NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which represents insurers in every state, Cigna Corp and Humana Inc said on Friday they would attend a meeting between the health insurance industry and President Donald Trump on Monday.  Cigna’s chief executive officer, David Cordani, and Humana CEO Bruce Broussard will attend, spokesmen for both companies said. Bloomberg reported earlier on Friday that top executives from U.S. health insurers would attend a meeting, based on unnamed sources. The White House has not confirmed the Bloomberg report. Trump has pledged to repeal and replace Obamacare, former President Barack Obama’s national healthcare law that redesigned the U.S. insurance market for individuals. It is not clear yet what Republicans will agree upon to replace the current insurance. Insurers say any new plans are not likely to hit the market before 2019. Insurers have also asked for changes to the individual insurance market that would go into effect for 2018 to make the market more attractive to the industry, where some plans have lost hundreds of millions of dollars because member costs were higher than they expected. The Trump administration proposed a rule last week to address some insurer concerns, but insurers would also like to see the elimination of an industry-wide tax on health insurance premiums - though the tax is on hiatus this year -  and a promise that the government will continue to provide cost-sharing subsidies to certain individual insurance members.  Since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump has held a series of White House meetings with executives from different sectors including those from manufacturing companies, pharmaceutical makers, technology businesses and car makers.

Summary: बी. सी. बी. एस., सिग्ना सहित बीमाकर्ता समूह सोमवार को ट्रम्प से मिलेंगे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Friday that he does not believe FBI Director James Comey was trying to influence the presidential election when he decided the agency would examine newly discovered emails in its probe of Hillary Clinton’s private server. “Now I’ve said before and I’ll say again, Jim Comey is a good man,” Obama said in an interview on MSNBC. “And I do not believe that he is in any way trying to influence the election one way or another. I think he is a serious public servant who wants to do the right thing,” Obama said.

Summary: ओबामा ने कहा कि उन्हें नहीं लगता कि एफ. बी. आई. के कोमी चुनाव को प्रभावित करने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।


CAIRO (Reuters) - At least 54 people were killed when suspected militants set off a bomb and opened fire at a mosque in Egypt s restive northern Sinai on Friday, state media and eyewitnesses said. Eyewitnesses reported ambulances ferrying casualties from the scene to nearby hospitals after the attack on Al Rawdah mosque in Bir al-Abed, west of Arish city. Another 75 people were wounded, MENA reported. President Abdel Fattah al Sisi convened an emergency security meeting soon after the attack, state television reported. Egypt s security forces are battling an Islamic State insurgency in north Sinai, where militants have killed hundreds of police and soldiers since fighting there intensified over the last three years. Militants have mostly targeted security forces in their attacks, but have also tried to expand beyond the peninsula by hitting Egyptian Christian churches and pilgrims.

Summary: मिस्र के उत्तरी सिनाई में आतंकवादियों द्वारा मस्जिद को निशाना बनाए जाने के बाद कम से कम 54 लोगों की मौत हो गईः राज्य मीडिया


MUMBAI (Reuters) - A passenger train slipped off the rails in northern India early on Friday, killing at least three people and injuring about 10, the railways ministry said. The train was on its way from Goa in western India to Patna in the east when 13 coaches derailed, the ministry said. It did not provide any reason for the accident, which occurred in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Television news agency ANI however quoted the Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General of police as saying that the cause of accident is most probably a fractured railway track  as per local assessment.  A medical train and a relief train had reached the accident spot, the railways said. India has seen a spate of rail accidents over the last 12 months. Earlier in August, there were three separate incidents on the world s fourth-biggest rail network injuring over 165 people and killing several others. The biggest accident so far this year was on Aug. 19 in Uttar Pradesh, which resulted in the death of 23 people and led to the suspension of three senior railways officials. A crash in Uttar Pradesh last November killed 150 people. India s ailing rail network is in the midst of a $130 billion, five-year modernization process.  In addition, the government launched a $15 billion safety overhaul in February after the surge in accidents blamed on defective tracks. But in June, Reuters reported that the overhaul was facing delays as the state steel company could not meet demand for new rails. [nL3N1JO1TU]

Summary: उत्तर भारत में भारतीय यात्री ट्रेन के पटरी से उतरने से कम से कम तीन लोगों की मौत


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is in “overall very good health,” with no limitations on his work as a U.S. senator, his physician said in a letter released on Thursday. The letter from Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, detailed the health of the Vermont senator, who is vying with Hillary Clinton for his party’s nomination to the November 2016 presidential election. “You are in overall very good health and active in your professional work, and recreational lifestyle without limitation,” said the Jan. 20 letter posted on Sanders’ campaign website. Presidential candidates often release such statements to assure voters that they are fit for the presidency. The race between Clinton and Sanders, 74, has tightened in recent weeks, and polls show the two in a statistical dead heat for the Iowa caucus on Feb. 1. The letter notes that Sanders has, over the years, been treated for conditions ranging from gout to hypothyroidism to diverticulitis. He has also had surgery to repair hernias and excise a vocal cord cyst, the letter said. The senator also takes levothyroxine daily and indomethacin occasionally, it added. Levothyroxine is used to treat hypothyroidism, and indomethacin is used treat stiffness and pain from osteoarthritis, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Sanders’ main Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, released a statement from her own doctor last year giving her a clean bill of health.  (Reporting by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Richard Chang) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency.

Summary: डेमोक्रेटिक उम्मीदवार बर्नी सैंडर्स की तबीयत ठीक हैः डॉक्टर


PARIS (Reuters) - Two years after militants killed 130 people in coordinated attacks across Paris, France officially ended a state of emergency, replacing it with the introduction of a new security law which critics say undermines civil liberties. The new anti-terrorism law, effective from Wednesday, gives police extended powers to search properties, conduct electronic eavesdropping and shut mosques or other locations suspected of preaching hatred.  Some dread that now that we are out the state of emergency there could be a drop in vigilance, it is the opposite,  French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told journalists during a short visit to police officers guarding the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  The level of threat is high everywhere in the world,  he said, referring to the attack in New York on Tuesday where a pickup truck driver killed eight people. The new legislation transposes some of the measures contained in the state of emergency rule into law, although with some modifications. One measure will allow the Interior Ministry, without approval from a judge, to set up large security perimeters in case of an identified threat, restricting movement of people and vehicles and with power to carry out searches inside the area. Conservative politicians warn the regulations are not going far enough while human rights groups and members of the left fear police misconduct.  France has become so addicted to the state of emergency that it is now injecting several of these abusive measures into ordinary law,  Human Rights Watch said before parliament backed the legislation last month. France s human rights watchdog, an independent body, has said it is concerned about breaches of rights of Muslims. The French Council of the Muslim Faith, the official interlocutor with the state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities, said it would remain vigilant about the bill s implementation. However, the concerns expressed by such rights groups have had little resonance with the public so far. A poll conducted in early October showed more than 80 percent of support for the bill. The government says the state of emergency has helped intelligence agencies to thwart more than 30 attacks.  President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday Islamist militancy remained the biggest security threat to France.

Summary: पेरिस हमलों के दो साल बाद, फ्रांस ने आपातकाल की स्थिति समाप्त कर दी


(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is weeks away from naming anyone to the board of the Federal Reserve, a White House official said, meaning it could be the fall before three currently empty seats are filled. The vacancies on the Fed’s seven member Board of Governors include the position of vice chair in charge of banking oversight, a critical role in Trump’s plan to revamp financial rules. The White House wants to get all nominees vetted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Office of Government Ethics before they name them publicly and that process can take months, according to people familiar with the matter. If the vetting drags on, it runs the risk of delaying those people from taking their jobs until sometime this fall, complicating Trump’s plan to reshape regulation of Wall Street. The Fed positions require confirmation by the Senate and could be delayed further by a five-week congressional recess from the end of July to the beginning of September. Randal Quarles, a veteran of the George W. Bush administration, is expected to be Trump’s pick for the Fed’s top bank regulator, Reuters has previously reported. Trump met him late last month, according to sources familiar with the matter. Quarles, who worked as a partner at private equity firm the Carlyle Group, currently runs a private investment firm, the Cynosure Group, from Salt Lake City, Utah. He also served in the Treasury Department under Bush and was the U.S. executive director of the International Monetary Fund. Quarles did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. A spokesman for the Federal Reserve declined to comment. The vice chair for supervision and regulation and another seat that governs community banking were created as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law but were never filled by President Barack Obama. Former Fed governor Daniel Tarullo had stepped in to fill the supervision void before leaving the central bank in April. The White House would like to name all three regulatory positions at the Fed at the same time, according to people familiar with the matter. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin dismissed that idea publicly last month, saying, “I don’t think we’re going to do that.” In addition to the three current vacancies, one of which must be filled by someone with community banking experience, Chair Janet Yellen and Stanley Fischer, the vice chairman, could step down when their terms expire next year. Trump could therefore fill as many as five of the board’s seven seats within the next year, giving him the opportunity to nominate a block of people who will have a big say in the direction of interest rates.

