WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the first two months after a June Supreme Court ruling allowed partial implementation of President Donald Trump’s travel ban, visas issued on average each month to citizens of six countries targeted by the order were 18 percent lower compared to the month prior to the ban, a Reuters analysis of government data shows.  The 3,268 visas issued in July and 3,884 visas issued in August to citizens of the six majority-Muslim countries were down from 4,351 issued in June. The July figure was lower than the monthly average at any point since 2007, when an average of 3,080 visas per month were issued to those countries.  The lower July and August numbers were especially noteworthy, immigration attorneys say, because a larger number of visas are typically issued in the summer months, as foreign students prepare to arrive in the United States for the fall semester.  “We are processing visa applications for nationals of the six affected countries as directed by the Executive Order and to the extent permitted by court decisions,” a State Department official said on condition of anonymity when asked about the lower numbers.  The decline comes on top of already plummeting figures for U.S. visas issued to citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen after Trump issued an executive order in late January halting entry of travelers from those countries for 90 days.  That order, and a more limited form of the ban issued in March, were hamstrung by months of legal challenges until the Supreme Court approved a limited version in June. But in the interim, the State Department issued far fewer visas to travelers from those six countries compared to the number issued in 2016 under the administration of President Barack Obama.  On Sunday, Trump issued a third version of the ban, which indefinitely restricts travelers from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea. Certain government officials from Venezuela will also be barred.  From March through June, a period when Trump’s order was mostly blocked by the courts, citizens of the six countries were issued an average of 3,929 visas monthly, 42 percent fewer than the 2016 monthly average of 6,799, according to State Department data. After the Supreme Court ruling, that monthly average was 47 percent lower than in 2016.  (For a graphic of visas issued to six countries affected by the travel ban, see tmsnrt.rs/2yd6BAA)  Trump’s initial travel ban, which barred citizens of the six countries as well as Iraq, sparked chaos and protests at airports around the United States. Issued with little forewarning, the order’s scope was unclear and sowed confusion among travelers as well as authorities responsible for implementing it. Courts quickly enjoined the main parts of the order. Trump eventually issued a new order that excluded Iraq and delayed its enactment to allow the administration and travelers time to prepare.  But that order, too, was soon blocked by courts. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, which allowed a limited version of the ban affecting only those citizens of the six countries lacking “bona fide” ties to the United States. After Trump issued the revised ban on Sunday, the Supreme Court canceled oral arguments scheduled  for Oct. 10 to decide whether or not the earlier version of the ban was discriminatory.  Even as sharply fewer visas were being issued, the president often complained on social media and in speeches about limits imposed by U.S. courts on the two executive orders establishing the travel ban.  “The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!” Trump tweeted on Sept. 15.  (Follow Trump’s impact on energy, environment, healthcare, immigration and the economy at The Trump Effect www.reuters.com/trump-effect)  Because the State Department only releases data on how many visas are issued and not total application numbers, it is unclear if the drop is due to fewer people applying, or because the administration is denying more applications.  In addition, a month-by-month comparison with prior years is not possible because the State Department released only annual numbers – not monthly data - until March of this year.  Stephen Pattison, a former U.S. consular official and now an immigration attorney, said he suspects that the huge drop in visas issued is due to fewer people applying rather than higher rejection rates.  “Quantifying the chilling effect of the Trump administration’s policies on the international public is hard to do, but I think that’s the biggest impact of what this administration has done,” Pattison said. “This atmosphere is causing bona fide, legitimate travelers to think twice about coming to the United States.”  Michael Boos, general counsel for the conservative nonprofit Citizens United, which filed a brief to the Supreme Court in support of the Trump administration in the travel ban case, said the figures show the ban is having its intended effect.  “Clearly the purpose of the temporary ban was to reduce the number of visas that would be issued to persons from the affected countries, so it’s not surprising that...when the court reinstated the ban, the number of visas would have dramatically diminished,” Boos said. “If people are deterred from seeking admission to the United States because they’re going to go through a vetting process that’s real and substantial, then maybe they shouldn’t be coming here in the first place.”  (This version of the story corrects penultimate paragraph spelling to Michael instead of Michel)

Summary: सुप्रीम कोर्ट के यात्रा प्रतिबंध का समर्थन करने के बाद छह मुस्लिम देशों के अमेरिकी वीजा में गिरावट आई


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Senate Republican said on Thursday Congress should considering ending the three-decade old federal subsidy for telephones and internet access for low-income Americans after a government audit found significant fraud. Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said at a hearing Congress should consider ending the program, known as “Lifeline,” which spends about $1.5 billion annually to help 12.3 million U.S. households afford landline and mobile phones. “The Lifeline program has been plagued by waste, fraud and abuse,” Johnson said. “This is a real head shaker.” Senator Claire McCaskill, the top Democrat on the panel, said “the combination of ineffective oversight and the greed of some private carriers has led to hundreds of millions in wasted taxpayer dollars.” She questioned why the Federal Communications Commission, which manages the program, had been unable to halt fraud and continued to pay funds to companies that have defrauded the program. A Government Accountability Office audit this year found significant fraud in the program and investigators could not confirm whether more than 1.2 million individuals sampled actually qualified. They also could not confirm how many of the 12.3 million participants enrolled received phones. Undercover investigators could typically enroll without proper credentials, the report found. The program, in place since 1985, gives participants a $9.25 monthly mobile phone subsidy and in 2016 the FCC expanded the program to include broadband internet access. The program is funded by the Universal Service Fee paid by telecommunications providers and typically added to monthly bills. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said the commission is taking steps to crack down on fraud. “It is a top priority,” Pai said. Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat, said he was angered by  “scammers” that endangered a program that provides “vital services” to people who struggle to afford phone or internet service. The FCC has estimated that some 95 percent of U.S. households with incomes of at least $150,000 have access to high-speed Internet, while less than half of households with incomes lower than $25,000 have Internet access at home. The GAO report found that just a third of the nearly 39 million eligible U.S. households are enrolled in the program. Since 1998, about $20.2 billion has been allocated to the Lifeline program.

Summary: सीनेटरों ने अमेरिकी कम आय वाले फोन कार्यक्रम में धोखाधड़ी की आलोचना की


ASTANA (Reuters) - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev named Yerbolat Dosayev and Askar Zhumagaliyev deputy prime ministers on Tuesday, according to documents published on his website. Dosayev has previously run Baiterek, a state holding company in charge of banking and finance, while Zhumagaliyev has served as chief executive of state-owned nuclear company Kazatomprom, one of the world s biggest uranium miners.

Summary: कजाखस्तान के राष्ट्रपति ने दो नए उप प्रधानमंत्री नामित किए


BRUSSELS/DUBLIN (Reuters) - The United Kingdom and Ireland could reach agreement in hours on how to run their post-Brexit Irish land border, paving the way for a deal that would remove the last obstacle to opening free-trade talks with the European Union. A carefully choreographed attempt to showcase the progress of Brexit talks collapsed at the last minute on Dec. 4 when the Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May s government vetoed a draft deal already agreed with Ireland. Since then, May has been scrambling to clinch a deal on the new UK-EU land border in Ireland that is acceptable to the European Union, Dublin, her own lawmakers and Northern Ireland s Democratic Unionist Party, which keeps her government in power. May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker could meet early on Friday to seal a border deal, the European Commission s chief spokesman said.  We are making progress but not yet fully there,  Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said.  Talks are continuing throughout the night. Early morning meeting possible.  A spokesman for PM May said Brexit discussions were ongoing while a senior Irish official said talks were moving swiftly and that a deal was possible in hours.  It is moving quite quickly at the moment,  the Irish official told a British Irish Chamber of Commerce event in Brussels.  I think we are going to work over the next couple of hours with the UK government to close this off. I say hours because I think we are very close.  Later on Thursday, the political editor of the BBC said the leadership of the DUP in Belfast had not signed off on the border deal, meaning it could yet stumble, but May continued to plan to meet Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk early on Friday in Brussels to finalize the agreement. The political editor of Sky News, quoting a DUP source, said the party would continue to work on the border issue on Friday. Moving to talks about trade and a Brexit transition are crucial for the future of May s premiership, and to keep trade flowing between the world s biggest trading bloc and its sixth largest national economy after Britain leaves on March 29, 2019. But the EU will only move to trade talks if there is enough progress on three key issues: the money Britain must pay to the EU; rights for EU citizens in Britain and British citizens in the EU; and how to avoid a hard border with Ireland. As speculation swirled about whether London, Dublin and Brussels were about to clinch a border deal, European Council President Donald Tusk s office said he would brief reporters at 0650 GMT on Friday before departing for Hungary. The EU says May has an effective deadline of Sunday night if she wants to seal a deal and hope to have agreement on trade talks in time for the EU summit on Dec. 14-15. All sides say they want to avoid a return to a hard border between EU member Ireland and the British-ruled province of Northern Ireland, which might upset the peace established after decades of violence. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) insists that Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, must leave the EU in the same way as the rest of the United Kingdom. To clinch a deal, though, May must ensure she has the support of the DUP, whose leader told her bluntly on Monday that it would not support her minority government s legislation unless the Irish border draft deal was changed. She must also convince her divided Conservative Party that the deal she makes is acceptable. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, a leader of the Brexit campaign, insisted the whole of the United Kingdom must  take back control  when it left the EU.  Whatever way we devise for getting onto the body of the (Brexit) talks, it s got to be consistent with the whole of the United Kingdom taking back control of our laws, of our borders and of our cash,  Johnson told reporters.

