WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Muslims across the United States feared they were being targeted for surveillance this week when they received automated polling calls asking them to press one if they identified as Muslim or two if they did not. Many worried President-elect Donald Trump was making good on his campaign promise to register all Muslims in the country or private citizens were laying the groundwork for a registry. The calls were in fact sent out as part of a survey by Emerge USA, a non-profit organization seeking to empower Muslim-Americans. The group created an algorithm to call Muslims for a poll on their views and experiences after the Nov. 8 national election, Sarah Cochran, director of its Virginia chapter, said on Wednesday. Cochran said she had to reassure some call recipients that Emerge USA was conducting the poll, and an anti-Islam group was not using the organization’s name as a disguise.  “All of our work is affected, where we can’t get people to participate because they’re afraid,” said Cochran. Since Trump’s stunning election win, Muslims living in the United States have been on edge. One of his supporters has cited camps where Japanese-Americans were interned during World War Two as a precedent for a registry. Trump’s choice for national security adviser, Michael Flynn, in a recent video described Islamism as a “vicious cancer inside the body of 1.7 billion people on this planet and it has to be excised.” On Tuesday, the Council of American-Islamic Relations posted on Twitter and Facebook asking about reports American Muslims were receiving robocalls on how they “identify.” Meanwhile, others posted to their own social media accounts with questions about the calls. One call recipient posted on Facebook “Not sure if this is a scam or this is real but I have surely reported and urge you to report as well if you get the same phone call. Welcome to the new world!” (Fixes typo in seventh paragraph.)

Summary: अमेरिकी मुसलमानों को मतदान के लिए कॉल करने से निगरानी की आशंका बढ़ जाती है


ATHENS/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayip Erdogan will make a historic visit to Greece this week, a sign that relations between the two countries are improving, although a long list of grievances remains on both sides. Erdogan visited Greece as prime minister, in 2004 and 2010, but he will be the first Turkish head of state to visit Athens since Celal Bayar in 1952. He is also scheduled to visit Thrace in northern Greece, home to a large Muslim community. Greece and Turkey came to the brink of war as recently as 1996, but tensions have eased since. The two now cooperate in a deal brokered between Ankara and the European Union on stemming mass migration to Europe through Greece.  Turkey s ties with some other European Union governments are strained, however, so Erdogan s visit on Dec. 7-8 will be important for Athens. It will help to ensure that communication continues over the migrant crisis and other bilateral issues.  Issues that concern the two countries will be on the agenda of talks - tensions in the Aegean Sea, the refugee crisis, economic relations with a focus on energy, trade and transport,  Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said.  What we anticipate is a substantive upgrade of our relationship with Turkey ... We expect very constructive talks.  In Turkey, a government official said:  This will be a visit from which we expect solution to problems. I think Erdogan and (Greek Prime Minister Alexis) Tsipras will show a common will for the solution of some of the problems.  At odds over everything from uninhabited islets, airspace and the boundaries of Greece s continental shelf to the ethnically divided island of Cyprus, differences between the two countries have outlived the Cold War.  None of those issues has ever been resolved. The fallout of a failed coup attempt against Erdogan in 2016 has also tested their relations; while the coup unfolded, eight Turkish commandos flew into Greece to evade capture. The Turkish government regards them as coup plotters and wants Athens to hand them over. Greek courts have blocked their extradition. The senior Turkish official said terror groups were crossing into Greece from Turkey.  The prevention of this is critical for Turkey,  the official said.  Erdogan will ask for the extradition of these people, starting with the ones that fled there with a helicopter following the coup attempt.  Greek police last week arrested nine suspected members of DHKP-C, a militant Marxist group which has claimed responsibility for attacks in Turkey since 1990, including suicide bombings. TIP-TOE AROUND CYPRUS Thursday s visit takes place months after Cyprus peace talks broke down in July. The talks are led by the two Cypriot communities, but Greece and Turkey need to agree to future security arrangements for the island.  When the talks broke up there was a lot of ill feeling, so I was a bit surprised to hear about this visit. Positively surprised,  said James Ker-Lindsay, professor of politics and policy at St. Mary s University in London.  Cyprus remains divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities living on either side of a U.N.-monitored ceasefire line. It s unclear whether peace talks between them will resume. Greek Cypriot presidential elections are scheduled for January 2018, and nothing will happen before then.  I think that in terms of the symbolism of Erdogan in Athens, its a good sign. Whether we are going to get anything out of it, I m not sure. I don t want to overplay it too much,  Ker-Lindsay told Reuters.

Summary: ग्रीस, तुर्की एर्दोगन की यात्रा के साथ घनिष्ठ संबंध चाहते हैं, लेकिन कोई त्वरित सुधार नहीं


BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China s parliament on Wednesday said part of a high-speed railway station being built in Hong Kong would be regarded as mainland territory governed by mainland laws, an unprecedented move that critics say further erodes the city s autonomy. Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, when it was granted a high degree of autonomy under a  one country, two systems  arrangement, giving it a separate police force, immigration controls, an independent judiciary and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China. China s largely rubber stamp parliament, the National People s Congress, voted to allow Chinese immigration checks and the enforcement of mainland Chinese laws within part of the station, so that after boarding the train in Hong Kong passengers would not need to get off the train for immigration checks at the Hong Kong-mainland border.  It is appropriate ... that the Mainland Port Area within the West Kowloon station would be regarded as belonging to mainland China,  according to the legislative document released by parliament on the decision.  Critics say the  co-location  arrangement, also known as  one land, two checks  in Chinese, sets a dangerous precedent as it violates the city s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, in which article 18 explicitly states national laws, with a few exceptions, do not apply in Hong Kong. But the document passed by parliament says since mainland officials  operations will be strictly confined to specific areas in the station, it is  different  from the article which governs the whole of Hong Kong.  Setting up a Mainland Port Area inside the West Kowloon station does not change the administrative area of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, does not affect the HKSAR s right to a high degree of autonomy accorded by the law, does not reduce or harm (Hong Kong) residents  rights and freedoms accorded by the law,  the document added. Li Fei, deputy secretary-general of parliament s standing committee, told reporters the decision would not take away Hong Kong people s freedoms.  If Hong Kongers don t feel comfortable, they can use another entry port and not take the high-speed train,  Li said. At a cost of more than HK$84 billion ($11 billion), the Express Rail Link will link up with the rest of China s high-speed rail network and roughly halve the journey time between Hong Kong and the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou to 48 minutes.  It is expected to be operational in the autumn on 2018.  The Hong Kong government said it would seek to put draft laws to its legislature by early February to implement the plan, but the bill is expected to be voted through without strong resistance after a series of controversial court cases stripped the opposition pro-democracy camp of its veto power. The prospect of Beijing tightening its grip on the financial hub has already stoked social tensions and protests including the 2014  Occupy  street demonstrations that demanded, in vain, full democracy for the city of 7.3 million. The abductions of a Hong Kong-based bookseller in 2015 who later showed up across the border in Chinese custody also touched a raw nerve.   The former head of Hong Kong s legislature and pro-establishment heavyweight, Jasper Tsang, wrote in a column last week that the government should  admit frankly  the arrangement does not comply with the Basic Law. Opposition lawmaker and barrister Tanya Chan, who leads a group against the arrangement, said the issue represents the  most serious violation of the Basic Law  since the 1997 handover.  What we re seeing is the Central Government exercising overall jurisdiction over Hong Kong,  Chan said.  What we see today is the (NPC) Standing Committee ruling Hong Kong, zero degree of autonomy.  Constitutional law professor Albert Chen said he believed the arrangement was based on  reasonable arguments  and did not violate the Basic Law. But it remained  a grey area  whether Hong Kong courts could handle judicial reviews that directly challenge Beijing s decision, he said.  Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam welcomed the decision, but conceded that there had been  complex issues of applicability of mainland and Hong Kong laws  for the project as it had been first conceived around a decade ago. She added that these complexities could not have been foreseen back then.

Summary: चीन का कहना है कि हांगकांग रेल स्टेशन का हिस्सा मुख्य भूमि कानूनों के अधीन होगा


(Reuters) - A government watchdog group, Public Citizen, said on Wednesday it has asked lawmakers to investigate whether Carl Icahn violated lobbying disclosure laws, a complaint the billionaire investor denied and called a “witch hunt.” The group said Icahn may have been acting as a lobbyist when he advised President Donald Trump to overhaul the U.S. biofuels program. Icahn, an unpaid adviser to Trump on regulation, submitted a proposal to Trump last month to change the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard by shifting the burden of blending biofuels into gasoline away from oil refining companies, and further down the supply chain to marketers. Public Citizen said that, because Icahn owns a controlling stake in a refinery that could benefit from the proposed change, he may have been required by a 1995 lobbying disclosure law to disclose his discussions with Trump on the subject as lobbying. The group said it has made its request for a probe in a letter sent to Congress on Wednesday morning. “All of this has occurred with no record of any (Lobbying Disclosure Act) filings by or on behalf of Mr. Icahn,” Public Citizen said in a copy of the letter provided to Reuters. Icahn did not respond to Reuters requests for comment but described the complaint in an opinion piece on The Hill website as a “gross misstatement of the facts” and said he had vetted his activities with lawyers.  The RFS, signed into law by former President George W. Bush, requires oil companies to mix increasing levels of renewable fuels into gasoline and diesel each year - a requirement that many refiners say costs them millions of dollars. Oil companies can either blend biofuels or buy paper credits, known as Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN), from those that have. Icahn owns an 82-percent stake in refiner CVR Energy Inc (CVI.N), which along with other refining companies, has urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to shift the blending obligation away from them. “While we are not fighting the Renewable Fuel Standard, I have for months and will continue to speak out against the misguided way in which the EPA has been administering the RFS” with regards to the agency’s handling of a “corrupt” RIN market, Icahn said. Efforts to reach the White House were not immediately successful. “Carl Icahn is between an ethics rock and a lobbying hard place,” said Norman Eisen, co-founder of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington who served as the chief ethics lawyer for former President Barack Obama. “If he claims he is an informal advisor, then he is subject to lobbying rules.” Icahn has disclosed his role as a Trump adviser to the Securities and Exchange Commission, but he has not registered as a lobbyist. Several Democratic lawmakers have said they want more information about his role in the Trump administration.  Shares of CVR Energy jumped over 1 percent following Icahn’s response but pared gains and was unchanged at $21.40 by 3:47 p.m. EST  (2047 GMT). Share values have risen about 70 percent since the presidential election. Over that time, Icahn’s stake has gained over $600 million in value, according to Reuters data.  Last week, the head of a U.S. biofuels group said Icahn told him that Trump was readying an executive order to change the point of obligation for blending under the biofuels program, something both the White House and Icahn have denied. The White House has said it is reviewing Icahn’s proposal and has not yet taken a position.

