional vote of approval for any new regulation.

Summary: एक विधेयक के साथ, रिपब्लिकन ने ओबामा के नियमों को पूर्ववत करने की त्वरित योजना बनाई


MADRID (Reuters) - Pro-independence groups and trade unions in Catalonia have called for a general strike in the northeastern Spanish region for Oct. 3, La Vanguardia newspaper reported citing the head of the group Omnium Cultural Jordi Cuixart. Catalonia s economic output is worth around a fifth of Spain s total gross domestic product and the region has an economy around the size of that of Chile.

Summary: स्वतंत्रता समर्थक समूहों, संघों ने कैटेलोनिया में 3 अक्टूबर को आम हड़ताल का आह्वान किया


CHICAGO (Reuters) - One of the key players in Illinois’ unending financial plight extended a peace offering to Republican Governor Bruce Rauner on Friday by opening a legislative avenue for the possible sale of the state’s main office building in downtown Chicago. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan announced a legislative committee would explore a Rauner request to sell the state’s aging James R. Thompson Center high-rise in Chicago’s famed Loop business district. Madigan’s offer follows a renewed call this week by the governor for the state to dump the aging office building in a move he said could yield as much as $220 million for Illinois’ depleted treasury. Crippled by feuding between Madigan and Rauner, Illinois is limping through a record-setting second consecutive fiscal year without a complete budget. Rauner and the Democratic-led legislature have allowed the state to veer deeper into budgetary no-man’s land by permitting a six-month fiscal 2017 budget to expire on Dec. 31. “While technical questions pertaining to the sale remain, it is my intention to work with the governor on developing a course of action for the Thompson Center that best serves the interests of the people of Illinois,” Madigan said in a statement. The long-serving House speaker said his move was in keeping with “my commitment to work cooperatively with the governor.” A Rauner spokeswoman said the governor is “encouraged” by the speaker’s move and called a sale of the building “a good deal for taxpayers.” Opened in 1985, the 16-story Thompson Center houses about 2,000 government workers and was designed by award-winning architect Helmut Jahn. Named after a former Illinois Republican governor who served for 14 years, the building has faced recurring heating and cooling problems and has been neglected by the state for much of its three-decade lifespan.  In October 2015, Rauner said $100 million was needed for deferred maintenance and repairs. By contrast, ridding the state of the complex would return a new development to Chicago’s property tax rolls, perhaps generating $45 million annually for the city, the governor’s office said on Friday. In his budget address on Wednesday, Rauner urged lawmakers to permit the building’s sale, saying it could help close an estimated $4.57 billion state budget deficit in fiscal 2018 and generate revenue elsewhere. “Everyone benefits from the sale,” he said. “The city of Chicago stands to gain major new property tax revenue, along with the jobs that come with a massive development.”

Summary: राज्य के स्वामित्व वाले उच्च वृद्धि लाभ को बेचने के लिए इलिनोइस के गवर्नर की बोली


LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - An attacker wielding a knife and crying  Allahu Akbar  has wounded two Danish journalists in Gabon s capital Libreville, the Gabonese defense minister said. The two reporters for the National Geographic channel were in a popular market for tourist souvenirs on Saturday, when a Nigerien national living in Gabon lunged at them with the knife, Defence Minister Etienne Kabinda Makaga said in a statement on Gabonese television. After his arrest, the 53-year-old suspect, who has lived in Gabon for two decades, told authorities he was carrying out a revenge attack against America for recognizing Israel s capital as Jerusalem, Makaga said, giving no further explanation.  A judicial investigation was immediately opened at the public prosecutor s office of Libreville to establish if the acts of the aggressor were isolated or a conspiracy,  Makaga said. Oil-rich Gabon has a small Muslim population consisting mostly of foreign workers, although the precise number is not known. It is not normally considered a high risk country for jihadist violence.   (This story corrects to make clear attacker was  Nigerien  from Niger, not  Nigerian  from Nigeria)

Summary: गैबॉन में इस्लामवादी चाकू हमले में दो डेनिश पत्रकार घायल


JERUSALEM/GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Guatemala with a  God bless you  on Monday for deciding to move its embassy to Jerusalem, while the Palestinians said the Central American country was  on the wrong side of history . In an official Facebook post on Sunday, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said he had chosen to relocate the embassy from Tel Aviv - siding with the United States in a dispute over Jerusalem s status - after talking to Netanyahu. [L1N1OO0F7] U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Dec. 6, reversing decades of U.S. policy and upsetting the Arab world and Western allies. On Thursday, 128 countries rebuked Trump by backing a non-binding U.N. General Assembly resolution calling on the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem.  God bless you, my friend, President Jimmy Morales, God bless both our countries, Israel and Guatemala,  Netanyahu said, switching to English, in remarks to a weekly meeting of his Likud party faction in parliament. Guatemala and neighboring Honduras were two of only a handful of countries to join Israel and the United States, which has pledged to move its embassy to Jerusalem, in voting against the U.N. resolution. The United States is an important source of assistance to Guatemala and Honduras, and Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that supported the U.N. resolution. The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a state they want to establish in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the entire city, home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish and Christian religions. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki as saying that Morales was  dragging his country to the wrong side of history by committing a flagrant violation of international law . Prior to 1980, Guatemala - along with Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, The Netherlands, Panama, Venezuela and Uruguay - maintained an embassy in Jerusalem. Israel s passage in June 1980 of a law proclaiming Jerusalem its  indivisible and eternal capital  led to a U.N. Security Council resolution calling upon those countries to move their embassies to Tel Aviv, prompting their transfer. Israel s ambassador to Guatemala, Matty Cohen, said on Army Radio that no date had been set for the embassy move,  but it will happen after  the United States relocates its own embassy to Jerusalem. U.S. officials have said that move could take at least two years.

Summary: नेतन्याहू ने ग्वाटेमाला के राष्ट्रपति से जेरूसलम में दूतावास स्थानांतरित करने पर कहा, 'भगवान आपको आशीर्वाद दें'