Summary: ब्रेक्सिट आयरिश सीमा समझौता कुछ ही घंटों में संभव


BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry criticized presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday, warning that isolationist policies would take a toll on the country’s well-being. “You are the most diverse class in Northeastern history. In other words, you are Donald Trump’s worst nightmare,” he jokingly told the 2016 graduates of Northeastern University in Boston. While he did not mention the billionaire businessman’s name again, Kerry alluded to one of Trump’s signature proposals - his call to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. “We will never come out on top if we accept advice from soundbite salesmen and carnival barkers who pretend the most powerful country on Earth can remain great by looking inward and hiding behind walls at a time when technology has made that impossible to do and unwise to even attempt,” said the former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, who was the Democratic nominee for president in 2004. Kerry has generally declined to comment on the race leading up to the Nov. 8 presidential election, though he has noted that foreign leaders have raised concerns about statements made by candidates, particularly Trump. A spokesman told reporters on Friday that Kerry’s remarks in Boston were intended to be lighthearted. “He is not living in a bubble. He is obviously concerned about some of the tone and the effect that is having on foreign leaders,” department spokesman John Kirby told a press briefing. “If you’re asking me because he enjoyed a light-hearted moment with students today has he changed his calculus to more aggressively jumping into active debates ... the answer is no.”

Summary: केरी ने बोस्टन भाषण में अलगाववाद के खिलाफ चेतावनी देते हुए ट्रम्प पर निशाना साधा


RALEIGH, N.C. (Reuters) - North Carolina’s Republican-dominated legislature passed a series of measures on Friday to curtail the executive authority of Democratic Governor-elect Roy Cooper just weeks before he is to succeed a Republican in the executive mansion. The bills, passed in the last hours of a special “lame duck” session called to help victims of Hurricane Matthew, strip the governor from the power to make cabinet appointments without Senate confirmation, name people to be trustees of the University of North Carolina and the ability to control hiring for about 1,200 state employees. “What is happening now may look like partisan political games, but the result will hurt North Carolinians,” Cooper said on Twitter Friday. He has threatened to sue the Republican-dominated legislature and the outgoing Republican governor, adding that “the courts will have to clean up the mess the legislature made.” Cooper beat incumbent Republican Governor Pat McCrory by a razor-thin 10,000 vote margin in a hard-fought election whose results took a full month to count before a winner was announced Dec. 8. McCrory on Friday signed one of the measures, lessening the governor’s control over the state elections board, and is expected to approve the latest actions before turning over the weakened office to Cooper on Jan. 7. Republican lawmakers called the changes justified by the state’s constitution and meant as a check on executive power. “This bill is a good step forward in reasserting legislative authority vested by the constitution and entrusted to the members of this body,” Representative David Lewis, a Republican and a sponsor of the bill, said during debate on Thursday. The legislation and related bills came as a surprise, filed late on Wednesday on the heels of a special session of the General Assembly called to consider relief for Hurricane Matthew victims. Their introduction and passage led to protests in both House and Senate chambers.  “The process, the content the intention of these bills, they are an affront to the values of our democracy,” said Ticie Rhodes, 57, of Raleigh, retired teacher and counselor who was protesting with her church. Thirty-nine protesters were arrested on Friday, including a man in a Santa Claus suit, Raleigh television station WRAL reported. Reuters was not able to immediately reach General Assembly Police Chief Martin Brock for comment.  McCrory praised the elections bill on Friday, saying it “lays important groundwork to ensure a fair and ethical election process in North Carolina.” But Cooper has said they would curtail his ability to improve health care, education and the environment for North Carolinians.

Summary: उत्तरी कैरोलिना के सांसदों ने आने वाले डेमोक्रेटिक गवर्नर पर प्रतिबंध लगाए


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives were in discussions on Tuesday about how long to fund the federal government in a short-term spending measure expected to come to a vote as early as Wednesday.  “I feel like we’re going to have a majority... for passing the CR (spending measure) we have this week,” House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters after a closed-door meeting with fellow House Republican members. “We’re having a good conversation with our members about timing and date ... and all the rest,” he added. The conservative House Freedom Caucus, which has enough members to block legislation, has pressed Republican leaders to consider a spending measure that expires on Dec. 30, eight days later than the Dec. 22 deadline that House and Senate Republicans have been discussing up to now. Ryan said the end date of the measure, known officially as a continuing resolution, or CR, would become known when it reaches the House floor.  But House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions told reporters his panel would consider a continuing resolution that expires on Dec. 22. The committee later rescheduled its hearing on the legislation for 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) on Wednesday. Several other House Republicans, however, said members were still debating whether the funding would expire on Dec. 22 or on Dec. 30, after the Dec. 25 Christmas holiday. “It’s still being negotiated,” said Representative Greg Walden. A Senate Republican leadership aide sidestepped a question on what Senate leaders thought about the CR date. “If the House makes any changes to their bill, I’m sure they will let everyone know,” the aide said.

Summary: हाउस रिपब्लिकन ने खर्च विधेयक की लंबाई पर विचार किया क्योंकि मतदान आसन्न है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama met with a frequent critic, House Speaker Paul Ryan, on Tuesday as the political leaders searched for areas where they may be able to overcome partisan divisions. The Oval Office discussion was the Democratic president’s first formal face-to-face meeting with Ryan since the Wisconsin congressman took over the top post in the Republican-dominated House of Representatives in October. Following the meeting, which was closed to the press, the two ate lunch together in the White House. The session marked a rare public detente between Obama and Ryan, who have repeatedly clashed over issues such as gun control and immigration reform. The get-together in the Obama’s office also included the Republican-controlled Senate’s majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. While the leaders said they hoped to find common ground, there were already signs on Tuesday that compromise might be elusive. Sniping between the administration and the Republicans resumed just hours after the meeting, as White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough slammed Republicans’ latest attempt to overturn the Affordable Care Act. “Groundhog’s Day is great for a movie plot, not a legislative strategy,” McDonough said on Twitter in response to a post from Ryan’s account. “Groundhog Day” is a 1993 movie about a man who relives the same day over and over again.   During the meeting Obama urged actions in areas where Republicans had signaled some support, including ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, providing tools to help address Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis and advancing cancer treatment. McConnell told reporters after the meeting that he had “some problems” with the trade pact and said he thought it should not be pursued before the November U.S. presidential election.    Ryan also raised concerns about the trade deal, his office said in a statement. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said after the meeting that the administration does not have a specific timeline for Congress to act on the trade agreement, but lawmakers should act “quickly” once the pact is ready for consideration. The leaders also discussed taking action to combat opioid addiction, criminal justice reform and the fight against the Zika virus.  Obama was pleased to meet with the Republican leaders, Earnest told reporters.     Despite the divisiveness seen on the campaign trail, “it actually is possible for leading Republicans to sit down in the same office with a leading Democrat and have a conversation about the priorities of the country,” he said.

Summary: ओबामा, रिपब्लिकन नेताओं ने व्हाइट हाउस की बैठक में मायावी साझा आधार की तलाश की


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of the United Nations, will seek to gather global support for reforming the world body when he hosts an event at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 18, a day before he formally addresses the 193-member organization. Countries will be invited to attend Trump s function if they sign on to a U.S.-drafted 10-point political declaration backing efforts by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres  to initiate effective, meaningful reform,  according to a draft of the political declaration seen by Reuters on Friday. Trump has complained that the U.S. share of the world body s budget is unfair, pushed to slash funding and described it as a  club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.  Trump, who took office in January, has since described U.S. funding as  peanuts  compared to the important work of the organization. The United States is the biggest U.N. contributor, providing 22 percent of its $5.4 billion biennial core budget and 28.5 percent of its $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget. The contributions are agreed on by the 193-member General Assembly. Trump, Guterres, who also took office in January, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley are scheduled to speak at the Sept. 18 event, diplomats said. The draft political declaration states:  We support the secretary-general in making concrete changes in the United Nations system to better align its work on humanitarian response, development and sustaining peace initiatives.   We commit to reducing mandate duplication, redundancy and overlap, including among the main organs of the United Nations,  the draft declaration reads. The United States also is reviewing each of the U.N. peacekeeping missions as annual mandates come up for Security Council renewal in a bid to cut costs. The United States is a veto-wielding council member, along with Britain, France, Russia and China. Haley has said there is  a lot of fat around the edges and some abuses that happen at the U.N. but I do think it is very important that we make the most of it.  Ethiopia, which is president of the 15-member Security Council for September, said on Friday it would hold a high-level council meeting on peacekeeping reform on Sept. 20 that will be chaired by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Ethiopian U.N. Ambassador Tekeda Alemu told reporters it was unclear if Trump would attend the meeting, which would be his first appearance in the Security Council, but that he expected about 10 heads of state or government to be present.