Summary: वॉचडॉग ने अमेरिकी सांसदों पर ट्रम्प के साथ इकान की भूमिका की जांच करने के लिए दबाव डाला


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said on Friday it considers that Iran violates both the  letter and spirit  of the 2015 nuclear deal agreed between the Islamic Republic and world powers.  Two years have passed since Iran s nuclear agreement with no sign of change in its hostile behavior; it continues to develop its nuclear program and violates the letter and spirit of that agreement,  UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan told the U.N. General Assembly.  Therefore we support enhanced controls on Iran s nuclear program and continued assessment of the agreement and its provisions,  he said.

Summary: संयुक्त अरब अमीरात ने कहा कि ईरान ने परमाणु समझौते के 'अक्षर और भावना' का उल्लंघन किया है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on a visit to Washington, said on Wednesday that his discussions with people in the Trump administration persuaded him they were people of action who wanted to cut deals and solve problems. Speaking at a news conference in the Russian embassy in Washington, Lavrov said that his talks with U.S. officials had not covered the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over its role in the Ukraine conflict. He said the focus of his discussions had been on creating so-called de-escalation zones inside Syria. “Now our dialogue is free of the ideologization that was characteristic of the Obama administration,” Lavrov said. “The Trump administration, and the president himself, and the Secretary of State, I was persuaded of this once again today, are people of action.” Lavrov said the administration officials “want to reach agreements not for the sake of showing off their achievements in terms of ideological preferences, but to reach agreements into order to resolve specific issues.”

Summary: रूस के विदेश मंत्रीः ट्रंप की टीम एक्शन के लोग हैं


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia should scrap the 13 percent profit tax on funds repatriated from abroad and renew an amnesty from penalties for businesses returning capital, as Washington moves toward tougher sanctions, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. Amid huge capital outflows in 2014, deteriorating relations with the West over the Ukraine conflict and weak oil prices, Moscow offered the amnesty for those returning capital to Russia.  The amnesty, which expired in mid-2016, scrapped responsibility for past taxes and currency violations for those who declared assets abroad. But few agreed to take part in the amnesty. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Friday that his ministry was proposing such an amnesty be restored in 2018 for at least a year. Speaking at the meeting with the leadership of the Russian parliament, Putin said he had two proposals which he had not previously spoken about publicly.  The first is to extend the amnesty timeline, I mean external restrictions are not easing, but, on the contrary, tending to rise,  he said. U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law a new package of sanctions in August. One provision asked the U.S. Treasury Secretary to submit a report on the impact of expanding sanctions to cover Russian sovereign debt, with an outcome expected as early as February. Putin s second proposal was to scrap 13 percent taxes for transfers of capital to Russia by businesses. Among other tools to encourage the return of money will be a special bonds program.  Russia plans to adjust the terms of a sovereign Eurobond issue next year so that businesses can use the bonds to repatriate funds in a way that would protect them from being damaged by new sanctions on Moscow. Reuters reported earlier this month that wealthy Russians facing the prospect of targeted U.S. sanctions next year had floated the idea of a special treasury bond to help create favorable conditions for them to bring their cash home.

Summary: पुतिन का कहना है कि रूस को वापस भेजे गए धन पर लाभ कर खत्म कर देना चाहिए


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain has only 10 days left to deliver on all three areas of its divorce terms with the European Union if London wants to start talks on a transition period after Brexit and a future relationship, the chairman of EU leaders Donald Tusk said.  We need to see progress from UK within 10 days on all issues, including on Ireland,  Tusk tweeted on Friday after a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May in Brussels.  Sufficient progress in Brexit talks at December council is possible but still a huge challenge,  he said on Twitter. An EU official said that May agreed in the one-hour discussions that Dec. 4 was the  absolute deadline  to allow the EU s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to recommend moving onto the next stage on trade and future ties.  Tusk presented the timeline ahead of the December European Council, with Dec. 4 as the absolute deadline for the UK to make additional efforts, allowing Barnier to be in a position to recommend sufficient progress,  the official said.   May agreed to this timeframe,  the official said. The official said Tusk had warned that if there was no progress within next 10 days, that would make moving forward impossible. The official said that the way Ireland s border with Northern Ireland functioned after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019 was still an issue.   The UK will need to give credible assurances as to how to avoid a hard border before Dec. 4, as it is still unclear how this can be done,  the official said.

Summary: ब्रिटेन के पास प्रमुख ब्रेक्सिट मुद्दों पर काम करने के लिए 10 दिनों की "पूर्ण समय सीमा" हैः टस्क


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - It was classic Hillary Clinton, ignoring medical advice and attending a ceremony on a sultry New York City day while battling pneumonia - a decision ex-aides and other associates speculated was rooted in her longstanding desire to prove that women can compete in the male-dominated world of politics. The move backfired on the famously stoic Democratic presidential candidate after she had to leave Sunday’s September. 11 remembrance early and was caught on camera buckling from dehydration as she was helped into a van.  Clinton, 68, has since acknowledged she went too far in trying to soldier on with a jam-packed schedule. Daniel Scherb, a South Bend, Indiana, cardiologist interviewed by Reuters, who was not privy to Clinton’s medical records, said pneumonia can leave a patient “feeling blah for seven to 10 days” under the best of circumstances and, at worst, “people can die from it.” Former subordinates who are fiercely loyal to Clinton said there are plenty of instances in which she drove herself remarkably hard as first lady from 1993-2001, as a U.S. senator from 2001-2009 and as U.S. secretary of state from 2009-2013. In her first year at the State Department in 2009, she traveled abroad extensively shortly after undergoing surgery for a broken arm. One retired ambassador said Clinton sees herself as part of a generation of women who had to work extra hard to overcome barriers to female advancement. The ambassador describes this as part of an ethos that “you could never be weaker than a man.” At the same time, the ambassador blamed Clinton’s aides in part for allowing her to put herself into difficult situations. At an event in Congo after breaking her arm, Clinton snapped at someone who posed a question she disliked, the ambassador recalled. While the question may have been translated into English incorrectly, the ambassador said Clinton also was clearly exhausted. “It’s not necessarily that she is running roughshod over the advice of her staff. Her staff doesn’t seem to take very good care of her,” the ambassador said. Working to defeat Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, 70, on the rough-and-tumble campaign trail, Clinton has said she is held to a different standard. “Women are seen through a different lens,” Clinton told Humans of New York, a group organized around a project to photograph and catalog stories of New Yorkers. “I’ve learned that I can’t be quite so passionate in my presentation,” she said, adding, “I love to wave my arms, but apparently that’s a little bit scary to people. And I can’t yell too much. It comes across as ‘too loud’ or ‘too shrill’ or ‘too this’ or ‘too that,’” even though those attending her rallies “are loving it.” In all her roles, including as President Bill Clinton’s healthcare chief and a two-time presidential candidate, Clinton has been known as an almost unstoppable, detail-oriented policy wonk. “Her constant work, internal in meetings or external on Capitol Hill, was virtually incomprehensible,” said David Dreyer, a White House deputy communications director during Bill Clinton’s first term. Dreyer, who said he had a “front row seat” to the healthcare reform fight that Hillary Clinton spearheaded as first lady, said she is “wired” to always be fully prepared and compelled to public service. ‘CAN’T-WIN SITUATION’ Three other people, one close to Clinton when she was secretary of state and as a presidential candidate, said efforts to persuade her to temper her travel and appearance schedule can go nowhere because she insists it is expected of her. One, a prominent former official who has advised Clinton on foreign policy issues, said: “She pushes herself so hard because she’s convinced that only she can do what needs to be done, and that’s compounded by a very small inner circle that in some cases doesn’t like to contradict or confront her, and as a result just ends up encouraging this compulsion.” Matt Bennett, who served as deputy assistant for intergovernmental affairs in Bill Clinton’s second presidential term, said Hillary Clinton is “in a can’t-win situation here.” Noting competing, unsubstantiated attacks from Trump and his supporters about her health versus criticisms that she does not know how to pace herself, “Either she is frail or reckless with her health.” Bennett added, “I don’t view her as disregarding medical advice” over past blood clots, a fall that caused a concussion and other maladies. “But I do think she’s super tough.” Bennett, now a vice president at the Third Way think tank, said the increasingly frantic pace of campaigning for the White House has pressed candidates to the limit. As an aide to retired General Wesley Clark while he unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, Bennett noted that Clark would constantly remark about the rigors of the campaign. “He was shot multiple times in Vietnam and went through (elite Army) Ranger training and he’s saying this is really tough running for president.”