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When it comes to trade policy, Hillary Clinton is taking heat from all sides. At the Democratic National Convention this week, where Clinton will formally accept her party’s presidential nomination, opposition to trade deals was plastered on buttons, scrawled on signs and chanted by delegates. Many are worried by her past support of 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is still awaiting congressional approval. Things are unlikely to get any easier for her. Clinton has said her stance on trade has evolved, that she now opposes TPP because it does not do enough to protect jobs and that she wants changes in NAFTA, the trade deal her husband, Bill Clinton, signed during his presidency. But that allows her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, to question her credibility, painting Clinton’s evolving position as a desperate attempt to catch up with his tough stance. Trump has vowed to force Canada and Mexico to renegotiate NAFTA, labeling it a job killer. The real estate developer has also said he would pull the United States out of the 12-nation TPP. Even among the Democrats there are doubts about Clinton’s resolve, particularly among supporters of her former Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, the U.S. Senator from Vermont whose opposition to trade deals featured prominently in his speeches during the Democratic primary season. The concern about trade was on display at the convention during a speech delivered on Wednesday night by Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia who once supported TPP. Delegates waved anti-TPP placards as Kaine spoke, even though he changed his position after joining Clinton’s ticket. Larry Cohen, a senior adviser to Sanders, said trade was “absolutely” a danger for Clinton in the race against Trump, saying she had to show her commitment to opposing it and not just “make pronouncements.” “The Trump campaign is smart enough that they will exploit this issue,” Cohen said. Sanders supporters have said they intend to keep fighting TPP through the November election via a new group called “Our Revolution” that is dedicated to championing issues that Sanders pushed on the campaign trail. The frustration that a post-recession recovery has failed to translate into better wages and opportunities for million of working Americans has become one of the leading themes of the 2016 presidential campaign. A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in March showed that 65 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of Republicans believed that trade cost some U.S. jobs even though many also agreed that trade helps to keep the costs of goods low. Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO labor federation, told Reuters that Clinton has told all of the major unions that endorsed her that she wanted to re-work NAFTA, echoing similar comments by Dennis Williams, president of the United Auto Workers union. Trumka said Clinton’s campaign has told him that she would take “a whole new approach” on trade and he said he was convinced that he could trust her on the issue. “She’s not giving lip service to it. She’s committed to it,” he said. Consulted about Clinton’s talks with unions regard NAFTA, a senior Mexican government official said the TPP already provided the United States with a platform to strengthen the rights of workers compared to NAFTA, although U.S. union activists say the new pact weakens rather than strengthens workers’ protection. “They have the solution in their hands, if they back it,” the official said, noting Congress had yet to ratify the TPP. The official added that it would be in Mexico’s interests to strengthen the rules of origin in TPP that determine which country a product comes from, but sometimes allow foreign components in it. He cautioned, however, that re-opening trade deals was a highly complex undertaking. Morris Fiorina, a political science professor at Stanford University, said Clinton should try to address workers’ concerns but avoid a wholesale dismissal of free trade. “Were I advising her I’d suggest she try to thread the needle - explain that free trade has great benefits for the country as a whole, but past and pending agreements do not adequately recognize and compensate the losers. She will remedy that failure,” Fiorina said. However, such nuanced approach may prove self-defeating in the light of Trump’s challenge and internal dissent. Robin Biro, a field director for the Democratic Party in Atlanta and a Clinton supporter, said TPP was a make or break issue for Clinton to attract Democrats who voted for Sanders in the primary. “She’s only going to get the support of the Bernie people if she comes out strongly on that issue,” Biro said.

Summary: व्यापार पर क्लिंटन का अविश्वास उन्हें डेमोक्रेटिक सम्मेलन में छाया देता है


DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held almost an hour of talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday after flying to Tehran to seek the release of a jailed British-Iranian aid worker.  Both spoke forthrightly about the obstacles in the relationship and agreed on the need to make progress in all areas,  said a spokeswoman for Britain s Foreign Office after Johnson concluded what was only the third visit to Iran by a British foreign minister in the past 14 years. The Foreign Office confirmed Johnson had raised  consular cases of dual nationals  during talks. These cases include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who Britain says was visiting family on holiday in April 2016 when she was jailed by Iran for attempting to overthrow the government.    The woman s husband later told Sky News that a court appearance scheduled in Iran for Sunday had been postponed.  I think I am very optimistic today,  Richard Ratcliffe said. He added that he hoped his wife would be home before Christmas but cautioned that there could still be setbacks.  Without doubt having the foreign secretary there was a big thing. Without doubt the court case not happening is a big thing. There may be a number of big things that have to happen before she s home, but ... as I sit here I am a lot more optimistic than I was.   Iranian state television had reported that  bilateral relations, the nuclear deal and regional developments made up the axis of the talks , between the president and Johnson. TWO-DAY VISIT The case of Zaghari-Ratcliffe has taken on domestic political importance after Johnson said last month that she had  been teaching journalists in Iran, which her employer denies. Johnson later apologized. Opponents have called for him to resign if his comments lead to her serving longer in prison. Johnson met Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran s Atomic Energy Organization earlier on Sunday and had talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday. The two-day visit took place against a complex backdrop of historical, regional and bilateral tensions.  It has been a worthwhile visit and we leave with a sense that both sides want to keep up the momentum to resolve the difficult issues in the bilateral relationship and preserve the nuclear deal,  the Foreign Office spokeswoman added. International sanctions against Iran have only recently been lifted as part of the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal to curb Tehran s disputed uranium enrichment program.  That deal is under threat after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to decertify Iran s compliance with its terms. Johnson told Zarif he believed the deal should be fully implemented. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not the only dual national being held in Iran, but has become the most high profile case. A project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, she was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. She denies the charges. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is a charity organization that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. It says Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been on holiday and had not been teaching journalism in Iran.

Summary: ब्रिटेन के जॉनसन ने ईरान के राष्ट्रपति से मुलाकात की क्योंकि वह जेल में बंद सहायता कार्यकर्ता के लिए पैरवी कर रहे थे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress on Friday released a long-classified section of the official report on the Sept. 11 attacks describing an array of potential links between some of the hijackers and officials in Saudi Arabia. The 28 pages of the report on the 2002 investigation focus on potential Saudi government ties to the 2001 aircraft attacks on the United States, in which nearly 3,000 people died. The report said the alleged links had not been independently verified. The pages were released by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee after years of wrangling in Washington between Congress and different administrations, Republicans and Democrats, and urging by families of those killed. “The matter is now finished,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference in Washington. Asked whether the report exonerated the kingdom, he replied: “Absolutely.” The release of the previously classified pages is unlikely to end the controversy over the role of Saudi Arabia, an important U.S. partner in the Middle East. Many U.S. officials who opposed their release had worried they would damage diplomatic relations. Fifteen of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi citizens. “According to various FBI documents and CIA memorandum, some of the September 11 hijackers, while in the United States, apparently had contacts with individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government,” the report said, giving a catalog of alleged links. They included reported contacts between Saudis in California, money possibly sent from the Saudi royal family to the hijackers and even a statement that a reported Saudi Interior Ministry official stayed at the same Virginia hotel as one hijacker in September 2001. One section said Omar al-Bayoumi, said to be a Saudi intelligence officer, met with two hijackers at a public place after they arrived in San Diego. Citing Federal Bureau of Investigation files, it said his salary rose to $3,700 a month from $465 two months after two of the hijackers arrived in California. Another described how two of the hijackers asked flight attendants technical questions during a trip in 1999 from Phoenix to Washington to attend a party at the Saudi embassy. One tried twice to enter the cockpit. The plane made an emergency landing and the FBI investigated, but did not prosecute. The newly declassified pages also say a telephone number found in a telephone book of Abu Zubaydah, a Saudi-born al Qaeda operative captured in Pakistan, was for a Colorado corporation that managed the affairs of the residence of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador to Washington.  The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said its agreement to the release is not an indication that the intelligence community agrees with the pages’ accuracy or concurs with the information it contains. The office also on Friday released a declassified summary of an assessment of whether Riyadh may have supported al Qaeda before and after the attacks, saying the Saudi government and many of its agencies had been infiltrated and exploited by individuals associated with or sympathetic to Osama bin Laden’s militant network. Several members of Congress said they were pleased the pages had finally been released. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel, said he hoped the release would quiet rumors. “The Intelligence Community and the 9/11 Commission, which followed the Joint Inquiry that produced these so-called 28 pages, investigated the questions they raised and was never able to find sufficient evidence to support them,” he said. Legislation that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate and is making its way through the House, despite President Barack Obama’s veto threat. “While the pages do not reach a conclusion regarding Saudi involvement in the 9/11 attacks, they provide more than enough evidence to raise serious concerns,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. His state was home to many people killed when planes hit the World Trade Center in neighboring New York. Sept. 11 families made clear the pages’ release would not stop their push for the legislation. “Congress has to stand up for the interests of the thousands of innocent Americans who lost loved ones on 9/11,” one group said in a statement. White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters before the pages were released that they would show no evidence of Saudi complicity. The Obama administration sent a declassified version of the 28 pages, with many lines and sentences blacked out to protect intelligence sources and methods, to Congress on Friday morning. The House intelligence panel released it a few hours later.

