WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump’s successful campaign for the White House broke every tradition and upended the political establishment with the same bluster, hyperbole and media mastery that made him one of the world’s best-known businessmen. Trump told supporters at a rally early on Wednesday he had received a call from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton  congratulating him on his victory. From his grand Trump Tower escalator entrance into the Republican presidential race on June 16, 2015, Trump managed to be simultaneously charismatic and combative, elitist and populist, lewd and pious as he drilled into a lode of polarity and anti-Washington anger among American voters. It was his first run for public office and Trump, a real-estate developer, reality television star and self-confessed owner of a big ego, called it a movement, not a campaign. He drew large, enthusiastic crowds to rallies where people cheered him for “just saying what everybody’s thinking.” Critics labeled him misogynistic, ill-informed, uncouth, unpresidential, a racist, a hypocrite, a demagogue and a sexual predator, all accusations he denied. It took Trump, 70, little more than 10 months to vanquish 16 other Republican candidates and win the party’s nomination, becoming the first major party nominee without government experience since General Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s. He drew a record number of votes in primary contests but in so doing created a rift in the Republican Party. Then Trump squared off against Clinton, 69, in a race marked by controversies that included upheaval in his staff, charges he had groped women and unheeded demands that he release his tax records. He said that as president he would investigate Clinton for her use of email while secretary of state. He vowed to send her to jail. His campaign took a scandalous turn in October with the release of a 2005 video in which Trump, unaware he was being recorded, told a television entertainment reporter that he liked to kiss women without invitation and that, because he was rich and famous, he could grab them by the genitals with impunity. Trump dismissed the remarks as “locker room talk” and denied the subsequent accusations from more than 10 women who said he had groped them or made unwanted sexual advances. Throughout his campaign - and especially in his Republican convention speech in July - Trump described a dark America that had been knocked to its knees by China, Mexico, Russia and Islamic State. The American dream was dead, he said, smothered by malevolent business interests and corrupt politicians, and he said he alone could revive it. Trump said he would make America great again through the force of his personality, negotiating skill and business acumen. He offered vague plans to win economic concessions from China, to build a wall on the southern U.S. border to keep out undocumented immigrants and to make Mexico pay for it. He vowed to repeal Obamacare while being the “greatest jobs president that God ever created” and has proposed refusing entry to the United States of people from war-torn Middle Eastern nations, a modified version of an earlier proposed ban on Muslims. Trump promoted himself as the ultimate success story. He dated beautiful women, married three of them, had his own television show and erected skyscrapers that bore his name in big gold letters. Everything in his life was the greatest, the hugest, the classiest, the most successful, he said, even though critics assailed his experiences with bankruptcies, the failures of his Atlantic City, New Jersey, casinos and what they viewed as the misplaced pride he showed when presented with evidence he avoided paying taxes. Trump had flirted with presidential runs in the past and some initially saw his campaign as a vanity project meant to indulge his ego and burnish his brand. It was expected to be short-lived but as the election season progressed, he became the Republican front-runner, winning state nominating contests despite an unconventional campaign that relied on large-scale rallies and mostly ignored grass-roots work. His hired advisers came to realize there was only so much they could do to rein in Trump. His inner circle was dominated by his three oldest children - Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, along with Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner. The rise of Trump, once a registered Democrat, threatened to blow up the Republican Party. Its establishment challenged his commitment to their tenets and organized against him. Prominent Republicans - including former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and congressional leaders - shunned him or offered lukewarm support. Trump used Twitter as a weapon, firing off insults and mockery at those who offended him, including “Crooked Hillary” and Republican rivals “Little Marco” Rubio, Jeb “Low Energy” Bush and “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz. Another target was the family of a Muslim U.S. Army captain who died fighting in Iraq after the soldier’s father had spoken against Trump at the Democratic National Convention. Trump sniped back for days despite his advisers urging him to move on. As of late October, The New York Times had counted 282 people and things he had insulted on Twitter since declaring his candidacy. The Trump candidacy was brimming with contradictions. The candidate who vowed to bring back jobs to the United States had his clothing line and campaign hats manufactured in foreign countries. The man who decried the corrupting power of money in politics boasted of having bought influence himself. Undocumented workers had been used on his building projects but as a candidate Trump vowed to ship illegal immigrants out of the country. He said no one respected women more than he did but even before the groping accusations emerged, he was branded a misogynist for making fun of the appearance of rival candidate Carly Fiorina and an apparent reference to the menstrual cycle of Fox News’ Megyn Kelly. Trump’s campaign trail demeanor seemed to draw from his experiences as host of “The Apprentice,” a reality TV show where he barked a crowd-pleasing “You’re fired!” at contestants who fell short in competitions. His speeches were often unscripted and featured boasts on everything from his money to his IQ. He peppered them with dubiously sourced declarations, misperceptions and false statements. He suggested that gun rights activists could act to stop Clinton from nominating liberal U.S. Supreme Court justices, a remark the Clinton campaign called dangerous. Trump boasted of a fortune he put at $10 billion, although in September Forbes magazine estimated it at $3.7 billion, making him the 156th richest American. Trump regularly made comments that would have doomed a more conventional candidate, such as when he said his supporters were so loyal that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue in New York and not lose a single vote. In May he would draw accusations of racism for questioning the impartiality of a judge - born in the United States to Mexican immigrants - who was hearing a lawsuit against him. No other candidate referred to the size of his genitals during a debate. He was flattered when Russian President Vladimir Putin called him a “brilliant and talented leader.”     Trump mocked Senator John McCain, the Republicans’ presidential candidate in 2008, for having been captured during the Vietnam War and said he wanted to punch a protester in the face at a Trump rally. Trump was born to money on June 14, 1946, in the New York City borough of Queens, the fourth of five children of Fred Trump, who would become one of the city’s biggest developers and landlords, and his wife. It was Fred Trump who taught Donald the value of self-promotion and a killer instinct. By his own admission, Trump was not an easy child and in the eighth grade his parents sent him to the New York Military Academy in hopes of instilling needed discipline. Through student and medical deferments during the Vietnam War, Trump would never serve in the U.S. military but said the school gave him “more training militarily than a lot of the guys that go into the military.” After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Trump went to work for his father’s company, which focused on the outer New York City boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island and owned an estimated 15,000 apartments. In 1973 the Trumps were charged with racial bias in their rental practices before reaching a settlement with the U.S. government. With a $1 million loan from his father, Trump eventually went into business himself in Manhattan, where he became a regular at some of the city’s most exclusive clubs and developed a reputation as a ladies’ man. He soon made his mark with a series of real estate and development deals, including redoing an old hotel at New York’s Grand Central Terminal. In 1983 he opened his flagship, 58-story Trump Tower, which serves as both his primary residence and Trump Organization headquarters. More projects around the world would follow, including golf courses, the Mar-a-Lago private resort in Florida, New York’s venerable Plaza Hotel and casinos. Trump’s projects had mixed success. The flops included the real estate-oriented Trump University, Trump Mortgage, Trump Airlines and Trump Vodka but it was his experience with four casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that took the golden luster off his empire. Timothy O’Brien, author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald,” wrote that in the 1990s Trump was out of money and twice had to go to his siblings for loans. A former employee said the Trump Organization would have shut down if the family had not come through but Trump disputed that in his 1997 book “Trump: The Art of the Comeback.” While he never filed for personal bankruptcy, the downturn in the gaming industry sent parts of Trump’s corporate empire to bankruptcy court in 1991, 1992, 2004 and 2009. In the 2009 bankruptcy, the unsecured creditors received less than a penny on the dollar for their claim. Trump resigned as chairman four days before the filing.

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस की सफल बोली में ट्रम्प ने राजनीतिक प्लेबुक को फिर से लिखा


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump on Monday chided the United Nations as “sad,” just days after the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements despite pressure by the U.S. president-elect for a veto by Washington. “The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!” Trump said in a post on Twitter.