Summary: ट्रम्प 18 सितंबर को संयुक्त राष्ट्र सुधार पर विश्व नेताओं की बैठक की मेजबानी करेंगे


MOSCOW (Reuters) - The threat of new U.S. sanctions has spread anxiety among Russia s wealthiest people that their association with President Vladimir Putin could land them on a U.S. government blacklist, members of the business elite say. The list, to be drawn up by early next year, is part of a sanctions bill passed overwhelmingly by Congress soon after Donald Trump became president and reluctantly signed by him on Aug. 2 despite his avowed wish to improve ties with Moscow. Although those included on the list would not automatically be sanctioned, six people who are part of the business elite or close to the Kremlin said it was a major concern because the criteria for inclusion and the consequences were unclear.  People are on edge,  said a senior figure in a major Russian company.  If they classify you as close to Putin, just try proving it s not the case,  the figure said.  The Americans  tactics are clear: they need to cause pain in all ways possible for those who support Putin.  While most of the business elite remains loyal to Putin, the prospect of personal sanctions   which can prevent travel abroad or access to foreign bank accounts and freeze foreign assets   has prompted some to steer clear, the sources said. A billionaire businessman who has sat on panels of business leaders with Putin and in the front row of the audience when Putin addressed conferences has adjusted his diary to avoid such occasions, a source who works closely with him said.  He s simply been trying lately to show up less next to Putin,  said the source, who spoke on condition neither he nor his boss be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic.  Because it s not clear on what basis there could be sanctions. You get the impression anyone could get hit.  A source in the entourage of a second Russian billionaire said several oligarchs had chosen the tactic of keeping a low profile to avoid inclusion in the list. One billionaire businessman in the top 100 of wealthiest Russians spoke to Reuters in person. He said he could not get any clarity from his Russian political contacts about the threat. Asked what steps he could take to protect himself if he was included on a U.S. sanctions blacklist, he said:  There s no way. You have to leave.  He did not say where he would go. Unusually for one of Russia s billionaire class   a group that presents itself as loyal to the Kremlin - he expressed frustration with senior officials, including Putin.   The leadership (of the country) does not believe that the sanctions are going to follow the hard scenario,  said the businessman, speaking on condition of anonymity.  They live in a parallel reality. No one wants to listen to business.  Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, told reporters on Thursday that he was not aware of any frustration among the business elite from the new sanctions.  We know nothing of such views. If they exist and appear, we are always open to discussion,  he said. Asked whether he believed that sanctions were aimed at setting up elites against Putin, Peskov said:  We are confident this is exactly the case.   The Aug. 2 sanctions legislation expanded and toughened sanctions already in force since over Russia s 2014 annexation of Ukraine s Crimea region.  The law is very bad, it s very broad, very incoherent, its application could have all sorts of consequences,  Andrei Kostin, chief executive of VTB Russia s second biggest bank, said this week, referring to the legislation as a whole. The list, to be drawn up by the Treasury Department, is set to name the most significant Russian oligarchs  as determined by their closeness to the Russian regime and their net worth . It is meant to be sent to Congress by the end of January, weeks before Russia is due to vote in a presidential election. Though he has not declared his intentions yet, most Kremlin-watchers expect Putin to run and polls show he would easily win. Sanctions lawyers say the list itself has no legal force and inclusion does not mean sanctions will follow. Other provisions of the Aug 2 law present a more immediate threat by raising the level of risk for firms that do business with entities already under sanctions. Nevertheless, Western banks have started making additional checks on people they deem to be associated with Putin, said an executive with a European bank that operates in Russia. The checks, said the executive, were prompted by the Aug. 2 sanctions law and included establishing whether the individuals, whom he did not name, had accounts with the banks concerned. The source did not say whether they were taking any action. Some people in Putin s innermost circle have already been on a U.S. sanctions blacklist since 2014.  Gennady Timchenko, an oil mogul and one of Putin s closest friends, called his inclusion in 2014  an honor for me . Timchenko s wife, Elena, had her bank card rejected the same year when she tried to pay for treatment in a German clinic because her husband was under sanctions. The planned list of oligarchs is likely to include people outside that circle, who are not unquestioning Putin loyalists yet could still be punished for their association with him.  Everyone s fearful for themselves, they re afraid of personal sanctions,  said a source close to a fourth top 100 Russian billionaire.  Because, what if the whole of the Russian establishment ends up under sanctions? No one knows, so everyone is afraid.  A senior source who is close to the government and the Kremlin said the U.S. authorities were trying to turn Putin s allies against him, especially with the presidential election approaching.  If all these threats become reality, in respect of other people as well, that will create powerful tension and discontent in the business elite,  said the source.

Summary: कुछ रूसी कुलीन वर्गों के लिए, प्रतिबंधों का खतरा पुतिन को यह जानने के लिए अजीब बनाता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House reached out to the offices of every U.S. senator during the process of choosing a Supreme Court nominee but did not coordinate with the campaigns of Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, officials said on Wednesday. The officials, speaking to reporters on a conference call, noted that some Republicans had expressed a willingness to meet with President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, despite the party leadership’s pledge not to hold hearings over his selection.

Summary: व्हाइट हाउसः सुप्रीम कोर्ट के चयन पर क्लिंटन के साथ समन्वय नहीं किया


TOKYO (Reuters) - The leaders of Japan and Britain pledged on Thursday to cooperate in countering the threat posed by North Korea, two days after it fired a missile over northern Japan.      North Korea s reckless action is a threat  to Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his National Security Council.  Japan and Britain will cooperate to counter this.  British Prime Minister Theresa May, attending the meeting during a visit to Japan, said:  Through our deepened security partnership, we must work together to enhance our collective response to the threats to international order and global peace and stability. And that must include confronting the threat that North Korea poses and ensuring that this regime in North Korea stops its aggressive acts.

Summary: जापान के आबे, ब्रिटेन उत्तर कोरिया के खतरे पर सहयोग का संकल्प ले सकते हैं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he would make his choice to lead the Federal Reserve soon and was still weighing at least three people: Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell, Stanford University economist John Taylor and current Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.   “I will make my decision very shortly, pretty shortly,” he told Fox Business Network in an interview that aired on Monday.

Summary: फेडरल रिजर्व की अध्यक्षता पर जल्द ही फैसला लेंगेः ट्रंप


LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister Philip Hammond sought to quell accusations from within his Conservative Party that he is taking too soft an approach to Brexit and said the European Union represented  the enemy  in the negotiations. Hammond, who has come under increasingly hostile fire from supporters of a tough approach to splitting Britain from the EU, told Sky News television that it was time for the Conservatives to end their in-fighting over the Brexit talks.  I understand that passions are high, I understand that people have very strong views about this, but we are all going to the same place, we all have the same agenda,  he said in an interview on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington.  The enemy, the opponents, are out there on the other side of the table. Those are the people that we have to negotiate with. We have to negotiate hard to get the very best deal for Britain,  Hammond said. Hammond infuriated pro-Brexit newspapers this week and was criticized by some Conservatives including former finance minister Nigel Lawson for not agreeing to spend money now on preparations for the possibility of Britain leaving the EU without a deal. Speaking to media in Washington on Friday, Hammond declined to say whether he would vote for Brexit if there were a second referendum. Hammond who campaigned for Britain to remain part of the EU ahead of the June 2016 vote. Echoing Prime Minister Theresa May s own reticence on the issue, Hammond declined to say how he would vote if another referendum were held now.  We ve had the referendum,  he told the BBC.  You know how I voted in it.  Earlier this week May declined to answer a similar question, stoking concerns among Brexit supporters that she is not fully committed to taking Britain out of the EU. On Thursday May s spokeswoman said the prime minister had full confidence in Hammond.

Summary: ब्रिटेन के हैमंड ने पार्टी से ब्रेक्सिट पर एकजुट होने का आग्रह किया, कहा यूरोपीय संघ 'दुश्मन' है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government officials declined on Tuesday to characterize the treatment of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims as ethnic cleansing, but listed new measures including targeted sanctions Washington is considering to address the crisis. “I’m not in a position ... to characterize it today, but to me this very closely resembles some of the worst kind of atrocities that I’ve seen during a long career,” Mark Storella Deputy Assistant Secretary of State from the Bureau Of Population, Refugees and Migration said at a Senate hearing, when pressed to say whether he viewed the situation as ethnic cleansing. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine state since security forces responded to Rohingya militants’ attacks on Aug. 25 by launching a crackdown the United Nations has denounced as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar, also known as Burma, rejects that accusation, insisting action was needed to combat “terrorists” who killed civilians. But it has left the world community counting the cost as international organizations and the government of Bangladesh, which has taken in the vast majority of the refugees, race to provide food, water and medical care. Many U.S. lawmakers have clamored for a strong U.S. response to the crisis and criticized government leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate once hugely popular in Washington, for failing to do more. “She’s an impressive person, but she’s not taking on the challenge,” said Senator Ben Cardin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Cardin said he considered the treatment of the Rohingya genocide. The State Department said on Monday that Washington is taking steps and considering a range of further actions over Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya, including targeted sanctions under its Global Magnitsky law. [L2N1MZ01T] At the foreign relations committee hearing, Patrick Murphy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian And Pacific Affairs, said broader sanctions were also being considered, but cautioned that doing so could lessen the U.S. government’s ability to influence the Myanmar government to change.

Summary: अमेरिकी अधिकारी रोहिंग्या के साथ व्यवहार को 'जातीय सफाया' नहीं मानेंगे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday the United States is not as organized as it needs to be to step up its protections against cyber threats, and that making improvements would be a complex task lasting well beyond his time in office. Obama made his comments after meeting in the Oval Office with two advisers who will lead a new commission tasked with making recommendations by the end of the year on a long-term plan for cybersecurity upgrades. Obama did not respond to questions from reporters about a court order demanding that Apple Inc unlock an iPhone of one of the shooters in December’s attacks in San Bernardino, California.