Summary: महिलाओं की कांच की छत को तोड़ने के उद्देश्य से हिलेरी क्लिंटन की ओवरड्राइव


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - California and Wisconsin said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was incorrect when it notified them last week they  were among 21 states whose election systems were targeted by Russian hackers during the 2016 election. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said on Thursday DHS notified the state that Russian cyber actors “‘scanned’ California’s Internet-facing systems in 2016, including Secretary of State websites.” California said after asking for more details “it became clear that DHS’ conclusions were wrong. DHS confirmed that Russian scanning activity had actually occurred on the California Department of Technology statewide network, not any Secretary of State website.” Padilla said that the notification “was not only a year late, it also turned out to be bad information.” DHS spokesman Scott McConnell said notifications to 21 states were “based on a variety of sources, including scanning detected from malicious IP addresses and intelligence information that cannot be publicly disclosed.” The government has “provided additional information and clarity to a number of states,” he said. DHS “stands by its assessment that Internet-connected networks in 21 states were the target of Russian government cyber actors seeking vulnerabilities and access to U.S. election infrastructure,” he said. Wisconsin election officials on Wednesday released an email from DHS that said the IP address targeted was at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, not the state’s elections commission. DHS told states including Ohio, Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Minnesota, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland and Washington state they were targeted by Russian hackers but said the hackers were not successful. Arizona and Illinois confirmed last year that they were targets. There is no evidence any votes were changed, DHS said. Russia has denied election meddling, and President Donald Trump has denied any collusion with Russia. “There remains no evidence that the Russians altered one vote or changed one registration,” said Judd Choate, president of the U.S. National Association of State Election Directors. Homeland Security officials have said that in most of the 21 states only preliminary activity was observed from hackers and a small number of networks were compromised. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the Kremlin orchestrated an operation that included hacking and online propaganda intended to help Trump win, Reuters reported in August. Several congressional committees are investigating and special counsel Robert Mueller is leading a separate probe into the Russia matter, including whether Moscow colluded with the Trump campaign.

Summary: कैलिफोर्निया, विस्कॉन्सिन ने रूसी हैकरों द्वारा लक्षित चुनाव प्रणालियों से इनकार किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists must confront climate change deniers and speak up if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tries to sideline climate research, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is due to say on Wednesday. “If you see science being ignored or compromised, speak up,” Jewell will tell a meeting of earth and space scientists in San Francisco, according to a draft of the speech seen by Reuters. Trump has called climate change a hoax and sought to fill his cabinet with oil industry allies like Texas Governor Rick Perry, the Energy Department nominee.  Last week, the Trump team asked the U.S. Department of Energy to supply names of officials who took part in international climate talks - a request that the agency has rejected. The scientific fact of climate change cannot be ignored no matter who is in the White House, Jewell will say. And she will urge climate experts to publicly defend their work. “Think about where to raise your voice and then do it,” Jewell will tell a meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) - a global association of researchers. “The American people must be able to trust science.” As President Barack Obama’s top steward for public lands, Jewell has helped manage terrain that holds vast reserves of oil, gas and coal. But over nearly four years in office, Jewell has also warned that burning fossil fuels will irreparably harm the planet. Jewell will say that national historic sites that she now manages - like the 17th century colonial outpost, Jamestown - could eventually be swallowed by rising seas. Policymakers must confront climate change realities, Jewell said. Christine McEntee, head of the AGU, said her members were concerned that the Trump administration might not value scientific discovery and rigor. Developments at the Energy Department were particularly alarming, she said, but climate researchers were prepared to defend their methods and discoveries.  “We listen to what science is telling us,” she said. “And we’ll fight to work without fear of intimidation or retribution.”

Summary: एक्सक्लूसिवः अगर ट्रम्प विज्ञान को भटकाते हैं, तो शोधकर्ताओं को चेतावनी देनी चाहिएः ओबामा अधिकारी


LOME (Reuters) - Togo security forces fired tear gas at hundreds of anti-government protesters carrying out a late night sit-in at an intersection in central Lome as part of a bid to end the 50-year-old Gnassingbe family dynasty, witnesses said on Thursday. The move to disperse the crowds comes after two days of mass country-wide protests involving tens of thousands of people that have amounted to the biggest challenge to Faure Gnassingbe s rule since he succeeded his late father 12 years ago. In the past, security forces have violently suppressed protests, killing at least two people during an opposition march in August and hundreds after the contested election in which Gnassingbe took power in 2005. But up until late on Thursday, police officers armed with  batons had watched passively at protesters wearing the red, pink and orange T-shirts of the opposition, who danced and blew whistles as they wound through the streets of the capital Lome. It was not immediately clear how the opposition would respond to the security forces  intervention with tear gas late on Thursday. The head of the main ANC opposition party, Jean-Pierre Fabre, had earlier pledged to remain seated on the tarmac of the Dekon crossroads until Gnassingbe left power.  We want the end of this 50-year-old Gnassingbe regime. Enough is enough,  Kodjo Amana, a 42-year-old baker, shouted over a chanting crowd earlier in the day. The protests in the West African country of 8 million people have proceeded despite widespread reports of network outages confirmed by non-governmental organization Internet Without Borders. Other African incumbents in Gabon and Cameroon have used network cuts to control criticism and suppress protests at sensitive times. Residents said that text messages had also been blocked on Thursday. The communications minister could not be reached for comment, although another minister said earlier this week that the cuts had been carried out for security reasons.    The president s father Gnassingbe Eyadema seized power in a coup in 1967, a few years after the territory known as  French Togoland  that was once in German hands became independent from colonial power France. The current president this week sought to appease opponents by tabling a draft bill to reform the constitution and reintroduce a two-term limit that his father scrapped in 2002. But opposition leaders are skeptical about the implementation of the reforms that the government has stalled on for more than a decade and Prime Minister Komi Selom Klassou confirmed on Thursday that the term limits would not apply retroactively. That could mean that Gnassingbe, 51 and currently in his third term, could remains in power for two more mandates from the next election, until 2030. Gnassingbe sent a Tweet from his official account on Thursday, saying that he had met with the U.N. Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohammed Ibn Chambas, on the subject of reforms. A spokesman for the latter confirmed the meeting without elaborating on its content. State TV said Thursday evening that parliament, which still needs to approve the bill, will meet for an emergency session on September 12. However, if the protests resume, analysts say Gnassingbe may find himself isolated amid growing criticism of autocratic rule in West Africa.  The president s position is very fragile and we do not think his peers in ECOWAS or his friends in Europe will help him if things get ugly,  said the head of research at NKC African Economics, Francois Conradie. Togo, a regional financial hub that aspires to be an African Singapore, is at odds with West African neighbors which mostly have laws restricting presidential mandates. The government, along with Gambia s, voted in 2015 against introducing them across the 15 members of the ECOWAS regional body which Gnassingbe currently chairs. Since then, Gambia s longtime leader Yahya Jammeh has been voted out of power. African rulers, notably in Rwanda, Burundi and Burkina Faso, have moved to drop term limits in recent years in order to remain in power. In some cases this has sparked strong opposition that has led to violent unrest; in others, leaders have been driven from power, as happened in Burkina Faso.

Summary: टोगो बलों ने ग्नासिंगबे विरोधियों को तितर-बितर करने के लिए आँसू गैस छोड़ी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The AFL-CIO political committee on Friday recommended the federation endorse Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, Politico reported.  The site reports the general board is “certain” to approve the endorsement at their June 16 meeting.

Summary: ए. एफ. एल.-सी. आई. ओ. राजनीतिक समिति ने क्लिंटन के समर्थन की सिफारिश की


VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul I, who served for just 33 days as Pontiff in 1978 before his abrupt death, has moved a step closer to sainthood, the Vatican said on Thursday. Known as the  smiling Pope  because of his good nature, Albino Luciani s reign as head of the Catholic Church was the shortest in modern times and his shock demise fueled press speculation that he might have been murdered. The Vatican has always denied the rumors, saying he died of a heart attack. As a first step to placing him among the Church s swelling ranks of saints, the Vatican said Pope Francis had backed a vote by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints to recognize the  heroic virtues  of Pope John Paul I. This means John Paul I, the last Italian to be made pontiff, can now move on toward beatification, the final step before sainthood. Beatification would require a miracle attributed to his intercession. The Catholic Church posthumously confers beatification, and later sainthood, on people considered so holy during their lives that they are now believed to be with God and can intercede with him to perform miracles. Miracles are usually the medically unexplained healing of someone. John Paul I s sainthood process started in 2002 after his supporters in Italy collected some 300,000 signatures on a petition calling for him to be made a saint. It could take many more years for his cause to progress further. Luciani, Cardinal of Venice, was elected pope on Aug. 26, 1978. A humble man, he had no time to leave his mark on the Church before his death on September 28, 1978.  Rumors rapidly surfaced that hidden forces within the Church had poisoned the newly elected Luciani to head off institutional changes he was planning to introduce. The Church s decision not to hold a post mortem on the body, bickering over who was in the Vatican on the night of the death and crude attempts to hide the fact a nun found his body was manna to fans of conspiracy theories. Luciani s successor John Paul II ruled for 27 years and died in 2005. He was made a saint in 2014 - the fastest elevation to the sainthood in modern times.