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस फेड को किसी का नाम देने से कुछ हफ्ते दूरः अधिकारी


DETROIT (Reuters) - Three Congressional leaders on Monday asked top federal environmental and safety officials to extend by 60 days the public comment period on new vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards. The public and their advocates need more time, beyond the comment period that ends Sept. 26, to absorb more than 1,000 pages of a draft technical assessment report, the three said in a letter to the environmental and safety chiefs. A week ago, U.S. regulators denied a similar request for an extension by major automakers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a July report that automakers have the technology to meet aggressive mandates to hike fuel efficiency, but improvements will not be as great as the Obama administration once forecast because buyers are switching to pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles from lighter cars.         When the administration first outlined its goal of boosting average fleet fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon, regulators forecast that 67 percent of vehicles sold in 2025 would be cars.     Since then, gasoline prices have fallen and truck and SUV sales have surged.      Regulators now estimate the fleet will average 50 to 52.6mpg in 2025. The letter dated Monday was sent to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Administrator Mark Rosekind. It was signed by three members of the U.S. House of Representatives: Fred Upton, chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce; Ed Whitfield, chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power; and Michael Burgess, chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.

Summary: कांग्रेस नेताओं ने नए ईंधन नियमों का अध्ययन करने के लिए और समय मांगा


(Reuters) - A federal judge in Florida on Wednesday directed a golf club owned by U.S. President Donald Trump to pay $5.77 million to former members who claimed it wrongfully refused to refund their deposits after Trump took over in 2012. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra in West Palm Beach said Trump National Golf Club Jupiter must repay $4.849 million plus $925,010 of interest to 65 former members for breach of contract, following a non-jury trial last August. Marra said the club had no right to keep the deposits after locking out members who had declared their plans to resign prior to Trump’s purchase in November 2012. Before Trump took over, the club had permitted members who wanted to resign to keep playing golf until their replacements were found. But Trump changed the rules, declaring in a letter that “as the owner of the club” he did not want such members to use the club, and telling them “you’re out.” Marra, however, said this deprived the plaintiffs of their “continuing right” to use the club until new members joined. “By categorically denying class members all rights to club access because they remained on the resignation waiting list as of December 31, 2012, defendant revoked or canceled their memberships,” and should have refunded their deposits, he said. The Trump Organization said in a statement that it disagreed with the decision and will appeal. “At the time Trump purchased the club, it was suffering financially, making it unlikely that these members would ever get back their deposits,” it added. Brad Edwards, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview that “our clients are thrilled that they are getting exactly what they deserve.” He added: “I think President Trump is going to respect this judgment.” In a footnote, Marra noted that Trump was a “private citizen” at all times relevant to the lawsuit, and that he would refer to Trump as such in the decision. “In doing so, the court means no disrespect to him or to the esteemed position he now holds,” wrote Marra, an appointee of former President George W. Bush. The case is Hirsch et al v. Jupiter Golf Club LLC et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, No. 13-80456.

Summary: ट्रम्प गोल्फ क्लब को पूर्व सदस्यों को 57.7 लाख डॉलर का भुगतान करना होगाः न्यायाधीश


LOWER MERION, Pa. (Reuters) - In Pennsylvania state Senator Daylin Leach’s bid to win a seat vital to the Democratic Party’s chances in 2018 elections of taking control of the U.S. Congress, his opponents may not be his biggest obstacle. Leach is running in one of the country’s most gerrymandered congressional districts, one with such a twisting, winding shape that it has earned the derisive nickname “Goofy Kicking Donald Duck.” The 7th congressional district has become a national poster child for critics of gerrymandering, the process by which one party draws district boundaries to ensure an advantage among voters. Democrats say the lines have helped Republicans like U.S. Representative Patrick Meehan, the four-term incumbent Leach seeks to unseat, to stay in office. That could soon change, however. On Monday in state court in Harrisburg, one of three lawsuits challenging those boundaries heads to trial. The outcome could shift several battleground districts in Pennsylvania and in turn boost the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, where they last held the majority from January 2007 to January 2011. The 7th district is so precisely engineered that at one point it narrows to the width of a single seafood restaurant, snaking past two other congressional districts so it can link two far flung Republican-leaning areas. “Three congressional districts all converge on this spot,” Leach said from the parking lot at Creed’s Seafood and Steaks last week, as cars whizzed overhead on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. “This is the sixth; over there is the seventh; and down that road is the 13th,” he said, pointing in several directions. “This is what gerrymandering looks like on the ground.” Leach has at least four opponents to defeat in the Democratic primary before he would run against Meehan. A spokesman for the Republican did not respond to requests for comment on the trial over gerrymandering. Critics of gerrymandering say it helps explain why Pennsylvania has sent 13 Republicans and only five Democrats to the U.S. House since the 2011 redistricting, despite being a closely divided swing state. Republican legislators counter that the lines were drawn in accordance with the law and that their candidates have prevailed in elections thanks to superior policy ideas. The Democrats have targeted six Republican-held districts in the state as part of their quest to pick up the 24 House seats they need to overturn the Republicans, who also have a Senate majority and President Donald Trump in the White House.  Democrats need to win the nationwide popular vote by at least 10 points in 2018 to do so, in part because of gerrymandered lines, according to Michael Li, a redistricting expert and lawyer at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice. “Pennsylvania is probably the most aggressive of the gerrymanders,” he said. “You look at some of the maps in the Philadelphia suburbs, and it looks like a 4-year-old just slapped paint around.” The non-partisan League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania sued the state in June, arguing the maps violate the state constitution by depriving residents of a meaningful vote. The litigation is part of a growing set of legal challenges to partisan redistricting, including a U.S. Supreme Court case out of Wisconsin that could for the first time establish a constitutional standard to measure the legality of such map-making. The high court is scheduled to decide that case by June 2018, five months before the midterm elections. “The politicians are not supposed to pick their voters; the voters are supposed to elect their leaders,” said Mimi McKenzie, an attorney with the Public Interest Law Center who represents the League of Women Voters and other Pennsylvania voters. Spokesmen for the state’s Republican legislative leaders, defendants in the case, said the redistricting followed the process laid out in the state constitution and that the U.S. Supreme Court has said political considerations can play a role. “They just can’t understand how Republicans can actually beat their candidates,” Stephen Miskin, a spokesman for Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai, said of the legal challengers. In addition to the state case, two pending federal lawsuits also challenge the district lines as unconstitutional. Legal observers consider the state lawsuit the most likely to succeed in time for the voting next November. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court has ordered the presiding judge to render his decision by Dec. 31. The high court will then determine whether to accept his ruling or issue its own conclusions. The state lawsuit asserts the redistricting included numerous examples of blatantly partisan lines. Democrat-dominated Reading, one of the most economically depressed cities in the state, was carved out of the 6th district and placed into the reliably Democratic 13th, a move the plaintiffs said was intended to render the city’s votes meaningless. Montgomery County, where state senator Leach lives, has approximately 820,000 residents, slightly more than the 711,000 needed for a single congressional district, but has been sliced into five separate districts. Leach said he would make gerrymandering a campaign issue. “It’s theft of democracy,” Leach said. “This is horribly destructive.” The story was refiled to correct paragraph 4 to say that Democrats held majority in U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011, not 2009 to 2011

Summary: डेमोक्रेट्स की नज़र 'मूर्खतापूर्ण' गेरीमैंडरिंग पर पेंसिल्वेनिया मुकदमे में लाभ पर है


LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is on the verge of making concessions around a key welfare reform that has angered opposition parties as well as members of her own Conservatives, the Sunday Telegraph reported. The government has signaled that it is looking at ways to reduce the waiting time for payments from its new Universal Credit benefits system from six weeks, the newspaper said on Saturday, without citing sources. Last week some lawmakers from May s own party vented their dismay over the government s handling of Universal Credit, which is designed to simplify payments to claimants by consolidating six different types of state benefits into one. The policy was first implemented for a small number of claimants in 2013 under May s predecessor David Cameron, but the expansion of the program has been beset by long delays and criticism that it risks harming vulnerable citizens. Last week the opposition Labour Party won a symbolic vote on a motion calling for the welfare plan to be paused, but May s party avoided a full-blown public rebellion by ordering its lawmakers to abstain, thereby masking the extent of internal unrest. May leads a minority government, propped up by a small Northern Irish party, faced with the task of delivering a smooth departure from the European Union - something which requires a deeply split parliament to approve large amounts of new legislation. Separately, the Independent reported that the government has told energy investors a proposal to cap energy bills could be ditched if it feels that major power companies are doing enough to limit high bills, citing civil servants. May s office was not immediately available for comment on either story.

Summary: ब्रिटेन के प्रधानमंत्री कल्याणकारी सुधारों पर रियायतों की तैयारी कर रहे हैं-संडे टेलीग्राफ


(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump appears close to naming U.S. Representative Tom Price as his choice for secretary of health and human services, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Monday, citing a dozen Republican sources with knowledge of the plan. Trump could make the announcement on Tuesday, the paper said.

