TALLINN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel praised French President Emmanuel Macron s ambitions for the European Union on Thursday and said his ideas could be the foundation for  intense  Franco-German cooperation on the future of Europe. Meeting before a summit dinner of EU leaders in Estonia, Merkel and the recently elected Macron are keen for the bloc s founders to drive it forward in the wake of Brexit, though the losses she suffered in winning a fourth term on Sunday mean Europe s leading politician faces uncertain support at home.  On Tuesday, Macron outlined bold proposals for a European renewal, calling for the European Union to work more closely on defense and migration and for a euro zone budget. He urged his peers to put European vision above national interests, saying in his address that he had  no red lines, only horizons . However, he faced a cautious hearing when he expounded his ideas to fellow EU leaders over dinner in Tallinn.  European horizons drawn. Important to avoid mirages in the desert on the way,  Lithuania s no-nonsense President Dalia Grybauskaite tweeted while the discussion was still going on. The informal get-together was arranged on the fly before a  digital summit  on issues ranging from data and cybersecurity to raising more tax from online firms. It had no set agenda and could range widely, even allowing for Prime Minister Theresa May to pitch her ideas on Britain s looming exit from the European Union. But diplomats said its focus will be on the fizz of new initiatives, notably from Macron. An EU source said there was a  strong and shared willingness to maintain the unity  and that the European Union should be  open to address new ideas  while continuing to work to deliver concrete results for citizens. A French presidential source said France was not trying to impose its ideas on its partners but to show them that they were in their common interest and recognized that some needed time to reflect.  The idea is not about forcing people to give a binary response. France cannot force things,  the source said, adding that Paris hoped leaders could agree on a way to work on the ideas in the coming weeks before an October summit in Brussels. The Estonia meeting comes four days after a German election that has raised the prospect of months of tough coalition talks for Merkel, the most influential EU leader, and two days after Macron s rallying cry for deeper integration of national economies.  Macron has stolen the show,  one senior EU official said of the dinner debate. Many admire the youthful new French president s energy and oratory after years in which Paris, long a driving force of the European Union, has appeared bereft of self-confidence. Merkel told reporters before a meeting with Macron that his ideas could be the basis for  intense  Franco-German cooperation.  As far as the proposals were concerned, there was a high level of agreement between German and France. We must still discuss the details, but I am of the firm conviction that Europe can t just stay still but must continue to develop,  she said. However, she may find it hard to commit Berlin to much as she has barely started the process of building what is likely to be a three-way coalition government. Macron was also likely to face polite but firm resistance at the dinner to his calls for a substantial pooling of national budgets in the euro zone and a possible breakaway by the wealthy, western states into a deeper monetary union. The French presidential source recognized that euro zone matters would not be easy and that it might not be possible to have agreement on all items, although Merkel had not earlier on Thursday ruled anything out. Eastern European leaders are cautious about the risk of new cleavages on the continent leaving them behind, while there are plenty, like Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, a moving spirit behind the Tallinn dinner, who are skeptical about more financial burden-sharing before southern neighbors   including France   put their own national budgets on a sounder footing. Brussels diplomats had been a shade nervous about the leaders being left, unscripted, to their own devices at a time when not only Macron but EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker and others have been delivering a stream of ideas. These focus on how the bloc, emerging from a slump and a series of crises, can reinforce itself in the wake of Britain s departure in 2019. Summit chair Donald Tusk moderated the discussion which went on past midnight and the EU source said he would  consult with his colleagues in the coming two weeks and propose how to take the work forward.  May also attended the dinner, despite Britain s increasing isolation as it prepares to quit the bloc in 18 months. May arrived with a better sense of whether her keynote major Brexit speech last Friday has succeeded in unblocking talks in Brussels on Britain s divorce package. The chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, praised on Thursday a  new dynamic  to Brexit negotiations created by concessions made by May although progress was still not sufficient to allow discussions on a transition period after Brexit or on future trade relations. EU officials said she should not expect direct feedback in Tallinn from the other leaders. But she was expected to talk to some of them individually as she pursues her quest for agreement to open talks on close ties with the bloc after Britain leaves. The EU insists that cannot happen until  significant progress  is made on divorce terms   notably how much Britain owes. Her speech in Florence has, so far, averted a stalemate, EU negotiators say, opening the way for some positive movement.

Summary: मैक्रों का यूरोपीय संघ का दृष्टिकोण फ्रेंको-जर्मन धुरी को मजबूत करेगाः मर्केल


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will make his case directly to President-elect Donald Trump not to derail the recent U.S.-Cuba detente, the White House said on Tuesday, insisting that “turning back the clock” would be damaging to American interests and the Cuban people. Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said the outgoing administration hopes to persuade the incoming Trump administration to preserve Obama’s policy of engagement despite the president-elect’s threat to roll back the opening with the communist-ruled island. Just weeks before Trump takes office, Obama and his aides are seeking to further cement one of his top foreign policy legacy initiatives, a breakthrough between former Cold War foes announced two years ago. But since Obama eased travel and trade restrictions through executive actions, Trump would be able to reverse them on his own if he chooses to do so. “Cuba has been and will be on the list of issues where President Obama will make his case that this is the right approach for American interests,” Rhodes told reporters on a teleconference, referring to transition talks between the two. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has vowed to “terminate”  Obama’s engagement with Cuba unless Havana gives the United States what he calls a “better deal,” including allowing broader political freedoms on the island. The Cuban government so far has refrained from commenting on Trump’s statements. “What we believe would be very damaging is any effort to turn off the opening,” Rhodes said, asserting it would hurt the Cuban people, U.S. business interests and Washington’s standing in Latin America. He said the administration has sought to make the policy “irreversible,” and suggested that Trump, a businessman-turned-politician, should consider whether it makes sense to roll it back. Rhodes, who played a key role in negotiating the opening, said a reversal would boost Cuban “hardliners” opposed to engagement as Havana heads into its own political transition. Cuban President Raul Castro has said he will step down in 2018. “Do you really want to cancel travel plans for hundreds of thousands of Americans?” Rhodes asked. “Do you want to tell businesses as diverse as our major airlines or Google or General Electric ...  that have been pursuing opportunities in Cuba that they have to terminate those activities?” Rhodes, who was also in Cuba for memorial services for late Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro this month, said Cuban officials were uncertain about Trump and would wait to see how he proceeded. The White House is planning a meeting with “stakeholders” on Cuba policy this week, he said. The administration is pressing Cuba for further economic reforms, Rhodes said, and encouraging new deals with U.S. companies before Obama leaves office. Rhodes also said there was currently an “incentive structure” for economic change following the death of Fidel Castro, a vocal critic of detente, but that no progress has been made on political reforms. U.S. critics of Cuba engagement have accused Obama of making too many concessions. But despite restoration of relations, the Republican-controlled Congress has resisted lifting the broader U.S. economic embargo.

Summary: ओबामा क्यूबा को हिरासत में रखने के लिए ट्रम्प पर दबाव डालेंगेः व्हाइट हाउस


COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark looks set to become the next European country to restrict the burqa and the niqab, worn by some Muslim women, after most parties in the Danish parliament backed some sort of ban on facial coverings. Full and partial face veils such as burqas and niqabs divide opinion across Europe, setting advocates of religious freedom against secularists and those who argue that such garments are culturally alien or a symbol of the oppression of women. The niqab covers everything but the eyes, while the burqa also covers the eyes with a transparent veil. France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria have all imposed some restrictions on the wearing of full-face veils in public places.  This is not a ban on religious clothing, this is a ban on masking,  Jacob Ellemann-Jensen, spokesman for the Liberal Party, told reporters on Friday after his party, the largest in the coalition government, decided to back a ban. This would effectively mean a ban on the niqab and the burqa, he added. Around 200 women in Denmark wear such garments, according to researchers. The three-party center-right minority government, its ally the Danish People s Party and the main opposition Social Democrats have all said they are in favor of a ban, though they are still discussing how the ban should be designed and enforced.  There will come a masking ban in Denmark. That s how it is,  Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said on Facebook. His party, the Liberal Alliance, had previously been one of the staunchest opponents of a ban, saying it limited people s ability to freely choose their attire, but has now aligned its stance with that of the other coalition parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals.  So if it is practically possible to have such a ban without betraying ourselves or our own values, then the Liberal Alliance will vote for it,  Samuelsen said. The Social Democrats, Denmark s biggest party, has also signaled support in principle for a ban on garments such as the burqa, which it said oppressed women.  We are ready to ban the burqa if that is what it takes ... But there are some dilemmas, not least with regards to how such a ban would be enforced,  said the Social Democrats  leader Mette Fredriksen during a debate in parliament on Thursday. Norway s government in June proposed a ban on face-covering Muslim veils in kindergartens, schools and universities.