Summary: ओबामा का कहना है कि अमेरिकी साइबर सुरक्षा को उन्नत करना जटिल, दीर्घकालिक काम है


BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The Trump Organization has no plans to build in Buenos Aires, a spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday, ending speculation a new Trump office tower would soon appear near the landmark obelisk in the heart of Argentina’s capital.  The city government said in late November it had declined to authorize a permit to build an office tower linked to the U.S. president-elect, clarifying that developers would have to file new paperwork for it to be reconsidered. The “Trump Tower” project made international headlines after a local news report that Trump mentioned the proposed office complex when Argentine President Mauricio Macri put in a congratulatory call to him after his Nov. 8 election.  The Macri administration said the report was untrue and that the project was not mentioned during the call. Macri knew Trump from his days working as a businessman but had said before the election he preferred Democrat Hillary Clinton.   “There are no plans to build in Buenos Aires,” said the Trump Organization spokeswoman, who asked not to be named. Trump, a businessman who has never held public office, has real estate and leisure holdings all over the world, sparking concerns his investments could color his decision-making after he becomes president on Jan. 20.  He has said he will remove himself from day-to-day business operations before taking office, avoiding potential conflicts of interest by transferring control of his businesses to his three eldest children. His company pulled out of a hotel venture in Rio de Janeiro last month. Developers YY Development Group, which built a nearly completed Trump Tower at the Punta del Este resort in Uruguay, told the Argentine paper La Nacion this week that the Buenos Aires project had been called off for now. The Buenos Aires city government said in November the Trump project first surfaced in early 2007 when a firm identified as Kubic S.A. filed a building request for a plot of land now used as a downtown parking lot. The plan was approved, but expired when construction did not begin within a stipulated three-year period, the city’s statement said. Last August, the city said, a firm called Repetto Oeste SA sought to revive the 2007 plan, but the request was not authorized.

Summary: ट्रम्प ऑर्गेनाइजेशन का कहना है कि उसकी ब्यूनस आयर्स टावर बनाने की कोई योजना नहीं है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - No negotiations can be held with North Korea until it improves its behavior, a White House official said on Wednesday, raising questions about U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson s offer to begin talks with Pyongyang any time and without pre-conditions.  Given North Korea s most recent missile test, clearly right now is not the time,  a White House official told Reuters. Tillerson said on Tuesday the United States was  ready to talk any time North Korea would like to talk,  appearing to back away from a key U.S. demand that Pyongyang must first accept that any negotiations would have to be about giving up its nuclear arsenal. The White House has declined to say whether President Donald Trump, who has taken a tougher rhetorical line against North Korea than Tillerson, gave approval for the overture. A day after Tillerson s comments at Washington s Atlantic Council think tank, the White House official, who declined to be named, laid out a more restrictive formula for any diplomatic engagement with North Korea.  The administration is united in insisting that any negotiations with North Korea must wait until the regime fundamentally improves its behavior,  the official said.  As the secretary of state himself has said, this must include, but is not limited to, no further nuclear or missile tests.  In his speech, however, Tillerson did not explicitly set a testing freeze as a requirement before talks can begin. He said it would be  tough to talk  if Pyongyang decided to test another device in the middle of discussions and that  a period of quiet  would be needed for productive discussions. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Wednesday appeared to walk back part of Tillerson s proposal, saying there would have to be a suspension of North Korean nuclear and missile tests for an undefined length of time before any talks could take place.  And we certainly haven t seen that right now,  she told reporters, insisting Tillerson had not unveiled a new policy and was  on the same page  as the White House. Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea s weapons advances have grown this year and recent exchanges of bellicose rhetoric have fueled fears over the risk of military conflict. Tillerson s relationship with Trump has been strained by differences over North Korea and other issues, and he has seen his influence diminished within the administration. Senior administration officials said late last month that Trump was considering a plan to oust Tillerson, though the secretary of state has dismissed that. Tillerson said in his speech that Trump  has encouraged our diplomatic efforts.  Trump, however, tweeted in October that Tillerson was  wasting his time  trying to negotiate with North Korea. Tillerson s overture came nearly two weeks after North Korea said it had successfully tested a breakthrough intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that put the entire United States mainland within range. North Korea has made clear it has little interest in negotiations with the United States until it has developed the ability to hit the U.S. mainland with a nuclear-tipped missile, something most experts say it has still not proved. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said following Tillerson s speech that China welcomed efforts to ease tension and promote dialogue to resolve the North Korea standoff. Russia also welcomed Tillerson s statement, the Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying. Ahead of Tillerson s speech, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to develop more nuclear weapons while personally decorating scientists and officials who contributed to the development of Pyongyang s most advanced ICBM, state media said on Wednesday. Despite that, a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tillerson s remarks followed speculation North Korea might be willing to talk having announced it had completed a major milestone with last month s missile test and suggested he was trying to take advantage of a potential opening.

Summary: टिलरसन के बयान के बावजूद व्हाइट हाउस ने कहा, उत्तर कोरिया के साथ बातचीत के लिए यह सही समय नहीं है


CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafik apologized on Saturday to supporters who were arrested this week and called on authorities to resolve the situation. Police arrested three members of Shafik s Egyptian National Movement on Wednesday and charged them with spreading false information harmful to national security, two security sources told Reuters. Shafik, a former prime minister and ex-air force commander who is seen as the most serious potential challenger to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in an election due early next year, apologized for the trouble caused to the detainees and their families.  I call on the relevant authorities to clarify the situation quickly, for it is dangerous,  Shafik said on his Twitter account.   President Sisi, a former military chief, is seen by many Egyptians as the only person able to provide stability after years of turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising that ousted veteran leader Hosni Mubarak. Shafik recently returned from exile in the United Arab Emirates to where he fled in 2012 after a narrow electoral defeat to Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Mursi was removed from office in a military takeover led by Sisi in 2013. Two weeks ago, Shafik said he was still deciding whether or not to run for the presidency in 2018.

Summary: मिस्र के राष्ट्रपति पद के उम्मीदवार ने गिरफ्तार समर्थकों से माफी मांगी


BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping offered warm words for U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, calling him a friend and saying he expected Trump’s visit to China in November would be “wonderful”. China’s relationship with the United States has been strained by the Trump administration’s criticism of Chinese trade practices and by demands that Beijing do more to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons and missiles programs. Xi and Trump met for the first time in person at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in April. Trump has since played up his personal relationship with Xi, even when criticizing China over North Korea and trade. Meeting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi said he had enjoyed his meetings with Trump and that the two had made considerable efforts to push the development of China-US relations.  “The two of us have also maintained a good working relationship and personal friendship,” Xi said, in comments in front of reporters. “I believe that President Trump’s upcoming visit to China means an important opportunity for the further development of China-U.S. relations,” Xi added. “And I believe his visit will be a special, wonderful and successful one.” In comments later reported by China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi added that cooperation was the only correct choice for both countries, whose common interests far outweighed their differences. Both countries must “on the basis of respecting each other’s core interests and important concerns appropriately handle, via dialogue and consultations, differences and sensitive issues”, the statement cited Xi as saying. Trump will travel to Asia in November for the first time since becoming president, stopping in Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines on a trip expected to be dominated by the North Korea nuclear threat. Tillerson told Xi that Trump and his wife Melania were looking forward to going to Beijing. “This is a relationship that continues to grow and mature on the strength of the relationship between yourself and President Trump. And we look forward to advancing that relationship at the upcoming summit,” he said. There was no mention of North Korea in comments made in front of journalists at any of Tillerson’s meetings, which also included top diplomat State Councillor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. China’s Foreign Ministry, in separate statements on Tillerson’s meetings with Yang and Wang, simply said they exchanged views on the situation on the Korean peninsula, without elaborating.

Summary: अमेरिका को ट्रम्प की यात्रा से पहले चीन के शी से गर्मजोशी भरे शब्द मिले


DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran s Revolutionary Guards on Sunday struck bases of the Islamic State in eastern Syria with drones, Iranian state television reported. It said vehicles, military equipment and ammunition were destroyed in the attack near the Syrian-Iraqi border. In June, Iran fired missiles into eastern Syria, targeting bases of Islamic State which had claimed responsibility for attacks in Tehran which killed 18 people. The Revolutionary Guards are fighting in Syria against militant groups which oppose President Bashar al-Assad.

Summary: ईरान का कहना है कि गार्डों ने पूर्वी सीरिया में ड्रोन से इस्लामिक स्टेट पर हमला किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to publish regulations that will end people-to-people individual travel to Cuba, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Friday. “The President instructed Treasury to issue regulations that will end individual people-to-people travel,” the department said in a statement. It added that the changes will not take effect until new regulations are issued.