Summary: इजरायली बस्तियों के मतदान के कुछ दिनों बाद, ट्रम्प ने संयुक्त राष्ट्र को 'दुखद' कहा


CANTON, Ohio (Reuters) - If Donald Trump wins the Republican Party nomination, his path to the White House will run through this working-class city with a knack for picking presidents. No Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio. And nowhere better reflects the challenges and opportunities Trump faces in his 2016 presidential quest than Canton, a once-booming industrial city that, like Ohio and the rest of America’s rust belt, is going through profound economic and demographic change. Canton, a gritty northeastern Ohio city where the once-dominant steel industry has been in decline for 20 years, is the heart of Stark County, a political bellwether that, save twice, has picked every winning presidential candidate since 1964. The real-estate mogul’s primary wins in Michigan and in Mississippi on Tuesday, in the face of blistering attacks from the party’s establishment, expanded his lead in the White House nominating race and demonstrated his broad appeal across many demographic groups in the Republican Party. But here, in predominately white Canton, the birthplace of professional American football, he will need to show cross-over appeal in the general election and win over not just Republicans but working-class Democrats and some independents, to beat a Democrat, illustrating the challenge he will face in Ohio and potentially other Midwestern “rust belt” states. A more immediate test looms next week in the state’s Republican primary, where polls show Trump narrowly leads Ohio Governor John Kasich, who casts himself as a pragmatic, statesman-like alternative to Trump. If Trump wins Ohio and Florida — states rich in the delegates who select their party’s nominee at July’s Republican National Convention -  he would almost certainly lock up his party’s nomination. Sitting in a steel workers’ meeting at their Canton union hall, Curtis Green, the chapter’s vice president, described Trump’s support among a growing number of members as their “dirty little secret.”  “I view him as a radical and a racist and I don’t want to be affiliated with that,” Green said. “But if you say what you mean, a lot of guys see that in Trump and they respect that. He doesn’t dance around the issues, he takes them head on. There are a fair amount of our members who do support Donald Trump.” If Trump just wins the states that Republican nominee Mitt Romney won in 2012, he would have only 206 electoral college votes, short of the 270 needed to win the White House. The fight over electoral college votes has turned recent elections into pitched battles over a dozen or so states.  Ohio is often at the center.  The state, which has not voted for the loser in a presidential election since 1960, is seen as a microcosm of American swing voters — from culturally conservative “Reagan Democrats” who defected from their party to support Republican Ronald Reagan in the 1980s to suburban soccer moms and upwardly mobile Hispanics. To offset the growing proportion of blacks and Hispanics in the voting age population, Trump must turn white voters out in greater numbers than Romney in cities such as Canton. His performance in primary states where Democrats and independent can vote, as well as Republicans, suggests Trump could attract large numbers of these voters in a general election.  Reuters interviews here with more than two dozen voters show why. In this city of 72,500 people, Trump’s denunciation of free trade, political correctness and illegal immigrants is resonating among some traditionally Democratic blue-collar steel workers.  “The labor unions, who usually support the Democrats, a lot of our members, and a lot of their families, are supporting Trump,” said Keith Strobelt, a political director for the United Steelworkers local union in Canton. Strobelt does not support Trump.  Canton’s local United Steelworkers union has 1,800 members - down from 6,700 at its peak 30 years ago. Its leadership has not officially endorsed a candidate, thought it has praised Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders. Some rank-and-file members, however, say they better identify with Trump’s broadsides against illegal immigration and tirades against trade with China and Mexico. “It could be that several hundred of our members will back Trump,” Strobelt said. “A lot find him refreshing. He says a lot of things they say around their dinner tables.” But in a general election, Trump faces formidable odds in Canton, as he does across Ohio and the Midwest. Canton and the region is changing in ways that favor Democrats, reflecting the Republican Party’s broader problems with a U.S. electorate that is becoming less white and less culturally conservative. In 2000, Canton was nearly 75 percent white, with an African American population of 20 percent, and an Hispanic population of just over 1 percent. Its biggest employer was the Timken Company, a giant ball bearing and high custom steel manufacturer that was the dominant economic force in Canton for much of the 20th century. By 2010, according to Census data, Canton was 69 percent white. Its black population had increased by 3 percent, its Hispanic residents to nearly 3 percent. Tuesday’s primary in neighboring Michigan showed how volatile this election has become, with Trump’s potent appeal among disaffected whites stretching beyond the South. In the Democratic race, Sanders won most of the state’s white working-class countryside and small towns in an upset over front-runner Hillary Clinton. In Canton, like elsewhere in the “rust belt” heartlands stretching from the Midwest to the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast, manufacturing has been hollowed out since the 1970s, due in part to foreign competition. In 1990, Ohio had over 1 million manufacturing jobs; today, just 680,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ohio has shed nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs since the 2007-2009 Great Recession. A different type of worker, more white collar and upscale, has moved into the Canton area.  The top two employers are now the Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center, highly competitive health care providers.  “While Trump might pick up blue collar Democrats, and older folks who are disillusioned with the political process, the flip side is he could lose more upper-status voters in Ohio,” said John Green, a political science professor at the University of Akron, close to Canton. “Republican Party leaders in Ohio are wringing their hands. There is a perception that Trump helps among blue collar voters - but could alienate white collar voters.”   Jane Timken, the vice-chair of the Stark County Republican Party and the wife of TimkenSteel’s chief executive, said the local party was encountering people who had never voted Republican before but were supporting Trump. But, she said, there was concern Trump might turn off other voters, especially independents who account for one fifth of Ohio’s voters.  There is no polling to predict which way Canton and Stark County will vote in November’s general election. But after a long era of mixed local government, the city council, after elections last year, is now made up of entirely Democratic Party members, although the current mayor, a former Democrat, won office as an independent. In Canton, there are nearly 6,000 voters registered as Democrats, compared to just over 1,100 Republicans according to the Stark County Board of Elections. In 2006, there were 12,000 registered Democrats and 4,400 Republicans.  Democratic strategists say that despite the demographic changes, Trump could still prevail. Mary Anne Marsh, a Democratic strategist, cites Trump’s dominant performance in the Republican primary in Massachusetts on March 1. Although not a rust belt state, Trump won big in heavily blue collar, union cities.  “Trump put together a coalition in Massachusetts that elects Democratic governors. He won among Catholics, a week after picking a fight with the Pope. I absolutely think he can put the rust belt into play,” she said.

Summary: ओहायो का 'गंदा छोटा रहस्य': ट्रम्प के लिए ब्लू-कॉलर डेमोक्रेट


(Reuters) - Alabama’s Supreme Court Chief Justice was suspended on Friday  for ordering state probate judges not to grant marriage licenses to gay couples, despite contrary rulings by a federal court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Chief Justice Roy Moore, an outspoken opponent of same-sex unions, faces possible removal from the bench after the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission charged him with violating the state’s judicial ethics laws, according to news website AL.com.  The legality of gay marriage had been at the center of a national debate until the Supreme Court ruled in June that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement.   Despite the decision and a federal court ruling that made gay marriage legal in Alabama, Moore in January issued an administrative order to state probate judges that they should not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, according to court documents.  “Chief Justice Moore flagrantly disregarded and abused his authority,” the complaint said. “Moore knowingly ordered (probate judges) to commit violations ... knowingly subjecting them to potential prosecution and removal from office.” Moore said in a statement that the commission had no authority over administrative orders or the court’s ability to prohibit probate judges from issuing same-sex marriage licenses.   “We intend to fight this agenda vigorously and expect to prevail,” he said.   Moore wrote in his order that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling was at odds with a decision in March 2015 by the Alabama Supreme Court that instructed probate judges to stop issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The conflicting opinions had resulted in “confusion and uncertainty,” Moore said, with many probate judges issuing marriage licenses to gay couples while others refused to do so. [uL1N14R283] The Human Rights Campaign, the biggest U.S. gay rights organization, hailed the suspension. “Roy Moore is an embarrassment to the state of Alabama,” Eva Walton Kendrick, the group’s Alabama state manager, said in a statement. Moore, a Republican, has been a hero of conservative causes before. In 2003, he was removed from office after a federal judge ruled he was placing himself above the law by refusing to take down a Ten Commandments monument. He won the chief justice job back in 2012, vowing not to do anything to create further friction with the federal courts.

Summary: अलबामा के शीर्ष न्यायाधीश को समलैंगिक-विवाह आदेश पर नैतिकता के आरोपों का सामना करना पड़ता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Congressman Steve Scalise, the No. 3 Republican leader in the House of Representatives who was shot and wounded last month, has been discharged from a hospital, the medical center said on Wednesday. The Louisiana lawmaker has made “excellent progress” in his recovery and is beginning a period of intensive rehabilitation after being released from MedStar Washington Hospital Center on Tuesday, MedStar said in a statement. “He is in good spirits and is looking forward to his return to work once he completes rehabilitation,” the statement said. It did not say how long Scalise was expected to be in rehabilitation before returning to work. Scalise was among Republican lawmakers attacked June 14 in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Virginia, by a gunman who  opened fire on them while they were practicing for a charity baseball game against Democrats. Scalise, 51, was shot in the hip. He underwent surgery this month to treat an infection related to his wound. The gunman, James Hodgkinson, 66, had a history of posting angry messages against Republican President Donald Trump. He died after being wounded during a shootout with police at the ballpark.

Summary: जून में गोलीबारी में घायल अमेरिकी सांसद को अस्पताल से छुट्टी मिली


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama warned against overstating the fight against Islamic State militants in his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, but said his administration is focused on destroying the extremist group. “But as we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War Three just play into their hands,” Obama said, according to his prepared remarks, using an acronym for the militant group. “We just need to call them what they are  - killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down, and destroyed,” Obama said, urging Congress to pass a formal authorization to use military force (AUMF) for the fight against the group.