Summary: संभावित सऊदी संबंधों का विवरण देने वाली यू. एस. 9/11 रिपोर्ट के पृष्ठ सार्वजनिक किए गए


BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian army and its allies have secured the Palmyra to Deir al-Zor road, a major supply route from government territory to the eastern city, defeating a strong Islamic State attack, a military media unit run by Lebanon s Hezbollah said on Friday.  Islamic State s assault, which began on Thursday, is the first major counterattack against the Syrian army and its allies since they broke through a swathe of territory to reach the city of Deir al-Zor this month.  The Syrian army and its allies completely secured the Deir al-Zor-Palmyra highway after foiling the intense attack,  the Hezbollah media unit said.  The highway has become passable for traffic in both directions to and from Deir al-Zor.  Hezbollah is one of the main allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, alongside Russia, Iran and other Shi ite militias.  Earlier on Friday, a commander in the military alliance backing Assad had said the road linking Deir al-Zor to Palmyra was being used only when absolutely necessary, and that the army and its allies were fighting to recover lost ground.  Islamic State had captured the town of al-Shoula, which sits on the highway, and the commander said at least 10 Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the fighting. Islamic State said it had killed about 40 Syrian soldiers and captured several positions.  The Syrian army s advance to Deir al-Zor, helped by the Russian military and Iranian-backed militias, lifted a three-year-long Islamic State siege on a government-held enclave in the city. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Islamic State attacks had killed more than 58 fighters from the Syrian army and allied forces since Thursday. A U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian militias, the Syrian Democratic Forces, is waging a separate offensive against Islamic State in Deir al-Zor to the east of the Euphrates River, which bisects the province. In an undated recorded statement released on Thursday, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi pressed his followers to  stand fast  and keep fighting.

Summary: देइर अल-ज़ोर में आईएस के हमले के बाद सीरियाई सेना और सहयोगियों ने सड़क सुरक्षित कीः हिज़्बुल्लाह


LONDON (Reuters) - Lawmakers in British Prime Minister Theresa May s Conservative Party who are trying to oust her as leader have been told to  shut up  by senior party members, including potential rival Boris Johnson, Britain s foreign minister. Others in the party warned that the uncertainty over May was damaging Brexit negotiations with the European Union. May on Friday said she would remain as leader after a   former Conservative chairman said he had garnered the support of 30 lawmakers who wanted her to quit. It followed a disastrous speech at the party s conference earlier this week, when a persistent cough left May barely able to deliver her message, and a snap election in June in which May lost her party s majority in parliament. Senior figures have rallied round May, but the open rebellion coincides with crucial talks with the European Union just 18 months before Britain is due to leave. Johnson, who is widely considered to be the most serious challenger for leadership of the Conservatives if May were to resign, called for unity, according to media reports.  We have just had an election and people are fed up with this malarkey,  newspapers quoted him as saying in a message to Conservative lawmakers.   Get behind the PM. Ordinary punters I have spoken to thought her speech was good and anyone can have a cold,  he said.  Circle the wagons, turn the fire on (opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy) Corbyn and talk about nothing except our great policies and what we can do for the country . EU partners are stepping up preparations for a collapse in Brexit negotiations due to fundamental divisions across Britain on what to ask for - even if few believe Britain would risk crashing out into legal limbo in March 2019.  In Brussels, officials are questioning whether May will survive even until a summit on Oct. 19, but diplomats said governments insisted they would not ease their demands to help her move on with talks on a post-Brexit transition. Few of her 27 EU counterparts see either hardline Brexiter rivals such as Johnson or the Labour opposition of Corbyn as any better able to rally the country behind their own visions for Brexit. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, a possible successor should May be forced out and who campaigned hard against Brexit last year, told the BBC the prime minister s critics should  put up, shut up and get off the stage .  I would tell my party to get its house in order, get together, knuckle down, and make sure that our first commitment, last commitment and only commitment is to the country,  she said.  Her message came after former party chairman Grant Shapps toured media studios calling for a leadership election. Shapps said 30 Conservative lawmakers backed his view, well short of the 48 needed to trigger a contest. Commentators said deep divisions in the party over the direction of Brexit meant the rebellion had lost momentum despite disquiet over May s performance as leader.  One Conservative lawmaker, Nigel Evans, said the  botched plot  appeared to have fizzled out within 24 hours but that it would play into the hands of EU s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.  May s weakness is generating more concern than satisfaction in Brussels, however, since failing to reach a deal with London would disrupt economies on both sides of the English Channel. Barnier s team starts a new week of talks with British negotiators on Monday, though expectations are very low of a breakthrough that could prompt leaders to open the way in the following week for talks on a post-Brexit free trade deal   something London insists should be a priority for both sides. Underscoring a hard line among governments, including heavyweights such as Germany and France, that Britain must do more to settle immediate  divorce  issues, such as paying Brussels tens of billions of euros, before opening a new phase of talks, envoys told Barnier on Friday they opposed starting even a tentative exploration of transitional arrangements. Negotiators have suggested that, with time tight, it could be useful to explore some of the immediate problems that will come up on March 30, 2019, when Britain is out. However, leaders could still agree to let Barnier look at some transition issues, depending on next week s negotiating round, diplomats said. Adding to low expectations, however, the schedule for talks is thinner than previous rounds, with no public meeting planned at the start between Barnier and Brexit Secretary David Davis and no negotiations taking place at all on Wednesday. For now, European leaders can do little more than watch and speculate about May s ability to govern.  Who knows if we will still have an interlocutor at the summit,  one official said.