Summary: बुर्का पर प्रतिबंध लगाने वाला अगला यूरोपीय देश बनने के लिए तैयार है डेनमार्क


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former FBI Director James Comey will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8 as part of its probe into alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election and possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign, the committee said on Thursday. It said Comey would testify in an open session at 10 a.m., followed by a closed session. The former FBI chief, who was fired by Trump on May 9, is expected to testify on conversations he had with Trump in which the president reportedly asked him to drop an investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Summary: कोमी 8 जून को अमेरिकी सीनेट की खुफिया समिति के सामने गवाही देंगे


(Note: Strong language in paragraph 3) By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Open warfare erupted inside President Donald Trump’s inner circle as his new communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, attacked senior White House colleagues in obscene comments published on Thursday. Scaramucci blasted White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, in an article in The New Yorker based on a telephone conversation on Wednesday night between one of the magazine’s correspondents and Scaramucci. Amid a stream of vulgar language, the former Wall Street financier named to the communications post last Friday called Priebus a “fucking paranoid schizophrenic” and accused Bannon of trying to build his own brand “off the fucking strength of the president.” In a Twitter message after the article appeared online, Scaramucci said: “I sometimes use colorful language. I will  refrain in this arena but not give up the passionate fight for @realDonaldTrump’s agenda.” Asked about the article, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the administration was focused on healthcare and other items. “He used some colorful language that I don’t anticipate he’ll do again,” she told reporters. Any apology “needs to happen personally between them,” she said. Priebus and Bannon had no comment. Trump himself made no public comment on his aide’s outburst.   Some of Trump’s advisers have questioned Priebus’ competence and his position appeared weak. Republicans close to the White House said Trump’s family had also been critical of his chief of staff. The drama was the latest sign of disarray within the Trump White House even as it tries to advance healthcare and tax reform legislation. The president himself is preoccupied with an investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election and has been fiercely critical in recent days of his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions. The scathing remarks by Scaramucci came as he and other Trump loyalists ratcheted up pressure on Priebus, a former Republican National Committee chairman, who does not have years-long ties with Trump.  There has been speculation that Priebus, who steered the party apparatus behind Trump’s unorthodox candidacy in last year’s election, is on his way out because Trump has no major legislative achievements in his first six months in office. Earlier in the day, Sanders would not say whether Trump had confidence in Priebus.  “We all serve at the pleasure of the president and if it gets to a place where that isn’t the place, he’ll let you know,” Sanders told reporters. She added that Trump “hires the very best people” who are not always going to agree and that he supports “healthy competition, and with that competition you usually get the best results.” Priebus had sought to block Scaramucci from a White House job, according to officials. Priebus’ allies said Trump’s hiring of Scaramucci, which prompted press secretary Sean Spicer to resign, was a bad omen for Priebus. In The New Yorker article, Scaramucci demanded to know how the reporter found out about a White House dinner Scaramucci had with Trump on Wednesday. In the conversation, Scaramucci made clear he suspected that Priebus had leaked the information to the reporter, calling Priebus “a paranoiac,” according to the magazine. Scaramucci also told The New Yorker that unlike Bannon, he had no interest in media attention. “I’m not Steve Bannon,” he said, adding: “I’m here to serve the country.” On Wednesday, Scaramucci appeared to suggest in a Twitter message, later deleted, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation should investigate Priebus over a leak of Scaramucci’s financial records. “If Reince wants to explain he’s not a leaker, let him do that,” Scaramucci said on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan defended Priebus on Thursday. The two men, both from Wisconsin, are close. “Reince is doing a fantastic job at the White House and I believe he has the president’s confidence. If those two gentlemen have differences, my advice would be to sit down and settle your differences,” Ryan told a news conference. Trump allies saw the drama playing out as a sign that the group of original Trump supporters was growing weary of Priebus and the RNC faction he brought with him. “There is a widespread feeling among Trump supporters that he’s never been a real supporter of Donald Trump and that he isn’t playing to win on the president’s behalf,” said an outside Trump adviser. “After six months of this, time is up.”

Summary: शीर्ष ट्रम्प लेफ्टिनेंट स्कारामुची ने अश्लील टिप्पणी में सहयोगियों को कोड़े मारे


SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson flew to Asia accompanied by only one journalist on his aircraft, a reporter from a website founded by former Republican political operatives, in a departure from decades of practice. Tillerson, who became the top U.S. diplomat under  Republican President Donald Trump in February, traveled to Mexico and Germany last month with a small contingent of journalists, including a “pool” reporter who informed colleagues of Tillerson’s statements or actions. The journalist on Tillerson’s plane that arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday, Erin McPike of the Independent Journal Review (IJR), was not acting as a pool reporter. State Department Acting Spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement that there was only one seat available on Tillerson’s plane for media. The department had previously told reporters covering Tillerson’s trip to South Korea, Japan, and China that he would not be taking reporters on his plane and that they would have to fly commercially, breaking with decades of precedent stretching back to Henry Kissinger. “It was decided to take a journalist from an outlet that doesn’t normally travel with the Secretary of State, as part of an effort to include a broader representation of U.S. media,” Toner said. “We will also make every effort to include a contingent of media on the Secretary’s plane going forward.” The State Department originally said that Tillerson could not accommodate the usual contingent of reporters because of space constraints. It also said the decision to travel without reporters was intended to cut costs. News organizations pay the U.S. government for the cost of their travel. The journalists who reported Tillerson’s landing in Tokyo on Wednesday evening traveled there on commercial flights. Depending on the number of staff Tillerson chose to take to Asia, the Boeing 737 he traveled on could likely have accommodated more than one reporter. The conservative-leaning IJR said in a statement late on Tuesday that the State Department last week offered the seat on Tillerson’s plane. McPike is a White House correspondent for IJR, and previously reported for CNN, Real Clear Politics, NBC News, and National Journal, according to IJR’s website when she joined in February. She was also briefly part of the team that covered the 2016 election campaign for Reuters. “We don’t take this opportunity lightly and recognize the controversy surrounding press access for the trip,” IJR founder and chief executive Alex Skatell said in a statement. In 2014, Skatell told The New York Times he wanted to start a site after observing a gap in reaching “a more mainstream center-right audience.” The State Department Correspondents’ Association said in a statement that it was “disappointed” Tillerson chose to travel to Asia without a full contingent of media “or even a pool reporter” and called for access to Tillerson equal to that given by the reporter on the plane during his trip to Asia. Tillerson, a former chief executive with the Exxon Mobil oil  company, faces a tough first trip to Asia seeking to reassure nervous allies facing North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threat and press China to do more on perhaps the most serious security challenge confronting Trump. For decades, secretaries of state have nearly always invited media to travel with them. In rare cases, particularly late in a secretary’s tenure, some news outlets have declined, such as former Secretary John Kerry’s December 2016 trip to Saudi Arabia. Republican secretaries of state Alexander Haig, George Shultz, James Baker, and Condoleezza Rice routinely took 10 or more journalists on their overseas trips, even to war zones. Before founding IJR, Skatell worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and for the Republican Governors Association, according to his LinkedIn profile. Another founder, Phil Musser, was once executive director of the Republican Governors Association and worked in the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the administration of George W. Bush.

Summary: कंजर्वेटिव वेबसाइट केवल मीडिया टिलरसन के एशिया जाने वाले विमान में


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former FBI Director James Comey, in a written statement posted on the web on Wednesday, said President Donald Trump asked him to back off from a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and told Comey, “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.” Comey, who will testify in person to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, will use his opening statement to recount a dinner he had with Trump on Jan. 27, a week after the president took office, according to a copy of the statement posted on the Senate panel’s website. Comey said that during the dinner Trump asked him if he wanted to stay on as Federal Bureau of Investigation director. Comey said he became concerned that Trump was trying to create “some sort of patronage relationship.” In the statement Comey added: “That concerned me greatly, given the FBI’s traditionally independent status in the executive branch.”

Summary: कोमी का कहना है कि ट्रम्प ने उनसे कहा था, 'मुझे वफादारी चाहिए। मुझे वफादारी की उम्मीद है'


(Reuters) - A U.S. appeal court late on Saturday denied an emergency appeal from the U.S. Department of Justice to restore an immigration order from President Donald Trump barring citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries and temporarily banning refugees. “Appellants’ request for an immediate administrative stay pending full consideration of the emergency motion for a stay pending appeal is denied,” the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said. It said a reply from the Department in support of the emergency appeal was due on Monday. The Department filed the appeal a day after a federal judge in Seattle ordered Trump’s travel ban to be lifted. The president’s Jan. 27 order had barred admission of citizens from the seven nations for 90 days.

Summary: अमेरिकी अपील अदालत ने ट्रम्प के आव्रजन प्रतिबंध को बहाल करने के अनुरोध को अस्वीकार कर दिया


KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia is negotiating with U.S.-based seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity to resume the search for Malaysia Airlines MH370, which vanished three years ago in the southern Indian Ocean with 239 people aboard.  The disappearance of the aircraft en route to Beijing from  Kuala Lumpur ranks among the world s greatest aviation mysteries after Australia, China and Malaysia ended a fruitless A$200-million ($157-million) search effort in January. This week, Malaysia said it had received proposals to continue the search from Ocean Infinity, Dutch firm Fugro and an unidentified Malaysian company. Ocean Infinity beat out the competition and the government has begun negotiations with it, Malaysia s deputy transport minister Aziz Kaprawi said on Thursday.    Yes, we are negotiating with Ocean Infinity, but the agreement has not been finalised,  he told Reuters, but declined to comment on the potential reward for the plane s discovery.   It was an offer on an open basis, that we will only honor if the aircraft is found.  The firm had made an offer on a  no-cure, no-fee  basis, according to a letter, seen by Reuters, that was sent to passengers  families on Thursday.  Australia and China were informed of the negotiation process, but only Australia had informally agreed to Malaysia s choice, Aziz said.    It is still under discussion with China,  he added, but declined to elaborate on China s possible concerns. Australian and Chinese authorities did not immediately respond to Reuters  requests for comment. Ocean Infinity could not confirm the award of a contract,  but good progress has been made , a spokesman said in a statement.     Calvin Shim, whose wife was one of the MH370 crew, said he was relieved authorities were considering resuming the search.   Grateful this step is finally being officially taken,  he told Reuters in a text message.          Relatives of others on board voiced concern over the lengthy talks, however. Families were told of Ocean Infinity s offer in March, said Grace Nathan, a lawyer whose mother was aboard.  The best weather for the search is spring and summer,  said Nathan.  We worry they will lose that window if they take too long to decide.