Summary: क्यूबा के लिए व्यक्तिगत यात्रा प्रतिबंधों को कड़ा करने के लिए नियम जारी करेगा अमेरिका


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Tuesday called for changes in the U.S. military that would cut inefficiencies, streamline the acquisition process and improve the ability to respond quickly to threats such as Islamic State. The proposals by Carter, speaking to an audience at Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, cut across all branches of the Defense Department because they affect its top leadership and service chiefs. He said some of the measures could be put in place “over the coming weeks” under existing authority while others will require legislative action. Some of the proposals aim to overcome organizational inefficiencies within the vast U.S. military that Carter believes do not allow it to best address transregional threats like the one from the Islamic State militant group, which stretches from Afghanistan to Africa. Carter’s proposals, which did not go into specifics, follow a review of the Goldwater-Nichols law of 1986, which made sweeping changes to the structure of the U.S. military and has been criticized for being outdated. Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, looking at whether Goldwater-Nichols needed to be updated because of changing security threats including Islamic State and North Korea. Carter said the role of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ought to be clarified to help move troops quickly across regional commands and provide military advice for current and future operations. He said the Pentagon would try to simplify some headquarters positions so that some jobs now filled by four-star generals could be done by lower-ranking officers in the future. Carter added that service chiefs would be involved more in making decisions on defense acquisitions. He said the Pentagon would seek to streamline the acquisitions process by reducing the amount of paperwork required. In order to make the acquisition process simpler, Carter said he would look at potentially reducing the number of members on the Defense Acquisition Board, which gives advice on acquisition programs. In recent congressional testimony, Michele Flournoy, a former top U.S. Department of Defense official, said the Goldwater-Nichols law was leading to a “tyranny of consensus” and “bloated headquarters.” Reaching a consensus had “become an end in itself in too many areas,” including strategy development and acquisition, she said in her written testimony.

Summary: पेंटागन प्रमुख सुव्यवस्थित, अधिक फुर्तीला अमेरिकी सैन्य संरचना चाहते हैं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Following President Barack Obama’s endorsement of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the White House on Thursday said that Clinton’s rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, was not surprised by the nod of support.  “The president has had the opportunity to speak to Senator Sanders now three times in the last week, and as a result of those conversations, I think it’s fair to say that Senator Sanders was not at all surprised by today’s announcement,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at the daily press briefing.

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस का कहना है कि ओबामा द्वारा क्लिंटन का समर्थन सैंडर्स के लिए कोई आश्चर्य की बात नहीं थी


CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Melania Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention has ignited controversy because it contained a section strikingly similar to words delivered at the Democratic convention in 2008 by the woman she hopes to succeed as U.S. first lady, Michelle Obama. An official with the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested the similarity in the section to Michelle Obama’s speech may have been the result of an error by her team of speech writers. Donald Trump made no mention of the issue in a Twitter post early on Tuesday, saying simply: “It was truly an honor to introduce my wife, Melania Trump last night. Her speech and demeanor were absolutely incredible. Very proud!” Trump has never held elective office and his White House campaign has been marked by frequent controversy over unorthodox policies and freewheeling remarks that have alarmed many in the Republican establishment. It is a tradition of the party conventions for spouses to offer an enthusiastic personal endorsement of candidates. On Tuesday night, the gathering in Cleveland will formally anoint Donald Trump the Republican presidential candidate for the Nov. 8 election. It was a small section of Melania Trump’s roughly 15-minute speech, a highlight of the opening day of the convention, that was similar to a part of Michelle Obama’s speech in 2008 in support of Barack Obama, who was then campaigning for president. “My parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise; that you treat people with respect,” said Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born jewelry designer and former model. “They taught me to show the values and morals in my daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son,” she said. “And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow, because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.” In 2008, Michelle Obama said, “And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect.” “...And Barack Obama and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generations,” she added. “Because we want our children, and all children in this nation, to know that the only limit to the height of your achievement is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.” Before Monday’s speech, Melania Trump told NBC in remarks that were aired on several networks: “I wrote it... with as little help as possible.” A spokesman for the Trump campaign called the speech a success, but suggested her writers might have mistakenly injected some borrowed language. “In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking,” Jason Miller, Trump’s senior communications adviser, said in a statement. Paul Manafort, chairman of the Trump campaign, played down the similarities in the Trump and Obama speeches. “There aren’t that many similarities. There are a couple of phrases,” Manafort told CBS News on Tuesday. “It’s basically three places in the speech and it’s fragments of words. She spoke in front of 35 million people yesterday. She knew what she was doing. And she never cribbed from another speech without acknowledging that she was quoting somebody else.” “There was nothing that she did in that speech that she thought was anybody’s words but herself,” Manafort said. Asked if she wrote it herself, Manafort said it was a “collaboration” and he didn’t know how much exactly she had written. “But the words of her speech reflect her feelings for her husband, her country and her family.” “Frankly this was her vision that she wanted to communicate about her husband.” New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, asked if as a former prosecutor he could make a case for plagiarism from Melania Trump’s speech, replied: “No, not when 93 percent of the speech is completely different from Michelle Obama’s speech, and they express common thoughts.“ “I think after tonight we won’t be talking about this, we’ll move on to whatever ... comes up tonight,” Christie, a former rival to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination who now supports him, told NBC’s Today show on Tuesday. (This story corrects to show Melania interview was with NBC, paragraph 13)

Summary: मेलानिया ट्रम्प के भाषण में मिशेल ओबामा के शब्दों की प्रतिध्वनि है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Republican-controlled oversight committee in the U.S. House of Representatives announced on Monday that it will consider a measure censuring the head of the Internal Revenue Service on allegations related to scrutiny of conservative groups. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, who is already facing a Republican-led impeachment effort, would be condemned for conduct inconsistent with “trust and confidence” under a measure due to come before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday. Republicans, including the committee chairman, Jason Chaffetz of Utah, allege that Koskinen failed to comply with a House subpoena as lawmakers sought evidence that the agency targeted Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny. IRS actions came to light in early 2013, months before Koskinen arrived at the agency.  IRS officials had no immediate comment. Koskinen has denied any wrongdoing. Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the oversight committee’s top Democrat, accused Republicans of leap-frogging over the House Judiciary Committee, which is holding its own hearings to determine whether Koskinen committed any wrongdoing. Cummings said government investigators have found no evidence that the IRS targeted conservative groups or that Koskinen obstructed the House investigation. The proposed censure legislation urges Koskinen’s removal from office and would require him to forfeit his pension and other federal benefits. Committee approval would send it to the floor for a vote by the full House.  Legal experts say a congressional censure would not pass constitutional muster if it imposed any penalty.

Summary: हाउस पैनल आई. आर. एस. प्रमुख की निंदा करने के उपाय पर विचार करेगा


JUPITER, Florida (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hit the links on Saturday, as the two leaders looked to forge a bond over a round of golf diplomacy. South African four-time majors champion Ernie Els joined Trump and Abe for a round at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, Trump said in a tweet Saturday evening. Reporters were not allowed on the course to watch the president and prime minister while they golfed. After four hours at the club, Trump tweeted a picture of himself and Abe on the golf course. “Having a great time hosting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the United States,” Trump said in the tweet. The 47-year-old Els, whose primary residence is in south Florida, followed in the footsteps of American former world number one Tiger Woods, who played golf with Trump in December. Shortly after the golf round, Trump and Abe left the club to head to a private lunch. Between tweets about his visit with the Japanese prime minister and golfing with Abe and Els, Trump sent out a tweet again castigating the media over their treatment of his daughter Ivanka Trump.  “I am so proud of my daughter Ivanka. To be abused and treated so badly by the media, and to still hold her head so high, is truly wonderful!” he wrote. Trump earlier this week blasted department store operator Nordstrom for dropping his daughter Ivanka’s clothing line, because of what the company said were poor sales. Abe traveled to Florida on Air Force One with the new U.S. president after a more formal meeting at the White House on Friday. The weekend excursion is Trump’s first use of his Mar-a-Lago resort to entertain an international leader. Washington and Tokyo have said the weekend trip is a sign of the importance that both leaders place on the U.S.-Japan relationship.  Abe, in particular, sought to ease concerns in Japan about the fate of the decades-long alliance under Trump, who had raised concerns about U.S. military spending in Japan during the rancorous 2016 presidential election campaign. At a news conference on Friday, Trump and Abe focused on areas of common ground, with Trump setting aside campaign pledges to force Tokyo to pay more for U.S. defense aid and Abe promising to help the United States to create jobs. On Friday night, Trump and Abe ate dinner with their wives on an outdoor patio at Mar-a-Lago. The couples were joined by Robert Kraft, owner of the National Football League’s New England Patriots, which won the Super Bowl last Sunday. Trump and Abe are set to meet again for dinner Saturday evening, along with some members of the Japanese delegation. The two leaders are scheduled to depart Florida on Sunday.