Summary: अटलांटा जर्नल-कॉन्स्टिट्यूशनः ट्रम्प स्वास्थ्य सचिव के रूप में कांग्रेसी प्राइस को नामित करने के करीब हैं


ZURICH (Reuters) - More than a quarter of Austrian voters may still be undecided ahead of the Oct. 15 election, according to one poll, although a separate survey suggested that Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz s People s Party maintains a robust lead. Twenty-seven percent of voters were undecided, according data from a Research Affairs online poll of 600 people released late Saturday by tabloid newspaper Oesterreich. Another poll published on Sunday by the Kurier newspaper showed 33 percent of voters backed Kurz s conservative party, with current Chancellor Christian Kern s left-leaning Social Democrats running second at 27 percent.  The rightist Freedom Party was third, according to the Kurier poll, with 25 percent.     Last week the Social Democrats  chairman resigned after the party was linked to two Facebook accounts that made unsubstantiated allegations against Kurz and the controversy is likely boost voter turnout, said Wolfgang Bachmayer, whose OGM research service conducted the survey for Kurier.  His poll suggests 79 percent of eligible voters will cast their ballots.     Issues of substance have been completely overshadowed, with mud-slinging instead moving into the spotlight,  Bachmayer said .  On the brighter side of things, there are clear indications that participation will rise.  Austria s co-governing Social Democrats and conservative People s Party  said on Friday they would sue each other in the escalating scandal. The Kurier poll was conducted between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 and included 1,002 telephone interviews, with 470 people identifying themselves as voters  certain  to cast ballots on Oct. 15. Oesterreich s online survey, gathered from last Monday to Wednesday, had a relatively small sample size of 600 people, with a wide margin of error.

Summary: चुनाव से पहले ऑस्ट्रिया के कई मतदाताओं ने अभी भी फैसला नहीं कियाः सर्वेक्षण


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is unlikely to win congressional support for funds he wants for a proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall before an Oct. 1 deadline, meaning he may have to choose between backing down on a key campaign promise or shutting down the government. The second option was a politically dangerous one before  Hurricane Harvey tore through southern Texas over the weekend and it now looks even riskier. At a campaign-style rally in Phoenix last week, Trump  doubled down on his earlier demands that Congress fund a Mexican border wall in government spending legislation, adding a clear threat. “If we have to close down our government, we’re building that wall,” he told supporters. Since then, lawmakers who were already struggling to hammer out a stop-gap federal spending bill before Oct. 1 to avoid a shutdown have had to factor in Trump’s threat as well. During his election campaign, Trump insisted Mexico would pay for the construction of the wall, which experts said could cost about $22 billion and take more than three years to complete. With Mexico refusing to pay, Trump has said since taking office in January that the wall will initially need U.S. funding but that he will find a way to make Mexico ultimately pay for it. A government shutdown would result if Congress is unable to agree on a spending deal or if Trump does not like the package and vetoes it. A veto would put Trump in a dangerous position of rejecting a bill approved by his own party. “Shutting down the government would be a self-destructive act, not to mention an act of political malpractice,” Republican Representative Charlie Dent said in an interview. Republicans firmly control the House of Representatives, but have only a narrow majority in the Senate, where at least eight Democratic votes will be needed to pass a spending bill. Democratic leaders firmly oppose the border wall and appear to be in no mood to do Trump a favor by including funding now. “Democrats aren’t feeling the heat over this,” Democratic strategist Jim Manley said, adding that “no Democrat is going to be cowed” by Trump’s threat to shut down the government. Without Democratic support, current and former congressional aides from both parties said they expected Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who has been sharply criticized by Trump in recent weeks, to opt for a spending bill without wall funding to get legislation to the president’s desk. Dent said he expected the Senate would “strip out” $1.6 billion that had been set aside to start building the wall in a spending measure already passed by the House, and send it back to that chamber for another vote.  Dent voted for the wall funding the first time but said he would approve the spending measure without the wall money if that is what it takes to keep the government open. Asked what Congress would do if Trump vetoes a spending  bill, Dent said: “We’ll have to determine what our next steps will be, but I’m hopeful he’ll sign the bill.” SHORT-TERM FIX A stop-gap spending bill would keep the government open for several months with no major changes to spending programs while lawmakers work out a longer-term deal. The U.S. Congress has relied heavily on those short-term fixes - known as continuing resolutions - for many years. Federal assistance for those affected by devastating floods triggered by Harvey could be attached to a new continuing resolution.  But Trump said on Monday the hurricane recovery effort had not caused him to reconsider the option of a government shutdown. “I think it has nothing to do with it, really. I think this is separate,” he said at a news conference. He said he hoped a government shutdown would not be needed but declined to rule it out. “If it’s necessary, we’ll have to see.” If Trump signs a short-term extension without wall funding, it could delay the battle until December, when that legislation would likely expire. Trump also said on Monday that the border wall was “imperative” in order to tackle drug trafficking and crime as well as illegal immigration. The budget debate is also complicated by the need to finance support for victims of Harvey, the worst storm to hit Texas in more than 50 years, and find a deal on increasing the federal debt ceiling, which limits how much money the U.S. government can borrow. One possible escape route for Trump could be separate legislation for funding the wall. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, has introduced legislation that would authorize $15 billion over four years for border security. That would still need the support of at least eight Senate Democrats.

Summary: अगर कांग्रेस सीमा पर दीवार बनाने के लिए धन देने से इनकार करती है तो ट्रम्प के लिए कठिन विकल्प


(Reuters) - Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe has signed a bill that makes the state the first in the United States to regulate fantasy sports, a multibillion-dollar online business whose legality has been challenged across the country. The measure signed by McAuliffe, a Democrat, mandates that players be 18 or older, offers players limits on how much they can bet, requires annual audits and bars employees from competing in company contests. It takes effect on July 1. “This bill, which was passed by super majorities of both chambers, will empower Virginia to regulate this emerging industry and keep consumers safe from abuses,” Brian Coy, a McAuliffe spokesman, said in a statement. The governor signed the bill on Monday. The growing fantasy sports industry dominated by DraftKings and FanDuel has drawn increased attention from state regulators over the past year, with the attorneys general of New York, Illinois and Nevada questioning their legality. The games are illegal in several states. The companies charge customers to take part in mostly single-day games in which they draft a roster of players whose performance on the field earns points. In statements on a sports gaming website, spokesmen for  DraftKings and FanDuel welcomed the Virginia measure. Texas reached a deal with FanDuel last week in which the company will halt paid operations in the state on May 2.

Summary: वर्जीनिया फंतासी खेलों को विनियमित करने वाला पहला अमेरिकी राज्य बना


NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya s opposition leader Raila Odinga decided not to stand in next week s presidential election to avoid defeat rather than for reasons of principle, the deputy president said on Tuesday. Odinga was due to face President Uhuru Kenyatta on Oct. 26 in a repeat of a presidential vote held in August but he withdrew his candidacy, saying the electoral commission had failed to institute reforms to guarantee fairness. Kenyatta won the Aug. 8 election by 1.4 million votes. The Supreme Court annulled the election citing procedural irregularities and ordered that it be held again.  Odinga is running away from a humiliating defeat,  deputy president William Ruto told journalists.  He has to find this excuse and that excuse and the other excuse to try and justify his exit.  He said the government wants Odinga to run but could not force him.  Legitimacy is a matter that concerns us and it concerns us because we believe in a democracy,  he said. The ruling party is confident Kenyatta can win and secure a second and final four-year term in office, Ruto said, citing their majority in parliament and regional governorships.  Political turmoil connected to the elections has hurt Kenya s economy. The country has East Africa s richest economy and is a stable Western ally in a tumultuous region. Odinga says the election board has failed to meet conditions to guarantee fairness, including firing key personnel he blamed for mistakes during the last poll. Ruto said the board could agree to Odinga s demands as long as the election went ahead. On Sunday, the board ran adverts in national newspapers showing which demands it had agreed to and why others were rejected. It has agreed to more than half of opposition demands and says it cannot agree to others due to time constraints. Odinga has called for daily protests to force the reforms. His supporters have defied a ban by authorities on protests in the center of Nairobi, as well as in the port city of Mombasa and the western city of Kisumu, which is Odinga s stronghold. On Tuesday Odinga blamed police and ruling party supporters for disrupting a planned rally in central Kenya and told reporters that he was planning to travel around the country to direct protests in the coming days.  We as NASA are very clear about what we want. We said we don t want to go for an election without proper reforms.  We don t want to escort Jubilee to the altar,  he said.  If Jubilee wants, to have a proper contest, they will have it.  Ruto said the protests were an attempt to create crisis and encourage international mediation that might lead to a power-sharing government, as happened in the wake of civil disturbances after an election in 2007 in which hundreds died.  Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said on Monday at least 33 people were killed in Nairobi during a police crackdown on opposition supporters after the August vote. The police said the report was  based on falsehoods.  [L8N1MR39L] The opposition said in a statement it was disturbed by the death on Monday of a high school student in the western city of Kisumu, Odinga s stronghold. The security forces were trying to  subdue  people seeking a fair election, it said. Local police said a young man was killed by a bullet in unclear circumstances. Also in Kisumu, a two-year-old girl was hospitalized on Monday and had a bullet removed from her neck, doctors at the city s main hospital said.  The girl was playing outside her home when she was struck with a stray bullet, her mother Lydia Kageha told Reuters. She said she could hear teargas canisters and gunshots in a nearby neighborhood where police and protesters had clashed. Police said they were investigating. A police spokesman said election board officials were attacked by  hooligans  in several towns in western Kenya on Tuesday and warned against interference with the board s work.