Summary: मलेशिया एम. एच. 370 की खोज फिर से शुरू करने के लिए अमेरिकी फर्म ओशन इन्फिनिटी के साथ बातचीत कर रहा है


LONDON (Reuters) - Gavin Williamson was appointed as Britain s new defense minister on Thursday after Michael Fallon resigned over his past conduct as Britain s parliament was engulfed by a allegations of sexual harassment. Here are some facts about the 41-year old.     Williamson was previously  Chief Whip , appointed by Prime Minister Theresa May when she became leader in 2016.   Chief Whip is a crucial role which involves enforcing party discipline to make sure lawmakers vote in support of the government in parliament. The term  whip  has its origins in hunting, where a  whipper-in  kept hounds from straying away from the pack. It has been used in parliament since the 18th century.   Williamson owns a pet tarantula call Cronus, which he told the Telegraph newspaper he raised from a spiderling and keeps in parliament.  I have a very paternal sort of approach. It s very much the same sort of love and care that I give to my spider as I give to all MPs (Members of Parliament),  he said in November 2016.   He was first elected in 2010, representing a constituency in central England. From 2013 he served as former prime minister David Cameron s aide in parliament.   A BBC profile said Williamson is a fan of the British version of the television series House of Cards, a fictional story about a Conservative chief whip plotting to become prime minister.   At the Conservative party conference last month Williamson said of his methods in the whip s office:  We take a carrot and stick approach. Personally I don t much like the stick, but it is amazing what can be achieved with a sharpened carrot.    Giles Kenningham, Cameron s former head of political press, told the New Statesman magazine in July:  He understands the heartbeat of the party, he has a forensic knowledge of what s going on, he puts in the work in the tea rooms and the bars. He knows everyone.    Williamson has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Bradford and before entering politics he worked as a managing director of an architectural design firm   Cameron appointed him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for political and public service.

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः गेविन विलियमसन-ब्रिटेन के नए रक्षा मंत्री


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc’s Google unit told U.S. election regulators in a letter seen by Reuters on Thursday that it “strongly supports” tightening rules on online political advertising as part of efforts to curtail “foreign abuse and influence” in elections. Federal lawmakers have criticized Google, Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc for not doing enough to identify and block Russian agents from buying ads on their services. U.S. authorities say the ads were intended to influence voters during the 2016 presidential election. U.S. law permits foreign entities to advertise about certain issues if they disclose such spending, but it is unlawful for them to interfere in elections. In September, the Federal Election Commission, which sets campaign finance rules, voted to consider ensuring that those disclosure rules apply to online activity. It opened a public comment period that is set to expire Monday. In the letter, Google on Thursday offered its formal response to the FEC’s deliberation.  “Now more than ever, we must work together to improve transparency, enhance disclosures and reduce foreign abuse and influence in U.S. elections,” the company wrote.  The stance marks an about-face from 2010 when Google sought an affirmative exemption from a requirement that an ad should state who purchased it. The commission did not reach a consensus on the exemption at the time. Google now is calling on the commission to extend disclosure rules that apply to TV and print ads to the Web. “Google strongly supports the commission’s proposal to proceed with a rulemaking so that the commission can provide the clarity that campaigns and other political advertisers need to determine what disclaimers they are required to include.” The company, which is the world’s top seller of online ads, also asked federal regulators and lawmakers to expand restrictions on foreign participation in elections to cover content distributed and advertised on the Internet.  Ratifying such provisions could give tech companies guidance on how to treat soft influence, or content from organizations such as RT, a Russian news outlet that has drawn concerns from lawmakers for peddling propaganda on Facebook and Google’s YouTube service. In its letter, Google also reiterated plans to offer the public a database of election ads purchased through its service. In addition, the company has said information about buyers would be more accessible.  Technology news website Recode first reported the Google letter.

Summary: गूगल ऑनलाइन राजनीतिक विज्ञापनों के खरीदारों का खुलासा करने के अमेरिकी प्रयासों का समर्थन करता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to transfer as many as 18 more prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay military prison before leaving office, a source close to the matter said, further shrinking the inmate population but still far short of meeting his longtime pledge to close the facility. The Obama administration notified Congress it intends to send the detainees, nearly a third of the remaining 59 held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba, to at least four countries, including Italy, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in on Jan. 20, the source said. The notification came just before this week’s deadline, which by law requires Obama to give Congress 30 days’ warning before moving prisoners out of Guantanamo. It will be the last in a flurry of recent transfers aimed at leaving as few inmates as possible for the next administration. But the transfer plan – first reported by the New York Times - also signifies that despite Obama’s pledge dating back to the 2008 presidential campaign to close the facility, it is all but certain to be turned over to Trump. He has vowed to keep it open and “load it up with some bad dudes.” The administration wants to move out 17 or 18 of the 22 prisoners who have been declared eligible for transfer in parole-style hearings, the source said, while cautioning that  it was still possible one or more of the countries could back out. If the transfers go according to plan, 41 or 42 prisoners would be left at Guantanamo, including 10 alleged plotters of  the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks charged in military tribunals. The others have not been charged but are deemed too dangerous to release. The White House and Pentagon declined to comment. Obama, who inherited 242 detainees when he took office and has called it a “recruiting tool” for terrorists, has slowly whittled the number down to the lowest since shortly after his predecessor George W. Bush opened the facility to hold terrorism suspects rounded up overseas following the Sept. 11 attacks. Under Bush, the prison came to symbolize aggressive detention practices that opened the United States to accusations of torture. Obama’s efforts to close the prison have been blocked by mostly Republican opposition in Congress, which has barred him from moving any prisoners to the U.S. mainland. Foot-dragging by Pentagon officials has also been blamed for slowing repatriation and transfers to third countries. Administration officials have made clear that Obama has no intention of resorting to the legally risky option of using executive action to close the prison before leaving office. Critics of Guantanamo, however, appeared to hold out hope.  “While welcome, these transfers are not nearly sufficient,” said Naureen Shah, Amnesty International USA’s director of Security with Human Rights. “We are demanding and expecting bold moves from President Obama to finally shutter the detention camp at Guantanamo in his final days. He must not leave it to Trump.”

Summary: ओबामा ने कार्यालय छोड़ने से पहले 18 और ग्वांतानामो कैदियों के स्थानांतरण की योजना बनाईः सूत्र


CHICAGO (Reuters) - The Illinois House passed $817 million in spending on Thursday to provide “life-line” funding to higher education and social service and health programs that have been starved for cash due to the state’s budget impasse. The measure passed in a 64-45 vote over Republican Governor Bruce Rauner’s opposition to another stopgap spending measure. A six-month temporary budget for the fiscal year that ends June 30 expired on Dec. 31. Illinois is limping towards the end of a second-straight fiscal year without a complete budget due to a stalemate between Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature. The country’s fifth-largest state has been operating on continuing appropriations and court-ordered spending, while its pile of unpaid bills reached nearly $13 billion on Wednesday. The bill would tap money from the state’s commitment to human services and education assistance funds to direct $258 million to pay for dozens of programs, including senior meals  and crime prevention, and indigent burials. Another $559 million would go to state universities, community colleges, and educational grants for low-income students. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic State Representative Greg Harris, said the so-called life-line measure would allow social service organizations and state universities “to continue to exist.” He cited a United Way survey released on Wednesday that showed 69 percent of social service agencies had received no payments or partial payments from the state so far in fiscal 2017, forcing 49 percent of the agencies to reduce services.  He said universities had resorted to program cuts and layoffs. Republican lawmakers contended that passage of a stopgap measure would take the pressure off the legislature to finally pass a full budget. “The reality is we don’t do things around here without pressure,” said Republican State Representative Steven Andersson. The measure will now head to the Senate, which is on break until April 25. A spokesman for Democratic Senate President John Cullerton said the bill would be reviewed. Earlier on Thursday, Rauner voiced opposition to another stopgap budget. “We’ve been doing that for decades, and it’s created the crisis and mess we’re in,” he told reporters in Decatur. “That’s a failure to do stopgaps. Let’s do a balanced budget so the problem is fixed.”  After a bipartisan bill package aimed at ending the impasse stalled in the Senate last month, credit rating agencies warned that Illinois’ credit ratings, the lowest among the 50 states, could sink even lower.