Summary: इटली के 'मुस्कुराते हुए पोप' संत होने के करीब हैं


BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Thousands of Romanians protested in freezing weather across the country on Sunday against attempts by the ruling Social Democrats to overhaul the judiciary, which critics said would threaten the rule of law. In Bucharest, an estimated 4,000 protesters marched from government headquarters to parliament, where lawmakers will begin debating changes on Monday to the criminal code. Earlier this month, the Social Democrats used their solid majority to approve a judicial overhaul in the lower house that threatens to put the justice system under political control. The senate is expected to approve the bills next week. The European Commission, the U.S. State Department, the country s centrist president and thousands of magistrates have criticized the changes to judicial legislation, saying they could derail the rule of law. The government denies this is the case. Outside parliament, the marchers chanted  Thieves  nest  and  We want justice, not corruption  under sleet and rain. Thousands more protested in the cities of Iasi, Cluj, Timisoara and others. Attempts by the ruling Social Democrats to change anti-corruption legislation have taken place on and off throughout 2017 in one of the European Union s most corrupt states. Romania s anti-corruption prosecution unit has sent 72 deputies and senators to trial since 2006 alongside cabinet ministers, a sitting Prime Minister and hundreds of mayors and other public officials. The speakers of parliament s lower house and senate are both currently on trial in separate cases.

Summary: न्यायिक परिवर्तनों के खिलाफ रोमानिया में हजारों लोगों ने किया विरोध प्रदर्शन


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Friday promised a big announcement about tax reform next week and ordered an administration review of Obama-era tax rules written to discourage U.S. companies from relocating overseas to cut their tax bills. “We’ll be having a big announcement on Wednesday having to do with tax reform. The process has begun long ago, but it really formally begins on Wednesday,” Trump said during a visit to the U.S. Treasury Department. First reported in an Associated Press interview with Trump, the news came as a surprise to lobbyists and congressional aides who had no idea what Trump’s announcement might include. In February, Trump promised to release a “phenomenal” tax plan within a few weeks, without offering details. But none emerged. A White House official said the impending announcement could come later than Wednesday, adding: “The president was saying what we’ve been saying all along, that he wants to do tax reform as quickly as possible while still doing it right.”  Trump’s latest comments got a warm reception from the Republican tax chief in the House of Representatives. “I appreciate the president’s leadership and strong commitment to comprehensive tax reform,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady said in a statement. Brady added that the panel’s Republican members “are ready to work with President Trump and his team.”       During the 2016 election campaign, Trump initially issued a plan that proposed deep cuts in tax rates for individuals and corporations, a reduction in the number of tax brackets to four from seven, repeal of the estate tax, an offshore profits repatriation tax holiday for multinationals and a cap on the deductibility of business interest. He later revised the number of tax brackets to three.  The plan partly resembled one developed by House Speaker Paul Ryan.  Trump on Friday also signed an executive order directing the Treasury to review tax-related regulations adopted over the past 18 months under former President Barack Obama.  Asked if that would include rules against tax-driven foreign corporate deals known as inversions, Mnuchin said: “It’s one of the significant things and one of the things we would be looking at.” Trump and Republicans in Congress view tax reform as the best vehicle for eliminating what they say are tax incentives for U.S. companies to move their headquarters, manufacturing facilities and jobs overseas.              (In 9th paragraph corrects to show that this was Trump’s initial tax plan during the election campaign and that he later revised his proposal on the number of tax brackets. In 10th paragraph deletes reference to Trump’s position on his original plan or Ryan’s.)

Summary: ट्रम्प ने अमेरिकी कर सुधार की घोषणा की, कर नियम की समीक्षा का आदेश दिया


BUDAPEST/WARSAW (Reuters) - Wary of German Chancellor Angela Merkel s ambition for closer European Union integration, right-wing politicians in the EU s eastern wing are touting her weak election victory as a vindication of their concerns. Eurosceptic governments in Poland and Hungary have been vocal in criticizing Merkel s  open-door  approach to migration and opposing EU reforms that would transfer more power to the Brussels institutions at the expense of national governments. Poland s foreign minister said Germany s Sept. 24 election, in which Merkel s conservative bloc won the lowest number of votes since 1949, was proof that Berlin would have to heed the concerns of eastern member states.  She should focus on maintaining the unity of the European Union,  Witold Waszczykowski told Polska the Times newspaper.  Mrs Merkel will have to look for new allies   and this in turn opens room for maneuver for Polish diplomacy.   Today, there is no climate for federalization and there won t be one in the nearest future.  Merkel is expected to take months to build a new coalition government, reducing German pressure on Warsaw and Budapest to comply with EU standards. Her most likely coalition allies are the increasingly eurosceptic, pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens - but she also faces a more divided Bundestag lower house, where the  anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) is now the third biggest party. Nationalist politicians in the EU s eastern member states hope the rise of the AfD, the first far-right party to enter the Bundestag in decades, will force Merkel to harden her stance on immigration after Germany admitted more than one million migrants and refugees, mostly Muslims, in 2015-16. Hungary has already said German politicians since the election have endorsed its measures to beef up its border security to discourage migrants from entering the EU.  About some aspects of illegal migration we are still in debate, but there is full agreement on the principal issue that the protection of the external borders of Europe is very important,  Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after meeting senior German lawmakers in the city of Stuttgart last week. The head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has invited the leaders of the four  Visegrad  states - Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia - to a dinner in Brussels on Oct. 18, ahead of an EU summit, to try to ease tensions between them and wealthier western Europe. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban s Fidesz party and Merkel s CDU-CSU are in the same political family in the European Parliament, and despite Berlin s criticism of his record in government, has welcomed Merkel s election victory.   Let s quietly pray every evening for the extension of the mandate of the current chancellor,  he said before the election. Orban himself faces an election next April in which he will seek a third consecutive term, and he probably does not want to tackle EU reform issues head-on now, analysts said.   Orban s objective is to keep the margin of maneuver open  as long as possible: he does not want to face yes-or-no questions like whether to take Hungary into the euro zone or stay on the periphery anytime soon,  Botond Feledy, senior fellow at the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Democracy in Budapest.  GERMAN-FRENCH AXIS But once Merkel has bedded down a new coalition in Berlin, Budapest and Warsaw can expect a resumption of pressure over their record on democracy and rule of law from a reinvigorated partnership between Germany and Emmanuel Macron s France. Analysts said Merkel and Macron, both keen to overcome EU disunity, may try to pick off more cooperative eastern states such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic in order to concentrate pressure on Poland and Hungary to comply with EU rules. Merkel may also in due course revive her demands on the eastern states to take in more migrants as she seeks to blunt the allure of the AfD at home for conservative German voters. Warsaw, currently under an unprecedented EU investigation over its rule of law standards, is bracing for renewed criticism.  We are expecting Merkel to get tough on Poland - definitely not in the next few months while the new government is being formed, but after the domestic dust has settled,  a Polish government source added.

Summary: पूर्वी यूरोप के राष्ट्रवादी जर्मन वोट से पुष्टि महसूस करते हैं


WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The frequent travels of the head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, to Oklahoma will be investigated following congressional requests, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said on Monday. Pruitt’s many travels to his home state have fueled speculation that he intends to run for the U.S. Senate from Oklahoma. “Administrator Pruitt is traveling the country to hear directly from the people impacted by EPA’s regulations outside of the Washington bubble,” said Amy Graham, an EPA spokeswoman. “This is nothing more than a distraction from the Administrator’s significant environmental accomplishments.” The Office of Inspector General said it would look into the “frequency, cost and extent” of Pruitt’s travels to Oklahoma through July 31, and whether travel policies and procedures were followed. It said the investigation will also aim to determine “whether EPA policies and procedures are sufficiently designed to prevent fraud, waste and abuse with the Administrator’s travel that included trips to Oklahoma.” Pruitt was in Oklahoma on at least 43 of the 92 days of March, April and May, according to copies of his travel records obtained by the Environmental Integrity Project watchdog group and reviewed by Reuters last month. The travel records show Pruitt’s schedule this spring often took him to cities in the U.S. heartland where he held meetings, often with oil and gas industry representatives, made speeches and attended events before flying to Tulsa for extended weekends. The records showed Pruitt paid for some legs of the trips directly related to his visits home, although it was not clear he paid for all such legs. Pruitt has riled environmentalists by raising doubts about climate change and by vowing to sweep away scores of Obama-era regulations to help business. “Pruitt seems to be using these visits to launch his political career,” said Melinda Pierce, legislative director for the Sierra Club, an environmental group that has been deeply critical of Pruitt. “Perhaps he should use polluter money to fund these trips if he’s going to continue doing their bidding.” Before becoming head of the EPA under Republican President Donald Trump in February, he was Oklahoma’s attorney general and repeatedly sued the agency he now runs to block federal environmental rules.

Summary: ई. पी. ए. महानिरीक्षक एजेंसी प्रमुख की ओक्लाहोमा की यात्राओं की जांच करेंगे