Summary: ब्रेक्सिट की आशंकाओं के बीच रूढ़िवादी साजिशकर्ताओं को ब्रिटेन के मई के पीछे हटने के लिए कहा गया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With talks to renegotiate the NAFTA trade pact just weeks away, U.S. farm groups and lawmakers from rural states are intensifying lobbying of President Donald Trump’s administration with one central message: leave farming out of it.  Trump blames the North American Free Trade Agreement - the “worst trade deal ever” in his words - for millions of lost manufacturing jobs and promises to tilt it in America’s favor.  But for U.S. farmers the 23-year old pact secures access to stable, lucrative markets in Mexico and Canada that now account for over a quarter of U.S. farm exports.   Now they fear this access could become a bargaining chip in efforts to get a better deal for U.S. manufacturers.  “Perhaps some other sectors of our economy are given better terms and in exchange for that agriculture tariffs would be reintroduced,” said Joe Schuele, a spokesman for the U.S. Meat Export Federation in Denver, Colorado.  Another concern is that the mere uncertainty of open-ended trade talks could drive Mexico to alternative suppliers of grains, dairy products, beef and pork.  Mexico became even more crucial after Trump’s pullout from a vast Pacific Rim trade pact negotiated under Barack Obama dashed farmers’ hopes of free access to more markets.  Next week, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is due to outline the administration’s goals for the NAFTA talks to Congress and the farm lobby has turned up the heat in the past weeks to ensure that its interests will make Lighthizer’s list.  Operating under the umbrella of the U.S. Food and Agriculture Dialogue for Trade, more than 130 commodity groups and agribusiness giants since Trump’s inauguration have been bombarding the new administration with phone calls and letters, public comments to USTR and face-to-face meetings with top officials who have Trump’s ear.  “Our first ask is to do no harm,” said Cassandra Kuball, the head of the umbrella group.  Lobbyists said that Lighthizer, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross have been receptive, but the wild card is how Trump ultimately will come down on the talks. They also wonder what concessions Mexico will seek from Washington in the talks due to start in mid-August.  Among the groups involved are the American Soybean Association, Corn Refiners Association and National Grain and Feed Association and firms such as Land O’Lakes, Inc., Tyson Foods(TSN.N), Inc., Louis Dreyfus Company North America, Archer Daniels Midland Co. and others.  For example, U.S. cotton producers, marketers and shippers in mid-June warned the Trump administration that any weakening of NAFTA “would threaten the health of the U.S. industry and the jobs of the 125,000 Americans employed by it.”  Annual U.S. farm exports to Mexico have grown from about $4 billion in 1994, when NAFTA began, to an estimated $18.5 billion this year. With Canada included, that number is forecast to reach $40 billion, quadrupling under NAFTA.  Republican lawmakers from rural states that have backed Trump in the 2016 election have sought to leverage their political clout to press farmers’ case at a time when they struggle with low crop prices.  Pat Roberts, Republican senator from Kansas, who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he used an unexpected invitation for a private White House meeting with Trump to plug in agriculture’s cause in NAFTA and beyond.  “He (Trump) wanted to know what was happening in farmland,” Roberts said. “I told him we went through a very rough patch and if we did not have a strong, robust, predictable trade policy, it’s going to make life much more difficult in farm country,” Roberts said of the 45-minute meeting in late June.  In May, 18 Republican senators, mainly from pro-Trump farming states, wrote the administration about the “tremendous growth” in U.S. trade with Mexico and Canada as a result of NAFTA.  “Efforts to abandon the agreement or impose unnecessary restrictions on trade with our North American partners will have devastating economic consequences,” they warned.  Trump’s pledges to crack down on immigration and calls for a wall along the border with Mexico also vex farm state lawmakers.  “What I really need is a good, solid immigration system,” South Dakota Republican Senator Mike Rounds said. Given his state’s low unemployment rate of just around 2.8 percent, farmers and ranchers need better access to legal foreign labor, he said.  Agriculture Secretary Perdue got a taste of farmers’ angst when met cattle ranchers in Nebraska on May 20. The event was held shortly after Washington agreed with China to resume beef exports, but some 60 ranchers who gathered at U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s Sunny Slope Ranch quickly turned to NAFTA.  “If the president wants to renegotiate that agreement with our neighbors and partners in Mexico and Canada please leave the ag portion of that discussion out,” said Pete McClymont, executive vice president of Nebraska Cattlemen, summarizing the discussion.  While lobbying in Washington, some Republican lawmakers have also met with Mexico’s ambassador and U.S. farming representatives traveled south to assure their partners unsettled by Trump’s “America First” mantra.  “The common comment is: ‘why are you here? The problem is not with us. The problem is in Washington. Why are you talking to us?’” said Tom Sleight, president and CEO of the U.S. Grains Council. “The new normal is that feed buyers, millers, grain buyers are actively looking at alternative sources,” he said.  It will take months to find out how effective the lobbying was. Meantime, some are willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt.  Daryl Haack, a corn and soybean farmer from Primghar in northwest Iowa, like others fears retaliation from either Canada or Mexico, but is optimistic it will not come to that.  “I think President Trump is a negotiator,” he said. “I think he runs bluffs. A lot of negotiators will do that.”