Summary: इलिनोइस हाउस ने गतिरोध के बीच एक और अस्थायी बजट का विकल्प चुना


NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the participation of the main opposition coalition in petitions challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta s victory in last month s presidential election, in what may be the last chance for legal scrutiny of the vote. The ruling, on the first day of the court s review of the petitions, is a setback for opposition leader Raila Odinga s NASA coalition, which hopes to overturn President Uhuru Kenyatta s victory in the Oct. 26 poll. The court has until Nov. 20 to rule on the petitions, the latest chapter in a protracted political crisis that has stirred fears for the stability of the east African nation, a regional hub for trade, diplomacy and security. If the election result is upheld, Kenyatta will be sworn in on Nov. 28. Delivering rulings on preliminary issues, the court upheld an objection by Kenyatta s lawyers to the participation of the NASA coalition.  NASA cannot be sustained as a respondent in this matter,  Justice Jackton Ojwang said while reading a unanimous decision, promising to give the court s reasons at a later date. The two petitions by a former lawmaker and two human rights activists argue the poll s outcome is void because the election board did not hold fresh nominations after an earlier, Aug. 8 poll was invalidated, among other reasons.  The court also struck out leaked internal memos of the election board that the petitioners sought to rely on in their case. The court will deliver a ruling on the petitioners  application for scrutiny of the election returns on Wednesday. Security was tight outside the courtroom, which has been center stage for Kenyan politics since it nullified the results of August s presidential election. That decision led to the re-run election on Oct. 26. The court has not convened since the day before last month s election, when it had been due to deliberate on a last-minute request to delay the vote. But that hearing was canceled because not enough judges showed up to make a quorum. The judges had demanded more security after the bodyguard of the deputy chief justice was shot the day before the hearing and said they would refuse to attend hearings without it, a judicial source said. The government turned them down, the source said [L8N1N64ON].  The chief justice later denied the Reuters report on the security issue and said the police had  enhanced  the judges  security [L4N1N83RU].    All six judges expected to be present showed up for Tuesday s meeting. The seven-member bench is still missing one of its judges, who fell ill during the hearings related to the August election and has since been receiving treatment.  Kenyatta came to power in 2013 and won a second and final term in August, defeating opposition leader Odinga by 1.4 million votes.  Odinga did not contest the repeat vote on Oct. 26, saying it would be unfair because the election commission had failed to implement reforms. Kenyatta won with 98 percent of the vote, though opposition supporters staged a boycott and prevented polls from opening in the west of the country. The week before the vote, the head of the commission said he could not guarantee the vote would be free and fair, citing interference from politicians and threats of violence against his colleagues. Kenya s prolonged election season has disrupted its economy. Human rights groups say at least 66 people have died in bloodshed surrounding the two elections. The Supreme Court was created by a 2010 constitution that followed a violent political crisis three years earlier. Around 1,200 people were killed in ethnic clashes after a disputed election in 2007.

Summary: केन्या की अदालत ने विपक्षी गठबंधन को चुनावी चुनौतियों से बाहर कर दिया


(Reuters) - Celebrity real estate developer Donald Trump has extended his lead nationally over Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Governor John Kasich for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll. The national online poll from April 4-8 showed that 42 percent of Republicans support Trump, compared with 32 percent for Cruz and 20 percent for Kasich. Trump has topped the poll of Republican voters since July, though his lead narrowed considerably in recent weeks as Trump retweeted unflattering pictures of Cruz’s wife and his campaign manager was charged with battery in an incident involving a reporter at a campaign event.  Meanwhile, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont for the Democratic nomination. The poll showed that 53 percent of Democrats support Clinton and 43 percent support Sanders.  The poll included 626 Republicans and 668 Democrats and has a credibility interval of 4.6 percentage points.

Summary: जनमत सर्वेक्षणः रिपब्लिकन के बीच 42 प्रतिशत समर्थन के साथ ट्रम्प बढ़त बनाए हुए हैं


(Reuters) - The following are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump works to form his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and media reports. Trump has already named a number of people for other top jobs in his administration. * Mitt Romney, 2012 Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor  * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York City * Bob Corker, Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee * David Petraeus, retired general and former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information that he shared with his biographer, who also was his mistress * Jon Huntsman, former Republican Utah governor and ambassador to China under President Barack Obama; ran for Republican presidential nomination in 2012  * James Stavridis, retired Navy admiral * John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, foreign policy adviser to 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney * Rex Tillerson, president and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corp * Joe Manchin, Democratic U.S. senator for West Virginia  * Dana Rohrabacher, Republican U.S. representative of California and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee * Alan Mulally, former CEO at Ford Motor Co and  former executive vice president at Boeing Co  * Kevin Cramer, Republican U.S. representative from North Dakota * Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors * Heidi Heitkamp, Democratic U.S. senator from North Dakota * Joe Manchin, Democratic U.S. senator from West Virginia * Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp * James Connaughton, CEO of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush * Rick Perry, Republican former Texas governor * Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief  * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, Republican former U.S. representative from Michigan * Rudy Giuliani, Republican former mayor of New York   * Debra Wong Yang, a former U.S. attorney who was appointed by former President George W. Bush * Ralph Ferrara, a securities attorney at law firm Proskauer Rose LLP * Paul Atkins, a former SEC commissioner who heads Trump’s transition team for independent financial regulatory agencies * Daniel Gallagher, Republican former SEC commissioner * John Allison, a former CEO of regional bank BB&T Corp and former head of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank * Paul Atkins, former SEC commissioner  * Thomas Hoenig, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp vice chairman and former head of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank * Dan DiMicco, former CEO of steel producer Nucor Corp * Robert Lighthizer, former deputy U.S. trade representative during the Reagan administration * Mick Mulvaney, Republican U.S. representative from South Carolina * David Malpass, former chief economist with investment bank Bear Stearns and a senior Trump adviser * Rick Perry, former Texas governor * Chuck Conner, a former acting secretary of the U.S. Agriculture Department and current head of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives * Tim Huelskamp, Republican U.S. representative from Kansas * Sid Miller, Texas agriculture commissioner  * Sonny Perdue, former Georgia governor * Scott Brown, former Republican U.S. senator from Massachusetts * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor * Jeff Miller, former Republican U.S. representative from Florida who was chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee * Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a hedge fund partner and former FDA deputy commissioner under former Republican President George W. Bush * Jim O’Neill, a Silicon Valley investor who previously served in the Department of Health and Human Services, also under Bush The Trump transition team confirmed the president-elect would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Summary: ट्रम्प प्रशासन में वरिष्ठ नौकरियों के लिए दावेदार


RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday a $500 billion plan to create a business and industrial zone extending across its borders into Jordan and Egypt, the biggest project yet in a series of efforts to free the kingdom of its dependence on oil exports. The 26,500 square km (10,230 square mile) zone, known as NEOM, will focus on industries including energy and water, biotechnology, food, advanced manufacturing and entertainment, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said. Adjacent to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba and near maritime trade routes that use the Suez Canal, the zone will power itself solely with wind power and solar energy, said the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia s top sovereign fund.  NEOM is situated on one of the world s most prominent economic arteries ... Its strategic location will also facilitate the zone s rapid emergence as a global hub that connects Asia, Europe and Africa.  The Saudi government, the PIF, and local and international investors are expected to put more than half a trillion dollars into the zone in coming years, Prince Mohammed said. There was no immediate comment on the plan from Jordan and Egypt, both of which are close allies of Saudi Arabia.

Summary: सउदी अरब ने जॉर्डन, मिस्र के साथ सीमा क्षेत्र को विकसित करने के लिए 500 अरब डॉलर की योजना निर्धारित की


DAKAR (Reuters) - Congolese security officials recruited more than 200 exiled rebel fighters to help suppress protests against President Joseph Kabila a year ago, ordering them to use lethal force, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday. Security forces killed dozens during demonstrations in December 2016 when a delay to presidential elections and Kabila s refusal to step down sparked widespread unrest.  Kabila was required by the constitution to step down after an election to replace him in 2016 but the vote has been delayed until December 2018. Opposition leaders and activist groups have vowed fresh protests this month to try to force him from power. The HRW report was based on interviews with 13 fighters from the M23 rebel group who it says were recruited in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, M23 leaders and nine Congolese security and intelligence officials, most of whom were cited anonymously.  Congo s government spokesman declined to comment. Delphin Kahimbi, the head of Congo s military intelligence named in the report as one of the operation s coordinators, denied he recruited M23 fighters, calling the report s findings  ridiculous and absurd . M23 president Bertrand Bisimwa said in a statement on Monday that Congo had recruited deserters and others previously kicked out of the group but that M23 leadership was in no way involved. The M23 rose up against the government in eastern Congo in 2012 in one of a series of insurrections driven by disputes over ethnicity, land and resource rights that have cost millions of lives over the past two decades. The M23 was defeated by Congolese and U.N. troops in late 2013. The government subsequently promised amnesty for most of the hundreds of rebels who fled to neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, but the process has stalled. Congo s security services turned to M23 last year because Kabila did not trust his own security forces, the report said. Fighters were deployed to Kinshasa, Congo s second city Lubumbashi and the eastern city of Goma, integrated into police, army and presidential guard units. They were ordered to use lethal force against protesters, the report said. For their service, M23 members received hundreds of dollars each. Recruiters also warned they would lose all protection if Kabila left power. Richard Karemire, Uganda s military spokesman, denied M23 fighters were recruited in Uganda. Rwandan officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Summary: कांगो ने कबिला विरोधी प्रदर्शनों को दबाने के लिए निर्वासित विद्रोहियों का इस्तेमाल कियाः रिपोर्ट


TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras  election tribunal will re-count 4,753 ballot boxes that have cast a shadow on the results of the country s presidential election, the tribunal chief said on Thursday, bowing to a demand by the Organization of American States (OAS). Nearly two weeks since Honduras  Nov. 26 presidential election, the result remains unknown, with allegations of electoral fraud sparking protests and a chorus of international concern over events in the poor Central American nation.  Official results showed Honduras  conservative President Juan Orlando Hernandez with a narrow 1.6 percentage point lead over center-left opposition leader Salvador Nasralla. However, no victor has yet been declared by the election tribunal. The tribunal declared Nasralla the leader in an announcement on the morning after the vote, with just over half of the ballot boxes counted. However, it gave no further updates for about 36 hours. Once results then started flowing again, Nasralla s lead quickly started narrowing.  On Thursday, after meeting with the United States  top diplomat in Honduras and the OAS country representative, tribunal chief David Matamoros said there would be a re-count of ballot boxes that arrived after the 36-hour pause, and which the opposition has claimed are tainted.  This is a process we want to undertake in front of the eyes of the world, and we want to invite civil society,  Matamoros said at a press conference in the capital, Tegucigalpa.  The OAS, which on Wednesday said it may call for new Honduran elections if  irregularities  undermine the credibility of results, had previously called for a recount of those 4,753 ballot boxes. It remains to be seen if the opposition will accept the tribunal s offer. Nasralla on Wednesday evening called for an international arbiter to oversee a recount of the entire 18,000-odd ballot boxes, saying he no longer recognized the Honduran tribunal because of its role in the process. Separately, Honduras  security ministry said on Thursday it was removing the curfew from three more departments, meaning only six of the country s 18 departments are still under curfew.