Summary: ट्रम्प और जापान के आबे ने गोल्फ कूटनीति में एक स्विंग लिया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Republicans reached a deal on final tax legislation on Wednesday, clearing the way for final votes next week on a package that would slash the U.S. corporate tax rate to 21 percent and cut taxes for wealthy Americans.  Under an agreement between the House of Representatives and the Senate, the corporate tax would be 1 percentage point higher than the 20 percent rate earlier proposed, but still far below the current headline rate of 35 percent, a deep tax reduction that corporations have sought for years. As they finalized the biggest tax overhaul in 30 years, Republicans wavered for weeks on whether to slash the top income tax rate for the wealthy. In the end, they agreed to cut it to 37 percent from the current 39.6 percent. That was despite criticism from Democrats that the Republican plan tilts toward the rich and corporations, offering little to the middle class. “I think we’ve got a pretty good deal,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch told reporters. The emerging agreement would repeal the corporate alternative minimum tax, set up to ensure profitable companies pay some federal tax, and expand a proposed $10,000 cap for state and local property tax deductions to include income tax, lawmakers and sources familiar with the negotiations said. It was also expected to limit the popular mortgage interest deduction to home loans of no more than $750,000 and provide the owners of pass-through businesses, such as sole proprietorships and partnerships, with a 20 percent business income deduction.  The deal would gut part of the Obamacare health law by repealing a federal fine on individuals who fail to obtain health insurance, while authorizing oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Both add-on measures were part of nailing down sufficient votes for passage. Moving the corporate tax target rate to 21 percent from 20 percent gave tax writers enough revenue to make the tax cuts immediate, Republican Senator Ron Johnson told reporters.  News of the deal began circulating just before a formal House-Senate conference committee began debating it in public, leading Democrats to decry the gathering as a sham. A final bill could be formally unveiled on Friday, with decisive votes expected next week in both chambers. Despite expressions of confidence about passage from party leaders, the path to a final vote in the Senate could still be perilous. Republicans, who hold a 52-48 majority in the 100-seat Senate, can lose no more than two votes on the tax bill.   Republican Senator John McCain, who has brain cancer, was in a military hospital to undergo treatment for the side effects of cancer therapy. At least three other Senate Republicans still seemed to be undecided, including Arizona’s Jeff Flake, who was not specific about his hesitation in brief hallway remarks to reporters. Bob Corker, a fiscal hawk, said he was undecided on whether to support the bill. He told reporters: “My deficit concerns have not been alleviated.” Susan Collins, who helped sink her fellow Republicans’ efforts to dismantle former Democratic President Barack Obama’s healthcare law earlier this year, said she would not make a final decision on which way to vote “until I see the bill.” In a White House speech, Trump said the Internal Revenue Service had advised that if he signs the bill into law before Christmas, the tax cuts would take effect in February. The IRS had no immediate comment. But a Trump administration official said the IRS would have to readjust its paycheck tax withholding tables for employers and that new withholding levels would take effect in February. Under the bill, tax returns being filed next year for 2017 would not be affected, but returns filed in 2019 for 2018 would. Trump appeared in the White House with several middle-class families he said would benefit from the tax bill. The Joint Committee on Taxation and the Congressional Budget Office, both nonpartisan research units of Congress, have forecast that wealthy taxpayers and businesses would gain disproportionately from the debt-financed Republican proposals. As drafted, the Republican plan was expected to add as much as $1.5 trillion to the $20 trillion national debt in 10 years. With that in view, Republicans have been urgently trying to finalize details of their package without increasing its estimated impact on the federal deficit and the debt. At a tax event held by Democrats, Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi said the Republican bill, if enacted, would cause interest rates to rise, meaning the benefits of a lower corporate tax rate would be “completely washed out.” Stock markets have rallied for months in anticipation of lower taxes for businesses. The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average Index .DJI closed up 0.33 percent at 24,585.43. With their defeat on Tuesday in an Alabama special U.S. Senate election, Republicans were under pressure to complete their tax overhaul before Christmas and before a new Democratic senator can be formally seated in the Senate.  Democrat Doug Jones’ victory in Alabama came hours ahead of the final tax deal. When Jones arrives in Washington, the Republicans’ already slim Senate majority will narrow to 51-49. Fast action by Republicans on taxes would prevent Jones from upsetting expected vote tallies since he will not likely be seated until late December or early January. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called on Republicans to delay a vote on overhauling the tax code for the first time in 30 years until Jones can be seated. But that was unlikely. “Who would’ve thought they could have made the bill even less favorable to the middle class and more slanted towards the wealthy?” Schumer told a news conference.

Summary: रिपब्लिकन ने कर समझौता किया, अंतिम मतदान अगले सप्ताह देखने को मिला


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The prospect of Japan and South Korea obtaining nuclear weapons would be incredibly destabilizing, the White House said on Wednesday, a day after leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said the two U.S. allies should build such weapons to deter enemies. “Mr. Trump’s suggestion that somehow we should encourage our allies in South Korea to develop nuclear weapons is directly contrary to a policy that the United States has long pursued and that the international community has long supported,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters at a daily briefing.

Summary: जापान, दक्षिण कोरिया के परमाणु हथियारों से लैस होने का ट्रंप का विचार अस्थिर करने वाला हैः व्हाइट हाउस


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation on Friday broadening sanctions to punish North Korea for its nuclear program, human rights record and cyber crimes, and sent the measure to President Barack Obama to sign into law. Lawmakers said they wanted to make Washington’s resolve clear to Pyongyang, but also to the United Nations and other governments, especially China, North Korea’s lone major ally and main business partner. The package includes sanctions targeting North Korea and  “secondary sanctions” against those who do business with it. The vote was 408-2, following a 96-0 vote in the Senate on Wednesday. Impatient with what they see as Obama’s failure to respond to North Korean provocations, many of his fellow Democrats as well as the Republicans who control Congress have been clamoring for a clampdown since Pyongyang tested a nuclear device in January. Pressure for congressional action further intensified after last weekend’s satellite launch by North Korea. Obama is not expected to veto the bill, given its huge support in Congress. White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on board Air Force One that the administration was “deeply concerned” about North Korea’s recent actions and would not oppose the legislation. “We’re philosophically and intellectually in the same place as the Congress on this,” Schultz said. The legislation would sanction anyone who engages in, facilitates or contributes to North Korea’s proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms-related materials, luxury goods, human rights abuses, activities undermining cyber security and the provision of materials for such activities. Penalties include seizure of assets, visa bans and denial of government contracts. Unusually, the measure makes most of the sanctions mandatory instead of giving the president the option to impose them. He can temporarily waive them by making the case that doing so would threaten national security. The House had backed the sanctions measure 418-2 in January, but the Senate included some new provisions, including cyber security measures, in its version, sending it back to the House.

Summary: कांग्रेस ने उत्तर कोरिया पर सख्त प्रतिबंधों को पारित किया, ओबामा को भेजा विधेयक


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump urged Senate Republicans on Monday to move ahead this week on a bid to repeal his predecessor’s signature healthcare law, saying any senator who votes against it is telling America “you are fine with the Obamacare nightmare.” “To every member of the Senate I say this: the American people have waited long enough. There’s been enough talk, and no action. Now is the time for action,” Trump said at the White House. He added that people were demanding change, saying, “You’ll see that at the voter booth, believe me.”

Summary: ट्रम्प ने सीनेट रिपब्लिकन से स्वास्थ्य सेवा सुधार के साथ आगे बढ़ने का आग्रह किया


MUHORONI, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenya s repeat presidential election, boycotted this week by millions, has reignited long-running tensions between ethnic communities in some areas, leading inhabitants of one small village in the west to pick up traditional arms on Saturday.  In the bright green sugarcane fields where the western Nyanza region rolls toward the Nandi hills, two tribes   the Luo and the Kalenjin   have lived in relative peace for years.  But in the village of Koguta, down the road from the town of Mugoroni in Kisumu County, Thursday s polarizing vote reignited old grievances.  The stand-off, defused by an emergency intervention of three county governors, was a stark reminder of how easily Kenya s months-long political crisis could spark the type of ethnic violence that killed 1,200 people after a flawed 2007 vote.  On one side of Koguta are Kalenjins, here ardent supporters of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Kalenjin deputy, William Ruto. But the Luos across the road support opposition leader Raila Odinga, who called for a boycott of the vote because he said it would not be fair.  Some of the Luos here fought police to stop ballot boxes being delivered. The Luo accused the Kalenjin of stealing cattle and burning their sugarcane crop in revenge, prompting both sides to grab machetes, spears, bows and arrows, and wooden clubs.   This is an area where they tried to come in with ballot boxes, there was serious resistance, so that was the genesis of all this enmity between the Kalenjins and the Luos,  said Julius Genga, a county legislator, as a colleague stood atop a sports utility vehicle to calm a crowd of men with spears. The opposition dismissed the vote as a  sham  although Kenyatta s supporters say it was legitimate. Protests stopped four counties from opening polling stations at all. Only a third of voters turned up, and the opposition is likely to challenge the poll in court.   This has to do with politics,  said Collins Owuor, 21, holding a machete.  Before politics we did not have problems with these people.  In the distance, where smoke rose from sugarcane fields, Reuters saw police speaking to spear-wielding Kalenjins, but the local police chief warned journalists away.  By the end of the afternoon s meetings, the cattle had been returned and officials said they hoped the risk of violence had been quelled. Koguta is not the only place where simmering ethnic tensions have broken into the open.  On Friday night in the Nairobi slum of Kawangware, a man was beaten to death and homes and shop burned down amid rumors that a TRIBAL militia had infiltrated the neighborhood of a different tribe.  In Thursday s vote, Kenyatta only faced six minor candidates, none of whom won more than 1 percent in August, and that and the low turnout have quashed his hopes of securing a decisive mandate to lead east Africa s richest economy. Deputy president William Ruto, Kenyatta s running mate, told CNN on Saturday he expected the final tally from the vote to be ready by Sunday:   Shortly we will be having a declaration and finally a swearing in, in accordance with the constitution.     The election board said on Saturday it would soon announce a new plan for the nearly 30 of 290 constituencies that have not voted yet. The constitution says the vote must be  held in every constituency.  More legal cases against the election are expected next week. If the courts fail to find a path out of the crisis, including a possible order for another rerun, the protracted and economically damaging stalemate between the Kenyatta and Odinga camps is likely to continue. The electoral saga is polarizing the nation and slowing growth in what has been one of Africa s most vibrant economies, which is also a regional trade hub and a security ally for Western nations.  In Odinga strongholds, residents accused authorities of trying to  force  voter participation.  This is pure oppression,  said Hassan Hussein, a Muslim community leader.  The law says if you want to vote, you vote, if not, you don t.