Summary: नाफ्टा वार्ता निकट आते ही अमेरिकी फार्म लॉबी ने ट्रम्प टीम पर हमला बोला


(Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump are in a tight race ahead of the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election. Following is a roundup of Wall Street’s take on the likely outcome of the U.S. elections.  Analysts still expect a Clinton win, but with a lower probability after the FBI revealed it is examining newly found emails related to Clinton's use of a private server while she was secretary of state.(reut.rs/2eVjseK) Prior to this revelation, analysts were largely focused on the likelihood – albeit a small one – of a Democratic sweep of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives this election, and the implications of such a scenario on financial markets. (reut.rs/2fcIZ2O) MORE COVERAGE: bit.ly/2dOgcoE Tina Fordham, Chief Global Political Analyst, Citigroup “Our probability of a 75 pct probability of a Clinton victory remains unchanged due to our longstanding caution over the risks of Black Swans, but these developments (FBI’s latest announcement on Clinton email probe) have added a significant obstacle to the Clinton campaign, and are likely to further dent voter confidence.”  “The FBI announcement could increase the risk that if Trump loses he does not accept the result, as he has threatened. If a Clinton victory transpires and she presides over a Republican-controlled or divided Congress, the risk of continuous investigations and future impeachment risk is non-negligible.” Shawn Golhar, Head of Public Policy Research, Barclays Capital “While the FBI Director’s letter may drive reluctant GOP voters to the polls and convince some remaining undecided voters to support Donald Trump, it is unclear if this will sway the election enough for Trump, given the Democratic electoral firewall, early voting indications, and Trump’s lack of a voter turnout campaign.” “The 2016 elections continue to have two tail end risks: Donald Trump wins, or the Democrats sweep the White House and both chambers of Congress. Friday’s announcement will likely increase Trump’s chances of winning and whittle down the already slim chances of a Democratic sweep.” Alec Phillips, U.S. Political Economist, Goldman Sachs “The probability implied by online prediction markets that Sec. Clinton wins the White House has declined over the last several days, from between 80 pct and 90 pct in most markets over the last couple of weeks, to between 64 pct and 75 pct as of November 1... That said, Secretary Clinton is still seen by prediction markets to be twice as likely to win the election as Mr. Trump.”         “Polls have tightened in the U.S. presidential election... However, even after adjusting Sec. Clinton’s lead in state polls for her diminished margin nationally, she still appears likely to win more than the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the White House.” “As a starting point, note that the reliably Democratic states that Sec. Clinton currently leads by at least mid-single digits are worth 263 electoral votes. To reach 270, she must add to this North Carolina (15 EVs, Clinton leads by around 2pp), Colorado (9 EVs, Clinton leads by 1-2pp); and/or Nevada and the 2nd Congressional District of Maine (6 EVs plus 1 EV, Clinton leads by around 1pp in both).”  “By contrast, Mr. Trump has a solid lead in states worth 186 EVs; to reach 270 he would need to add to this Arizona (11 EVs, Trump leads by around 1pp), Florida (29 EVs, Trump leads by around 1pp), Ohio (18 EVs, Trump leads by around 2pp), plus Colorado, Nevada, and North Carolina, or some other combination that scores electoral votes even deeper into Democratic territory.” “This is still a significant polling deficit for Mr. Trump to overcome in a large number of states, particularly in contrast to Sec. Clinton, who simply needs to win one of the very competitive states she currently leads (Colorado, Nevada, or North Carolina) and maintain her sizable lead in the others to win.” Stephen Gallagher, Americas Head of Research, Societe Generale “Our baseline outcome is for Secretary Clinton to win the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Donald Trump’s chances are modest but still viable. The latest FBI interest in emails demonstrates that, ‘It isn’t over till it’s over.’”     “Traditionally, the losing candidate in a race concedes on the basis of incoming results, and that call is typically an early morning exercise. The challenge for 2016 is Trump’s promise to maintain the suspense. Without a concession, markets and general public may presume the outcome on the basis of results, but difficult to confirm until states certify the results.”  Thomas Block, Washington Policy Strategist, Fundstrat Global Advisors “Fundamentals continue to point to a Clinton victory with 75 percent chances of a Clinton/Kaine win, but margins are likely to be closer in key swing states. However, Trump surprised and outperformed in primaries, and with recent events impossible to capture in polling, nothing is certain.”

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः अमेरिकी चुनावों के संभावित परिणाम पर वॉल स्ट्रीट का दृष्टिकोण


MADRID (Reuters) - If the ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont fails to appear in court, the normal procedure would be to issue an arrest warrant, the president of Spain s Supreme Court said on Thursday.   When someone doesn t appear after being cited by a judge to testify, in Spain or any other EU country, normally an arrest warrant is issued,  Supreme Court President Carlos Lesmes said. Puigdemont said on Wednesday he would ignore a court order to return to Spain to answer charges over the region s push for independence. He did not turn up at a High Court hearing on Thursday.

Summary: कैटलन के पूर्व नेता के खिलाफ गिरफ्तारी वारंट 'सामान्य' है अगर वह गवाही नहीं देते हैंः सुप्रीम कोर्ट


NAIROBI (Reuters) - Burundi s cabinet backed a constitutional change that would allow its president to stay in office until 2034, widening a political rift that has driven the country progressively deeper into crisis. Under existing laws, Burundian presidents are limited to two five-year terms. Unrest that has gripped Burundi since April 2015, when Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would stand for a third, has killed hundreds, left the economy moribund and forced about 400,000 people to seek safety in neighboring countries. UN rights investigators and independent activists have accused government forces of widespread violations including forced disappearances, and of orchestrating a campaign of terror.  A senior government official told Reuters on Friday that the cabinet adopted the draft legislation seeking to amend the constitution on Tuesday. Nkurunziza, who has been in office since 2005, won re-election in July 2015 in a ballot that critics said violated the constitution and the terms of an agreement that ended a previous rebellion.  Nkurunziza s backers said the country s constitutional court had cleared him to run again, but some opponents took up arms against his rule and insecurity has plagued the country since.  Other African leaders have in the recent past also tinkered with or defied their constitutions to extend their rule, including Uganda s President Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda s Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo s Joseph Kabila. Proposed amendments under the Burundian bill seek to abolish the two-term limit and lengthen presidential terms to seven years. Incumbents would be able to serve two consecutive terms of seven years each and also be eligible to seek re-election after an interregnum. If the amendment was passed by parliament,  the current head of state can rule until 2034,  the source said. A second official told Reuters the government would hold a referendum on the draft legislation next year, but did not say which month. Opposition officials have criticized the legislation which they say was initiated in secrecy and designed to entrench Nkurunziza in power.   No one knew what was being done. It was done in total secrecy...we will always oppose it,  deputy president of the opposition FRODEBU party, Leonce Ngendakumana, told Reuters.  The constitution should not be revised in a tense social climate.