Summary: होंडुरास चुनाव न्यायाधिकरण ने कहा कि राष्ट्रपति चुनाव में आंशिक रूप से फिर से गिनती की जाएगी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday introduced a bill to fund the government until Jan. 19 while Congress works on longer-term legislation, the panel said in a statement. The bill unveiled by Republican Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen would fully fund national defense programs for the entire 2018 fiscal year and includes money for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the statement said. Congress must pass a funding bill by Dec. 23 to prevent a partial government shutdown.

Summary: 19 जनवरी तक अमेरिकी सरकार को धन देने के लिए स्टॉप-गैप बिल का अनावरण किया गया


CHARLESTON, S.C./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican candidate Jeb Bush was endorsed by former rival Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina on Friday, winning an important ally in a state where a Feb. 20 vote could prove critical in the 2016 race for a presidential nominee. The move by the hawkish Graham, who ended his own presidential campaign on Dec. 21, reflected his view that Bush offered the best plan to defeat Islamic State militants and to do so by forming alliances with Muslim nations in the region. Graham’s decision could be significant in swaying not only South Carolina Republican voters but also his good friend Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee who remains an influential figure in the party and who has spoken warmly about Bush in recent months. Graham said the vote in South Carolina, which will follow Iowa’s caucuses on Feb. 1 and New Hampshire’s primary on Feb. 9, will reset the race. “Jeb Bush is going to be a nominee that can win an election that as a party we can’t afford to lose. He will be the president that can reset the world, bring us together and solve hard problems,” Graham said. In making his announcement, Graham also said that a Bush rival, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, was, at 44, too young to be president. Rubio delivered a strong performance Thursday night at a debate of the top seven Republican candidates, an event that front-runner Donald Trump was seen as winning. Graham, 60, said he believed Rubio would be president some day, but not following the Nov. 8 election.  Pointing to his own experience, he said at age 44: “I was not ready to be president.” Stung by a series of ads against him from the Bush campaign and the SuperPAC that supports Bush, Rubio released a TV ad on Friday, calling Bush desperate. Bush waved off the attacks, suggesting Rubio has been too sensitive in the hypercompetitive political world. “If you’re a candidate, you can’t play the role of victim, and he shouldn’t either,” Bush said. Graham said Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States would complicate efforts to gain support from governments in the Middle East. At the debate, Bush had said Trump’s idea was flawed and that a Muslim alliance was vital. Graham, who has been a sharp Trump critic, said Bush’s bid to woo Latino voters was also critical in widening the reach of the Republican Party, which has not won the presidency since Bush’s brother, George W. Bush, was reelected in 2004. Bush, said Graham, “wants to expand a party that desperately needs to grow.” Trump dismissed Graham’s move on Twitter. “Sen. Lindsey Graham embarrassed himself with his failed run for President and now further embarrasses himself with endorsement of Bush,” he tweeted.     (Editing by Bernadette Baum) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency.

Summary: जेब बुश को पूर्व प्रतिद्वंद्वी लिंडसे ग्राहम ने प्रमुख राज्य में समर्थन दिया


BERLIN (Reuters) - German prosecutors said on Wednesday they were pressing perjury charges against Frauke Petry, former leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), who last week quit the party and will sit in the national parliament as an independent lawmaker. Lorenz Haase, senior public prosecutor in the eastern city of Dresden, said it was unlikely the case against Petry would proceed quickly as Dresden s regional court would need to apply to lift her immunity as a member of the national parliament. Petry has been dogged by allegations that she lied under oath to a committee of the Saxony parliament about how the party s campaign for the 2014 election in the state was financed. She has denied the allegations. In August the regional parliament of the state of Saxony lifted Petry s immunity from prosecution. But now that she is due to take up her seat in the Bundestag, the lower house of the German federal parliament, she will be granted immunity there. A majority of lawmakers in the Bundestag would have to vote to lift her immunity. The first session of the lower house is expected to take place by Oct. 24 at the latest. Petry, long considered the face of the anti-immigrant AfD, had for months been on the losing side of a dispute between the party s warring wings. She had advocated a more moderate course while others shifted further to the right and wanted the party to focus on a role in opposition rather than trying to govern. Some AfD members have followed in Petry s footsteps to quit the AfD and she now plans to set up a new party. The AfD won 12.6 percent of the vote in the Sept. 24 federal election, making it the first far-right party to enter the Bundestag in more than half a century and the third largest parliamentary bloc.

Summary: जर्मन अभियोजकों ने दक्षिणपंथी पार्टी के पूर्व नेता पर झूठी गवाही देने का आरोप लगाया


LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday about a militant attack in London which killed seven people, quoting London Mayor Sadiq Khan telling Britons not to be alarmed, in what appeared to be a criticism of Khan’s response to the incident. “At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is “no reason to be alarmed!” Trump tweeted. Earlier Khan had said Britons should not be alarmed to see a higher police presence on the streets of London following the incident. Last year Khan was elected mayor of the city to become the first Muslim to head a major Western capital.

Summary: लंदन के मेयर सादिक खान की स्पष्ट आलोचना के साथ ब्रिटेन के हमले का जवाब देते हुए ट्रम्प


MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - Two Republican U.S. presidential hopefuls said on Saturday they would implement quarantines of travelers if necessary to stop the spread of the Zika virus. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who garnered international attention in 2014 when he quarantined a nurse who returned to the United States after treating Ebola patients, said he would not hesitate to do it again.  “You bet I would,” Christie said during a debate in New Hampshire with other Republican contenders for the White House. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said using a quarantine is “not a simple issue” but if there was evidence that Zika infection is spreading, he too would utilize a quarantine. The Zika virus is carried by mosquitoes, which transmit it  to humans. Two suspected cases of sexual transmission in the United States also raise questions about other ways that Zika may spread. The virus is affecting large parts of Latin American and the Caribbean. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency on Feb. 1, citing a “strongly suspected” relationship between Zika infection in pregnancy and microcephaly - a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can result in developmental problems.

Summary: रिपब्लिकन अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति पद के उम्मीदवारों का कहना है कि जीका संगरोध की आवश्यकता हो सकती है


FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) - The Flint water crisis has united Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in outrage, but some residents suffering through the city’s major public health scandal want more than talking points from the presidential contenders. As Flint becomes the focal point of the Michigan primary battle when it hosts a nationally televised debate on Sunday, residents want to see Clinton and Sanders push harder for funding to replace the city’s crumbling water pipes, pay for long-term medical needs and lower their water bills. “We don’t want our pain to be exploited as a political backdrop. We need more from both of the candidates,” said Nayyirah Shariff, a Flint resident and co-founder of the activist Flint Democracy Defense League who has met with both Clinton and Sanders. The crisis in Flint, a predominantly black city of 100,000,  was triggered when an emergency city manager installed by Governor Rick Snyder switched the city’s water supply from Lake Huron to the nearby Flint River to save money. The change corroded Flint’s aging pipes and released lead and other toxins into the water supply, exposing thousands of residents including children to high lead levels that have sparked serious health problems. The crisis has sparked national outrage and led to calls for Snyder to resign. Both Democratic presidential contenders have raced to condemn the water contamination and criticize Republican Snyder for a slow state response, linking it to broader racial and economic inequities. But Melissa Mays, who has suffered seizures since the contamination and has three children with elevated lead levels in their blood, said she has not gone to local events where Clinton and Sanders met with residents. “I’m not going to be used like that. I’m not going to be a token,” said Mays, founder of Water You Fighting For?, another activist group. “Do something first, then I’ll show up.” President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint in January, but lawmakers in Congress have been unable to agree on a funding package to replace aging pipes. The issue will get a full national airing from the Democratic presidential candidates in a debate in Flint scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday.  Republican presidential candidates have steered clear of  Flint on the campaign trail, but when U.S. Senator Marco Rubio was asked about Flint during Thursday’s debate in Detroit he defended Snyder and said the “politicizing” of the crisis was unfair. The U.S. presidential election is in November. Both Clinton and Sanders, who are vying for support from black voters in Michigan and nationally, have highlighted the crisis in Flint as an example of racial and economic inequality. Clinton was quick to jump on the issue, sending aides to Flint to meet with local officials, visiting the city on Feb. 7 and pressing for adding the debate in Flint. She was rewarded with an endorsement from Flint Mayor Karen Weaver and several black pastors in the region. Sanders also waded into the controversy, quickly calling for Snyder’s resignation, but he did not visit Flint until Feb. 25, more than two weeks after Clinton. Clinton gets credit from some residents for her aggressive approach, even if some see it as political expediency. “She has certainly tried to bring a great deal of awareness to what has gone in Flint,” said Rev. Allen Overton, a member of the Flint-area Concerned Pastors for Social Action group and a Clinton supporter. “Sanders is trying to catch up.” The Rev. Dan Scheid of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Flint said the crisis raises questions about race and class - issues ripe for political exploitation. “The cynic in me would say there is an understandable level of opportunism taking place,” Scheid said. “But any attention the candidates can bring in putting this injustice in front of the country is helpful.” Keri Webber, whose entire family has been afflicted with an array of illnesses, including a daughter with lead in her bones, said she was frustrated by the parade of politicians expressing sympathy for Flint but taking few concrete steps to help. “The Democrats are trying to build a name off us, and the Republicans couldn’t tell you where Flint, Michigan, is,” Webber said. (In 4th paragraph, corrects original source of Flint water supply to Lake Huron)  (Editing by Paul Thomasch and Matthew Lewis) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production.