Summary: इस्लामिक स्टेट की लड़ाई 'तीसरे विश्व युद्ध' से बहुत दूरः ओबामा


MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian hacker arrested in Spain on a U.S. warrant said on Thursday he previously worked for President Vladimir Putin s United Russia party and feared he would be tortured and killed if extradited, RIA news agency reported. Peter Levashov was arrested while on holiday in Barcelona in April. U.S. prosecutors later charged him with hacking offences, accusing him of operating a network of tens of thousands of infected computers used by cyber criminals. Levashov s comments offered a rare glimpse into the relationship between cyber criminals and the Russian state. U.S. officials say Russian authorities routinely shield hackers from prosecution abroad before recruiting them for espionage work. Russian hackers have been under intense scrutiny since U.S. intelligence officials accused Moscow of interfering in last year s U.S. presidential election. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied the allegations.   U.S. prosecutors are seeking a 52-year jail sentence and Levashov, who denies the charges against him, is fighting his extradition from Spain. He told a court in Madrid on Thursday that he had worked for the United Russia party for the last 10 years.  I collected different information about opposition parties and delivered it to the necessary people at the necessary time,  RIA quoted him as saying. Levashov provided no further details about his work for the party, RIA reported, though said he was an officer in the Russian army with access to classified information.  It was unclear if Levashov was a serving officer or an army reservist having completed mandatory military service.  He also told the court investigators in the United States would torture him for information about his political work if he was sent there to face the charges against him.  If I go to the U.S., I will die in a year. They want to get information of a military nature and about the United Russia party,  RIA quoted him as saying.  I will be tortured, within a year I will be killed, or I will kill myself.  Levashov has long been seen by cyber security investigators to be the person behind an online persona known as Peter Severa. Severa spent years listed among the world s 10 most prolific spammers, according to spam-tracking group Spamhaus. U.S. prosecutors have accused Levashov of running the infamous Kelihos botnet, a network of more than 100,000 infected devices used by cyber criminals to distribute viruses, ransomware, phishing emails and other spam attacks. Russia lodged its own request for Levashov s extradition last week, RIA reported.

Summary: अमेरिका द्वारा वांछित रूसी हैकर ने अदालत को बताया कि वह पुतिन की पार्टी के लिए काम करता था


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Republicans pushing to overhaul Obamacare largely ignored key players in the debate over insuring the poor: the health insurers and hospitals charged with carrying out the law if it gets approved. Instead, conservative groups such as Heritage Action for America won the ears of Senate Republicans when it came to changing the Medicaid insurance program for the poor and disabled. The snub is fueling health industry opposition to the new plans for Medicaid, and threatens to further frustrate the months-long effort to dismantle Obamacare.  The latest version of the Senate bill, released on Thursday, left the Medicaid overhaul largely unchanged from the radical makeover in the bill from the U.S. House of Representatives. A nonpartisan government agency has estimated an earlier version of the bill would trim nearly $800 billion in federal spending for Medicaid over 10 years. While insurers successfully influenced the legislation when it comes to individual insurance markets, the fact that they and hospital groups largely struck out on Medicaid is important because the new provisions shift more costs back to the states and hospitals.  These groups, along with insurers, will be charged with enforcing the new law, so Republicans need their buy-in, health policy experts say.  “A health policy means nothing if it can’t be implemented and doesn’t work,” said Andy Slavitt, former administrator under President Barack Obama of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversaw Obamacare. The Republican bill ends Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and slashes traditional Medicaid funding, with cuts that deepen beginning in 2025. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its own version of the legislation in May.  “A lot of conservatives, Heritage Action included, desperately wanted to hold the line to make sure the Medicaid portion wasn’t watered down in the Senate,” said Dan Holler, vice president of Heritage Action for America, a conservative advocacy group. “It was something we made known to folks up in the Senate.”  When Democrats and the White House enacted Obamacare seven years ago, support from healthcare companies helped propel the legislation through Congress. The administration actively courted the health industry, lobbyists and former Obama administration officials said, viewing their support as critical to winning votes. While health insurer and hospital lobbyists said in recent weeks that they have been able to regularly meet with Republican lawmakers, they said their input on the bill’s Medicaid changes was largely ignored. A representative for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was not immediately available for comment. In 2017, the top hospital, doctor and insurer trade groups reported spending a total of more than $13 million on lobbying the federal government through the first quarter of 2017, according to a congressional lobbying database.  One hospital industry lobbyist said there has been no attempt by Republican leadership to have a serious discussion with industry lobbyists or leaders about how to change the bill to win their support.  That has not been the case with the portion of the bill that addresses the individual insurance market. Insurers, including some of the biggest providers of Obamacare individual plans, Anthem Inc (ANTM.N) and Molina Healthcare (MOH.N), have been asking for changes to specific policies.  For instance, the Senate bill repeals the penalty associated with the individual mandate, the requirement that all people purchase insurance or pay a government fee. In its place, insurers received one of their biggest demands: a provision in the bill that provides incentives for Americans to have continuous insurance coverage and allows insurers to charge them more if they let their policies lapse.  If that back and forth between industry and lawmakers on the individual insurance side ends up winning new conservative votes, lawmakers may be ready to turn the next round of healthcare bill negotiations to Medicaid, said Elizabeth Carpenter, senior vice president at Avalere Health, a consultant group to hospitals and insurers “The rubber meets the road on the Medicaid provision,” Carpenter said.

Summary: अलग-थलग पड़े स्वास्थ्य सेवा लॉबी ने रिपब्लिकन स्वास्थ्य सेवा प्रयासों को बाधित किया


SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Police in Beijing have detained 18 people following a fire that killed 19 people and injured another eight on Saturday evening, the state news agency Xinhua reported late on Monday. The fire took place in three-storey apartment block in Beijing s southern Daxing district. A large refrigeration facility had been under construction in the building s basement, and preliminary investigations suggested the fire may have started there, Xinhua said late on Monday. Seven managers at the apartment block had been detained, along with seven electricity workers and four construction workers at the facility. None of the workers were properly qualified, it added, citing police. Beijing s Communist Party chief Cai Qi has already ordered a city-wide safety check, which will last four 40 days. The official China Daily said the inspections would cover warehouses, factories, wholesale markets, large residential areas and public places like supermarkets and tourist spots.

Summary: बीजिंग में अपार्टमेंट में आग लगने के बाद 18 लोगों को हिरासत में लिया गयाः सिन्हुआ


BEIJING (Reuters) - China has launched more rigorous investigations into the activities and finances of rights lawyers and law firms that take on politically sensitive issues, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday, in its multi-year campaign to stifle dissent. China has arrested, jailed or detained thousands of rights lawyers and activists since President Xi Jinping launched a sweeping crackdown in the summer of 2015. Judicial officials and police are investigating the cases and finances at seven law firms that often work on rights abuses, lawyers at the firms told the New York-based Human Rights Watch. With unusually high-level officials performing scrutiny on site for days, the duration of investigations has exceeded that of previous regular checks on such firms, it added.   While China s human rights lawyers are no strangers to official harassment, these sudden, invasive probes send an alarming message,  Sophie Richardson, the group s Washington-based China director, said in a statement. China s justice ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment from Reuters. China has defended the new measures against critics by saying it is a country with the rule of law, and that those found guilty are criminals who damaged social stability and endangered national security.  There has been an open attack on rights lawyers under Xi, and the probes should be considered in the context of the attack,  said Maya Wang, a China researcher for HRW based in Hong Kong.  It is meant to tell lawyers that this is not over, that they had better be on their best behavior for the 19th Party Congress,  Wang said, referring to a five-yearly leadership reshuffle of the ruling Communist Party set to begin on Oct. 18. Political checks and requirements for law firms have also been tightened under Xi, making it harder for lawyers to take sensitive cases, activists say, especially as law firms can be held jointly accountable for individual violations. Chinese law firms are required to explicitly support the party and to set up an internal party branch, while lawyers are banned from expressing opinions that endanger national security or reject China s political system. In the run-up to the party congress, Xi has also urged public security officials to ensure stability and maintain the party s authority and unified leadership. [nL4N1M11EY]