Summary: केन्या के ओडिंगा ने हार से बचने के लिए चुनाव से नाम वापस लियाः उप राष्ट्रपति


WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s order to restrict people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States sparked confusion and anger on Saturday after immigrants and refugees were kept off flights and left stranded in airports. In his most sweeping decision since taking office a week ago, Trump, a Republican, put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other countries. Civil rights and faith groups, activists and Democratic politicians were furious and vowed to fight the order. Capping a day of confusion and chaos and protests in several airports across the country, a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, granted a temporary reprieve. The American Civil Liberties Union successfully argued for a temporary stay that allowed detained travelers to stay in the United States. Supporters outside the Brooklyn courtroom and at protests at airports in Dallas, Chicago, New York and elsewhere cheered the decision, but a bigger fight lay ahead. The court action does not reverse Trump’s order, which was criticized by some of America’s closest allies. Trump, a businessman who successfully tapped into American fears about terror attacks during his campaign, had promised what he called “extreme vetting” of immigrants and refugees from areas the White House said the U.S. Congress deemed to be high risk. He told reporters in the White House’s Oval Office on Saturday that his order was “not a Muslim ban” and said the measures were long overdue. “It’s working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over,” Trump said. Along with Syria, the ban affects travelers with passports from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The Department of Homeland Security said about 375 travelers had been affected by the order, 109 of whom were in transit and were denied entry to the United States. Another 173 were stopped by airlines before boarding. The order “affects a minor portion of international travelers,” the department said in a statement, saying the measures “inconvenienced” less than 1 percent of travelers.  The new rules blindsided people in transit and families waiting for them, and caused havoc for businesses with employees holding passports from the targeted nations and colleges with international students. Pegah Rahmani, 25, waited at Washington’s Dulles airport for several hours for her grandparents, both Iranian citizens with U.S. green cards. “They weren’t treating them very well,” she said. Rahmani’s grandfather is 88 and legally blind. Her grandmother is 83 and recently had a stroke. They were released to loud cheers and cries. Several Democratic governors said they were examining whether they could launch legal challenges, and other groups eyed a constitutional challenge claiming religious discrimination. “I don’t think anyone is going to take this lying down,” said Cleveland immigration lawyer David Leopold. “This is the tip of the spear and more litigation is coming.” The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.  The Department of Homeland Security said the order would stay in place. “No foreign national in a foreign land, without ties to the United States, has any unfettered right to demand entry into the United States,” the department statement said. Mark Krikorian, the director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, called lawsuits challenging the order “last ditch efforts” that would only apply to a few individuals, and he said a broader constitutional argument would be hard to win. “The first amendment doesn’t apply to foreigners living abroad. The law explicitly says the president can exclude any person or class of people he wants,” Krikorian said. Some leaders from the U.S. technology industry, a major employer of foreign workers, issued warnings to their staff and called the order immoral and un-American. “This ban will impact many innocent people,” said Travis Kalanick, chief executive of Uber Technologies Inc UBER.UL, who said he would raise the issue at a White House meeting on Friday. Arab travelers in the Middle East and North Africa said the order was humiliating and discriminatory. Iran vowed to retaliate. Sudan called the action “very unfortunate” after Washington  lifted sanctions on the country just weeks ago for cooperation on combating terrorism. A Yemeni official expressed dismay at the ban. Iraq’s former ambassador to the United States, Lukman Faily, told Reuters that Trump’s ban was unfair to a country that itself has been a victim of terror attacks, and could backfire. “We have a strong partnership with U.S., more so in the urgent fight against terrorism. This ban move will not help, and people will start questioning the bond of this partnership, Faily said. Allies in the United Kingdom, France and Germany were critical. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted a photo of himself welcoming Syrian refugees. Confusion abounded at airports as immigration and customs officials struggled to interpret the new rules. Some legal residents with green cards who were in the air when the order was issued were detained at airports upon arrival. However, senior administration officials said it would have been “reckless” to broadcast details of the order in advance. Other officials said green card holders from the affected countries would require extra screening and would be cleared on a case-by-case basis. Airlines were blindsided and some cabin crew were barred from entering the country. Travelers were handled differently at different points of entry and immigration lawyers advised clients to change their destination to the more lenient airports, said Houston immigration lawyer Mana Yegani. At Chicago O’Hare International Airport, brothers Bardia and Ayden Noohi waited for four hours for their father Kasra Noohi - who has an Iranian passport and a U.S. green card - to be allowed through. They knew Trump had pledged tougher rules but did not expect the problems. “I didn’t think he’d actually do it,” Bardia Noohi, 32, said. “A lot of politicians just talk.” Thousands of refugees seeking entry were thrown into limbo. Melanie Nezer of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society said she knew of roughly 2,000 who were booked to come to the United States next week. Trump’s order indefinitely bans refugees from Syria. In a television interview, he said he would seek to prioritize Christian refugees fleeing the war-torn country. U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were not consulted on the action and in some cases only learned the details as they were made public. At the State Department, a senior official said lawyers were working to interpret the executive order, which allows entry to people affected by the order when it is in the “national interest.” However, a federal law enforcement official said: “It’s unclear at this point what the threshold of national interest is.”

Summary: ट्रम्प के आदेश से कुछ मुस्लिम प्रवासियों को रोका गया, अराजकता और गुस्सा


LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Thursday morning to discuss the political crisis in Northern Ireland, May s spokesman said. During his time as president, Clinton played a central role in brokering peace in the British province, where a power-sharing administration collapsed in January and opposing sides have since been unable to break the political deadlock. Clinton traveled to Belfast this week to meet political parties and try to break the impasse.  He and the PM wanted to take this opportunity to discuss Northern Ireland ..,  May s spokesman said.  Obviously work is ongoing in trying to reach a solution and to get the compromises that are necessary to get the devolved administration up and running again,  he added. Earlier the British government minister for the province said the chances of reaching a deal there were  not positive .  The meeting with Clinton is due to take place at 0830 GMT in May s Downing Street office.

Summary: ब्रिटेन की मे उत्तरी आयरलैंड संकट पर चर्चा करने के लिए बिल क्लिंटन से मुलाकात करेंगी


RAQQA, Syria (Reuters) - Raqqa s hospital, a big complex pocked with bullets holes, whose capture will signal the end of Islamic State s crumbling Syrian capital, lies just 200 yards from a front-line base of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Beyond it, a roundabout where the jihadists once displayed the heads of their enemies, crucified people and held military parades at the height of their expansion is another strategic prize sought by the U.S.-backed militia alliance. Commanders directing the battle on the ground say seizing these and a nearby stadium, Islamic State s last strongholds in the city, could take as little as a week once a final assault begins against just a few hundred remaining militants. But the ultra-hardline group is holding civilian hostages in the hospital and stadium and using sniper fire, booby traps and tunnels that emerge behind SDF lines to slow the battle. The SDF faces a tough final showdown with IS which commanders say will end at the hospital, now almost completely surrounded.  There are many civilians being held. We can t use heavy weaponry or air strikes around the hospital or stadium, so we ll encircle them as we advance,  commander Haval Gabar said at the front-line base, a home that SDF units captured last week.  The hospital will be the last point (in Raqqa) to be freed,  he said on Saturday, as bullets coming from the sprawling medical complex whizzed over the base. The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias dominated by the Kurdish YPG, has been fighting since June to drive Islamic State from Raqqa city, backed by air strikes and special forces from a U.S.-led coalition. The assault, which YPG officials initially predicted would take weeks, has dragged on as Islamic State bogs down forces with tactics used in other bastions such as Iraq s Mosul. Senior Kurdish commanders recently said Raqqa would fall by the end of October.   Right now there s no advancing,  Gabar, 25, said.  There have been many attacks from behind us  with militants launching surprise raids from a network of tunnels they dug after marauding through swathes of Syria and Iraq and capturing Raqqa in 2014, he said.  When that happens we divert forces from front-line assaults to deal with the infiltration. But it doesn t take long, maybe half an hour to deal with each attack.  The home the SDF was using as a base had an IS tunnel emerging into its living room - now blocked up with furniture. Commander Zilzal Tarhams said militants emerged from a second nearby tunnel two days before and fired a rocket into a house occupied by the SDF.  If we find tunnels we usually cave them in with explosives. There are so many,  he said. The commanders were confident of total victory soon, however, with Islamic State surrounded in a small portion of the city which houses the remaining strategic sites. Gabar, who directs fighting on the western front, said forces were waiting for the order for a final push, after which the roundabout, stadium and hospital would quickly fall.  When we begin it will be quick, maybe 10 days or so,  he said. Tarhams predicted a week.  It s really because of the civilians presence that it s taking us some time,  Gabar said. There were thousands of residents still trapped in the city, including an unknown number at the stadium and hospital, he said. Air strikes that have been used heavily in other parts of the city are not as frequent around the remaining sites, although missiles still slam into buildings in the city center. Gabar and Tarhams did not say how the SDF planned to capture the stadium and hospital, both of which provide high vantage points over the city center, while avoiding the deaths of residents held there. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi commanded his militants not to negotiate or surrender in an audio message released recently. Raqqa s complete capture will end the group s sway in the city from where it plotted deadly attacks abroad, and projected its power in 2014 parading through streets flying black flags on military vehicles. The two SDF commanders estimated there were no more than 350 militants left in Raqqa and said these were not the elite of the group. Many leaders are believed to have fled to Deir al-Zor where the SDF and Syrian government forces are pressing competing offensives against IS. Other tactics the jihadists were using to slow SDF advances include laying booby traps, Tarhams said.  They put mines under rugs in homes and use motion sensors to set off bombs. It s a huge obstacle.  Battle weary, the commanders were keen to capture the last strategic sites as soon as possible.  We want to finish before winter - bad weather makes it harder to advance,  Gabar said.  We ll need months to fully clear the explosives afterwards - that s going to be an even bigger job.