Summary: फ्लिंट यू. एस. डेमोक्रेटिक फ्लैश प्वाइंट बन जाता है, लेकिन निवासी कार्रवाई चाहते हैं


BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai criminal court on Monday said it would proceed to determine whether it would hear a case in a 14 billion baht ($423 million) lawsuit brought against Thai duty-free giant King Power International, the company that owns English Premier League football club Leicester City. The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Bangkok said it would look into the allegations made in the lawsuit to determine whether there was a case to be heard, and would review the list of potential evidence and witnesses in February ahead of preliminary hearings.     Charnchai Issarasenanark, at the time an anti-graft official, filed the suit in a private capacity in July against the duty-free retailer, which is owned by billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his family. The committee of which Charnchai was a member has since become defunct as part of the military government s plan to restore democracy.    The suit accuses King Power of criminally failing to pay the Thai government 14 billion baht from the operation of the airport franchise it was granted in 2006.    The suit was also brought against executives from the state-owned airport operator, Airports of Thailand (AOT). In a statement on Monday, King Power said:  The allegations in question have yet to be accepted by the court and are categorically denied. King Power has always followed and been absolutely committed to the highest standards in proper and ethical business practice. We are proud of our company s good name and honest reputation and will fight rigorously any attempts to discredit them.  The AOT was not immediately available for comment. Self-made businessman Vichai founded King Power in 1989. The duty-free business took off in 2006 when it was granted an airport monopoly under the government of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but it continued to prosper even after Thaksin s ouster in a coup that year. Vichai bought Leicester City in August 2010. The family s empire also includes Belgian football club, Oud-Heverlee Leuven, Accor s Pullman hotels in Thailand and a controlling stake in Asia Aviation Pcl, operator of low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia.

Summary: थाई अदालत लीसेस्टर सिटी के मालिक के खिलाफ मुकदमे की जांच कर रही है


GENEVA (Reuters) - The top U.N. human rights official voiced concern on Monday at the Trump administration’s decision to end the DACA program for immigrants who arrived illegally as children and urged the U.S. Congress to give them lasting legal status in the country. Referring to a move to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months, affecting nearly 800,000 young migrants known as “Dreamers”, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva:   “I hope Congress will now act to provide former DACA beneficiaries with durable legal status. I am disturbed by the increase in detentions and deportations of well-established and law-abiding immigrants.”

Summary: संयुक्त राष्ट्र मानवाधिकार प्रमुख ने अमेरिकी कांग्रेस से 'ड्रीमर्स' को कानूनी दर्जा देने का आग्रह किया


MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in the Philippine capital Manila on Sunday to attend an annual gathering of leaders from East and Southeast Asian countries.  Trump arrived from Vietnam, where he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, during which he delivered a strong message on trade and briefly met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.  The Philippines will be the last leg of a tour that has also taken Trump to Japan, China and South Korea. Just hours before Trump’s arrival, Philippine riot police used water canon to prevent hundreds of anti-American protesters from reaching the U.S. embassy in Manila.

Summary: एशियाई नेताओं के शिखर सम्मेलन में भाग लेने के लिए फिलीपींस पहुंचे ट्रंप


PARIS (Reuters) - A French court ruled on Tuesday that celebrity magazine Closer  invaded the privacy of Britain s Prince William s wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, when it published topless photos of her in 2012. The court handed the maximum fine of 45,000 euros ($53,500) to both Laurence Pieau, an editor of Closer s French edition, and Ernesto Mauri, chief executive of Italian publisher Mondadori (MOED.MI), the magazine s owner.  William and Kate, who announced on Monday that they were expecting a third child, said they were pleased with the court ruling and the matter was now closed.  Closer magazine, a weekly round-up of gossip about the rich and famous, published a series of topless photos of Kate, the wife of the second-in-line to the British throne, while on holiday in southern France. Two photographers from a Paris agency, who denied taking the photographs, were ordered to pay smaller fines after also being convicted under French privacy laws. The damages ordered by the court were well short of the 1.5 million euros sought by the royal couple, a subject of fascination for many in Britain and other parts of the world, who filed the suit for what they called at the time a  grotesque  breach of privacy.  This incident was a serious breach of privacy, and their Royal Highnesses felt it essential to pursue all legal remedies,  a spokeswoman for the couple said.  They wished to make the point strongly that this kind of unjustified intrusion should not happen.  The photos were taken as the royal couple relaxed on a balcony of a chateau in the picturesque Luberon region of southeastern France. The pictures rekindled memories for some in Britain of the media pursuit of William s mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi. Closer magazine s lawyers had sought to justify publication of the photos on public interest grounds, saying they disproved rumors circulating at the time that Kate might be anorexic. Jean Veil, a prominent French lawyer hired by the Duchess of Cambridge, said during the trial the article that accompanied the photos was only a pretext for publishing the pictures.

Summary: फ्रांसीसी पत्रिका ब्रिटिश डचेस की टॉपलेस तस्वीरों के लिए दोषी पाई गई


CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt hanged 15 men convicted of attacks that killed security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, security sources said on Tuesday, in what appears to be the largest number of executions on a single day since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took office in 2014. The hangings took place at two prisons in the north of the country early on Tuesday, the sources said. A military court issued the sentences and interior ministry officials carried out the executions simultaneously at Borj al-Arab and Wadi al-Natroun prisons, the sources said. Most of the militants were from Sinai region and were accused of  joining militant groups and taking part in carrying out, planning and assisting in killing a number of army and police personnel in Sinai,  the sources said. Islamic State s Sinai branch has waged attacks against security forces in a years-long insurgency in North Sinai, and in the past year expanded targets to include Christians and other civilians. An attack on a mosque last month which killed more than 300 people, the deadliest in Egypt s modern history, was widely attributed to Islamic State, but the group did not claim responsibility for it. In 2015, six people were executed for killing two soldiers during a raid in Qalyubiah province, north of Cairo.

Summary: मिस्र ने सिनाई में सुरक्षा बलों की हत्या के लिए 15 आतंकवादियों को फांसी दीः सुरक्षा सूत्र


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday agreed to expand the use of disaster aid to help rebuild Puerto Rico s power grid and other infrastructure wrecked by Hurricane Maria, the White House said. In a unique agreement recognizing both the massive devastation on the island and its dire financial problems, aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for infrastructure projects will be released in a faster, more flexible way than is typical after disasters, a senior White House official told Reuters. The plan, agreed to with Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello, will also provide for third-party advisers to estimate how much money is requires for big-ticket projects, and how it is spent - a provision aimed at protecting taxpayer dollars in what is expected to be a massive, long-term effort to rebuild the island.  We re doing it in a way that grants flexibility, but also imposes a mutually agreed upon set of controls,  the official said in an interview. The new agreement will see FEMA cover 90 percent of the costs for rebuilding public infrastructure, up from the typical level of 75 percent. Puerto Rico - home to 3.4 million Americans - is in bankruptcy, struggling with $72 billion in debt. Its finances were put under federal control last year. Six weeks after Hurricane Maria hit, only about 30 percent of Puerto Rico s power grid has been restored. Private sector estimates of total damage from Maria have ranged as high as $95 billion. The White House is expected to deliver a new request for disaster aid to the U.S. Congress in mid-November to help defray costs from Maria and two other major hurricanes - Harvey and Irma - as well as damage caused by wildfires in the western United States. It is not yet clear how big the federal tab for Puerto Rico will be.  Obviously it s going to be a big dollar figure,  the official said.  I know there won t be any balking at the amount of money needed from the administration.  Even with FEMA covering 90 percent of the costs, it could be difficult for the territorial government to put up its 10 percent. On top of its fiscal constraints, the storm has ground its economy - and tax revenues - to a halt. The federal government provided a $150 million loan in an aid package approved by Congress last month that can be used to help cover its share, the official said.          We didn t want to create the precedent of giving 100 percent in the grant program and then disincentivizing good stewardship,  the official said. The federal government will also use relatively new procedures created in 2013 after Hurricane Sandy known as  Section 428  in the Stafford Act, the law that provides for federal disaster aid.  It s not been used on this scale before,  the official said. The procedures will allow Puerto Rico to estimate the costs of big projects up front - with help from third-party advisers - and draw down from approved grants, eliminating the slow and cumbersome process of being reimbursed for upfront spending on each segment. The agreement will also allow Puerto Rico to access hazard mitigation grants - normally tapped only outside of disasters - while rebuilding the creaky power grid and other infrastructure so that the structures are more resilient to future hurricanes.  We re going to build them back smarter,  the official said.