Summary: मानवाधिकार वकीलों की चीन की जांच 'खतरनाक': ह्यूमन राइट्स वॉच


SEOUL (Reuters) - When Kim Jong Un sat down in September to order the sixth and largest of North Korea s nuclear tests, Hwang Pyong So sat by his side, his khaki military uniform conspicuous among the suits at the table, photos released by state media at the time showed. Now Hwang, once one of Kim s most-trusted advisers, is facing unspecified punishment on the orders of another man who also sat at that exclusive table in September, Choe Ryong Hae, South Korean intelligence officials believe. Information on North Korea is often difficult to obtain, and with few hard details and no official confirmation from Pyongyang, analysts said it was too soon to draw any firm conclusions from the unspecified punishments. But the moves, which appear to involve two of Kim s top four advisers, are being closely watched for indications of fractures within his secretive inner circle, and come as North Korea faces increasing international pressure over its nuclear weapons program.      Having his advisers compete with each other suits Kim just fine, said Christopher Green, an analyst with the Crisis Group.  It is hardwired into autocracy to have underlings in competition,  he said. Hwang, a shy, bespectacled general in his mid-60s, is a close confidant of Kim Jong Un and has had an unprecedented rise to the top rungs of North Korea s leadership in the space of a few years.  In 2014, he became one of the most powerful people outside the ruling Kim family when he was named chief of the General Political Bureau of the army, a powerful position that mobilizes the military for the leader. His apparent punishment takes on additional meaning as it was orchestrated by Choe who has competed with Hwang in the past and stands to gain from any demotion, according to South Korea s spy agency.  The two men were last seen in public together early last month as they watched a gymnastics gala, according to state media. Hwang has since faded from public view, whereas Choe was the ranking official who met with a senior envoy from China in Pyongyang last week. Kim has not shied away from removing or punishing even favored leaders who could become powerful enough to threaten his grip on power, said Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean leadership at 38 North, a project of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced Studies in Washington.  Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So could not have continued in the capacity that he was operating in, without it coming back to bite him,  he said. Both Hwang and Choe came to South Korea during the Asian Games in 2014 - the highest such visit by North Korean officials to the rival South. Dressed in a drab, olive army uniform and his large officer s cap, Hwang, who had been promoted to the No.2 spot behind Kim just one week earlier, had tea and lunch with Choe and South Korean officials and waved to crowds at the games  closing ceremony. The trip had been announced just one day in advance and took many South Korean observers by surprise. Some suggested there may have been a power struggle between the two men, neither wanting to yield the high-profile visit to the other. Choe, who was subjected to political  reeducation  himself in the past, now appears to be gaining more influence since he was promoted in October to the party s powerful Central Military Commission, according to South Korean officials.  The National Intelligence Service indicated Choe now heads the Organisation and Guidance Department (OGD), the secretive body which oversees appointments within North Korea s leadership. The punishment represents the first time Hwang has faced any major blow to his standing, said Lee Sang-keun, a North Korea leadership expert at Ewha Woman s University s Institute of Unification Studies. Hwang had a reputation of playing a respectful and careful role around the notoriously unpredictable Kim. Photos released by state media often showed him covering his mouth as he politely laughed with the supreme leader. The punishment may not reflect any specific mistakes on Hwang s part but could be part of a wider effort by Kim to ensure that the ruling party retains its control over the military, Lee said. The moves are part of a sweeping ideological scrutiny of the political unit of the military for the first time in 20 years, according to Kim Byung-kee, a lawmaker on South Korea s parliamentary intelligence committee. They could also be an effort to prevent a repeat of a major purge in 2013, 38 North s Madden said. Kim s uncle and second most powerful man in the secretive state, Jang Song Thaek, was executed during that purge after a special military tribunal found him guilty of treason.  Preemptively putting Hwang in his place now meant Kim might prevent him from becoming so powerful he could only be dealt with in a similar way, Madden said.   What (Kim s) doing can be described as clipping wings.

Summary: एक बार किम जोंग उन के आंतरिक घेरे के अंदर, शीर्ष सहयोगी का सितारा फीका पड़ जाता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver a statement at 11:30 AM ET on the shooting of senior Republican lawmaker Steve Scalise on Wednesday, the White House said. In the wake of the shooting, Trump has spoken with Chief of Capitol Police Matthew Verderosa, Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Scalise’s wife, the White House said.

Summary: सांसद की गोली मारकर हत्या पर बुधवार को बयान देंगे ट्रंप


(Reuters) - Highlights for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday: Trump promises a big announcement about tax reform next week and orders an administration review of Obama-era tax rules written to discourage U.S. companies from relocating overseas to cut their tax bills. Trump tells the Treasury Department to examine two powers given to regulators to police large financial companies following the 2008 financial crisis. South Korea says it is on heightened alert ahead of another important anniversary in North Korea, with a large concentration of military hardware amassed on both sides of the border amid concerns about a new nuclear test by Pyongyang. Trump, striving to make good on a top campaign promise, is pushing fellow Republicans who control Congress to pass revamped healthcare legislation but the same intraparty squabbling that torpedoed it last month could do it again. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says Syria has dispersed its warplanes in recent days and that it retains chemical weapons, an issue he says will have to be taken up diplomatically. The Department of Justice threatens to cut off funding to California as well as eight cities and counties across the United States, escalating a Trump administration crackdown on so-called “sanctuary cities” that do not cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The United States will not make an exception for American companies, including oil major Exxon Mobil Corp, seeking to drill in areas prohibited by U.S. sanctions on Russia, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says.  Trump and his fellow Republicans who control Congress face their first major budget test next week, with the threat of a government shutdown potentially hinging on his proposed Mexican border wall as well as Obamacare funding. The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee says it has invited FBI, National Security Agency and Obama administration officials to testify as it restarts its investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meets with Trump at the White House for the first time since both took office earlier this year and amid a U.S. push to cut funding to the world body and its agencies. The United States has offered to help fund Mexico’s efforts to eradicate opium poppies, a U.S. official says, as Mexican heroin output increased again last year.

Summary: हाइलाइट्सः 21 अप्रैल को शाम 6.12 बजे ईडीटी/2212 जीएमटी पर ट्रम्प प्रेसीडेंसी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Democratic senators said on Wednesday they may hold up the confirmation of President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency nominee Susan Bodine until she explains her advisory role at the agency, which may violate federal law. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Jeff Merkley of Oregon sent a list of questions to Bodine, Trump’s pick to head up the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance, about her current role as special counsel to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt while she waits out the confirmation process. Whitehouse and Merkley said by advising Pruitt on enforcement matters before being confirmed by the Senate, Bodine may be violating the Federal Vacancies Reform Act that prohibits nominees from assuming the authorities of the office before being confirmed by Congress. “Your appointment creates the appearance, and perhaps the effect, of circumventing the Senate’s constitutional advice and consent responsibility for the position to which you have been nominated,” the Senators wrote.   This means that subjects of EPA enforcement actions could potentially challenge the validity of these actions in court if her role in these decisions is deemed “improper,” they said.  Pruitt is the only EPA appointee to have been confirmed since Trump took office in January. Bodine is still awaiting a full Senate vote after her Senate confirmation hearing in July, while four other assistant administrator nominees are set for confirmation hearings on Sept. 20. Democratic lawmakers have been at odds with Pruitt since his narrow-margin confirmation in February over his close ties to industry, his doubts about human-caused climate change, planned drastic cuts of the EPA’s budget and workforce and ethics requirements for political appointees. The senators also asked Bodine if she was involved in a recent EPA decision to enforce an Obama-era rule to regulate methane leaks from new oil and gas infrastructure on a “case by case” basis rather than fully enforcing it. Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, chair of the Senate environment committee, said Bodine should get her full Senate vote immediately. “It is a shame that the critical post of the assistant administrator charged with leading enforcement at the EPA remains unfilled,” Barrasso said through a spokesman.  The EPA was not immediately available for comment.

Summary: दो डेमोक्रेट सीनेटरों ने ट्रम्प ई. पी. ए. उम्मीदवार को रोकने की धमकी दी


PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said telecommunications group Sprint Corp (S.N) and a U.S. satellite company OneWeb will bring 8,000 jobs to the United States, and the companies said the positions were part of a previously disclosed pledge by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp. SoftBank (9984.T) holds stakes in both companies and its chief, billionaire businessman Masayoshi Son, earlier in December said he would invest $50 billion in the United States and create 50,000 jobs.  Sprint in January said it had cut 2,500 jobs as part of its plan to cut $2.5 billion in costs. On Wednesday it said it would create 5,000 jobs in areas including sales and customer care by the end of its fiscal year ending in March 2018. Sprint spokesman Dave Tovar said the jobs were part of the pledge made by Son but would be funded by Sprint. SoftBank and OneWeb had announced on Dec. 19 that the Japanese company was leading a $1.2 billion funding round. OneWeb plans to use the funds to build a plant in Florida to produce low-cost satellites, creating almost 3,000 jobs at the company and its suppliers. SoftBank described its $1 billion share of the funding as the first tranche of the $50 billion promised by Son in a meeting with Trump. It is not clear whether the $50 billion SoftBank investment would be part of a $100 billion tech investment fund that the head of SoftBank and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund had announced earlier in the year. “I was just called by the head people at Sprint and they are going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States, they are taking them from other countries,” Trump told reporters outside his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “And also OneWeb, a new company, is going to be hiring 3,000 people. So that’s very exciting,” he added. Shares of Sprint Corp, which is 82 percent owned by SoftBank, were barely changed in after-hours trading.

Summary: स्प्रिंट, वनवेब का कहना है कि ट्रम्प द्वारा घोषित 8,000 नौकरियां सॉफ्टबैंक प्रतिज्ञा का हिस्सा हैं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Sunday that President Donald Trump had directed full federal resources to help with Hurricane Irma at it batters the Florida coast and that his latest briefing on the storm caused him great concern.  Clearly the briefing that we received at Camp David this morning caused the president to have great concern for the impact of the impact of this storm moving up the west coast and the potential through heavy winds and storm surge to compromise cities and compromise lives,  Pence said during a visit to the Federal Emergency Management Agency s headquarters with members of Trump s Cabinet.