Summary: केन्या में चुनाव के ध्रुवीकरण ने जातीय तनाव को फिर से जगाया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The American Bar Association issued a glowing evaluation of President Barack Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee on Tuesday, giving Merrick Garland its highest rating even as Senate Republicans stood firm in their blockade of his appointment. The influential lawyers association, which has evaluated the qualifications of nominees to the federal judiciary since 1953, deemed Garland “well qualified,” the highest of its three ratings, for a lifetime job on America’s highest court. “The unanimous consensus of everyone we interviewed was  that Judge Garland is superbly competent to serve on the United  States Supreme Court,” the ABA panel that conducted the evaluation said in a report. Obama nominated Garland, 63, on March 16 to replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died on Feb. 13. Garland is a centrist jurist with two decades as a federal appeals court judge. A nominee’s ABA rating typically is considered when the Senate acts on a judicial appointment. Republicans were unswayed. In an emailed statement, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office pointed out that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, when they were senators, tried to block the 2006 Supreme Court confirmation of conservative Samuel Alito, even though he also earned the ABA’s highest rating.  Supreme Court nominations require Senate confirmation, and the Republicans who control the chamber have denied Garland customary hearings and a confirmation vote. Senate Republican leaders have vowed not to act on any Supreme Court nominee put forward by Obama, arguing that the next president, to be elected on Nov. 8 and take office on Jan. 20, should fill Scalia’s vacancy. Obama has accused Senate Republicans of abdicating their constitutional duties. The court is now split 4-4 between conservatives and liberals, meaning Scalia’s successor could influence its ideological direction for years to come. The White House renewed its demand that the Senate act on Garland. Spokesman Josh Earnest said “it is such a shame he has been treated so unfairly by the United States Senate” in an “unprecedented partisan action.” The Republicans are hoping their presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, wins the presidency and nominates a conservative to the court. “This significant point warrants repeating,” the ABA panel wrote. “All of the experienced, dedicated and knowledgeable sitting judges, several former solicitor generals from both political parties, legal scholars from top law schools across the country,  and lawyers who have worked with or against the nominee in private practice, government or within the judiciary describe  the nominee as outstanding in all respects and cite specific evidence in support of that view.”

Summary: अमेरिकी कानूनी समूह ने ओबामा सुप्रीम कोर्ट के नामित व्यक्ति की प्रशंसा की


(Reuters) - The National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Monday revoked all awards bestowed upon former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert after he admitted in court to sexually abusing students years ago when he was a high school wrestling coach. The organization’s board of governors unanimously voted for the revocation after an ethics committee found Hastert’s actions to be “detrimental to the ideals and objectives” of the Wrestling Hall of Fame, according to a statement on its website. Lee Roy Smith, the body’s executive director, said in the statement the board wanted to wait until Hastert’s criminal case was over before making a decision.  Hastert, 74, once one of the most powerful U.S. conservative politicians, was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in federal prison for a financial crime related to sexual abuse of high school wrestlers he coached decades ago. Hastert pleaded guilty last October to the crime of structuring, which involves withdrawing a large sum of money in  small increments to avoid detection. While he was not charged with sex abuse because of the statute of limitations, he admitted to the judge at his sentencing hearing that he had sexually abused teenagers.  The abuse occurred while Hastert was a teacher and wrestling coach in his hometown of Yorkville in the 1960s and 1970s. He later reached a secret agreement with one of the victims to pay him $3.5 million in compensation for pain and suffering. The Yorkville High School wrestlers were state champions during his tenure as coach. The Stillwater, Oklahoma-based Hall of Fame said it revoked its Order of Merit and Outstanding American awards given to Hastert, along with separate awards bestowed by the Illinois Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa.

Summary: कुश्ती निकाय ने पूर्व हाउस स्पीकर हेस्टर्ट के पुरस्कार रद्द किए


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Financial firms are sounding alarm bells and dusting off contingency plans over fears an increasingly dysfunctional U.S. Congress may fail to reach a deal to raise the country’s debt limit. Several lobbyists, representing dozens of bankers, investors and credit rating agencies, told Reuters they are worried that dynamics at play in Washington –  a bitterly divided Republican party and unpredictable President Donald Trump – could rule out a deal before an October deadline.  Policymakers have vowed to provide disaster relief to areas affected by Hurricane Harvey, boosting hopes the debt limit battle could be included in an agreement on a legislative package. But the acrimonious atmosphere following Trump’s remarks about the Charlottesville protests this month, which cost him key backers in the business community and raised worries about his ability to broker a deal, still lingers. The debt ceiling is a legal cap on how much money the government can borrow to fund its budget deficits and meet debt obligations. Failure to raise it from the current $19.8 trillion could lead to default, sending shockwaves across global markets. “The stakes here are incredibly high. The economic impact associated with debt default is so immense,” said Rob Nichols, president and CEO of the American Bankers Association (ABA), one of the country’s key financial lobby groups.  “We’re monitoring this extremely closely and we will mobilize as needed throughout September.” While leading lawmakers and the administration have pledged it will get done, some corners of financial markets are already on edge. After all, Goldman Sachs estimated that failure to lift the cap would force a government spending cut equal to between 3 and 4 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, which would have crippling economic consequences. Moreover, previous debt limit negotiations went down to the wire, and the now-notorious 2011 standoff led S&P Global Ratings to downgrade U.S. sovereign debt for the first time. The episode wiped $2.4 trillion off U.S. stocks.  The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), a trade group representing hundreds of financial firms, said it had reprised contingency plans drawn-up during the previous showdowns and was working with firms to prepare for extreme volatility in the event of a default. These plans aim to ensure firms have enough technology capacity, staff and cash to handle high trading volumes.  A separate plan being reviewed by another trade organization, the Treasury Market Practices Group (TMPG), includes protocols for trading in defaulted Treasuries, according to information on its website. SIFMA is also planning for that.  “We want to make sure we’re on the same page and prepared, should anything happen,” said Robert Toomey, SIFMA’s managing director and associate counsel. “We believe this will get done, but we still have to prepare for it notwithstanding.” A spokesman for the TMPG was not immediately available for comment.  Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has urged Congress to raise the cap by Sept. 29 and said last week he was “100 percent confident” this would happen. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan have also promised the United States would not default But Wall Street players, who are highly exposed to any potential market mayhem, are worried Mnuchin and McConnell will not be able to get a divided Republican party to play ball. Many conservative Republicans have indicated they will only vote for a debt limit bill that contains promises of federal spending cuts, meaning Trump, Mnuchin and McConnell will likely need Democrat votes to get the bill through. The president is also seen as a wild card after he failed to denounce Nazi sympathizers at protests in Charlottesville. This, combined with his attacks on members of his own party, has raised questions over Trump’s ability to build consensus on the debt limit, one bank lobbyist said. “Everyone is very worried,” he added.  Trump last week tweeted that the ceiling was “now a mess” blaming Ryan and McConnell. “He took the two people he has to count on for this, and smack[ed] them around. It’s going to make it harder,” said Steve Bell, a former Republican director of the Senate Budget Committee and now director at the Bipartisan Policy Center, referring to Trump’s tweet.  The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Industry executives also point to an understaffed Treasury, which has yet to hold meetings with banks and investors - a tactic used by the Obama administration to calm Wall Street jitters.  Lobbyists said they expected to hear from the administration after Labor Day, when they would also attempt to persuade skeptics in Congress to pass the limit. “Treasury routinely reaches out to market participants to foster a steady dialogue on key issues, including the debt limit,” said a Treasury spokesperson. “The government intends to pay its debts.”