MADRID (Reuters) - Forget the traditional Socialist opposition and perhaps even the Catalan separatists: the main threat to Spain s conservative prime minister may now come from a Barcelona politician dedicated to national unity - Ines Arrimadas. The 36-year-old leader of the liberal Ciudadanos party in Catalonia has jumped to the frontline of Spanish politics by coming out on top in elections to the region s assembly. Supporters even compare her performance with Emmanuel Macron s  meteoric rise to the presidency across the border in France. Laying down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy  and the separatists alike, Arrimadas boosted her party s share of the vote to more than 25 percent in Thursday s snap election, up from just 7.6 percent two years ago. That made Ciudadanos ( Citizens ) the biggest group in the  assembly, ahead of parties backing either more Catalan autonomy or outright independence which had won every regional election since the restoration of Spanish democracy in the 1970s. Arrimadas will struggle to form a regional coalition as collectively separatist parties achieved a narrow majority. Still, she celebrated victory with hundreds of supporters in the streets of Barcelona on Thursday night, flanked by her party s national leader, 38-year-old Albert Rivera. On Friday she made an appeal for unity following October s independence referendum which led to the Catalan leader fleeing the country, other separatists leaders landing in jail and Madrid imposing direct rule.  Yesterday was a great night, a historic night and for me the start of reconciliation in Catalonia, even if sometimes things take a little longer than what we would expect,  she told Onda Cero radio. Her performance echoed similarly strong showings from centrists in French presidential and legislative elections earlier this year, raising the hopes of Ciudadanos.  This result is fully transferable to national politics,  said Toni Roldan, a lawmaker for the party in the Spanish parliament who is also from Catalonia.  It takes Ciudadanos to the next level and we will be competing on equal footing with Rajoy in the next Spanish election.  Describing Arrimadas as a  political jewel , Roldan said the choice for all Europeans was now between liberalism and populism. In this struggle, Ciudadanos stood alongside Macron - who beat far right candidate Marine Le Pen to the presidency -   and was now ready to blow apart the traditional left-right divide in Spain, Roldan added. Ciudadanos, which has its roots in Catalonia, will need strong momentum if it is to threaten Rajoy s grip on power as the party came only fourth in last year s national election with 13.9 percent.  An opinion poll taken before the Catalan vote put it still in fourth. However, alone among the major parties, its support was up to 17.5 percent, suggesting voters are being won over by its tough stance on Spanish unity and against corruption, as well as its young professional leaders. A veteran politician who has survived past crises, Rajoy leads a minority government and has yet to get a 2018 budget through parliament. However, he is under no immediate pressure as he can simply roll over the 2017 budget for months. Also, the opposition is so fractured that it probably cannot bring Rajoy down and no serious leadership rival has emerged within his traditional center-right Popular Party (PP). If the secessionists pursue their aims by negotiation, they too are unlikely to pose a great threat to Rajoy, who could also re-impose direct rule in the region if they decided to act unilaterally. Arrimadas was born in the Andalusian town of Jerez, far from   Barcelona where she moved after completing a law degree. Her husband was a lawmaker for separatist leader Carles Puigdemont s party, before resigning in 2016 to avoid complicating her political rise. Both have said their passion for Barcelona football team brought them together. She was first elected as a Ciudadanos lawmaker in 2012 at 31, two years after a colleague at the consultancy where she worked in Barcelona had invited her to a party rally.  The political and social situation was so serious that I felt the need to stop complaining from the sofa and go on to propose ideas and debate from parliament,  she told an interviewer in 2015. Since then, her party has made a successful move into national politics, backing Rajoy s minority government although not joining it.  Ciudadanos is creating the next big headache for Rajoy. They can extract concessions from the PP without any political cost. And if Rajoy fails to pass the budget because of the Catalan issue, he won t be able to blame Ciudadanos for the stalemate and a potential snap election,  said Teneo Intelligence analyst Antonio Barroso. Barroso and other analysts said the moment of truth may come in the second half of 2018, should Rajoy have failed to normalize the situation in Catalonia. Rivals express grudging admiration for the party.  Ciudadanos has managed to bring together all unionism in a technically perfect campaign,  a source close to Puigdemont said on condition of anonymity.  It is an artificial product that represents the feelings of many people.

Summary: कैटलन के युवा उदारवादी स्पेन की सत्ता पर राजॉय की पकड़ को चुनौती देते हुए आगे बढ़े


FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Reuters) - U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty on Monday to deserting his duties in Afghanistan in June 2009 and endangering the lives of fellow troops, a step toward resolving the politically charged case that could send him to prison for life. The 31-year-old Idaho native told a judge in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that he walked off his combat outpost in Paktika province and headed to a nearby base to report  critical problems  in his chain of command. But he got lost after 20 minutes, was captured by the Taliban several hours later and spent the next five years suffering torture, abuse and neglect in captivity. The dangerous search for him that ensued - and the Taliban prisoner swap that won his release in 2014 - drew wide derision from soldiers and Republicans. During last year s presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump called Bergdahl  a no-good traitor.  In court on Monday, Bergdahl admitted wrongdoing but said he never intended to put anyone at risk.  I didn t think there d be any reason to pull off a crucial mission to look for one guy,  he said, adding that his actions were  very inexcusable.  Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, with the latter offense carrying a possible life sentence. His decision to enter a  naked plea  - meaning he had not reached an agreement about the sentencing terms with prosecutors - came as a surprise to some military law experts.  The sentencing proceedings will begin on Oct. 23. Experts said the defense was betting on getting a better deal from Army Judge Colonel Jeffery Nance than it would have from a jury panel of officers. Two law professors said they expect Bergdahl will receive a dishonorable discharge at a minimum.  I think Colonel Nance will realize that the men who put their lives on the line looking for him are entitled to see a level of punishment that is appropriate for his misconduct,  said Geoffrey Corn, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston and retired Army lieutenant colonel. Army prosecutors will present evidence at sentencing of soldiers who were injured in the search for Bergdahl. The judge can consider Bergdahl s time in captivity, but Jeffrey Addicott, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Army, doubts it will help the soldier much.  He knew what the Taliban was, and he inflicted that on himself,  said Addicott, now a law professor at St. Mary s University in San Antonio, Texas. Bergdahl, who remains on active duty in a clerical job at a base in San Antonio, on Monday said he had tried to escape his captors up to 15 times.  The first attempt came on the day he was caught, Bergdahl said. Blindfolded, with a blanket over his head and his hands chained behind his back, he decided to run from the village where he had been taken. But he quickly was tackled, he said, and taken to another location.

Summary: अमेरिकी सेना के सार्जेंट बर्गडहल को सैनिकों को खतरे में डालने के लिए आजीवन कारावास की सजा हो सकती है


The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS.  The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy.  @realDonaldTrump : - Big meetings today at the United Nations. So many interesting leaders. America First will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!  [0614 EDT] - After allowing North Korea to research and build Nukes while Secretary of State (Bill C also), Crooked Hillary now criticizes.  [0640 EDT] - Thank you  @foxandfriends - great show!  [0700 EDT] - Rand Paul is a friend of mine but he is such a negative force when it comes to fixing healthcare. Graham-Cassidy Bill is GREAT! Ends Ocare!  [0809 EDT] - I hope Republican Senators will vote for Graham-Cassidy and fulfill their promise to Repeal & Replace ObamaCare. Money direct to States!  [0816 EDT] - Looking forward to Friday night in the Great State of Alabama. I am supporting “Big” Luther Strange because he was so loyal & helpful to me!  [0829 EDT] - It was a great honor to be with King Abdullah II of Jordan and his delegation this morning. We had a GREAT bilateral meeting! [1123 EDT] - Honored to meet w/ Pres Abbas from the Palestinian Authority & his delegation, who have been working hard w/everybody involved toward peace. [1308 EDT] - Honored to host a luncheon for African leaders this afternoon. Great discussions on the challenges & opportunities facing our nations today. [1505 EDT] -On behalf of all Americans, I want to wish Jewish families many blessings in the New Year. 45.wh.gov/BNJys9 [1829 EDT] - Alabama is sooo lucky to have a candidate like “Big” Luther Strange. Smart, tough on crime, borders & trade, loves Vets & Military. Tuesday! [1842 EDT] - I would not sign Graham-Cassidy if it did not include coverage of pre-existing conditions. It does! A great Bill. Repeal & Replace. [1907 EDT] - The NRA strongly endorses Luther Strange for Senator of Alabama.That means all gun owners should vote for Big Luther. He won’t let you down! [2042 EDT]  - Senator (Doctor) Bill Cassidy is a class act who really cares about people and their Health(care), he doesn’t lie-just wants to help people! [2106 EDT]  - Governor @RicardoRossello-  We are with you and the people of Puerto Rico. Stay safe! #PRStrong [2313 EDT] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR)

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः ट्विटर पर ट्रम्प (20 सितंबर)-ग्राहम-कैसिडी बिल, लूथर स्ट्रेंज, उत्तर कोरिया


MILAN (Reuters) - Accounting firm EY said on Thursday it was cooperating with Milan magistrates in an investigation into whether one of its former employees in Italy had sold it confidential government information.   On Nov. 21 we became aware of the investigation targeting EY in Italy. We are examining it carefully and seriously and we are fully cooperating with the judiciary,  EY said in a statement, adding it was not in a position to comment further.   Italian magistrates suspect that Susanna Masi, a Treasury official and former EY employee, was paid some 220,000 euros ($260,000) between 2013-2015 in return for sensitive material, judicial sources involved in the case said on Wednesday. The sources said the confidential material included information on planned tax reforms which could have given EY   previously known as Ernst & Young   an unfair advantage over its rivals. Masi s lawyer, Giorgio Perroni, has denied any wrongdoing by his client. [nL8N1NS5SS]

Summary: ई. वाई. का कहना है कि वह इटली की जांच में अधिकारियों के साथ सहयोग कर रहा है


BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia s leftist FARC rebel group is introducing its political party at a conference that began on Sunday, a major step in its transition into a civilian organization after more than 50 years of war and its first chance to announce policy to skeptical voters. The six-day meeting in Bogota of FARC members, who have handed in more than 8,000 weapons to the United Nations during their demobilization, is expected to conclude on Friday with a platform that the party will campaign on in elections next year. Under its 2016 peace deal with the government to end its part in a war that has killed more than 220,000 people, the majority of fighters in the group formally known as Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia were granted amnesty and allowed to participate in politics. Whether the rebels will get backing from Colombians, many of whom revile them, remains to be seen. The FARC s often old-fashioned Marxist rhetoric strikes many as a throwback to their 1964 founding, but proposals for reforms to complicated property laws may get traction with rural voters who struggle as subsistence farmers. The peace accord, rejected by a less than 1 percent margin in a referendum before being modified and enacted, awards the FARC s party 10 automatic seats in Congress through 2026, but the group may campaign for others. In a sight that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, FARC delegates arrived by bus to the center of the capital, escorted by police on motorcycles.  From this event on, we will transform into a new, exclusively political group that will carry out its activity by legal means,  FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, who is known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, told hundreds of attendees at the event center in Bogota.  We have in front of us many challenges and many difficulties,  Londono said.  Nothing is easy in politics.   Rural improvements will remain a focus for the party, he added. Many delegates wore conference t-shirts with the slogan  A new party for a new country  and carried branded tote bags. A painting featuring images of Cuban revolutionary leaders Fidel Castro and Ernesto  Che  Guevara, deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Jesus Christ was on display. The party will initially be called the Revolutionary Alternative Force of Colombia, preserving the FARC initials in Spanish. Both legislative and presidential elections will take place in 2018. It is not yet clear in which races the FARC will run candidates.   I think the FARC will try for a regional consolidation, using the presence and influence they have in certain provinces,  said Catalina Jimenez, politics professor at Externado University.  At a national level, they need a large amount of votes they still don t have.  The FARC is open to coalitions, the group said this week. Fractured by infighting, leftist parties have long struggled in conservative-leaning Colombia, despite some success in winning urban positions. Widespread corruption scandals will probably be a top issue for the crowded field of 2018 presidential candidates. Campaigns are also likely to focus on proposals to improve the daily lives of Colombians, many of whom say they desperately need better security, public education and healthcare. The FARC says the government of President Juan Manuel Santos, which gives a certain amount of regulated funding to each party, should help carry the costs of the conference, given the rebels have handed over their assets as reparations for victims of the war. But while the peace deal is the cornerstone of Santos  legacy, the government has raised doubts about the veracity of the rebels  $324 million asset list. The government said this week that it was forming a commission to verify that the FARC had included all profits it may have earned from extortion, ransoms and drug trafficking, and the group must play by the same rules as any other party.

Summary: दशकों के युद्ध के बाद, कोलंबिया के एफ. ए. आर. सी. विद्रोहियों ने राजनीतिक दल की शुरुआत की


ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani Finance Minister Ishaq Dar pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to owning assets beyond his means, an official from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz said, amid a corruption investigation into former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The Supreme Court in July disqualified Sharif for not declaring a small source of income and ordered an investigation into Sharif, his children and Dar, Sharif s former accountant. Dar s son is also married to one of Sharif s daughters.  Dar told the court that he was innocent and he will prove that his assets are legitimate,  Jan Achakzai, a PML-N official, told Reuters. Dar did not speak to the media after his appearance in court in Islamabad but has dismissed all the allegations against him. Sharif has also denied any wrongdoing and has been critical of the judiciary, calling the corruption proceedings against him a conspiracy. Several senior PML-N figures, including Sharif s daughter Maryam, have hinted that Pakistan s powerful military were behind Sharif s ouster. The army denies playing any role. Dar was credited with steering Pakistan s economy to a sounder footing following a 2013 balance of payments crisis but over the past year those economic gains have begun to erode, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and analysts. Growth in the $300 billion economy hit 5.3 percent last fiscal year (July-June), the fastest pace in a decade, but foreign currency reserves have dwindled and the 2016/17 current account deficit has more than doubled to $12.1 billion. Dar s reluctance to let the rupee weaken to ease current account pressures has courted criticism from economists, who say the PML-N is making economic decisions with one eye on the next general election, likely to be held in mid-2018. Some analysts have warned Pakistan may need to go back to the IMF for another bailout package if current trends continue. Under new Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Dar has been removed from the post of chairing the cabinet s powerful Economic Coordination Committee.

Summary: पाकिस्तान के वित्त मंत्री ने भ्रष्टाचार के आरोपों से इनकार किया


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Broadway star Jennifer Holliday said on Saturday she was pulling out of a concert celebrating the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, citing an online article that cast the performance as a “betrayal” of her gay and lesbian fans. The Tony Award-winning singer, best known for her roles in the Broadway musicals “Dreamgirls” and “Your Arms Too Short to Box with God,” announced the cancellation in a letter first published by The Wrap, an entertainment industry news website. “I sincerely apologize for my lapse of judgment, for being uneducated on the issues that affect every American at this crucial time in history and for causing such dismay and heartbreak to my fans,” Holliday said in the letter, which was released to Reuters by her representatives. Holliday was not scheduled to perform at Friday’s inauguration itself but at an event at the Lincoln Memorial the night before called the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration.”  Also scheduled to appear are country music star Toby Keith, rock band 3 Doors Down and Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight. The Trump transition team referred questions to the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which did not comment directly on Holliday’s letter. “As Americans from across the country unite to celebrate the 58th Presidential Inaugural, we are humbled by the outpouring of support we are receiving and are honored to have so many world-class performers taking part in this historic celebration of freedom and democracy,” Boris Epshteyn, director of communications for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said in a written statement.  In a column for the Daily Beast website, entertainment reporter Kevin Fallon called Holliday a gay icon for her work on Broadway and said that Trump had surrounded himself with politicians who vocally oppose lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. “For the gay community that has bolstered Holliday’s, in her own words, embattled and difficult career, and cheered on her recent successes, the news (of Holliday’s planned performance) feels like a betrayal. It is heartbreaking,” Fallon wrote on Friday. In her letter, Holliday wrote that she had originally agreed to perform for Trump as a “bi-partisan songbird” who had sung for four presidents, both Republican and Democratic, dating back to Ronald Reagan. “I was honestly just thinking that I wanted my voice to be a healing and unifying force for hope through music to help our deeply polarized country,” Holliday wrote.  “Regretfully, I did not take into consideration that my performing for the concert would actually instead be taken as a political act against my own personal beliefs and be mistaken for support of Donald Trump and Mike Pence,” she said. In addition to her career on Broadway, Holliday has found success on the pop charts and as a Gospel singer.  She won a Tony Award in 1982 for her role as Effie White in the original production of “Dreamgirls” and two Grammy Awards later that decade.

Summary: गायिका जेनिफर हॉलिडे ने ट्रंप के उद्घाटन समारोह से नाम वापस लिया


PARIS/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on Iraq to dismantle all militias, including the government-sanctioned, Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a rare public call to do so by a major Western leader. Macron s call, which followed a meeting with Iraqi Kurdish leaders in Paris, underscores the tough balancing act Baghdad has to perform between its allies in the war on Islamic State, Iran and Western powers, which do not see eye to eye.  It is essential that there is a gradual demilitarisation, in particular of the Popular Mobilisation that established itself in the last few years in Iraq, and that all militias be gradually dismantled,  he told a Paris news conference held with Iraqi Kurdish leaders. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities accuse the majority Arab Shi ite PMF of widespread abuses against Kurds in Iraq s ethnically mixed regions. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi s government denies that the PMF are engaged in a systematic pattern of abuses and has pledged to punish anyone proven guilty of violations. Disarming the PMF is seen as Abadi s most difficult test as his forces edge closer to declaring victory over Islamic State. In Baghdad, Abadi s office released a statement later saying he had spoken to Macron by phone and that the French president had affirmed his country s commitment to a unified Iraq. It made no mention of Macron s call to dismantle the militias. Iraqi Vice President Nuri al-Maliki, a former prime minister who was pressured to leave office by both the U.S. and Iran for failing to stop Islamic State, was more forceful. Macron, he said, was carrying out  unacceptable interference  in Iraq s internal affairs.  These positions from France are absolutely rejected and harm Iraq s sovereignty and its institutions,  Maliki said in a statement. Macron s meeting with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his deputy Qubad Talabani was the first high-profile international meeting for the Kurdish leadership after a Sept. 25 independence referendum. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and British Prime Minister Theresa May have both made trips to Iraq after the referendum but only met officials in Baghdad and made no visits to the KRG capital Erbil. Western powers had encouraged the Kurds not to hold the referendum and instead engage in dialogue with Baghdad. Macron again called for dialogue between the central government in Baghdad and the semi-autonomous KRG within the framework of the Iraqi constitution, saying he was convinced a  constructive dialogue  could lead to lifting Baghdad s restrictions on the Kurdish region. Kurds voted to break away from Iraq in the referendum, defying the government in Baghdad and alarming neighboring Turkey and Iran who have their own Kurdish minorities. The Iraqi government responded by seizing the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk and other territory disputed between the Kurds and the central government. Long-serving Kurdish president Masoud Barzani stepped down over the affair and the regional government led by his nephew Nechirvan has tried to negotiate an end to the confrontation. The Kurdish prime minister said on Saturday he saw France playing a role to end the dispute with Baghdad and that his government respected a verdict by the Iraqi Supreme Federal Court ruling the referendum unconstitutional and its results void.  With regards to the referendum, we are in a new era, and this issue is over and we have made our position in the Kurdistan Regional Government clear,  Erbil-based broadcaster Rudaw quoted Barzani as saying. Macron called for the long-delayed implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution to settle the status of territories disputed between Baghdad and the Kurds. Article 140 provided for a referendum to be held by the end of 2007 in the oil region of Kirkuk and other territories claimed by both the KRG and the Iraqi government to determine whether their populations wanted to be part of the Kurdish region or not. No such referendum took place, among the reasons cited by the KRG to unilaterally hold its referendum on independence.