Summary: उप राष्ट्रपति पेंसः ट्रम्प ने ब्रीफिंग के बाद इरमा के बारे में बहुत चिंता व्यक्त की


BEIRUT (Reuters) - An explosion at a guesthouse near the Fatima Masumeh shrine in the Iranian city of Qom on Thursday left four dead and 15 wounded, most of them Iraqi pilgrims, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. The explosion was caused by a pilgrim mishandling a leaking cooking gas cannister, Mehr said, citing local witnesses. A spokesman for the Qom fire department told Mehr the cause is still being investigated. Some of the dead and wounded may still be under rubble inside the guesthouse, according to Mehr. Photos posted by Mehr showed bloodied pilgrims laid out in the street and firemen rummaging through the ruins of the guesthouse. The shrine in Qom, which is approximately 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, is the second-most sacred spot in Iran for Shi ite Muslims.

Summary: ईरान के अतिथि गृह में गैस विस्फोट में चार लोगों की मौत


KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Former Nepali prime minister K.P. Oli on Sunday looked set for a return to power after winning his seat in parliament and his Communist UML party and Maoist allies on course to win a majority. Counting is still under way following an election on Thursday that capped a near-decade long transition to democracy from monarchy and a civil war in which more than 17,000 people died. Oli, 65, has vowed to form a government that lasts its full five-year term, something no prime minister has achieved since parliamentary democracy was established in 1990. His campaign has called for the extension of the Chinese railway network into Nepal and implement of hydroelectric, airport and other infrastructure projects to create jobs.  We can expect Oli to lead a stable government with the Maoists as strong allies,  said Bipin Adhikari, a constitutional expert.  Once there is political stability he can implement a development agenda and attract foreign investment.  Instability has spooked investors, curbed growth, spurred corruption and slowed reconstruction after a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people. Nepal is a natural buffer between China and India, with the ruling Nepali Congress party considered pro-India and the left alliance seen closer to China.  If Oli leads the new government, he will be forced to be pragmatic in maintaining a geo-political balance with both,  said Kunda Dixit, editor of the weekly Nepali Times. Final election results are expected to take about a week, election officials said. Home to Mount Everest, Nepal is one of the world s poorest countries.

Summary: नेपाल के अगले प्रधानमंत्री ओली ने संसद की सीट जीती


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia regrets Israel s decision to pull out of United Nations cultural agency UNESCO, the Russian foreign ministry said on Friday, saying Israel had followed the  bad example  of the United States.

Summary: रूस ने यूनेस्को से इजरायल के हटने पर खेद व्यक्त किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The tax-writing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives will begin holding hearings on a Republican tax reform proposal next week, the panel’s chairman said on Tuesday, even as the timeline for overhauling the tax code slips toward late 2017. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady told Fox News he would soon announce a hearing schedule to examine his House tax reform blueprint with its proposal to tax imports, a plan that appears to have lost ground as the White House works to unveil its own approach. The investment consulting firm Veda Partners advised clients on Tuesday to expect an April 27 hearing on the import tax proposal known as the border adjustment tax, or BAT. Brady’s committee could not confirm the date or topic, but he told Fox News the committee “will soon be announcing congressional hearings on our blueprint starting next week.”  He also acknowledged that the tax reform timeline could slip as House Republicans try to reach agreement to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, following their failed attempt to pass healthcare legislation in March. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said this week that tax reform may not get done before an August deadline.  “We probably ought not be focused on the month but the year that it happens, which is this year,” Brady said. “If it moves a little past August and still lands in this year, it’s going to be an incredible achievement.” Much of the debate has focused on the House Republican BAT proposal, which would impose a 20 percent tax on imports, while exempting exports from taxation. The proposal is opposed by import-dependent industries and Republicans who worry it could lead to higher consumer prices. Tax experts say the proposal’s future depends on whether the White House backs it. President Donald Trump, who dislikes the term “border adjustment,” said on Tuesday his tax reform plan would create “a level playing field” for U.S. industry - a phrase widely viewed as referring to some kind of border tax. Brady identified the critical elements of legislation as significant rate reduction, full and immediate expensing for capital investments and a simplified tax code.   He cautioned against straightforward rate reductions of the kind that some in Congress have begun to consider. “A rate cut alone would have worked in the 1980s. It doesn’t in 2017 if we’re going to be competitive,” Brady said.

Summary: अमेरिकी सदन समिति अगले सप्ताह कर सुधार पर सुनवाई शुरू करेगी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday launched an effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign supplies of critical minerals used in smartphones, computers and military equipment, which he said poses a national security and economic risk. Under a directive from President Donald Trump, Zinke will  work with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to publish in 60 days a list of non-fuel minerals that are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and necessary for manufacturing and will develop a strategy to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign suppliers. The policy would aim to identify new domestic sources of critical minerals; increase domestic exploration, mining and  recycling; giving miners and producers electronic access to better mapping and geological data; and streamlining leasing and permitting for new mines. “The United States must not remain reliant on foreign competitors like Russia and China for the critical minerals needed to keep our economy strong and our country safe,” Trump said. The order comes after the Interior Department and the U.S. Geological Survey published a report earlier this week that detailed U.S. dependence on foreign competitors for its supply of certain minerals. The report identified 23 out of 88 minerals that are priorities for U.S. national defense and the economy because they are components in products ranging from batteries to military equipment. The list included rare earths metals, lithium, graphite and other minerals.  That report did not offer policy recommendations, but Zinke said he would rely on the findings as he prioritizes research into certain mineral deposit areas on federal land and plans policies to promote mining. Twenty of the 23 critical minerals that the United States relies on are sourced from China. Much of the world’s lithium is produced in Australia and Chile, with the bulk of the world’s reserves straddling huge salt flats in the so-called lithium triangle of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.  Lithium exports from Chile, for example, approached $600 million in 2016, or roughly 40 percent of the global market by volume, according to Chile development agency Corfo. Lithium producers SQM, Albemarle and FMC Lithium are among the region’s top producers.

Summary: अमेरिका ने आयात या महत्वपूर्ण खनिजों पर निर्भरता कम करने का प्रयास शुरू किया


MILAN (Reuters) - Two wealthy regions of northern Italy, Lombardy and Veneto, voted overwhelmingly on Sunday for more autonomy from the central government, according to preliminary results. Millions of people in the regions, both run by the once openly secessionist Lega Nord party, voted more than 90 percent for  yes . Together, Lombardy and Veneto account for a third of the Italian economy. The party wants to use the results to persuade Rome to allow the regions to keep more of their taxes at home, though the referendums are not binding on the central government.

Summary: दो समृद्ध इतालवी क्षेत्रों ने अधिक स्वायत्तता के लिए मतदान किया-प्रारंभिक परिणाम


ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish foreign ministry official said on Thursday the United Arab Emirates charge d affaires was summoned to the ministry over comments about an Ottoman commander retweeted by the UAE foreign minister. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan retweeted on Saturday accusations that Ottoman forces stole goods from the holy city of Medina during World War One, saying those people were Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan s ancestors.

Summary: तुर्क मंत्रालय ने तुर्कों के ट्वीट पर यूएई के राजनयिक को तलब किया


PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday categorically ruled out any renegotiation of the Paris climate accord and said U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw would harm American interests and citizens.  Macron, who made a televised address in French and English, said Trump had “committed an error for the interests of his country, his people and a mistake for the future of our planet.” “I tell you firmly tonight: We will not renegotiate a less ambitious accord. There is no way,” said Macron, who took office less than a month ago. Macron’s message was particularly tough compared with  comments after meeting Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Sicily last week, where he had hoped Trump’s pragmatism would lead him to stick to the deal. [nL8N1IT0MX] “France believes in you (the U.S.), the world believes in you, but don’t be mistaken on climate; there is no plan B because there is no planet B,” Macron said. In a separate address in English, Macron responded to  Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan, saying, “Make the Planet Great Again!”   Macron called on U.S. researchers and scientists disappointed by Trump’s decision to come to work in France to  fight climate change.  “France will put forward a concrete action plan to increase its attractiveness for researchers and companies in the ecological transition sector and will take initiatives notably in Europe and Africa on this subject,” Macron said. Macron said that he had asked his government to immediately begin work on the issue. The newly elected president of France called on the remaining 194 signatories to the accord to reaffirm their commitments and said he had agreed with Germany and Italy to take strong decisions in the coming weeks. [nL8N1IY6V3] “Tonight the United States has turned its back on the world, but France will not turn its back on Americans,” he said.