Summary: इस्लामिक स्टेट के बंधक, गढ़ U.S.-backed बलों और रक्का के कब्जे के बीच खड़े हैं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Concerns about coordinating U.S. derivatives regulation with that of other countries dominated a Senate committee’s hearing on Thursday to consider two nominees for seats on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Members of both parties asked the nominees, Chris Brummer, a Georgetown University law professor, and Brian Quintenz, an investment firm founder who once worked for a Republican Representative, about cooperation with other countries during the Agriculture Committee hearing.  The committee will vote on the nominations in a separate business meeting. If approved, the nominations then go to the full Senate. The CFTC oversees the U.S. derivatives market and recently gave swap dealers an extra month to comply with a new cross-border rule on collateral for uncleared swaps, after Asia’s market froze from uncertainty about the changes. The European Commission announced this summer it was delaying its implementation of similar rules. Both Brummer and Quintenz spoke of the need to build strong relationships with other countries. But Brummer emphasized the U.S. role in leading rulemaking. “Overall, I think that it’s hard...to lead if you don’t lead by example. I think if you want to have a cross-border regulatory environment that is high quality then the United States should commit to the highest standards and find those who are like-minded,” he said. Meanwhile, Quintenz worried firms could exploit timing gaps between different countries’ rules implementation for financial gain, calling it “regulatory arbitrage.” “Someone does have to go first but I don’t believe that’s the full analysis,” he said. “I believe the full analysis is: after you go first how long will it be until all the jurisdictions move and what is the size of the regulatory arbitrage you’re creating? And once other jurisdictions move  will there be regulatory arbitrage going forward?” Republican Senator Thom Tillis said that in the current situation “it’s almost like we’re being penalized for good behavior.” “We’re on time. Some of the other key players are not...Our banking industry is suffering as we move forward with regulations that make us globally make us un-competitive,” he said. Separately, at a speech on Thursday, CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad said he had been assured by European counterparts that their delay in implementing their swaps margin rule would be short and he hoped it would be in place by March 1. He added the CFTC will explore actions it could take if the delay stretches on longer.

Summary: वैश्विक स्तर पर व्युत्पन्न नियमों को संरेखित करना यू. एस. पुष्टिकरण सुनवाई पर हावी है


BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer faces a split in his coalition that is likely to derail his plans to put Brazil s financial house in order after a majority of Congressmen from his main ally party voted to put him on trial on graft allegations.  The lower house of Congress voted 251-233 on Wednesday to shelve the corruption case against Temer, ensuring his survival in office. But the president s reform agenda appears in tatters, with little chance of passing an effective overhaul of the costly social security pension system after most Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) lawmakers opted for him to go on trial. In the biggest revolt yet against his 13-month-old government, 23 Congressmen for the PSDB voted to have him stand trial before the Supreme Court, with only 20 supporting the president.  With his coalition in disarray, Temer cannot muster sufficient votes to pass a pension reform that is the cornerstone of his efforts to plug a budget deficit that has scared off investors. Temer celebrated his Wednesday victory by proclaiming that  the truth had won out  and said his government would return to its task of recovering Brazil from its worst ever recession.  His chief of staff Eliseu Padilha said pension reform talks would resume within days. However, Temer did not even win a simple majority on Wednesday night in the 513-seat lower house.  That simple majority is needed to pass any new laws, and was far from the 308-vote super majority required for a constitutional amendment such as the pension reform bill.  I don t see it being approved, or even debated,  Fabio Sousa, a first-term PSDB lawmaker, said of the pension reform.  His government is fragile and there are general elections next year.  Sousa believes there were grounds to put Temer on trial for graft and he wants to see his party break with the government and withdraw its four ministers from the cabinet. Many in the PSDB, while backing economic reforms like those Temer has proposed, think they need to come from a more legitimate government. Temer s popularity has sunk below that of impeached leftist Dilma Rousseff who he helped oust last year. Brazil s stocks, foreign currency and other financial markets reacted calmly to Wednesday s vote, with ups and downs far below 1 percent, a sign that Temer s survival by a narrow margin was well priced in.  Everyone knows Temer is a lame duck now, and nobody believes in social security reform anymore,  said Fabio Knijnik,  managing director for Sao Paulo-based wealth fund K2 Capital. He said that if even the smallest pension reform passes, it would be a big surprise and plus for investors.  Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles told journalists the government would insist with its current proposal of a minimum retirement age and stricter rules for pension benefits. The pension bill would make Brazilians retire later in order to stave off a financial collapse of the social security system. Many lawmakers, including those who voted to spare Temer from a criminal trial, are reluctant to vote for an unpopular bill with elections approaching in 2018.  It is clear that a broad pension reform will not be approved in Congress by the Temer administration. But some changes are possible,  political analysts at Brasilia-based consultancy Arko Advice wrote in a report this week.

Summary: टेमर के सत्तारूढ़ गठबंधन में विभाजन से सुधार का एजेंडा बर्बाद होने की संभावना


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional committee is planning to ask the Air Force to assess the cost and feasibility of restarting production of Lockheed Martin Corp’s F-22 fighter jet in the face of greater security threats around the world. The radar-evading jets formally entered service in December 2005, but then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled the program in 2009 amid efforts to control Pentagon spending and orient the department toward the wars it was then fighting. Only 187 of the stealthy, high-tech jet fighters were produced, about a quarter of the 749 originally planned. The last was delivered to the Air Force in 2012. In its portion of the National Defense Authorization Act, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces has included a provision directing the Air Force secretary to carry out a comprehensive study of the cost of resuming production of the F-22. Congressman Mike Turner, chairman of the subcommittee, said restarting production should be considered because of threats to U.S. air superiority. “As a result of our adversaries closing the technology gap, and increasing demand from allies and partners for high-performance, multi-role aircraft to meet evolving and worsening global security threats, the committee believes that the prospect of restarting the F-22 production line is worthy of further exploration,” Turner said in a statement on Wednesday. The committee is asking for the report by Jan. 1, 2017. Consideration of the NDAA, the annual defense policy bill, is still in its early stages. The defense bill must be approved by the House Armed Services Committee, the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate before going to the president for his signature. Gates’ decision to halt the F-22 fighter jet sparked criticism from some lawmakers, but was ultimately upheld by Congress. Lawmakers argued that Air Force studies have shown the military needs more of the high-end fighters to be ready for conflicts with other major powers. The last four F-22 aircraft produced cost about $150 million each. In August, the United States said it would deploy F-22 fighter jets to Europe as a part of a broader effort to support eastern European members of the NATO alliance that have been unnerved by Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. The Air Force has also been using the aircraft to carry out attacks against Islamic State.

Summary: सांसद वायु सेना से एफ-22 के उत्पादन को फिर से शुरू करने के लिए कह सकते हैं


(Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly signed a memorandum on Thursday rescinding an Obama-era plan to spare some illegal immigrant parents of children who are lawful permanent residents from being deported, the department said in a statement. The program, which was announced by President Barack Obama in 2014, never took effect because it was blocked in federal court.  Obama had hoped that overhauling the U.S. immigration system and resolving the fate of the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally would be part of his presidential legacy.    However, President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration. The plan unveiled by Obama intended to let roughly 4 million people - those who have lived illegally in the United States at least since 2010, have no criminal record and have children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents - get into a program that shields them from deportation and supplies work permits. However, it was quickly challenged in court by Republican-governed Texas and 25 other states that argued Obama had overstepped the powers granted to him by the U.S. Constitution by infringing upon the authority of Congress.  A federal appeals court blocked the program, and the U.S. Supreme Court let that ruling stand in a 4-4 split decision last year. Kelly said in a statement on Thursday he was rescinding the initiative, known as DAPA, because “there is no credible path forward to litigate the currently enjoined policy.” An earlier program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), offers some 750,000 immigrants brought to the country illegally as children the chance to attend school and to work.  Trump has previously said his administration was devising a policy on how to deal with individuals covered by DACA, but no formal changes have been announced. “They shouldn’t be very worried,” Trump said of DACA recipients in a January ABC News interview. “I do have a big heart.”

Summary: अमेरिका ने कुछ अनिर्दिष्ट माता-पिता के लिए ओबामा की योजना को रद्द किया


LONDON (Reuters) - There is absolutely no doubt that a deal between Western powers and Iran to curb its nuclear program will survive despite the U.S. decision not to recertify the deal, Britain s foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. Johnson was giving a speech on foreign affairs in London. U.S. President Donald Trump broke ranks with other major powers earlier this month by refusing to formally certify that Tehran is complying with the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), even though international inspectors say it is. The U.S. Congress now has 60 days since Trump s action to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the pact. U.S. Disarmament Ambassador Robert Wood said on Monday Washington would  continue to meet its commitments under the JCPOA and will hold Iran strictly accountable for each and every one of its commitments as well.  Wood was speaking at a United Nations meeting in New York.