Summary: संकट गहराते ही बुरुंडी ने राष्ट्रपति शासन बढ़ाने के लिए कदम उठाए


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that taxes on rich Americans might rise, as he pursues a tax code overhaul and reaches out to both Democrats and Republicans in a push to win support for a plan still far from complete. Trump met with the two top congressional Democrats over dinner at the White House in a search for common ground that could make it easier to get a tax-cut package through Congress. Both sides said the meeting, which covered an array of legislative issues, was productive. Earlier, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said tax reductions would be paid for by faster economic growth. The White House and the Republican-led Congress have yet to put forth a detailed tax plan, despite months of high-level talks that had until recent days excluded Democrats. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said an outline of a plan would be unveiled during the work week beginning Sept. 25, with congressional tax-writing committees crafting detailed legislation in the subsequent weeks. Mnuchin told Fox News Channel the Trump administration would use its own economic assumptions to gauge the impact of its tax cuts on the federal budget deficit and the $20 trillion national debt, a key issue in Washington’s intensifying tax debate. “It will be revenue neutral under our growth assumptions,” Mnuchin said. “So, we can pay for these tax cuts with economic growth.” The administration believes tax cuts will lead to much faster growth than do congressional analysts or most private forecasters, a likely fault line in the debate ahead. As for taxing the rich, Trump said during a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers - his second in as many days - that the wealthy “will not be gaining at all with this plan. ... If they have to go higher, they’ll go higher, frankly.” In a phone call with a small group of reporters, Marc Short, Trump’s legislative affairs director, said the president was not talking about higher tax rates, but that other changes in the tax code could affect the wealthy and how much they pay, the publication Roll Call reported.  Democrats have criticized Republican tax overhaul efforts as benefiting mainly the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Tax experts said Trump could raise taxes on high-income people by lowering the cap on mortgages eligible for interest deductions to $500,000 from $1 million. Another step might be to close a loophole that lets Wall Street fund managers pay low taxes on much of their income, analysts said. Trump might also propose eliminating the deduction for state and local taxes, then use the revenue raised to fund tax cuts for the middle class, leaving top earners with a higher effective tax bill. There has also been talk in the Senate about increasing tax rates on capital gains and dividends. But even with those changes, analysts said it was not clear top earners would end up paying more overall, partly because Trump has also proposed cutting the top individual tax rate. Steven Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center think tank in Washington, said Trump was unlikely to raise taxes on investment income. Instead, he said, Trump could close a loophole that largely benefits super-rich financiers, although they may be able to find other ways to avoid taxes. “That’s what I would expect him to do, take a symbolic but ineffective step,” Rosenthal said. Trump hosted Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday evening to discuss tax overhaul plans and other legislative items. A White House official said the meeting was constructive and covered border security and the status of so-called Dreamers who came to the United States illegally as children, as well as infrastructure and trade, in addition to taxes. “The administration looks forward to continuing these conversations with leadership on both sides of the aisle,” the official said. In a joint statement, Schumer and Pelosi called the meeting “very productive” and said it focused mainly on the plight of the “Dreamers,” nearly 800,000 young immigrants who are able to live and work in the United States legally under the Obama-era DACA program that Trump recently rescinded. “We agreed to enshrine the protections of DACA into law quickly, and to work out a package of border security, excluding the wall, that’s acceptable to both sides,” they said. One of Trump’s major campaign promises was building a wall the entire length of the U.S.-Mexican border.    In his meeting earlier on Wednesday with eight Democratic and five Republican House members, Trump had expressed hope he could bring a fresh bipartisanship to Washington. Asked what his message was to skeptical conservatives who worry he is cozying up to Democrats, Trump said: “I’m a conservative, and I will tell you I’m not skeptical. And I think that if we can do things in a bipartisan manner, that’ll be great. Now it might not work out.” Trump blindsided Republican leaders last week by striking a deal with Schumer and Pelosi on the U.S. debt limit and federal spending for three months. Ryan said the outline being worked on now would reflect the consensus of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Trump administration. “I would love to have the Democrats supporting and working with us in a constructive way on tax reform, but we’re going to do it no matter what,” Ryan said. There has been no comprehensive U.S. tax code overhaul since 1986, and starkly different visions embraced by the two parties for how to move forward promise to make the task difficult.  Asked about Trump’s comment on a possible tax increase for the wealthy, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady said: “My goal is to lower taxes on every American as much as possible and help them keep more of what they earn.”

Summary: ट्रम्प ने कहा, अमीर करों में अधिक भुगतान कर सकते हैं, डेमोक्रेट के साथ बातचीत


MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had a  great relationship  with his Philippine counterpart, Rodrigo Duterte, while a White House official said human rights got only a brief mention when the two met on the sidelines of an Asian summit. A spokesman for Duterte said there was no mention at all of human rights or extrajudicial killings during their conversation.  The meeting between the two presidents was one of the most anticipated at the summit of East and Southeast Asian leaders in Manila, with human rights groups pressing Trump to take a tough line on Duterte over his bloody war on drugs, in which thousands of people have been killed.  The conversation focused on ISIS (Islamic State), illegal drugs, and trade,  said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.  Human rights briefly came up in the context of the Philippines  fight against illegal drugs.  Duterte s spokesman, Harry Roque, told a news conference the Philippine president had explained his antidrug policy at length to Trump, who  seemed to be appreciative of his efforts.   There was no mention of human rights, no mention of extralegal killings,  he said. A joint statement released later by the White House listed human rights as the third of 14 topics discussed.  The two sides underscored that human rights and the dignity of human life are essential, and agreed to continue mainstreaming the human rights agenda in their national programs to promote the welfare of all sectors, including the most vulnerable groups,  the statement said. They discussed the Philippine campaign against crime, including illegal drugs, it said, and  committed to share best practices in the areas of prevention; enforcement, including capacity-building and transparency in investigations; and rehabilitation.   More than 3,900 people have been killed in a war on drugs that Duterte declared when he took office last year. His government says the police act in self-defense, but critics say executions are taking place with no accountability.  We are your ally. We are an important ally,  Duterte told Trump at the beginning of their talks, according to reporters allowed in to the meeting room. Trump replied:  We ve had a great relationship. This has been very successful. And the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) conference has been handled beautifully by the president in the Philippines.  Duterte, who has been called the  Trump of the East  for his brash style and provocative language, said last week he would tell the U.S. president to  lay off  if he were to raise accusations of rights violations. Trump was criticized in May for praising Duterte during a phone call for the  great job  he was doing to counter illegal narcotics. The United States and the Philippines, a former U.S. colony, have been strategic allies since World War Two. But their relations have been strained by anti-U.S. outbursts from Duterte and his enthusiasm for better ties with Russia and China. However, Duterte clearly appears to be getting on better with Trump than he did with the American president s predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump and Duterte seem to have warmed to each other after meeting for the first time on Saturday at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group meeting in Vietnam. On Sunday, Duterte crooned hit Filipino love song  Ikaw  (You) at a gala dinner for summit leaders in Manila, saying it was on  the orders  of Trump. One of the song s verses, translated from Filipino, begins:  You are the light in my world, a half of this heart of mine .  Ladies and gentlemen, I sang uninvited, upon the orders of the commander in chief of the United States,  Duterte said later, according to the ABS-CBN news channel. Roque described the relationship between Trump and Duterte as  warm, friendly and candid.   It s very apparent that both of them have a person who they consider as not a best friend,  he added.   They have similar feelings toward former U.S. President Barack Obama.   Duterte s anger was unleashed last year when Obama raised concern about possible human rights abuses in the war on drugs. Duterte said Obama could  go to hell  and called him a  son of a bitch.