Summary: फ्रांस के मैक्रों ने इराक से सभी मिलिशिया को खत्म करने का आह्वान किया


AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Among the few certainties in the current U.S. political environment are that immigration will be a flashpoint, abortion will remain divisive and Texas will sue the administration of President Barack Obama. Since Obama, a Democrat, took office in January 2009, the most populous Republican-controlled state has filed suit against his administration 39 times. On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take on one of the more notable cases and decide the legality of Obama’s unilateral 2014 action to shield from deportation more than 4 million immigrants in the country illegally. For Texas politicians, suing Obama is a badge of honor. Its attorney general’s office has an annual budget of more than $600 million, more than five times higher than other major Republican strongholds such as Arizona. Current Governor Greg Abbott sued the Obama administration 31 times when he was attorney general. Current Attorney General Ken Paxton, who succeeded Abbott last year, has sued eight times.  “I am enjoying being governor of Texas but there is one thing that I miss. It is that I no longer get to wake up and go to the office and sue the federal government,” Abbott told a conservative forum this month in Austin. No other Republican state comes close to the number of such filings and often they join Texas-led suits, as happened with the immigration filing that now has attracted 25 other states. For Texas, whose $1.6 trillion a year economy is bigger than many countries including U.S. ally South Korea, spending on suits against the federal government is comparatively miniscule, at around $5.1 million as of December 2014, the Texas Tribune reported, based on disclosures it received from the office.  The office is a powerful machine with more than a million legal hours billed to litigation and counseling, according to its budget report.  The attorney general’s Office of the Solicitor General boasts nearly 20 lawyers who specialize in appellate work in venues like the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Texas and the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.  There is also a litigation division of about 30 lawyers with which the solicitor general can team up and present cases such as the one on Obama’s executive action on immigration.  Texas loses more often than it wins and it has a great deal of litigation still pending before judges that may outlast Obama’s presidency, which ends in January 2017. Under Paxton, Texas has sued the federal government on issues including U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, taxes under Obama’s signature healthcare law and blocking the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state. Texas is a lead party in the two biggest cases before the U.S. Supreme Court during its current term, which ends in June. In addition to the immigration case, Texas is defending a state law being challenged by abortion providers that contend the Republican-backed statute is aimed at shutting clinics that perform the procedure. The high court is due to hear arguments in the abortion case on March 2 and is expected to hear the immigration arguments the following month. “Texas, being an economically and demographically important state, is a natural to take a leadership role if there is a challenge to federal power that a lot of states want to make,” said Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The lawsuits often follow a similar philosophical idea of challenging what Texas and other Republican-governed states see as an overreach of federal power at the expense of states’ rights, he added. “We don’t just represent Texas. You can call it ‘Red State America’ or ‘Tea Party America,’ but Texas is a voice for a lot of those people nationally,” said Chip Roy, a top official in the attorney general’s office who once served as chief of staff for Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in November’s election.  Cruz, a former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, helped bolster his political career when he served as Texas solicitor general from 2003 to 2008. He ramped up the office under Republican former Governor Rick Perry and helped forge challenges to what the state saw as federal overreach.  “We are proud to have Texas leading the charge in defending the rule of law,” Cruz said on Tuesday after the Supreme Court announced it would hear the immigration case. Roy said in an interview the state’s leaders and a majority of its citizens want to protect the ideal of governing themselves. “It is part of who we are,” Roy said, “and that actually influences significantly our willingness, and our drive, to push back on Washington when we believe they are overstepping their constitutional authority.”

Summary: ओबामा के एजेंडे को आगे बढ़ाने के साथ, टेक्सास कानूनी रूप से पीछे हटने की ओर अग्रसर है


(Reuters) - The following people are mentioned as contenders for senior roles as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump puts together his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and other media reports. Trump already has named a number of people for other top jobs in his administration. * Chuck Conner, a former acting secretary of the U.S. Agriculture Department and current head of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives * Tim Huelskamp, Republican U.S. representative from Kansas * Sid Miller, Texas agriculture commissioner  * Sonny Perdue, former Georgia governor * Navy Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency * Ronald Burgess, retired U.S. Army lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief  * Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * Pete Hoekstra, Republican former U.S. representative from Michigan     * John Allison, a former chief executive officer of regional bank BB&T Corp and former head of the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank * Paul Atkins, former SEC commissioner  * Thomas Hoenig, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp vice chairman and former head of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank * Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a venture capitalist, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former Food and Drug Administration deputy commissioner * Jim O’Neill, a Silicon Valley investor who previously served in the Department of Health and Human Services * Debra Wong Yang, a former U.S. attorney who was appointed by former President George W. Bush * Ralph Ferrara, a securities attorney at Proskauer Rose LLP * Paul Atkins, a former SEC commissioner who heads Trump’s transition team for independent financial regulatory agencies * Daniel Gallagher, Republican former SEC commissioner The Trump transition team confirmed the president-elect would choose from a list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including Republican U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. * Dan DiMicco, former CEO of steel producer Nucor Corp * Robert Lighthizer, former deputy U.S. trade representative during the Reagan administration * Wayne Berman, senior executive with private equity and financial services firm Blackstone Group LP  * David McCormick, president of investment manager Bridgewater Associates LP  * Pete Hegseth, CEO of Concerned Veterans for America and Fox News commentator  * Navy Admiral Michelle Howard  * Scott Brown, former Republican U.S. senator from Massachusetts * Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor and Republican nominee for vice president in 2008. * Jeff Miller, former Republican U.S. representative from Florida who was chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee * Larry Kudlow, economist and media commentator

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः ट्रम्प प्रशासन में वरिष्ठ पदों के लिए दावेदार


CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - A top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold talks in Canada on Tuesday with members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s team, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, will travel to Calgary, Alberta, where Trudeau and his cabinet are holding a two-day retreat focused largely on the new U.S. administration.

Summary: ट्रंप के शीर्ष सहयोगी ने कनाडा में ट्रूडो की टीम के साथ बातचीत करने की योजना बनाईः सूत्र


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told Russian officials at the White House that firing FBI Director James Comey relieved “great pressure” the president was facing from an ongoing probe into Russia and the U.S. presidential election, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing a document summarizing the meeting. “I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Trump said, according to the Times, which cited a document read to it by a U.S. official. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.” The Times said the document was based on notes taken from inside the Oval Office. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the accuracy of the Times’ account.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने कहा कि कोमी को बर्खास्त करने से 'बड़े दबाव' से राहत मिलीः न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स


PARIS (Reuters) - French truck drivers blocked traffic at border crossings with Spain, Italy and Belgium on Tuesday in protest over cut-price competition in the road-freight industry. French truckers are angry that an agreement reached by EU member states on Oct. 23 to limit the amount of time workers can be  posted  from one EU country to another does not cover the road transport sector. [L8N1MY3RF] As a result, French truckers face being priced out by drivers from other EU member states, especially east Europe, Spain and Portugal, who are willing to do fixed-term work for lower pay than French drivers might normally receive.  Widening gaps in pay and conditions endanger French firms and workers,  said Pascal Favre, a member of the Force Ouvriere labor union who was among truckers protesting in southwest France, near the border with Spain.  (There are) those who work for lower pay because they spend more time behind the wheel on jobs the French do not do because of unfair competition.  The  posted workers  issue effectively pits wealthier EU countries against poorer peers like Poland and Bulgaria, whose skilled workers are keen to move around the EU on fixed-term contracts, earning more than they would do at home but often undercutting workers in the host country. The number of workers posted to France from other EU countries rose 23.8 percent to 354,151 in 2016, after a similar jump the preceding year, according to a government count cited by the business newspaper Les Echos on Tuesday. Emmanuel Macron made the issue part of his presidential campaign, saying he would fight to protect workers from unfair competition. While he managed to forge agreement among the EU s 28 states for some adjustments to the rules, transportation workers were not included. About 200 French truckers took part in the protest at the northern border crossing into Rekkem in Belgium, waving cars through but halting trucks, a local police official said. Traffic on the main motorway from the French city of Lille to the Belgian city of Ghent was disrupted by another trucker protest in the region for a few hours early in the day. Traffic through the Frejus tunnel to Italy in the southeast was similarly disrupted, as were some crossings with Spain. It wasn t immediately clear how great the economic impact of the protests would be, although they were not expected to continue beyond Tuesday.

Summary: फ्रांसीसी ट्रक चालकों ने कीमत में कटौती प्रतियोगिता को लेकर सीमा पार करने पर रोक लगा दी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed a $700 billion defense policy bill on Thursday, backing President Donald Trump’s call for a bigger, stronger military, but leaving unsettled how to fund the massive spending increase amid a Republican-led push to cut taxes. The Senate passed by voice vote the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, which authorizes the level of defense spending and sets policies controlling how the money is spent. The measure, passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday [L1N1NK2OP], next goes to the White House for Trump’s signature. Trump’s fellow Republicans control majorities in both the House and Senate and he is expected to sign the bill. But the funding may never come to fruition. The 2018 NDAA defies spending caps set in the 2011 Budget Control Act, passed to help control the budget deficit, and there is no clear plan from Congress on how to provide more money for the Pentagon. The Senate backed the NDAA on the same day Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a sweeping tax bill, with no support from Democrats, which is expected to increase the federal deficit by nearly $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Senate Republicans are working on their own version of the measure. The 2018 NDAA authorizes $634 billion in base defense spending, for such things as buying weapons and paying the troops, well above the $549 billion allowed under the “sequestration” controls set in the Budget Control Act. It also includes about $66 billion in special war funding, which is exempt from the sequestration cap. The NDAA passed this week is a compromise reached by House and Senate negotiators between separate versions of the bill approved in the chambers earlier this year. A budget fight is expected, however, because Senate Democrats may not agree to big increases in funds for the military if spending caps on non-defense programs are not also eased. While Senate rules would allow Republicans to pass their tax bill without any Democratic votes, their Senate majority of 52-48 is so small that most legislation, including a change in the sequestration rules, would require Democratic votes.