Summary: ब्रिटेन निश्चित ईरान परमाणु समझौते को संरक्षित करेगा, अमेरिका ने कहा कि वह प्रतिबद्ध है


ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police said on Thursday they had rescued thousands of artefacts dating back to Anatolian, Greek and Egyptian civilizations in the largest operation to combat smuggling of ancient treasures in the country s history. Among the items recovered were a golden queen s crown with an inscription of the Hellenistic god, Helios, a bust dedicated to Alexander the Great s conquest of India and a statue of a goddess dating back to the Hittite era 3,000 years ago. The 26,456 objects recovered also included Egyptian-origin statues and Phoenician-type teardrop vials.  The retrieved artefacts are... more valuable than the artefacts in the inventory of an average size museum,  Istanbul police said in a statement. For three months the investigation, dubbed  Operation Zeus , tracked the smuggling ring, which aimed to take the artefacts abroad and sell them to museums and collectors for millions of dollars, it said.  Six people involved in the ring were detained on Dec. 12 in Turkey s northwestern province of Duzce as they attempted to sell off some of their haul. Seven more were detained in four different provinces.

Summary: तुर्की ने प्राचीन मूर्तियों और सिक्कों की अब तक की सबसे बड़ी खेप जब्त की


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s eldest son, son-in-law and former election campaign manager met with a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin soon after Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination last year, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan on June 9, 2016, was the first confirmed private meeting between members of the president’s inner circle and a Russian national, the newspaper reported, citing confidential government records and interviews with people familiar with the documents. Donald Trump Jr. confirmed the get-together in a statement, describing it as “a short introductory meeting” that focused mainly on the issue of child adoption. He said he also asked Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort to take part in the meeting. A lawyer for Kushner said Trump’s son-in-law “briefly attended” the meeting. A federal special counsel and several congressional committees are investigating possible contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian representatives, as part of a larger probe into allegations that Moscow meddled in the 2016 presidential election. The Times article appeared a day after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the allegations of election meddling during the summit of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies in Hamburg, Germany.  Donald Trump Jr. said the meeting was held primarily to  discuss a popular program to help Americans adopt Russian children, which the Russian government had ended. “But it was not a campaign issue at that time and there was no follow up,” he said in the statement. “I was asked to attend the meeting by an acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting with beforehand.” Kushner attorney Jamie Gorelick said Trump’s son-in-law “briefly attended” the meeting, adding that Kushner had over 100 calls or meetings with representatives from more than 20 countries during the campaign and post-election transition.   “As Mr. Kushner has consistently stated, he is eager to cooperate and share what he knows,” Gorelick said in a statement. A spokesman for Manafort did not respond to a Reuters query.  The Times said the Russian lawyer at the meeting, Natalia Veselnitskaya, is known for campaigning against a U.S. law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers. The law enraged Putin, who retaliated by halting American adoptions of Russian children, the newspaper reported.  The Times said the adoption issue is a frequently used talking point for opponents of the U.S. law.

Summary: ट्रम्प जूनियर, कुशनर ने रूसी वकील से मुलाकात कीः न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency collected more than 151 million records of Americans’ phone calls last year, even after Congress limited its ability to collect bulk phone records, according to an annual report issued on Tuesday by the top U.S. intelligence officer. The report from the office of Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats was the first measure of the effects of the 2015 USA Freedom Act, which limited the NSA to collecting phone records and contacts of people U.S. and allied intelligence agencies suspect may have ties to terrorism. It found that the NSA collected the 151 million records even though it had warrants from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court to spy on only 42 terrorism suspects in 2016, in addition to a handful identified the previous year.     The NSA has been gathering a vast quantity of telephone “metadata,” records of callers’ and recipients’ phone numbers and the times and durations of the calls - but not their content - since the September 11, 2001, attacks. The report came as Congress faced a decision on whether to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which permits the NSA to collect foreign intelligence information on non-U.S. persons outside the United States, and is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Privacy advocates have argued that Section 702 permits the NSA to spy on Internet and telephone communications of Americans without warrants from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, and that foreign intelligence could be used for domestic law enforcement purposes in a way that evades traditional legal requirements. The report said that on one occasion in 2016, the FBI obtained information about an American in response to a search of Section 702 data intended to produce evidence of a crime not related to foreign intelligence.  The report did not address how frequently the FBI obtained information about Americans while investigating a foreign intelligence matter, however. On Friday, the NSA said it had stopped a form of surveillance that allowed it to collect the digital communications of Americans who mentioned a foreign intelligence target in their messages without a warrant.     The new report also came amid allegations, recently repeated by U.S. President Donald Trump, that former President Barack Obama ordered warrantless surveillance of his communications and that former national security adviser Susan Rice asked the NSA to unmask the names of U.S. persons caught in the surveillance. Both Republican and Democratic members of the congressional intelligence committees have said that so far they have found no evidence to support either allegation. Officials on Tuesday argued that the 151 million records collected last year were tiny compared with the number collected under procedures that were stopped after former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the surveillance program in 2013. Because the 151 million would include multiple calls made to or from the same phone numbers, the number of people whose records were collected also would be much smaller, the officials said. They said they had no breakdown of how many individuals’ phone records were among those collected.  In all, according to the report, U.S. officials unmasked the names of fewer Americans in NSA eavesdropping reports in 2016 than they did the previous year, the top U.S. intelligence officer reported on Tuesday. The report said the names of 1,934 “U.S. persons” were “unmasked” last year in response to specific requests, compared with 2,232 in 2015, but it did not identify who requested the names or on what grounds. Officials said in the report that U.S. intelligence agencies had gone out of their way to make public more information about U.S. electronic eavesdropping. “This year’s report continues our trajectory toward greater transparency, providing additional statistics beyond what is required by law,” said Office of the Director of National Intelligence spokesman Timothy Barrett.

Summary: कानून में बदलाव के बावजूद एनएसए ने अमेरिकियों के फोन रिकॉर्ड एकत्र किएः रिपोर्ट


LONDON (Reuters) - World leaders offered to work with Donald Trump when he takes over as U.S. president, but expressed anxiety over how he will handle problems from the Middle East to an assertive Russia and whether he will carry out a number of campaign threats. Several authoritarian and right-wing leaders hailed the billionaire businessman and former TV show host, who won the leadership of the world’s most powerful country against the odds in Tuesday’s election. China, a target of Trump’s ire during his campaign, appealed for cooperation. Mexico also struck a conciliatory tone, despite Trump’s insults to Mexican migrants and pledges to build a wall to separate the two countries. South Korea urged him not to change policy on North Korea’s nuclear tests. Trump, who has no previous political or military experience, said after defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton that he would seek common ground, not conflict, with the United States’ allies. In the election campaign, he voiced admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioned central tenets of the NATO military alliance and suggested Japan and South Korea should develop nuclear weapons to shoulder their own defense burden. Putin was among the first to send Trump congratulations. Ties between Washington and Moscow have become strained over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and allegations of Russian cyber attacks featured in the election campaign. “It is not an easy path, but we are ready to do our part and do everything to return Russian and American relations to a stable path of development,” said Putin, for whom an easing of U.S. economic sanctions would be a prize. Among other issues causing concern among allies are Trump’s vows to undo a global agreement on climate change, ditch trade deals he says have been bad for U.S. workers, and renegotiate the nuclear accord between Tehran and world powers which has led to an easing of sanctions on Iran. Iran urged Trump to stay committed to the Iran deal. President Hassan Rouhani said the nuclear accord with six world powers could not be dismissed by one government. German Chancellor Angela Merkel — denounced by Trump as “insane” for allowing more than 1 million migrants into the country last year — added a stern note in her message of congratulations which hinted at a certain unease. “Germany and America are bound together by values - democracy, freedom, respecting the rule of law, people’s dignity regardless of their origin, the color of their skin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views,” Merkel said. “On the basis of these values, I am offering to work closely with the future President of the United States Donald Trump.” In Britain, where Trump’s victory had echoes of June’s referendum in which voters showed dissatisfaction with the political establishment by voting to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May said the “enduring and special relationship” between the two countries would remain intact. But Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who has often expressed distaste for Trump, said many people in the United States and across the world would feel “a real sense of anxiety.” Nigel Farage, a leader of the Brexit campaign who spoke at a Trump rally during the election campaign, tweeted: “I hand over the mantle to @RealDonaldTrump! Many congratulations. You have fought a brave campaign.” Some European officials however took the unusual step of openly denouncing the outcome, calling it a worrying signal for liberal democracy and tolerance in the world. “We’re realizing now that we have no idea what this American president will do,” Norbert Roettgen, the head of the German parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said. President Francois Hollande said France wanted to begin talks with Trump immediately to clarify his stance on  international affairs. “This American election opens a period of uncertainty,” Hollande said. French officials had endorsed Clinton and warned that Trump’s “confused” foreign policy objectives were alarming for the rest of the world. “The U.S. is a vital partner for France and what’s at stake is peace, the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East, economic relations and the preservation of the planet,” Hollande said. But like-minded right-wing European parties that are hoping to make inroads of their own in 2017 — a year in which Germany, France and the Netherlands hold elections, and Italy and Britain could also do so — hailed Trump’s victory.  France’s far-right National Front leader, Marine Le Pen, said she hoped the same kind of upset would happen in France. “The Americans gave themselves a president of their choosing and not the one that the establishment wanted them to rubber-stamp,” she said.  Mexican President Pena Nieto, who was criticized for receiving Trump in Mexico during the campaign, said he was ready to work with the president-elect. “Mexico and the United States are friends, partners and allies and we should keep collaborating for the competitiveness and development of North America,” Pena Nieto said. Trump has said he could tear up the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying that it has killed U.S. jobs, and he called Mexican immigrants rapists during his campaign. Sounding conciliatory, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing and Washington shared responsibility for promoting global development and prosperity. “I place great importance on the China-U.S. relationship, and look forward to working with you to uphold the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation,” Xi told Trump, who had pledged to take on China and to tax Chinese imports to stop currency devaluation. South Korea expressed the hope that Trump would maintain current U.S. policy of pressuring North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests. Seoul was concerned Trump may make unpredictable proposals to North Korea, a ruling party official said, quoting top national security officials. A Japanese government official, speaking before Trump clinched the election, urged him to send a message as soon as possible to reassure the world of the United States’ commitment to its allies. “We are certainly concerned about the comments (Trump) has made to date about the alliance and the U.S. role in the Pacific, particularly Japan,” the Japanese official said.  In the Middle East, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, who had a poor relationship with President Barack Obama, said he hoped to reach “new heights” in bilateral ties under Trump. Obama and Netanyahu sparred over the issue of Israeli  settlements, while Trump has said they should expand. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also congratulated Trump, but analysts said his rule may be profoundly negative for Palestinian aspirations. And despite Trump’s negative rhetoric about Muslims during his campaign, including threats to ban them from the United States, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he hoped the business magnate’s election would breathe new life into U.S.-Egyptian ties.