Summary: एशिया शिखर सम्मेलन में ट्रम्प और दुतेर्ते के संबंध; अमेरिका ने कहा कि अधिकारों पर चर्चा की गई


KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said on Thursday he would support the governor of the country s Gezira state in 2020 presidential elections if Mohamed Tahir Ayala decided to stand.  Bashir, who came to power in a 1989 bloodless coup and is wanted by the International Criminal Court to face charges of war crimes in Darfur, has said he plans to stand down in 2020.  If Ayala runs for president in 2020, I will support him,  Bashir said in a speech broadcast on state television.     Ayala, the head of the Gezira branch of the ruling National Congress Party, later on Thursday commented on Bashir s support, saying he would back the Sudanese president if he ran for a third term in office.   The demand of the Gezira people and my demand is for 2020 to be the year where Bashir is elected for a third term in office. That s the demand of all of the Sudanese people,  Ayala said at a public gathering the president attended.

Summary: सूडान के बशीर का कहना है कि वे 2020 के राष्ट्रपति चुनाव में राज्य के राज्यपाल का समर्थन करेंगे


AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A U.S. district judge in Austin has rejected an effort by Texas to have a law that would punish so-called sanctuary cities be declared constitutional ahead of the measure taking effect next month. The Republican-backed law is the first of its kind since Republican Donald Trump became president in January, promising a crackdown on illegal immigrants and localities that protect them. Texas is the U.S. state with the longest border with Mexico.  U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, appointed under Republican President George H.W. Bush, dismissed the case without prejudice late on Wednesday. The brief ruling did not give a reason. Senate Bill 4 calls for jailing police chiefs, sheriffs and possibly frontline officers who fail to cooperate with U.S. immigration officials. The measure also allows police to ask about immigration status during a lawful detention. After the law was approved in May, Texas sued major urban areas, including Austin, El Paso and Houston, as well as civil rights groups, saying they backed policies of non-cooperation with federal immigration officials. At a June hearing, Sparks asked why a court should declare the law constitutional before it took effect on Sept. 1. He also questioned why he should hear the case when most of the parties were part of a separate lawsuit over the same law being heard in a federal court in San Antonio. The defendants contended they had abided by federal law and the suit should be dismissed because Texas had no evidence showing it had been harmed by a law not yet in effect. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Wednesday he was disappointed with the ruling on what he called an “undoubtedly constitutional law.” The American Civil Liberties Union, a civil rights group that has argued in court against the law, on Thursday said the Texas suit was a farce aimed at distracting attention from the harm that would come with SB 4. “This is a significant blow to the State, and its legal posturing has only resulted in wasted taxpayer money,” Edgar Saldivar, senior staff attorney of the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement.   In the federal case in San Antonio, a small border town and some of the largest Texas cities told a judge in June that SB 4 could lead to an immigration police state and establish illegal racial profiling. They asked the court to halt it, saying it was unconstitutional.

Summary: अमेरिकी न्यायाधीश ने टेक्सास के 'अभयारण्य' शहर के कानून को झटका दिया


(Reuters) - Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president on Friday was greeted with notes of caution by some foreign leaders. Here is some of the reaction: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto congratulated Trump on his inauguration, saying he would like to strengthen ties, but that sovereignty, national interest and protection of Mexicans would be paramount. Pena Nieto, criticized for meeting Trump last year even after the New York businessman had insulted Mexicans in his election campaign, said on Twitter he would seek “respectful” dialogue with the new U.S. government.[nL1N1FA1G8] Canada’s government, eager to sidestep potentially protectionist U.S. policies, said it was confident Trump would see that working closely with Canada benefited both nations. “We are confident the new Administration will see that Canada’s partnership with the U.S. mutually strengthens our two nations and provides real opportunities to grow our respective economies,” Joseph Pickerill, spokesman for Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, said in a statement.[nL1N1FA1A3] Germany will need a new economic strategy geared toward Asia should the new U.S. administration start a trade war with China, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said, warning against protectionism hours after Trump was sworn in. “What we heard today were high nationalistic tones,” Gabriel said in an interview with the public broadcaster ZDF, the first official German reaction to Trump’s inauguration. “I think we have to prepare for a rough ride.” [nL5N1FA52T] Pope Francis urged Trump to be guided by ethical values, saying he must take care of the poor and the outcast during his time in office. [nL5N1FA4YF] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in a statement posted in his name on the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, congratulated Trump. He added, “I look forward to working with him for the sake of peace, security and stability in a world that is troubled and in a region that lives a tragic era, and to contribute to creating a safe future for everyone.”  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former NATO chief and now an adviser to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, said in a telephone  interview with Reuters that, “I had hoped and also expected a more internationally oriented speech. Instead we got a very domestically oriented, anti-establishment speech. “As president of the United States, he should also realize he has become the leader of the free world - that’s why people all over the globe are watching his inauguration speech. And that’s why I had hoped that he would also address the need for determined American global leadership.”

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः ट्रम्प के राष्ट्रपति पद ने विदेशी नेताओं को कुछ सावधानी बरतने के लिए प्रेरित किया


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - He still has a chance for missteps, but so far on his maiden international trip, Donald Trump has managed to avoid major stumbles and has stuck to the script in a way his advisers have wanted him to do for months.     The U.S. president’s rare display of discipline is in part a result of a desperate need for some smooth sailing. He began the trip in scandal mode, accused of impeding justice by firing former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey for not stopping a federal probe into his campaign’s Russia ties.      Whether it will hold is unclear. He is in a portion of his nine-day trip, in Brussels for a NATO summit and later in Sicily for a Group of Seven conclave, where he will meet with European leaders who are at sharp odds with him on many issues.     Trump’s change comes after increasingly loud alarm bells sounded from Republican congressional leaders, who say he must tamp down the tirades and tantrums that have contributed to a dismal public approval rating of about 38 percent.  Just in the past month alone, Trump used Twitter to issue a veiled threat to Comey, warning that he “better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” And when he fired Comey, White House aides said the move was based on a Justice Department recommendation that said Comey had mishandled the investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information last year. Trump blew up that reason the next day, saying he had already decided to fire Comey when the Justice recommendation came in because the FBI man was a “showboat.” Trump’s advisers planned the overseas journey trip in such a way as to keep the president busy with back-to-back meetings and appearances. This has given him little time for tweet storms and cable news watching. It sometimes has left him fatigued, as manifested when he canceled an evening forum with young people in Riyadh.     As they normally do when he travels, staff members have managed to provide him with some creature comforts, like keeping bags of potato chips at easy reach.     The president has limited his interactions with reporters, taking few questions. As a result, the Russia issue came up only once – during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.      Initial plans for an end-of-the-trip news conference in Sicily have been set aside, meaning there are fewer chances for him to veer off script, but less opportunity to promote his achievements. When Trump has talked to the news media, his responses to questions have been fairly brief and non-substantive. Asked about his meeting with Pope Francis on Wednesday at the Vatican, Trump kept it simple despite the differences between him and Francis on issues like climate change.     “Great...We had a fantastic meeting...We are liking Italy very much, and it was an honor to meet with the pope,” Trump said.    He has also reined in some of his hyperbole. After boasting earlier this year that finding a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians should not be all that hard, Trump acknowledged that maybe it would be hard after all.      “I’ve heard it’s one of the toughest deals of all,” he said. “But I have a feeling we’re going to get there eventually. I hope.”     Aides said most every word spoken was written carefully with some thought of the message that would be sent. Most speeches were performed with a Teleprompter to keep Trump from drifting off into his own ad libs.     “He understands that even the slightest phrasing can have big implications,” said a senior White House official. “He’s worked really hard on being directly involved in the preparation.”     Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters that behind the scenes, Trump has been calibrating his style to fit the leader who he is meeting and the urgency of the issue he is discussing.     “He tends to dial the urgency up and therefore the style dials up,” Tillerson, noting that when talking to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, “He was very energized because he does feel there’s a certain sense of urgency for these parties to finally get on with it.” Trump has been on script before only to lapse. Privately, aides realize this could happen again.     “He is who he is,” one aide said. “He’s definitely someone who speaks his mind.”     Trump has found himself on this trip increasingly reliant on a core group of his inner circle: Son-in-law Jared Kushner, a top White House adviser; daughter Ivanka, who is Kushner’s wife; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; economic adviser Gary Cohn; national security adviser H.R. McMaster and deputy national security adviser for strategy, Dina Powell.     The more disciplined Trump was a victory for Kushner, who organized the trip around some specific objectives, such as a $110 billion arms deal for Saudi Arabia and Trump’s visit to holy sites in Israel, including his visit to the Western Wall, a first for a U.S. president.      “We’re very focused on the substance of the actions and then ultimately on delivering results,” said a senior administration official.