Summary: फ्रांस के मैक्रों का कहना है कि जलवायु समझौते को वापस लेने से अमेरिकी हितों को नुकसान होगा


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s leading choice to run the Federal Trade Commission is a Washington lawyer who served at the agency as a top official under President George W. Bush, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday. Joseph Simons, a partner at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP, is the leading choice to run the FTC over Acting FTC chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, who has been running the agency since January. Bloomberg News reported the leading choice of Simons earlier on Wednesday. The timing of a formal presidential nomination is not clear. Simons was head of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition from June 2001 to August 2003 and has been involved in a number of major antitrust cases and acquisitions in private practice. Ohlhausen previously headed the FTC’s Office of Policy Planning. A veteran of the law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, Ohlhausen is expected to remain on the FTC as a commissioner, the source said. The FTC, which has five commission seats, now has only Ohlhausen and Commissioner Terrell McSweeny, a Democrat. Two of the empty seats may go to Republicans, but the remaining seat must go either to a Democrat or an independent. A leading candidate for another Republican slot is Noah Phillips, an aide to Senator John Cornyn, according to the person briefed on the matter. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said Wednesday the administration has “no announcement at this time.” Simons did not immediately return requests for comment. An FTC spokeswoman had no comment. The FTC has two main missions. One is to fight scams and deceptive advertising and the other to review mergers to ensure they comply with antitrust law. The FTC is currently reviewing Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) proposed $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods Market Inc WFM.O. The FTC sued Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) in January over allegations of anticompetitive behavior to maintain a monopoly on the chips that let cell phones connect to mobile data networks. The FTC has sued to stop mergers deemed illegal, such as Staples’ attempt to buy rival Office Depot. It is in the process of deciding if Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) will be allowed to merge with Rite Aid Corp (RAD.N) to create the largest U.S. drugstore chain. In June, fantasy sports companies FanDuel and DraftKings scrapped a plan to merge following an FTC legal challenge.

Summary: बुश-युग के एफटीसी अधिकारी प्रमुख के लिए ट्रम्प के पसंदीदा हैंः सूत्र


MADRID (Reuters) - Dismissed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont said on Wednesday he would ignore a court order to return to Spain to answer charges over the region s push for independence, but he could testify from Belgium. If Puigdemont fails to answer Thursday s High Court summons, an arrest warrant could be issued that would make it virtually impossible for him to stand in a snap regional election called by the Spanish government for Dec. 21. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy sacked Puigdemont and his government on Friday, hours after the Catalan parliament made a unilateral declaration of independence in a vote boycotted by the opposition and declared illegal by Spanish courts. On Monday, Spain s state prosecutor filed charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds against Puigdemont for defying the central government by holding an referendum on secession on Oct. 1 and proclaiming independence. Puigdemont traveled to Belgium at the weekend with other members of the dismissed Catalan administration and hired a lawyer.  Those summonses are part of proceedings that lack any legal basis and only seek to punish ideas. This is a political trial,  Puigdemont said in a statement signed by  the legitimate government of Catalonia .  The High Court summoned Puigdemont and 13 other former members of the Catalan government to testify in Madrid on Thursday and Friday on the prosecutor s charges. A judge will then decide whether those called to testify should go to jail pending an investigation that could take several years and potentially lead to a trial. The judge might also grant them conditional bail or order them to surrender their passports. If Puigdemont and his associates did not turn up, the judge would be more likely to order them jailed as a flight risk.  The courts have also told the Catalan secessionist leaders to deposit 6.2 million euros ($7.2 million) by Friday to cover potential liabilities. Three former Catalan government advisors returned to Spain from Belgium late on Tuesday and were greeted at Barcelona s international airport by a small crowd chanting  off to prison . Puigdemont said on Tuesday he would only go back to Spain when given unspecified  guarantees  by the Spanish government. He said he accepted the election called by Rajoy for December and Madrid said he was welcome to stand, though the legal proceedings might prevent that. Uncertainty over how the crisis will play out has prompted more than 1,800 Catalonia-based companies to move their legal headquarters out of the region and the government to lower its national economic forecasts for next year. On Wednesday, rating agency Moody s said the declaration of independence and the suspension of self rule were credit negative for the region and the country, and that associated uncertainty would damage sentiment and consumer spending. Moody s raised Spain s credit rating to Baa2 in 2014 as the country emerged from a prolonged economic slump. On Tuesday, Moody s affirmed Catalonia s long-term issuer and debt ratings of Ba3, saying the government s reinforced control compensated for the increased risks, in particular the region s rapidly deteriorating business climate.

Summary: कैटलन के अपदस्थ नेता ने कहा, गवाही देने के लिए स्पेन नहीं लौटेंगे


BARCELONA (Reuters) - Brazilian Felipe Massa completed two and a half race distances and put his Williams team on top of the timesheets as Formula One’s final pre-season test got underway in Barcelona on Tuesday. Massa, brought back in January after his former team mate Valtteri Bottas moved to Mercedes as replacement for retired world champion Nico Rosberg, completed 168 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya. His eye-catching tally was matched only by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who ended up third fastest (1:19.906) behind Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo (1:19.900). “I don’t remember before doing a day with 168 laps in my career,” said the 35-year-old Massa, whose fastest was one minute 19.726 seconds. “It was a lot of laps and I can feel it a bit on my body, but I am good. I feel in good shape for the new season,” he added. Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton, the bookmakers’ favorite for a fourth title this year, was fourth fastest with a total of 49 laps. Bottas, who took over the car in the afternoon, did 86 and was fifth. “I think Ferrari are possibly the favorites,” said Hamilton, whose running was cut short after the champions discovered damage to the floor of the car. “We can’t take our eyes off them because they have been doing such a great job at the moment. “Red Bull look like they have gone quite quick today as well. We’ll see over the next days and, most importantly, over the next weeks, but it’s going to be close in the first race, that’s for sure.” The season starts in Australia on March 26. Ferrari failed to win a race last season, when they finished third overall, and have not been constructors’ champions since 2008.  McLaren’s woes continued, with an electrical issue on the power unit of Belgian rookie Stoffel Vandoorne’s car forcing Honda to replace it, costing the team more track time after a difficult first week. “Based on this testing we can expect to have a few engine changes, but they (Honda) will have addressed this before the start of the season or at least quickly into the season,” said McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier. Vandoorne completed 80 laps but was more than two seconds off the pace. Renault’s Jolyon Palmer managed only 15 laps due to a power unit problem but he handed over to team mate Nico Hulkenberg who completed 58 in the afternoon.

Summary: बार्सिलोना में परीक्षण फिर से शुरू होने के साथ मासा सबसे तेज


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Friday  they would advance legislation next year to chop individual and corporate U.S. tax rates. The tax plan, unveiled by House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republican lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol, is the sixth and final plank of a conservative policy agenda being rolled out in an effort to unify Republicans after a divisive primary campaign for the party’s presidential nominee. Ryan, the highest-ranking elected Republican, said the proposal would provide a clear direction for U.S. economic leadership and was needed amid global uncertainty that was exemplified by the British vote to leave the European Union. “For all of these moments of possible uncertainty that are happening around the globe, having strong, powerful, confident, American economic leadership is in need, and this does that,” he said. Washington has been unable to summon the political will to reform the loophole-riddled tax code for nearly three decades. Overhauling the code has long been a goal of Ryan, a self-described policy wonk. He was considered the Republican Party’s leading voice on taxes and budgets before he ascended to the job of speaker last year. But the labor powerhouse AFL-CIO scorned the Republican blueprint as similar to a tax-cutting proposal made last year by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who Ryan recently endorsed. Ryan and Trump “have striking resemblance - both tax plans benefit the wealthy & corps a lot,” the AFL-CIO said on Twitter.  Trump’s ideas about taxes have appeared contradictory at times. He said in May he is open to raising taxes on the rich, backing off prior proposals to reduce taxes on all Americans and corporations by slashing rates even more deeply than Ryan and House Republicans would. Democrats, including presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, have pressed for increased taxes on the wealthiest Americans for years. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi criticized the Republican plan as “massive tax giveaways to millionaires and billionaires on the backs of hard-working American families.” The plan would consolidate the current seven tax brackets for individuals to three, and lower the top individual income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 33 percent, higher than the 25 percent that Ryan proposed when he chaired the House Budget Committee.  Ryan said the goal was to make things so simple the average American could do their taxes on a postcard. The plan would lead to a maximum tax rate of 25 percent on small business income. It would also lower the top U.S. corporate tax rate from 35 percent, the highest in the industrialized world, to 20 percent, as well as shift to a “territorial” style tax system aimed at exempting the earnings of American companies abroad from U.S. taxation. The blueprint also calls for overhauling the tax-collecting Internal Revenue Service, an idea that animates many conservatives who have called for its abolition.