Summary: चिंतित विश्व नेताओं ने ट्रम्प की नीतियों पर स्पष्टता मांगी


PHOENIX (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump expressed cautious optimism on Tuesday about a possible improvement in relations with North Korea after months of mounting tension over its weapons programs. “I respect the fact that he is starting to respect us,” Trump said of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “And maybe - probably not, but maybe - something positive can come about,” he said at a campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

Summary: उत्तर कोरिया के साथ संबंधों को लेकर ट्रंप ने जताई उम्मीद


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will deliver a statement at 12:15 ET on Tuesday on the economy following Monday’s Treasury Department announcement on corporate tax inversions, the White House said. The U.S. Treasury Department took new steps to curb tax-avoiding corporate “inversions” late on Monday that threw a series of proposed mergers into question, including Pfizer Inc’s $160 billion agreement to buy Allergan Plc.

Summary: व्युत्क्रम के कदम के बाद ओबामा मंगलवार को अर्थव्यवस्था पर बयान देंगे


DES MOINES (Reuters) - With Iowa kicking off the 2016 election season in one week, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton tried to erase doubts about her judgment raised by rival Bernie Sanders on Monday while digging deep into her years of governing experience. At a CNN town hall meeting, Sanders argued that his own judgment, not Clinton’s experience, is the most crucial quality for the next commander-in-chief. Clinton, in response, evoked President Barack Obama, saying when he selected her to be secretary of state he gave approval to her judgment. “You have to have somebody who is a proven, proven fighter,” Clinton said.  Anxious to put down a threat from the democratic socialist, Clinton faced the challenge of convincing Democratic voters not to be swayed by Sanders’ populist rhetoric and to stick with her despite a clamor for candidates outside the political establishment. The town hall at Drake University lacked the feel of a normal debate. It featured separate appearances by Sanders, former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and Clinton and all three took audience questions at the event.  Clinton was more animated than usual, raising her voice to make points, and Sanders made the audience laugh with some jokes. The overall tone was polite, in contrast to a more rancorous fourth debate between the three last week.  Sanders cited Clinton’s 2002 Senate vote to authorize the Iraq war and her prior support for the Canada-to-Texas Keystone Pipeline as evidence that her experience is misguided. Clinton has shifted her position on both issues, while Sanders opposed both from the start. “Experience is important but judgment is also important,” he said. Sanders also defended his call for raising taxes to fund a “Medicare-for-all” program, U.S. infrastructure and tuition-free college education. “We will raise taxes. Yes, we will,” said Sanders, a Vermont senator. But he said the money would actually save money for families because they would no longer pay health insurance premiums. Clinton has been making the case that her time as secretary of state and a senator from New York, make her more experienced. But on the town hall stage on Monday, she pushed back at Sanders’ judgment argument by evoking Obama, who remains popular with Democratic voters and was critical of her Iraq War vote when the two competed in 2008.  “[Obama] ended up asking me to be secretary of state,” Clinton said. “It was because he trusted my judgment and we worked side by side over those four years.”  Clinton, who lost the Democratic primary to Obama in 2008, was for months the clear front-runner to be the party’s nominee this time around, but opinion polls have showed a surge of support for Sanders in recent weeks. She argues that while Sanders’ goals on issues such as social inequality are laudable, some are unobtainable and he lacks the experience to tackle a wide range of issues. “When you’re in the White House you cannot pick the issues you want to work on, you’ve got to be ready to take on every issue that comes your way, including those you cannot predict,” Clinton told the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines on Monday.  Clinton also went to great lengths at the town hall to criticize Republican front-runner Donald Trump, particularly for insulting minorities. “He started with Mexicans, he’s now with Muslims,” she said. Clinton got some much-needed praise from President Obama in a Politico interview published on Monday, exactly a week before Iowans hold the nation’s first nominating contest for the November 8 election. While never explicitly criticizing Sanders, whose campaign is focused on pledges to redress social inequality and contain Wall Street excesses, Obama praised Clinton’s experience and suggested several times that Clinton’s messages are grounded in realism. “(S)he’s extraordinarily experienced — and, you know, wicked smart and knows every policy inside and out — (and) sometimes (that) could make her more cautious, and her campaign more prose than poetry,” Obama said.  (Editing by Mary Milliken) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency.

Summary: अनुभव बनाम निर्णयः क्लिंटन, सैंडर्स ने आयोवा के महत्वपूर्ण वोट के लिए प्रतिस्पर्धा की


PARIS (Reuters) - Britain s Oxford University said one of its professors, the prominent Swiss Muslim intellectual Tariq Ramadan, had taken a leave of absence after two women filed complaints against him in France alleging rape.  The University has consistently acknowledged the gravity of the allegations against Professor Ramadan, while emphasising the importance of fairness and the principles of justice and due process,  Oxford University said in a statement.  An agreed leave of absence implies no presumption or acceptance of guilt and allows Professor Ramadan to address the extremely serious allegations made against him, all of which he categorically denies,  it added.  The Geneva-born academic, the grandson of Hasan al-Banna, an Islamist thinker and activist who founded the Muslim Brotherhood, has denied allegations made by the two women, including author Henda Ayari, who said he raped her at a Muslim convention in 2012.  The Paris prosecutor last month opened a preliminary probe over the accusations following Ayari s complaint. Ramadan filed a complaint for slander against her.  On Tuesday Ramadan published on his Facebook page, in French, the same statement as Oxford University, adding that he welcomed the university s handling of the situation.  Separately, prosecutors on Monday opened an investigation into death threats on Twitter against satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo for a front page cover it published over the rape accusations targetting Ramadan. Twelve people were killed at the magazine s headquarters in January 2015, the first of a wave of militant attacks that has left more than 240 dead over the past two and a half years.

Summary: बलात्कार के आरोपों के बाद ऑक्सफोर्ड के इस्लामी शिक्षाविद ने ली छुट्टी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said on Sunday that in applying the provisions of President Donald Trump’s executive order on refugees and immigration, he deemed the entry of lawful permanent residents “in the national interest.” Trump defended his move to ban entry of refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority nations and said on Sunday the United States would resume issuing visas for all countries in the next 90 days as he faced rising criticism at home and abroad and new protests in U.S. cities.

Summary: अमेरिकी मातृभूमि सुरक्षा प्रमुखः 'राष्ट्रीय हित' में वैध स्थायी निवासियों का प्रवेश


(Reuters) - Minnesota’s Democratic Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith was appointed as U.S. senator on Wednesday to replace Al Franken, who resigned after being accused of sexual harassment. Smith, 59, will serve a one-year term concluding in January 2019, Governor Mark Dayton said at a news conference, and will run in a special election for the seat in November next year. Dayton said he listened to the views of many Minnesotans before deciding on Smith. “There is no one I trust more to assume the responsibilities of this important office,” Dayton said. “I know that she will be a superb senator, representing the best interests of our state and our citizens.” Smith told reporters at the news conference that she will be a fierce advocate on behalf of the state, pushing for economic opportunity and fairness. “This is a difficult moment for us but even now I am now filled with optimism,” she said. “Though I never anticipated this moment, I am resolved to do everything I can to move Minnesota forward.”  Smith became lieutenant governor in January 2014. She previously worked as Dayton’s chief of staff and held positions at General Mills and Planned Parenthood. Last week Franken, 66, also a Democrat, announced his resignation from the seat he has held since 2009. The former comedian has denied some of the allegations against him and questioned others. Reuters has not independently verified the accusations against him. During Wednesday’s news conference, Smith thanked Franken for his service and called him a “champion” for the state. She said she respected his decision to resign. “Sexual harassment is disrespectful to people and can’t be tolerated,” Smith said. “I can promise you that I’ll be working on these issues when I get to Washington, D.C.” Smith will be an excellent senator, Franken said. “Her record of accomplishment as Lieutenant Governor demonstrates that she’ll be an effective senator who knows how to work across party lines to get things done for Minnesota,” Franken said in a statement on Wednesday. Minnesota will soon have two women senators, as Smith will join fellow Democrat Amy Klobuchar, 57, who in 2006 became the state’s first female elected senator and was re-elected in 2012. Minnesota’s first female senator, Muriel Humphrey, was appointed in 1978 to fill the seat of her husband, Hubert Humphrey, following his death. The Republican Party of Minnesota said Smith will be entering office with what it called the “political baggage” of the Dayton administration, as well as a “well-established track record of far-left policies.” “Minnesota Republicans look forward to electing a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 2018,” its chairwoman, Jennifer Carnahan, said in a statement.  The Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. Senate will not be affected by the move to replace Franken. Democrats will gain a seat to cut Republican’s majority in the 100-member Senate to 51 after Tuesday night’s victory by Doug Jones over Republican candidate Roy Moore in a special election in Alabama.