Summary: विदेश यात्रा पर, ट्रम्प स्क्रिप्ट पर रहते हैं, लेकिन क्या यह लंबे समय तक चलेगा?


COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen joined other European leaders in congratulating Donald Trump on winning the U.S. presidential election but said the world now needs the United States “not to close in on itself”. “I have during the election campaign expressed concerns over signs that the US is closing in on itself, which is unfortunately also the case in Europe,” Rasmussen told a group of reporters on Wednesday. He said a more protectionist United States could create problems for a small export-reliant country like Denmark, just like Britain leaving the EU could.

Summary: डेनमार्क के प्रधानमंत्री ने कहा कि दुनिया को अमेरिका की जरूरत है 'खुद को बंद करने के लिए नहीं'


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supreme Court justices clashed on Tuesday over whether courts should curb the long-standing U.S. political practice of drawing electoral maps to entrench one party in power, with conservative Anthony Kennedy likely to cast the deciding vote. The nine justices heard an hour of arguments in the major voting rights case out of Wisconsin involving the practice known as partisan gerrymandering. Their ruling, due by June, could have an impact on U.S. elections for decades by setting standards for when electoral districts are laid out with such extreme partisan aims that they deprive voters of their constitutional rights. Kennedy, who sometimes sides with the court’s liberal justices in big rulings, did not definitively tip his hand on how he would rule but posed tough questions to Wisconsin’s lawyers that signaled his aversion to electoral districts drawn to give one party a lopsided advantage in elections.  Liberal justices voiced sympathy for the Democratic voters who challenged the Republican-drawn legislative map in Wisconsin as a violation of their constitutional rights. Conservative justices expressed doubt about whether courts should intervene in such highly political disputes, and questioned the challengers’ legal standing to bring the case. The court has a 5-4 conservative majority. Gerrymandering, a practice that began two centuries ago, involves manipulating boundaries of legislative districts to benefit one party and diminish another. Democratic and Republican critics argue that gerrymandering is becoming more extreme because it now can be guided by precise voter data and mapmaking technology, distorting the democratic process by letting politicians choose their voters rather than the other way around. Legislative districts in the 50 U.S. states, redrawn every decade after the national census to reflect population changes, represent the individual components of representative democracy. Kennedy pressed Erin Murphy, a lawyer for Wisconsin’s state Senate, on whether it would be unconstitutional for a state law to contain explicit provisions favoring one party over another. Murphy conceded it would be.  A federal three-judge panel ruled 2-1 last November that Wisconsin’s redistricting plan violated the Constitution’s First Amendment right to freedom of expression and association and 14th Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law  because of the extent to which it marginalized Democratic voters. Wisconsin appealed that ruling to the high court. In a 2004 ruling in another case, Kennedy parted with his conservative colleagues to suggest that if partisan gerrymandering went too far, violating the Constitution, courts may have to step in if a “workable standard” for deciding when to do that could be found.  “Gerrymandering is distasteful,” conservative Justice Samuel Alito said. But Alito voiced doubt over whether the metrics used to measure gerrymandering, drawn from social science and endorsed by the lower court, were manageable. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts called those metrics “sociological gobbledygook.” Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch said a court-approved formula for identifying unconstitutional gerrymandering would be hard to achieve, comparing various standards proposed to spices on a steak dinner. “What’s this court supposed to do? A pinch of this, a pinch of that?” he asked. He voiced doubt that the Constitution authorizes courts to step in at all. The challengers received some muscular support. “It is time to terminate gerrymandering,” Republican former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the star of the “Terminator” movies, told a rally outside the courthouse. Redistricting typically is done by the party controlling a state’s legislature. Gerrymandering is usually accomplished by concentrating voters who tend to favor a particular party in a small number of districts to reduce their statewide voting power - called packing - while scattering others in districts in numbers too small to be a majority - called cracking. The Supreme Court for decades has been willing to invalidate state electoral maps on the grounds of racial discrimination but never those drawn simply for partisan advantage. Roberts raised concerns about the high court approving or rejecting future state electoral maps, suggesting the public could start viewing the court as a political body.  “That is going to cause very serious harm to the status and integrity of the decisions of this court in the eyes of the country,” Roberts added. Some liberal justices wondered what would happen to voters if partisan gerrymandering made election results preordained. “What incentive is there for a voter to exercise his vote?” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked. “What becomes of the precious right to vote?” Wisconsin’s electoral map, drawn after the 2010 U.S. census, enabled Republicans to win a sizable majority of Wisconsin legislative seats despite losing the popular vote statewide to the Democrats. The party’s majority has since expanded. The plaintiffs’ attorney, Paul Smith, urged the justices to act. “If you let this go,” he said, “in 2020 you’re going to have a festival of copycat gerrymandering, the likes of which this country has never seen.” “You are the only institution in the United States ... that can solve this problem,” Smith added.

Summary: प्रमुख मतदान अधिकार मामले में न्यायमूर्ति कैनेडी मुख्य सीट पर