Summary: रयान, हाउस रिपब्लिकन ने अमेरिकी कर दरों को कम करने की योजना की पेशकश की


KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - When Zakir Naik emerged from a prominent Malaysian mosque last month fans swarmed about him, seeking selfies with the Indian Muslim televangelist whose hardline views have sparked a criminal investigation back in his home country. Accompanied by a bodyguard, Naik was making a rare public appearance at the Putra Mosque in Malaysia s administrative capital, where the prime minister and his cabinet members often worship. Naik, who has been banned in the UK, has been given permanent residency in Malaysia, and embraced by top government officials.  Critics see Naik s presence in Malaysia as another sign of  top-level support for hardline Islam in a country with substantial minorities of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, and which has long projected a moderate Islamic image.  Support for a more politicized Islam has grown in recent years under Prime Minister Najib Razak, especially after he lost the popular vote in the 2013 general election - the ruling coalition s worst-ever electoral performance.  Since then, his ruling party has been trying to appease an increasingly conservative ethnic Malay-Muslim base and religion has become a battleground ahead of elections the prime minister has to call by mid-2018. Naik, a 52-year-old medical doctor, has aroused controversy with his puritan brand of Islam - recommending the death penalty for homosexuals and those who abandon Islam as their faith, according to media reports. A Youtube video shows Naik saying that if Osama bin Laden  is terrorizing America the terrorist, the biggest terrorist, I am with him . Last week, India s counter-terrorism agency prepared charges against Naik, saying he has been  promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups in India through public speeches and lectures.  Bangladesh suspended Peace TV channel, which features Naik s preachings, after some media reports claimed bombers of a Dhaka cafe that killed 22 people last year were admirers of him. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.  The Malaysian government accommodates Naik because  he remains a reasonably popular character amongst Malays, who gloss over his more controversial aspects,  said Rashaad Ali, an analyst with S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore.   If the government were to kick him out of the country, it causes them to lose religious credibility in the eyes of the public.  At his appearance at the Putra mosque last month, a female Reuters reporter asked about the investigation in India. Naik would only say:  Sorry, it is not right for me to speak with ladies in public.   Naik did not respond to subsequent requests for comment from Reuters. Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told parliament on Tuesday that Naik, who obtained permanent residency five years ago, was not being given  preferential treatment .  Over the time spent in this country, he has not broken any laws or regulations. As such, there is no reason from a legal standpoint to detain or arrest him,  Zahid said. The government has not received any official request from India  related to terrorism allegations involving him , he added. Zahid and the prime minister have both posted photos on Facebook of their meetings with Naik last year in Malaysia. A group of Malaysian activists has filed suit in the High Court to deport Naik, saying he is a threat to public peace in the multi-racial society - about 40 percent of Malaysia s population is non-Muslim. The group said it was unaware Naik had been going to the Putrajaya mosque - or where he might be in Malaysia. Officials at the Putra Mosque said Naik has been attending Friday prayers there for about a month. He has also been spotted in other mosques, hospitals and restaurants in the administrative capital in recent months, according to witnesses that Reuters spoke to. Naik has in the past denied India s allegations. In an interview with a Kuwaiti television channel in May, he said he was being targeted by the Hindu nationalist government of  Narendra Modi because of his popularity. Malaysia s opposition Islamic Party (PAS), which has defended Naik in the past, last week urged the government to disregard any potential Indian extradition request, saying the allegations aim  to block his influence and efforts to spread religious awareness among the international community.   Islamic groups have stoked controversy for trying to impose their ethos in a multi-cultural country. Malaysian authorities canceled a planned beer festival last month, citing security concerns, and for some years now international pop stars who wish to make appearances in Malaysia face restrictions over clothing and dancing. Islam is the official religion in Malaysia. The laws, however, are secular, though the country does have sharia courts for civil cases for Muslims. Malaysia s nine sultans, who take turns as the mostly ceremonial monarch and are the official guardians of Islam in Malaysia, last month called for unity and religious harmony after what they described as  excessive actions  in the name of Islam. One of them harshly condemned a Muslim-only launderette.  We are seeing this gravitation toward fundamentalism and a conservative idea of Islam because the current government doesn t want to be seen as secular anymore,  said Ahmad Farouk Musa, founder of a moderate Islam think-tank, Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF).  To ensure Malay support, the government thinks it has  to have Islamic credentials just like PAS,  Farouk told Reuters. said.  Islam sells.  In September, Turkish writer Mustafa Akyol was detained for giving  an unauthorized speech  in the Malaysian capital, in which he argued that governments shouldn t police religion or morality. Zahid, also the home minister, said Akyol s book  Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty  has been banned as it  contravened norms of the society in Malaysia . Farouk, who organized the speech, said he now faces charges for abetting Akyol.

Summary: कट्टरपंथी उपदेशक ने मलेशिया में पनाह ली क्योंकि राजनीतिक इस्लाम बढ़ता जा रहा है


ROME (Reuters) - Italy, France and Germany said on Thursday they regretted U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord and dismissed his suggestion that the global pact could be revised. “We deem the momentum generated in Paris in December 2015 irreversible and we firmly believe that the Paris Agreement cannot be renegotiated since it is a vital instrument for our planet, societies and economies,” the leaders of the three countries said in a rare joint statement. Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron urged their allies to speed up efforts to combat climate change and said they would do more to help developing countries adapt. The three leaders tried to convince Trump last week at a Group of Seven summit to stay in the pact and honor U.S. commitments undertaken by the previous administration. In a speech at the White House, Trump said the U.S. would look to renegotiate the agreement and condemned what he called “draconian” financial and economic burdens imposed by the deal. The unusual French-Italian-German statement, released barely an hour after Trump announced his decision, underscored the disappointment of the eurozone’s three largest economies and their resolve to plow ahead without Washington’s support. “We are convinced that the implementation of the Paris Agreement offers substantial economic opportunities for prosperity and growth in our countries and on a global scale,” the three leaders said. “We therefore reaffirm our strongest commitment to swiftly implement the Paris Agreement, including its climate finance goals and we encourage all our partners to speed up their action to combat climate change.” In his speech, Trump complained that the Paris Accord required wealthy nations to help developing countries build renewable energy sources. France, Italy and German indicated they were ready to do more to help in the absence of U.S. funds. “We will step up efforts to support developing countries, in particular the poorest and most vulnerable, in achieving their mitigation and adaptation goals,” the three leaders said.

Summary: फ्रांस, इटली, जर्मनी ने पेरिस समझौते का बचाव किया, कहा-फिर से बातचीत नहीं की जा सकती


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. State Department officials told members of Congress on Tuesday that legislation that would allow families of Sept. 11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia is opposed by important U.S. allies and posed a national security risk. But many members of a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee subcommittee expressed strong support at a hearing for the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,” or JASTA, which the Senate passed in May by unanimous voice vote despite President Barack Obama’s veto threat. The Saudis, who deny responsibility for the 2001 attacks, strongly oppose the legislation. Other governments have also raised objections. The Dutch parliament warned that JASTA would represent a breach of Dutch sovereignty. A member of the British parliament wrote a column opposing it. Anne Patterson, the State Department’s assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, and Brian Egan, its legal counsel, testified that the measure could lead to lawsuits against the United States and discourage security cooperation such as intelligence sharing between governments. “We cannot win the fight against ISIL without full international cooperation,” Patterson said, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group. But the bill’s supporters say it would provide justice to those who lost loved ones in the attacks 15 years ago. They argue that if Saudi Arabia was not responsible for the attacks, it would win any lawsuits. Representative Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat who represents New York City, said worry about retaliation should not keep the measure from becoming law. “That is no reason to deny justice to the victims of 9/11 and their families,” he said. If it became law, JASTA would remove sovereign immunity preventing lawsuits against governments for countries found to be involved in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. It would allow survivors of the attacks, and relatives of those killed in the attacks, to seek damages from other countries. In this case, it would allow lawsuits to proceed in federal court in New York as lawyers try to prove that the Saudis were involved in the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. There was no immediate word on when the House might vote on JASTA. The House was due to adjourn later on Thursday for its summer recess and will not return to Washington until September.

Summary: अमेरिका का कहना है कि सहयोगियों ने सऊदी अरब के खिलाफ 9/11 मुकदमों की अनुमति देने वाले विधेयक का विरोध किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration wants to tax imports from countries that put tariffs on the United States, said Gary Cohn, director of President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council. “Fair means we treat our trading partners the way they treat us,” Cohn told a conference on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings in Washington on Thursday. “If you want to insist on having a tariff on a product, which we prefer you not, the president believes that we should treat you in a reciprocal fashion and that we should tax your product coming into the United States.”

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस के कोहन का कहना है कि 'निष्पक्ष व्यापार' का अर्थ है पारस्परिक शुल्क


FALLS CHURCH, Va.,  (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Thursday the policies that allow immigrants to seek asylum in the United States were broken and subject to “rampant abuse and fraud.” In a speech at the department’s Executive Office For Immigration Review, Sessions said too many immigrants were taking advantage of the rules, and urged Congress to pass legislation that could make it harder for asylum petitions to be granted. Overhauling the U.S. asylum system was on a list of immigration proposals the White House sent Congress over the weekend that President Donald Trump wants in exchange for a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Most of the principles, including a crackdown on the influx of Central American unaccompanied minors, are likely to be non-starters for Democrats. Sessions did not announce any specific policy shifts in his speech but urged Congress to act. “Congress must pass the legislative priorities President Trump announced this week, which included significant asylum reform, swift border returns, and enhanced interior enforcement,” he said.  He said there were “loopholes” in the law that allow immigrants, whom federal officials determine have a “credible fear” of returning to their home countries, to be released pending a hearing before a judge. He also advocated for imposing and enforcing penalties for “baseless” asylum applications, elevating the threshold standard of proof in credible fear interviews, and expanding the ability to return asylum seekers to safe third countries. After they pass their credible fear review, many people simply disappear and never show up at their immigration hearings, Sessions said. He blamed the Obama administration for a policy shift in 2009 that allowed them to be released from custody, and said he believed many peoples’ credible fear claims were simply a “ruse to enter the country illegally.” Human Rights First, a group that provides pro bono legal assistance to refugees, said the attorney general’s comments mischaracterized asylum seekers as “threats and frauds.” “These individuals are not criminals,” said senior director Eleanor Acer in a statement, “they are mothers, teenagers, and children desperate to escape violence and persecution.”