Summary: एक्सक्लूसिवः ट्रम्प ने प्यूर्टो रिको के पुनर्निर्माण के लिए आपदा सहायता को बढ़ावा दिया


VALLETTA (Reuters) - The bomb used to kill Maltese anti-corruption blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia was probably triggered by a call from a boat off Malta, an investigator said on Tuesday, laying out initial evidence against three suspects. Caruana Galizia died in the powerful blast as she was driving near her home in the village of Bidnija on Oct. 16   a killing that appalled Europe and raised questions about the rule of law on the tiny Mediterranean island. Brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio, and Vince Muscat were arrested earlier this month in connection with the murder. The three men, who were known to police, have denied any wrongdoing. Police started laying out their evidence against the trio to a Malta court which will decide whether to order a trial. One of the chief investigators, Keith Arnaud, described how a team from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, brought in by the Malta government to help solve the crime, had focused on a phone number which received a text message at the time of the explosion in Bidnija. Police say the number was not attached to a mobile phone but to a circuit board used in remote-control devices. The appliance was switched on at 2 a.m. local time in Bidnija on the day of the explosion and went off the grid at the time of the blast.  Part of the circuit board was later found in the wreckage of the car. Cell phone data suggested the device was triggered by a call from off the coast. CCTV video showed a boat owned by the Degiorgio brothers putting to sea at around 8 a.m. on the day of the killing. It was later seen still at sea at 2.50 p.m. and was idling at the time of the explosion before returning to harbor.  The three suspects had never been the target of any of Caruana Galizia s often fierce blogs, leading to questions over their possible motive. The blogger s family say the people who ordered the killing remain at large. Arnaud revealed that police had already been tapping the phone of George Degiorgio at the time of the murder and had heard him asking two separate people to top up the credit of a mobile phone number on the morning of the blast. He did not go into further details, but local media have reported that the same number might have triggered the bomb. Arnaud was the first person called to testify in the pre-trial hearing, which has been delayed twice over the past week after the initial two magistrates assigned to the case recused themselves. A third magistrate, Claire Stafrace Zammit, rejected calls by the defense for her also to abstain from the case because Caruana Galizia had once praised her husband. She dismissed the request as frivolous. The hearing will resume on Wednesday.

Summary: माल्टा की अदालत ने ब्लॉगर बम की सुनवाई की जो संभवतः समुद्र में नाव से फेंका गया था


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Representative Mo Brooks said he believed up to 40 Republicans still opposed their party’s healthcare legislation on Thursday, while the chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means committee said he was not sure when a vote would be taken. “In my judgment right now there are probably about 30 or 40 ‘no’ votes on the Republican side,” Brooks, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, said on MSNBC. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said he believed Republicans were getting closer to a measure they could agree on. “I don’t know the timing on this, but I know we are getting very close,” Brady said on Fox News. “I know we still have work to do to make sure members’ concerns are heard.”

Summary: रिपब्लिकन प्रतिनिधि ब्रूक्सः 30-40 रिपब्लिकन ने स्वास्थ्य विधेयक पर 'नहीं' मत दिया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump’s pick for U.N. ambassador echoed his condemnation of the world body and pledged to push for reforms at her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, but broke from the president-elect on some other policy issues, including Russia and NATO. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley seconded criticism of the United Nations by Trump and many of their fellow Republicans before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, especially for what she termed its “bias” against Israel. Some Republicans want to stop U.S. funding for the United Nations over a Security Council resolution last month demanding an end to settlement building that the United States declined to veto, instead of abstaining. Haley pledged that she would not abstain on U.N. votes. But she did not back “slashing” U.N. funding. The United States provides 22 percent of the U.N. budget. Trump took to Twitter in the wake of the Israel vote to criticize the 193-member world body as “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.” He warned “things will be different” after he takes office, without offering details. Haley said Washington should always back Israel. “If we always stand with them, more countries will want to be our allies,” she said. Haley said she “absolutely” backs moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. That shift, which would up-end decades of U.S. policy, is supported by Trump and congressional Republicans but seen by the Palestinians and many Arab states as an impediment to Middle East peace. Although some Democrats questioned Haley’s lack of diplomatic experience, she is expected to be approved. At the end of the mostly non-contentious hearing, Senator Bob Corker, the committee’s Republican chairman, said he expected she would be confirmed “overwhelmingly.” Haley, a rising star in the Republican party who turns 45 on Friday when Trump takes office, has only held office in South Carolina. She has been governor since 2011.  Haley praised U.N. food programs, efforts to alleviate AIDS, its weapons monitoring and some peacekeeping missions, a departure from Trump’s criticisms. Haley also broke from Trump’s praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin. She agreed that Russian actions in Syria such as bombing hospitals are “war crimes,” condemned Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and said she would oppose easing sanctions until Moscow changes. “I think that Russia has to have positive actions before we lift any sanctions on Russia,” she said. Haley said she had not had detailed conversations with Trump about Russia or China. The United States and its frequent rivals Russia and China all hold permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council, along with U.S. allies Britain and France. Haley did not advocate backing out of the international nuclear agreement with Iran, which is supported by the United Nations, although she said it should be closely reviewed. She also praised the NATO alliance. Some other Trump nominees, including his choice for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and his Pentagon nominee, retired Marine General James Mattis, have also veered from Trump’s national security positions during their hearings. Several senators, including Republicans, have said they hope some appointees will rein in his more controversial positions. “I would far rather have a strong-willed, capable, elected leader with experience at the state level who says those things than someone who has been a diplomat for 30 years and says: ‘Oh, I’ll do whatever Donald Trump says’,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons told reporters. Some questioned whether the president-elect would change. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said the Tillerson and Haley hearings were in “an alternate universe,” given two years of Trump statements backing torture or suggesting NATO is obsolete. “That’s all going to change after Friday?” Murphy asked. Haley said she expected Trump’s Cabinet would try to influence him. “I do anticipate that he will listen to all of us, and that hopefully we will get him to see it the way we see it,” she said. Haley did not endorse Trump during last year’s primaries and has warned that some of his most inflammatory statements promoted dangerous hate. She initially backed the presidential bid of Senator Marco Rubio and later Senator Ted Cruz. She acknowledged her lack of diplomatic experience but said her time as governor would stand her in good stead. “I would suggest there is nothing more important to a governor’s success than her ability to unite those with different backgrounds, viewpoints and objectives behind a common purpose,” she said. Senator Ben Cardin, the committee’s top Democrat, praised Haley for being willing to disagree with Trump. Haley, the daughter of immigrants from India, rose to national prominent last year after she led a push to remove a Confederate flag from South Carolina’s capitol grounds after a white supremacist killed nine black churchgoers in Charleston. She already has fans at U.N. headquarters.  “She’s a very respected politician and a highly regarded and results-driven professional,” France’s ambassador, Francois Delattre, told reporters on Tuesday. Delattre met Haley in his previous role as French ambassador to the United States.

Summary: ट्रम्प यू. एन. पिक उनकी आलोचना को प्रतिध्वनित करता है लेकिन मुद्दों पर उनसे अलग हो जाता है


(Reuters) - Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s first U.S. national security adviser, pleaded guilty on Friday to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his contacts with Russia’s U.S. ambassador. Here are five facts about Flynn:     Flynn was national security adviser for just 24 days, from Jan. 20, when Trump took office, to Feb. 13. Flynn was fired following disclosures that he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with Sergey Kislyak, Moscow’s U.S. ambassador, and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. On Feb. 14, Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey in an Oval Office meeting to end the agency’s investigation into ties between Flynn and Russia, according to news media reports. Trump, who fired Comey on May 9, later denied making such a request. Trump had named the former Army lieutenant general to the national security post despite red flags about Flynn’s Russian contacts and advocacy for warmer U.S. relations with Moscow, which has been under U.S. economic sanctions for years. Outgoing President Barack Obama had warned Trump not to hire Flynn, who had been fired by the Democratic president in 2014. Flynn was an early and vociferous Trump supporter during the New York businessman’s 2016 White House run. He made vitriolic appearances on the campaign trail, notably leading the Republican National Convention in chants of “Lock her up,” referring to Trump’s Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition to Flynn’s contacts with Russia, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of possible ties between the Trump election campaign and Moscow has expanded its probe to include Flynn’s paid work as a lobbyist for a Turkish businessman in 2016, people with knowledge of the inquiry have told Reuters.

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः ट्रम्प के पूर्व सुरक्षा सहायक माइकल फ्लिन के बारे में पाँच तथ्य


ALGIERS (Reuters) - A small Christmas market has opened in Algeria s capital, catering to a rising number of Christian African migrants as well as diplomats and locals in the overwhelmingly Muslim country. Around 99 percent of Algeria s population is Sunni Muslim but the number of Christians has been rising due to an influx of  migrants from sub-Saharan countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The market, organized by the Caritas charity, is also a sign of stable security in a country that has rebounded from a decade of Islamist militant violence during which 200,000 people died. Diplomats used to hunker down in fortified embassies, rarely venturing out, but now live alongside Algerians in residential quarters. No militant attack has been reported in Algiers for more than 10 years. Caritas staged a similar Christmas market last year but kept it low profile. This year it advertised the market in advance, calling for a  living together  between Christians and Muslims. No official figure is available for the number of African migrants, but some estimates put it at around 100,000.  It is not about making money, but rather about using the money to help the most vulnerable, whether Algerians, African migrants or Syrians,  Caritas Algeria director Maurice Pilloud said. Veiled Muslim women mix with foreigners at the market in Algiers  El Biar district, where honey, chocolate, cakes, jewelry and trinkets are sold. Many donations came from Muslims, said Pilloud. The market offers the chance for young people to make a contribution to society in a political system where the ruling  party has dominated all aspects of the oil-producing North African state since independence in 1962.  Charitable work remains most attractive for a majority of young Algerians who shun political action because it doesn t bring change,  said Cherif Lounes, 47, who was visiting the market along with his mother.  We need 50 Caritas associations in Algeria to help the vulnerable, whether Algerians or migrants,  added Saida, his 79-year-old mother.