Summary: सीनेट ने ट्रम्प को 700 अरब डॉलर का रक्षा बिल भेजा, धन अनिश्चित


LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was only joking when he said the English language was on the way out in Europe due to Brexit, he said on Friday.  Slowly but surely English is losing importance in Europe,  Juncker told a conference in Florence in May, speaking in English before then switching to French and drawing applause from his audience. Asked on Friday if French would indeed be the future language of Europe, Juncker said in English:  It s always dangerous to make jokes about that.   I gave a speech in Florence in May and I was saying as English is slowly disappearing from Europe I will express myself in French. The French were happy. The British - I had a shitstorm coming from the other side of the Channel,  he told students in his native Luxembourg.  Juncker has had something of a love-hate relationship with Britain since becoming head of the EU executive almost three years ago in the face of objections from then Prime Minister David Cameron. Brexit has however raised some questions about the future status of English within the bloc, since once Britain leaves it will not be the official language of any member state for EU purposes.  It is a native language in Ireland and Malta but countries can only nominate one for EU use and they chose Gaelic and Maltese respectively. The EU recognises 24 official languages and three   English, French and German   as working languages. In French, Luxembourg-born Juncker added:  I think that the European Union s linguistic regime gives the different languages equality, except Luxembourgish.

Summary: यूरोपीय संघ के जंकर का कहना है कि अंग्रेजी भाषा से बाहर निकलने की बातचीत केवल मजाक थी


LONDON (Reuters) - The Caribbean island of Barbuda is a scene of  total carnage  after the passage of Hurricane Irma and the tiny two-island nation will be seeking assistance from the international community to rebuild, its prime minister said on Thursday. Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, told the BBC that about half of Barbuda s population of some 1,800 were homeless while nine out of 10 buildings had suffered some level of devastation, many of them total destruction.  We flew into Barbuda only to see total carnage. It was easily one of the most emotionally painful experiences that I have had,  Browne said in an interview on BBC Radio Four.  Approximately 50 percent of them (residents of Barbuda) are literally homeless at this time. They are bunking together, we are trying to get ... relief supplies to them first thing tomorrow morning,  he said, adding that it would take months or years to restore some level of normalcy to the island.

Summary: तूफान इरमा ने बारबुडा पर 'पूर्ण नरसंहार' कियाः प्रधानमंत्री


AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The verdict in the war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic was delayed on Wednesday while he underwent a blood pressure test, his son Darko told Reuters. U.N. judges had ordered a five-minute bathroom break for Mladic, 74, before issuing their verdict in his trial for 11 alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity including genocide. That pause then stretched on for more than an hour.   They took his blood pressure during the break. We don t know the readings, but they said they could continue with the verdict. We are very concerned about his blood pressure because he has already has four strokes,  Darko Mladic said.

Summary: म्लादिक पर युद्ध अपराध के फैसले में देरी हुई क्योंकि उसका रक्त परीक्षण किया गयाः म्लादिक बेटा


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he opposes any effort to do away with the role of Congress in approving increases to the federal debt limit. “I think there’s a legitimate role for power of the purse and Article 1 powers,” Ryan said, referencing a section of the U.S. Constitution that gives Congress its powers. President Donald Trump asked congressional leaders at a White House meeting on Wednesday whether the need for periodic legislative raises to the debt ceiling, which is the federal government’s borrowing limit, should be eliminated.

Summary: सदन के अध्यक्ष ने ऋण सीमा बढ़ाने में कांग्रेस की भूमिका का समर्थन किया


WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday it had sought to reassure China after President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with Taiwan’s leader last week, which the Obama administration warned could undermine progress in relations with Beijing. The statement from a spokesman for U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted concerns about the potential fallout from Trump’s unusual call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, which prompted a diplomatic protest from Beijing on Saturday. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said senior National Security Council officials spoke twice with Chinese officials over the weekend to reassure them of Washington’s commitment to the “One China” policy and to “reiterate and clarify the continued commitment of the United States to our longstanding China policy.” The policy has been in place for 40 years and is focused on promoting and preserving peace and stability in the strait separating China and Taiwan, which is in U.S. interests, Earnest said.  “If the president-elect’s team has a different aim, I’ll leave it to them to describe,” he said. “The Chinese government in Beijing placed an enormous priority on this situation, and it’s a sensitive matter. Some of the progress that we have made in our relationship with China could be undermined by this issue flaring up,” he said. The call with Taipei was the first by a U.S. president-elect or president with a Taiwan leader since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of “one China.” China regards Taiwan as a renegade province. Despite tensions over matters ranging from trade to China’s pursuit of territorial claims in the South China Sea, the Obama administration has highlighted cooperation on global issues, such as climate change and Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs. Earlier on Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry said Trump was clear about China’s position on the Taiwan issue and that China had maintained contacts with his team. Vice President-elect Mike Pence sought to play down the telephone conversation, saying on Sunday it was a “courtesy” call, not intended to show a shift in U.S. policy on China. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, who has been mentioned as a possible secretary of state in the Trump administration, said on Monday he thought reaction to the Taiwan call was being overblown. “He got a call, he took it, and again, he’s getting calls from everyone, so I think probably a lot more is being read into it than is the case, really,” Corker said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang would not say directly whom China had lodged “stern representations” with about Trump’s call, repeating a weekend statement it had gone to the “relevant side” in the United States. “The whole world knows about the Chinese government’s position on the Taiwan issue. I think President-elect Trump and his team are also clear,” Lu told a daily news briefing. “In fact, China has maintained contacts and communication with the team of President-elect Trump,” he added, repeating a previous assertion, although he did not give details. Lu also said he would not speculate on what prompted the call, but described the matter of Taiwan as the most important and sensitive question between China and the United States.  Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who was White House national security adviser when President Richard Nixon made his historic visit to China in 1972, told a forum in New York on U.S.-China relations that he had been “very impressed at the calm reaction of the Chinese leadership” to Trump’s call. Kissinger, who met with Trump last month, said it suggested Beijing may be looking to develop a “calm dialogue” with the new U.S. administration. Trump, who vowed during his campaign to label China a currency manipulator, issued more tough rhetoric on Sunday. “Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the U.S. doesn’t tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don’t think so!” Trump said on Twitter. China is not currently viewed as a currency manipulator by either the Treasury Department or the International Monetary Fund. The World Trade Organization says Chinese tariffs on imported goods are generally higher than U.S. tariffs. China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts or all of the energy-rich South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes annually. Lu would not be drawn on directly commenting on Trump’s tweets but defended the China-U.S. relationship. “The China-U.S. economic and trade relationship has over many years always been a highly mutually beneficial one, otherwise it couldn’t have developed the way it has today,” he said. The diplomatic contretemps was one of several recently for the Republican president-elect, a real estate magnate who has never held public office and has no foreign affairs or military experience.  Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, is still considering his choice for secretary of state. The Global Times, an influential tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, said in an editorial on Tuesday that China would have to meet Trump’s “reckless remarks” head-on. “Trump’s China-bashing tweet is just a cover for his real intent, which is to treat China as a fat lamb and cut a piece of meat off it,” the paper said.

Summary: ताइवान के नेता के साथ ट्रम्प की बातचीत के बाद अमेरिका बीजिंग को आश्वस्त करना चाहता है


HARARE (Reuters) - The Zimbabwean military is in charge of a paramilitary police support unit depot in Harare and has disarmed police officers there, an army source told Reuters.  They are now in charge of all armory, all gates and roads leading in or out of the camp. Arcturus Road (which leads to the camp) is closed and all Support Unit details with guns have been disarmed,  the source said.

Summary: जिम्बाब्वे की सेना ने हरारे में अर्धसैनिक पुलिस डिपो को नियंत्रित कियाः सूत्र


BEIJING (Reuters) - As U.S. President Donald Trump left Beijing on Friday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam, first lady Melania stayed behind to play tourist, viewing pandas at a zoo and visiting the Great Wall of China. At the Beijing Zoo, the 47-year-old former model fed a giant panda named Gu Gu and learned about his nutrition and training.  She greeted a group of school children waving miniature Chinese and American flags, handing out stuffed toy eagles after watching the children sing a Chinese folk song at the panda enclosure.  Thank you very much,  she said. Melania then signed a panda print, writing:  Thank you to the Beijing Zoo! Wonderful to meet Gu Gu! Melania Trump . Later in the afternoon, Melania walked along part of the Mutianyu section of the more than 20,000-km (12,400-mile) long Great Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where China frequently takes visiting heads of state and their spouses. As with previous first ladies, Melania has used her platform to champion public causes, such as the prevention of childhood bullying and combating the opioid epidemic in the United States. Playing a prominent supporting role on the president s multi-leg Asia visit, she won praise on Chinese social media, with comparisons to China s glamorous first lady, Peng Liyuan, and comments on her apparent ease in navigating the ancient cobblestones of the Forbidden City in super-high stilettos upon arrival in Beijing on Wednesday. Accompanied by Peng, Melania watched a cultural performance, painted pandas and participated in a cooking class at a primary school on Thursday.     Many on China s Twitter-like Weibo applauded Melania s grace and sense of style, as well as her cultural sensitivity.   In China, she wore mostly austere coats and dark gowns from Dolce & Gabbana and Alexander McQueen, in contrast with her magenta Delpozo outfit and electric-blue heels upon landing in South Korea days before.  But most in China said they remained bigger fans of their own first lady, often affectionately referred to online as Peng Mama, which roughly translates as Mother Peng.  I still think Mama oozes more grace, while also exuding a motherly air!  one Weibo poster said. Chinese social media sites are policed more heavily than normal during important political events, with negative or sensitive matter swiftly blocked or removed by internet censors.  As Trump departed, he said on Twitter his wife s next stop would be Alaska, where she would  greet our AMAZING troops . However, Trump s daughter and adviser Ivanka, who is very popular in China, did not accompany her father, to the disappointment of fans.

Summary: ट्रम्प के बीजिंग से रवाना होते ही प्रथम महिला मेलानिया ने पर्यटक की भूमिका निभाई