Summary: वित्तीय फर्मों को अमेरिकी ऋण सीमा वार्ता पर उथल-पुथल का डर है


(Reuters) - Virginia Democrat Danica Roem has been called a man by conservative opponents attacking her views on LGBT rights as she campaigns to become the United States’ only transgender state legislator.  Roem does not shy away from her gender identity. In one campaign ad, she applies makeup at a bathroom mirror and takes hormone pills. But rather than focus on the politics of running as a transgender woman, she prefers to discuss traffic gridlock and other issues in the Nov. 7 election for the Virginia House of Delegates. “Transgender people are just as qualified to say, ‘Hey, I can’t stand being stuck in traffic right now. I have some ideas to fix this,’” said Roem, a 33-year-old journalist. “We can be leaders on transportation. We can be leaders on economic development, and yeah, we can be leaders on civil rights too.” Her candidacy comes as more transgender men and women are vying for voices in the political arena where they have been targeted by conservative lawmakers seeking to limit their rights, most notably by restricting bathroom access.      U.S. elections this year could double the country’s number of transgender officeholders, currently at six, according to the Victory Fund, which works to elect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates. The group has endorsed eight transgender candidates up for election this fall. A transgender man and woman are running for city council in Minneapolis. A mayoral race in Midvale, Utah, and school board contest in Erie, Pennsylvania, are among the other contests with transgender candidates. Nearly 30 races in the 2017-18 election cycle already have a transgender candidate, up from 13 in 2015-16, according to Logan Casey, a research associate at Harvard University tracking them. The community’s electoral push comes as Republican President Donald Trump’s administration has reversed guidance to public schools on allowing transgender students’ bathroom choice and wants to ban transgender people from military service. Other minority groups also have battled discrimination through gains at the polls. But transgender candidates face unique challenges in making their case to voters who often have never met another transgender person, at least not knowingly.     “It’s sort of a double-pronged task that a lot of these candidates have,” Casey said. “They have to run for office and persuade people to vote for them and also educate them about what it means to be a transgender person.” Phillipe Cunningham, a 30-year-old black transgender man running for city council in Minneapolis, once thought he would have no chance at professional success because people would be put off by his gender identity. Now he marvels at the support he is receiving on the campaign trail.  “People see me and they are like, ‘You’re cool and you know what you are talking about, and you really love this community,’” he said. In Galesburg, Illinois, a city of 30,000, 23-year-old Chris King lost an alderman’s race earlier this year in which she emphasized business development. The card she handed to voters also highlighted the diversity she would bring as a transgender woman of color. She braced for the topic to become an issue at public forums, but it never came up.  “I am not 100 percent sure if that is good or bad,” said King, a part-time student and pet stylist, who knows it was discussed privately. “It would open the door for some conversations to happen that need to happen to educate people.” In Virginia, Roem seeks to unseat a 25-year Republican incumbent of the House of Delegates who filed a bill to limit bathroom access for transgender people on the same day Roem launched her candidacy. Delegate Bob Marshall and the state Republican Party use male pronouns to refer to Roem. The party recently sent mailers to voters in her district that took issue with her support for school policies supporting transgender youth, suggesting she wanted to push an agenda on students as young as kindergarten. “The mailers absolutely do not attack Danica’s gender identity,” John Findlay, executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, said in a statement.  Marshall did not reply to requests for comment. Roem said Republicans are resorting to bullying after years of failing to address voters’ quality-of-life concerns.  “This is all they have left: transphobic B.S.,” she said in an email on Monday. Roem dreams of the milestone moment that would follow an historic win with her introduction in the legislature as “the gentlewoman from Manassas.” She would smile at two transgender youth she imagines would be watching from the chamber gallery. “That fundamentally changes the conversation,” she said. “And then, let’s get onto business. Then I pursue governing.”

Summary: वोटों के लिए बाहरः अधिकारों पर लड़ाई अधिक अमेरिकी ट्रांसजेंडर उम्मीदवारों को प्रेरित करती है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said Thursday it is working to cut off revenue streams to North Korea by targeting remittances from its overseas workers, after recent nuclear and missile tests by Pyongyang. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a House of Representatives hearing that the United States is working “relentlessly” to get countries to cut off businesses sending money back to North Korea.  He also said Washington is working to encourage the sending home of North Korean diplomats not engaged in diplomatic activity and to make sure that people did not travel to North Korea, including for the May 6 congress of the ruling Workers Party.     “What we are focused on, besides the implementation of the (U.N.) Security Council resolutions, is relentlessly building pressure on North Korea, working principally with our key allies Japan and (South) Korea,” Blinken said.  “We are working in various ways to cut off all the revenues going to the regime. For example, they have ... overseas workers whose remittances are not going back to their families, but are going to the regime. We’re working to cut those off.”     Estimates of North Korean workers abroad vary widely but a study by South Korea’s state-run Korea Institute for National Unification put the number as high as 150,000, primarily in China and Russia, sending back as much as $900 million annually. North Koreans are known to work abroad in restaurants and on construction sites, and also as doctors.     The United States is also working to make sure North Korean officials are not invited to travel abroad and to ensure North Korean ships and aircraft are not allowed to dock or land in other countries, Blinken said. The senior U.S. diplomat for Asia, assistant secretary of state for East Asia, Danny Russel, said last week that another North Korean nuclear test could trigger new sanctions including an effort to choke off hard currency earnings by its overseas workers abroad. North Korea has conducted a series of missile launches, in violation of U.N. resolutions in the run-up to the Party congress and experts believe it may conduct a new nuclear test before this convenes.

Summary: अमेरिका का कहना है कि उत्तर कोरियाई प्रेषण में कटौती करने के लिए काम किया जा रहा है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Massive government investment in China’s semiconductor industry risks distorting the global market for integrated circuits, leading to damaging overcapacity and stifling innovation, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker has warned.      The comments come at a time of growing trade tension between the Asian giant and the United States over accusations of dumping, industrial overcapacity and a souring business climate for foreign firms doing business in China.  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has threatened to levy punitive tariffs of 45 percent on imports of Chinese goods if he is elected. In a speech on Wednesday, Pritzker sharply criticized a $150-billion plan by the Chinese government to expand the share of Chinese-made integrated circuits in the domestic market to 70 percent by 2025, from 9 percent now. “Let me state the obvious: this unprecedented state-driven interference would distort the market and undermine the innovation ecosystem,” Pritzker said at the Center for Strategic Studies think-tank in Washington.  That level of investment would be equivalent to half of worldwide semiconductor sales last year and result in market distortions similar to those plaguing the steel, aluminum and green technology industries, Pritzker added.       “The world has seen the effects of this type of targeted, government-led interference before,” she said. “The result has been overcapacity in the global marketplace that has artificially reduced prices, cost jobs in both the United States and around the world, and caused significant damage to those industries globally,” Pritzker said.  It was “imperative we take steps to prevent a similar situation from developing in the semiconductor industry,” she added.  Such steps include a Commerce Department study of the global semiconductor supply chain now underway, besides engaging with China, and other governments, to persuade them to avoid policies that distort markets or spur technology transfers. “The U.S. government will make clear to China’s leaders at every opportunity that we will not accept a $150-billion industrial policy designed to appropriate this industry,” Pritzker added. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China advocates for all countries to provide a fair and transparent investment environment. “We hope everyone can rationally view relevant trade and investment cooperation and work together to create a positive atmosphere,” she told reporters at a regular briefing when asked about Pritzker’s remarks. China’s Ministry of Commerce did respond immediately to a request for comment.  Earlier on Thursday, 12 U.S. senators urged that Zhongweng International’s $2.3-billion purchase of Cleveland, Ohio-based Aleris Corp. be rejected by a national security review panel. “In addition, we are seeing new attempts by China to acquire companies and technology based on their government’s interests – not commercial objectives. And we have witnessed attempts to restrict access to China’s domestic market,” Pritzker said. The technology industry depends on a global supply chain, open and fair trade and innovation, she said, warning against government behavior that disrupts the system and distorts markets. “China’s effort to move up the value chain should be the result of healthy competition and free and fair trade, not state-directed investments aimed at distorting global markets,” Pritzker said. “In addition, no government should require technology transfer, joint-venture, or localization as a quid pro quo for market access.”

Summary: अमेरिकी वाणिज्य प्रमुख ने चीन के अर्धचालक निवेश द्वि घातुमान के खिलाफ चेतावनी दी


TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday the State Department’s current spending was “not sustainable,” and he willingly accepted the “challenge” President Donald Trump had given in proposing to cut more than a quarter of his agency’s budget. Trump’s budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1 would cut 28 percent of the budget for U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid, according to documents provided by the White House. The combined budget for the State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would be $25.6 billion. Speaking in Tokyo at the start of a trip to Asia focused on the threat from North Korea, Tillerson defended the cuts as a necessary correction to a “historically high” budget that had grown to address conflicts abroad in which the United States was engaged, as well as disaster aid. “Clearly the level of spending that the State Department has been undertaking, particularly in this past year, is simply not sustainable,” he said. “As time goes by, there will be fewer military conflicts that the U.S. will be directly engaged in.” The United States will also reduce spending by attracting funds from other countries and “other sources” to contribute to development aid and disaster assistance, Tillerson said. Trump’s budget would preserve $3.1 billion in security aid to Israel but reduce funding for the United Nations, climate change and cultural exchange programs. For a graphic on winners and losers in Trump's budget, click here: here Congress, which rules on the government’s purse strings and is controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans, may reject some or many of the cuts to the State and USAID budgets, which pay for everything from maintaining America’s diplomatic corps to fighting poverty, promoting human rights and improving health in foreign nations. More than 120 retired U.S. generals and admirals urged Congress in a letter last month to fully fund diplomacy and foreign aid, arguing the functions were “critical to keeping America safe.” Several Republicans in Congress have expressed opposition to Trump’s plans to slash funding for diplomacy and foreign aid. Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate subcommittee responsible for those budgets, said last month the proposal would be “dead on arrival” in Congress.  Tillerson said there would be a “comprehensive examination” of how the State Department’s programs are executed and how the department is structured. He said the situation was challenging, but that he took on the challenge that Trump had given him “willingly.” “I’m confident that with the input of the men and women of the State Department we are going to construct a way forward that allows us to be much more effective, much more efficient and be able to do a lot with fewer dollars,” he said.

Summary: टिलरसन ने कहा, विदेश मंत्रालय का खर्च टिकाऊ नहीं