Summary: अल्जीरियाई राजधानी में क्रिसमस बाजार खुला


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said on Thursday President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal does not include enough funds to rebuild the nation’s military. “It is clear to virtually everyone that we have cut our military too much and that it has suffered enormous damage,” Representative Mac Thornberry said. “Unfortunately, the administration’s budget request is not enough to repair that damage and to rebuild the military as the president has discussed.”

Summary: हाउस आर्म्ड सर्विसेज के अध्यक्षः ट्रम्प का बजट अमेरिकी सेना के लिए पर्याप्त नहीं है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House denied on Wednesday that the new Trump administration ordered a curb on the flow of information from several government agencies involved in environmental issues.  “They have not been directed by us to do anything,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters, adding employees have been told to adhere to their agency’s own policies. “But that directive did not come from here.”

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस ने कहा, संघीय एजेंसी की मीडिया गतिविधियों पर कोई रोक नहीं


WASHINGTON/TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The United States on Friday backed the re-election of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez despite widespread misgivings about the vote count, prompting the opposition candidate to describe his bid for the presidency as a  lost cause.  The Honduran electoral tribunal declared Hernandez winner of the Nov. 26 election last weekend amid strident opposition protests over the vote count in the impoverished Central American country, which is a major hub for drug trafficking. The vote tally had initially clearly favored opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, a center-leftist, but it swung in favor of the incumbent after a 36-hour delay.  After the United States weighed in, Nasralla was pessimistic about his chances of winning support in Honduras, claiming in an interview with Reuters that the nation s supreme court and electoral tribunal are in Hernandez s camp.  But he maintained that he had a path to victory at the international level, noting the Organization of American States (OAS) had called for new elections to resolve the dispute.  Nationally, we think it s a lost cause,  he told Reuters.  But internationally, we are confident that the OAS, which understands the great fraud in Honduras, will take action so that they repeat the elections.   Earlier in the day, Nasralla appeared all but ready to bow out of the race, saying in an interview with TV network France TV that his political career was over.   The situation is practically decided,  he told the network.  I no longer have anything to do in politics, but the people, which are 80 percent in my favor, will continue the fight.  The United States followed Mexico and other Latin American countries in supporting Hernandez, who has been a reliable U.S. ally.  The U.S. State Department congratulated Hernandez and said Honduras should pursue a  long-term effort to heal the political divide in the country and enact much-needed electoral reforms,  spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. The Honduras election tribunal s declaration in Hernandez s favor last week sparked violent protests in Honduras, and the OAS s call for new elections has been rejected by the Honduran government. Nasralla had been backed by former President Manuel Zelaya, a leftist who was ousted in a 2009 coup after he proposed a referendum on his re-election, which was barred by the constitution at the time. But Zelaya said Friday that Nasralla was no longer a member of his alliance.  Nasralla said that he had no need for party membership anymore.    I am the president elect of all Hondurans,  he said.  It no longer makes sense to belong to the Alliance.  The streets of the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa and other major cities were largely calm on Friday with a few protests cleared by the armed forces. By mid-week some 27 people had died in clashes, according to local human rights group COFADEH. The State Department called for all sides to refrain from violence, for those who wish to challenge the result to use legal means, and for the government to ensure that security services respect the rights of peaceful protesters. It also called for the electoral tribunal  to transparently and fully review any challenges filed by political parties.  Hernandez has led a military crackdown against gangs in the Central American country, and Honduras  notoriously high murder rate has slid since he took power in 2014. Nasralla, a television host, traveled to Washington this week to urge the United States not to recognize the vote, but a senior State Department official said on Wednesday the government had not seen any evidence that would alter the vote s outcome. Nasralla said the U.S. decision reflected Washington s strategic concerns over a leftist government in Honduras.  They re afraid of losing Honduras,  he told local television.

Summary: अमेरिका ने मतदान विवाद के बावजूद होंडुरास के राष्ट्रपति के फिर से चुनाव का समर्थन किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If Democrats thought it was hard to stop President Donald Trump’s first U.S. Supreme Court nominee, it promises to be even tougher for them if he gets to fill another vacancy, potentially to replace the most influential justice, Anthony Kennedy. Kennedy, a conservative who sometimes sides with the court’s liberals in key cases such as on gay rights and abortion, is one of three justices 78 or older. Justice Stephen Breyer is 78 and fellow liberal Ruth Bader Ginsburg is 84. Former Kennedy Supreme Court clerks said the justice, who turns 81 in July, may be pondering retirement either this year or in 2018. That would give Trump a further chance to shape the court after his first nominee, Neil Gorsuch, was sworn in on Monday for the lifetime job to replace the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia after overcoming fierce Democratic opposition in the Senate confirmation process. Kennedy administered Gorsuch’s judicial oath at a White House ceremony, and Trump heaped praise on a justice who has spent nearly three decades on America’s top court, calling him “a great man of outstanding accomplishment.” Gorsuch is one of Kennedy former clerks. Kennedy is planning a reunion of his clerks in June rather than next year as had been expected. Kennedy, through a court spokesman, declined to comment on his plans. The implications for the court if Kennedy were to step down are enormous. For the past decade he been its swing vote in major cases. Gorsuch’s confirmation restored the court’s 5-4 conservative majority. If whenever Kennedy leaves the bench he is replaced by a stalwart conservative, that would move the court further to the right. Republicans possess a 52-48 majority in the Senate. In order to secure Gorsuch’s confirmation, they voted to prohibit a procedural roadblock called a filibuster that had required a super-majority of 60 votes to allow a confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominees, leaving the minority Democrats with little ammunition for the next nomination fight. “I think it will be very hard for Democrats to get much traction to derail a future Trump nominee without the threat of a filibuster,” George Washington University political scientist Sarah Binder said. But Democrats and Republicans still are predicting a fierce fight over the next court vacancy. “For the life of me I don’t understand why the Democrats made such a fuss about this one. They look stupid,” Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said last week of Gorsuch’s nomination. “I expect Armageddon on the next one because that’s going to change, assuming Trump gets another one, the direction of the court. It would certainly keep the court in a more conservative mode for a long time.” A Democratic congressional aide added, “The opposition to Gorsuch could look weak compared to what a similarly conservative nominee would face, if it would tip the balance on the court.”  Kennedy is the longest-serving of the nine justices. He was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1987 and confirmed by the Senate in 1988 after Democrats thwarted Reagan’s first choice, outspoken conservative Robert Bork, and his second pick, Douglas Ginsburg, withdrew from consideration. Although he has sided with his conservative colleagues on many issues, Kennedy has supported liberal causes such as gay rights, culminating in writing the landmark 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. He also joined the liberals in upholding abortion rights. In 2016, Kennedy joined the court’s four liberal justices in a ruling striking down a Texas abortion law imposing strict regulations on doctors and facilities in the strongest endorsement of U.S. abortion rights in more than two decades. He also authored a 2016 ruling upholding the consideration of race in college admissions, joined by the court’s liberals. University of Georgia School of Law professor Lori Ringhand said Republicans may be wary of defending an extremely conservative court nominee with the midterm congressional elections coming up in 2018, if another vacancy arises. “It’s not clear it would be to the electoral advantage to Republicans to have a hotly contested Supreme Court nomination right before the midterms that highlighted a nominee’s extremely conservative positions on social issues that the majority of the public have actually accepted,” Ringhand said.

Summary: अगर ट्रम्प को दूसरा अमेरिकी उच्च न्यायालय का चुनाव मिलता है तो डेमोक्रेट को कठिन लड़ाई का सामना करना पड़ता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday current policy regarding transgender personnel serving in the military would remain in place until he advises President Donald Trump on how to implement his directive on a transgender ban. Mattis said in a statement he would set up a panel of experts serving in the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to provide recommendations on implementing the ban. He said he would advise the president after the panel reports it recommendations, and “in the interim, current policy with respect to currently serving members will remain in place.” Trump signed a memorandum on Friday directing the U.S. military not to accept transgender men and women as recruits and halting the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgeries for active personnel unless the process is already under way. A White House official who briefed reporters about the memo on Friday declined to specify whether transgender men and women who are currently active in the military could continue to serve based on such criteria. The memo called on Mattis to submit a plan to Trump by Feb. 21, on how to implement the changes. Mattis said he expects to issue other guidance “including any necessary interim adjustments to procedures, to ensure the continued combat readiness of the force until our final policy on this subject is issued.” Trump’s directive created uncertainty for thousands of transgender service members, many of whom came out after the Pentagon said in 2016 it would allow transgender people to serve openly. The decision appealed to some in Trump’s conservative political base while drawing criticism from advocates of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. Civil rights groups filed two new lawsuits on Monday challenging Trump’s ban.

Summary: अमेरिकी सेना में ट्रांसजेंडर सदस्य अध्ययन पूरा होने तक सेवा कर सकते हैंः मैटिस