Summary: मिनेसोटा के लेफ्टिनेंट गवर्नर सीनेट में फ्रेंकन की जगह लेंगे


TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - The Organization of American States (OAS) said on Wednesday it may call for new Honduran elections if any  irregularities  undermine the credibility of results in last month s disputed vote that has sparked a crisis in the Central American nation. In a statement, the OAS also called for an immediate return of constitutional rights such as freedom of movement. The Honduran government imposed a curfew last week when protests erupted over the vote count in the Nov. 26 presidential election, which has been tarnished by allegations of electoral fraud. The statement, released by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, said the election result was not yet certain, and measures including a partial recount should be undertaken to clarify the outcome and restore credibility.  It is clear that it is not possible, without an exhaustive and meticulous process of verification that determines the existence or not of an electoral fraud ... to restore the confidence of the population,  the statement said.  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. Nasralla on Wednesday evening called for an international arbiter to oversee the recount, saying he no longer recognized the Honduran tribunal because of its role in the process.  If we hadn t had international participation, we would truly be in the law of the jungle,  he said. David Matamoros, head of the country s electoral tribunal, told reporters that the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship, which Nasralla fronts, must still deliver its voting tally sheets and documentation so the tribunal can review the election results. Then the tribunal will discuss the OAS recommendations and what can be done to implement them, Matamoros added. When asked about the possibility of a new election, Matamoros said if the complaints about the process are borne out,  the whole issue of the vote will need to be revalidated.  However, this would only be possible if the tribunal was in a position to review all the tally sheets, he added. Eight Latin American governments said in a joint statement on Wednesday they supported the tribunal s decision to hold a total recount of the disputed ballots, and urged Hondurans to remain calm while awaiting final results. Uruguay was added to a list of seven originally issued by Mexico s foreign ministry. Nasralla has demanded a recount and encouraged his supporters to protest, triggering demonstrations. At least 14 people - including two police - have died in the protests, according to a human rights group in Honduras known as COFADEH. Hernandez s center-right National Party said it would hold a march in Tegucigalpa on Thursday to show solidarity with the president, pledging a turnout in the thousands. The U.S. State Department on Wednesday advised U.S. citizens to delay or cancel unnecessary travel to mainland Honduras  due to ongoing political protests and the potential for violence.  The election results also show Hernandez s National Party winning the most seats in Congress. But third-placed presidential candidate Luis Zelaya, of the Liberal Party, said on Wednesday that irregularities in the vote had polluted the results for legislators as well as the presidency, and reiterated that Nasralla had won the top job. He did not specify what the alleged irregularities were but said his party would share its copies of ballot sheets, including those disputed by the opposition, with the OAS.  On Tuesday, Nasralla said the electoral tribunal should review virtually all the ballots. If the tribunal was unwilling to do that, he proposed a run-off between himself and Hernandez, something not allowed for under Honduran law.  Hernandez, who as president has won praise from the United States for his crackdown on violent street gangs, has not claimed victory in broadcast comments in recent days and indicated on Wednesday that his party would support a recount.

Summary: ओएएस 'अनियमितताओं' को ठीक करने के लिए होंडुरास के नए चुनाव का अनुरोध कर सकता है


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium has received proposals from Britain and the United States to replace its ageing fleet of fighter jets, while a French proposal that was not part of the tender process will be looked at separately, Belgium s defense minister said. Belgium invited government-led proposals in March for the replacement of its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-16 planes with 34 new fighters, in a deal that could be worth more than 3.5 billion euros ($4.2 billion). Last month, France proposed a wide-ranging military deal with Belgium instead of responding to the tender. The deal goes beyond the terms of the tender whilst including the sale of Rafale fighter jets. While the French offer would be discussed by the government, it could open Belgium to criticism that it was not treating candidates equally, Vandeput said.  To be very clear, the French offer is not part of the contest,  minister Steven Vandeput told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday. Offers from the U.S. for Lockheed F-35 Lightning II planes and British offers for the Eurofighter Typhoon did meet the tender rules, the minister added. A spokeswoman for the defense ministry said the French proposal was being checked by its legal services and forwarded to the government which would decide at a later stage whether or not to respond.     The Rafales are made by France s Dassault Aviation which declined to comment on Thursday. Boeing pulled out of the race last spring. The French government said that its proposal was in line with Belgium s request.  We have made an extended proposal which is legally relevant and we are waiting for a proposal by the Belgian government,  a spokeswoman for the French defense ministry said. Belgium will make a decision on which jet fighter to pick next year. The 34 jets are to be delivered from 2023, at a rate of 4-5 aircraft a year.

Summary: बेल्जियम की नजर ब्रिटिश, अमेरिकी विमानों पर; फ्रांसीसी प्रस्ताव कानूनी जांच के दायरे में


WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A battle between the White House and Democrats over warring appointments to head up the top U.S. regulator for consumer finance is likely headed for the courts, opening any interim actions by the agency to legal challenges, lawyers said on Saturday. Richard Cordray, a Democrat, stepped down on Friday as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was created after the financial crisis to protect consumers from abusive lending practices, and he named staffer Leandra English as acting director. A few hours later, President Donald Trump named someone else to lead the agency: Mick Mulvaney, the White House budget director and one of the CFPB’s fiercest critics.  The CFPB, the brainchild of Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat and a liberal firebrand, has long been in the crosshairs of Republicans, who say it has had too much unchecked power. On Saturday, Trump tweeted that the CFPB - which has imposed steep penalties on banks, auto dealers, student lenders and credit card companies for predatory lending practices - had “devastated” financial institutions.  Democrats and Republicans agree that Trump may nominate a permanent CFPB chief, but they disagree over who may lead the agency in the interim, a dispute which could drag on for months until the Senate confirms a permanent Trump appointment. The dispute is over which federal law prevails in naming an interim director. According to Democrats, the relevant law is the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law that created the CFPB, which stipulates that the agency’s deputy director is to take over in the short term.  Cordray, in announcing his resignation on Friday, said he had named English as deputy director and that she would become the acting director. But administration officials say the 1998 Federal Vacancies Reform Act gives the president the power to temporarily fill agency positions, except for those with multi-member boards - an exemption they said did not apply to the CFPB. On Saturday evening, the Justice Department said in a memo that the White House was right to name a new CFPB director. The Dodd-Frank language about changing CFPB directors is “unusual” but the White House may name an interim chief, according to the memo. Such advice from the Justice Department is open to legal challenge. Alan Kaplinsky, head of the Consumer Financial Services Group for law firm Ballard Spahr LLP, said the issue will likely have to be decided in the courts. In the meantime, he said, “This enormous cloud of uncertainty” will hang over the CFPB. Kaplinsky said he believes that Dodd-Frank provides for the deputy director to take charge during the short-term, but Congress did not explicitly list the resignation of the director as a situation where the deputy would step up. “I think Trump wins, but unfortunately it is going to take a while,” Kaplinsky said. Quyen Truong, a partner at law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan who was the assistant director and deputy general counsel for the CFPB until early 2016, said the industry should expect CFPB staff to continue their work, but that the “agency’s actions during this period almost certainly will be subject to legal challenge.” Despite the legal uncertainty, Mulvaney is expected to “show up Monday and he will go into the office and start working,” a senior administration official said on Saturday. White House officials said English was also expected to turn up on Monday and serve as Mulvaney’s deputy. English could not be reached for comment.  Cordray is the only person to have led the young agency, making this the first time that succession of the director has been tested. Administration officials said the appointment of Mulvaney was “routine” and that the White House had sought guidance from the Justice Department before Friday’s announcement.  “This needs to be decided in the courts,” Warren said in a tweet on Saturday.  Industry critics said the succession battle underlined that the agency lacks proper Congressional oversight.  “The CFPB’s current governing structure is a dictatorship, period,” Richard Hunt, head of the Consumer Bankers Association, a trade group for retail banking, said in a statement. Democrats and consumer advocates said it was unfair and inappropriate to put Mulvaney - who once described the CFPB as a “joke” - in charge. Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee, said Mulvaney would have too much power, as the CFPB director also sits on the boards of two other financial regulatory agencies. “The White House would have an alarming degree of direct control over financial regulation, supervision, and enforcement,” Waters said in a statement.

Summary: अमेरिकी वित्तीय एजेंसी में उत्तराधिकार की लड़ाई अदालतों में देखी गई