Summary: अमेरिकी अटॉर्नी जनरल सेशंस ने शरण नीतियों पर कार्रवाई का आग्रह किया


NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City public defenders on Thursday criticized a proposal by Mayor Bill de Blasio to deny free legal counsel to immigrants in deportation hearings if they had been convicted of serious crimes in the past, saying the plan would deny them due process. In his proposed annual budget, De Blasio allocated $16.4 million to legal services for immigrant New Yorkers, citing concern about U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrants living in the country illegally.  Lawyers, local lawmakers and civil rights activists welcomed the funding proposal, which sharply increases legal aid for immigrants. But they gathered on the steps of City Hall to criticize a provision they said would unfairly deprive some people of the right to due process under the law.  De Blasio’s proposal would deny city-funded lawyers to immigrants previously convicted of one of 170 crimes that the city considers serious or violent.   Jennifer Friedman, who runs the immigration practice at Bronx Defenders, said the mayor’s plan would create a “two-tier system that treats people different based on their criminal history.” The funding be in addition to the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), which has been funded by the City Council since 2013 and provides free lawyers to immigrants facing deportation hearings at the federal immigration court.  In the United States, the right to a lawyer does not extend to federal immigration hearings which are civil, not criminal, proceedings.  The plan contradicted de Blasio’s description of New York as a “sanctuary city” for immigrants, the public defenders said. Seth Stein, a City Hall spokesman, wrote in an email that “the public should not be expected to foot the bill” for immigrants convicted of dangerous crimes. “The vast majority of immigrants have not been convicted of violent crimes,” he wrote. More than 2,000 immigrants have received free lawyers under the council-funded program, which provides free lawyers regardless of an immigrant’s criminal record, in the four years since it began, Legal Aid said.  In New York City, immigrants without lawyers managed to overturn a removal order in court only 3 percent of the time, while those with lawyers were able to remain in the country 30 percent of the time, Legal Aid said.

Summary: आप्रवासियों को कानूनी सहायता पर प्रस्तावित सीमाओं के लिए न्यूयॉर्क के महापौर की आलोचना की गई


VIENNA (Reuters) - An international nuclear test-ban body that runs a global network of listening posts designed to check for secret atomic blasts detected an  unusual signal  underwater last week near where an Argentine submarine went missing, it said on Thursday.  The Vienna-based Comprehensive nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) runs monitoring stations equipped with devices including hydrophones - underwater microphones that scan the oceans for sound waves. Two of its monitoring stations detected the unusual signal, the CTBTO said in a statement, adding that it was passing the information on to the Argentine authorities coordinating the search for the ARA San Juan, which had 44 crew on board when it went missing last week. An Argentine navy spokesman said earlier on Thursday that an abnormal sound detected near the submarine s last known position in the South Atlantic was  consistent with an explosion , but the CTBTO was more guarded on the possible cause.   It could be consistent with an explosion but there is no certainty about this,  CTBTO hydroacoustic engineer Mario Zampolli told Reuters. He agreed with the navy spokesman s description of the signal as unusual and short, adding that the cause was non-natural.  We can also calculate the time when the event happened in that location and that time is about three and a half hours after the last contact that the sub apparently had, according to what s out in the news,  he said. The stations that detected it are far apart, in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, he added.

Summary: परमाणु परीक्षण-प्रतिबंध निकाय ने अर्जेंटीना उप की अंतिम स्थिति के पास शोर सुना


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh from Democratic presidential primary wins over the weekend in three U.S. states, Bernie Sanders said on Sunday he had  political momentum that could help him win the backing of Democratic power brokers in his race against Hillary Clinton. Sanders easily won nominating contests in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii on Saturday. His latest remarks reflect his plan to chip away at Clinton’s commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to win the party’s nomination for the November election. Interviewed on Sunday by U.S. broadcasters, Sanders said Democratic “super-delegates,” who can change their allegiance, might face pressure to rally behind him because most polls suggest he has a better chance than Clinton of beating a Republican candidate. “Momentum is with us,” Sanders, a senator from Vermont, said on CNN’S State of the Union news program. “A lot of these super-delegates may rethink their position with Hillary Clinton.” Sanders also criticized Clinton’s reliance on wealthy donors to fund her campaign. He cited a fundraising dinner being hosted next month by actor George Clooney, where supporters will have to donate at least $33,400 to attend, or $353,400, nearly seven times the annual median income, if they want “premium” seating. “It is obscene that Secretary Clinton keeps going to big money people to fund her campaign,” Sanders told CNN. “Our events, we charge $15 or $50 for people to come.  So, it’s not a criticism of Clooney. It’s a criticism of a corrupt finance system.” About 85 percent of the votes at the July 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, where a party nominee will be chosen to face the Republicans in the Nov. 8 election, are being determined by state nominating contests. The other 15 percent is held by party power brokers who are free to vote as they like, meaning they could hold the key in a tight contest. Super-delegates include party leaders and elected senators, members of the U.S. Congress and governors.  After Saturday’s contests, the former secretary of state led Sanders by just under 300 pledged delegates in the race for the 2,382 needed to be nominated.  Adding in the support of super-delegates, which the party created in the early 1980s to give leaders more control over the nominating process, Clinton had 1,712 delegates to 1,004 for Sanders, according to a tally by RealClearPolitics.com. The U.S. senator from Vermont needs to win up to two-thirds of the remaining delegates to catch Clinton, who will keep piling up delegates even when she loses under a Democratic Party system that awards them proportionally in all states.   Sanders is turning his attention to his native New York, where Democratic voters will divide up 247 delegates on April 19th. His campaign manager on Sunday wrote a letter to Clinton’s manager insisting that a planned televised debate between the candidates in April be held in the state, which Clinton represented as a U.S. senator for eight years. Jeff Weaver said in the letter that the Clinton campaign had resisted holding the debate in New York.   “Is the Secretary concerned about debating before the people who twice elected her to the U.S. Senate?” Weaver wrote. Spokesmen for Clinton did not respond to requests for comment.

Summary: सैंडर्स का कहना है कि पार्टी के नेता जीत के बाद 'पुनर्विचार' कर सकते हैं


LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May will look to ease corporate Japan s worries about Brexit during a three-day visit to the country from Wednesday focused on progress on a bilateral trade deal for when Britain leaves the European Union. May s first trip to Japan as prime minister comes at a difficult moment, with Japanese attention focused on North Korea s Tuesday missile test and Britain s Brexit negotiators recently on the receiving end of sharp criticism from EU officials. May will lead a 15-strong business delegation, including Standard Life Investment (SLA.L) chief executive Keith Skeoch, and carmaker Aston Martin s CEO Andy Palmer, pitching Britain and Japan as the  perfect partners for the future . She will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Kyoto before traveling to Tokyo for an investment conference and banquet. May and Abe are due to speak publicly on Thursday following one-to-one talks.   My discussions with Prime Minister Abe will focus on how we can prepare the ground for an ambitious free trade agreement after Brexit, based on the EU-Japan agreement which I very much hope is nearing conclusion,  May said in a statement ahead of her departure. May will also discuss defense cooperation, describing Japan as  our closest security partner in Asia . She will become the first European leader to attend a meeting of Japan s National Security Council and will also visit its flagship helicopter carrier  Izumo  for a briefing with military officials. North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan s northern Hokkaido island into the sea early on Tuesday, prompting warnings to residents to take cover and drawing a sharp reaction from Abe. May also strongly condemned the launch. Japan s foreign ministry said the two leaders are expected to agree on the importance of China s role in ramping up pressure on North Korea. Japan has been unusually outspoken about its concerns that Britain s departure from the EU, which was decided by a public vote in 2016, could affect current and future Japanese investments in Britain. Britain is the second most important destination for Japanese investment after the United States, with firms like Nissan (7201.T), Toyota (7203.T) and Hitachi (6501.T) investing billions in carmaking, energy and transport.  During a visit to London by Abe in April, Britain said that Japanese companies had already invested over 40 billion pounds  ($52 billion) in the British economy. But Japan is also an important destination for British investment. Aston Martin said on Tuesday it will open an advanced product planning office next year in Japan to better understand the needs of Asian buyers and tap into new technologies.  The firm is hoping to boost demand from Japan and the United States partly as a way to mitigate against any risks from Brexit which could add costs and delays to the 15 percent of cars it currently sells into the European Union. Speaking ahead of May s visit, Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said Tokyo had to react to  a sense of crisis among businesses  over Brexit, and gather information about the British negotiating strategy. Britain has published a series of papers setting out how it wants to settle its divorce with the EU, and is pushing for talks to move on to discuss the future relationship between the two - something of critical importance to investors. But European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker insisted on Tuesday that the new relationship could not be discussed until initial differences had been resolved, and the EU s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday he was concerned at the slow progress made so far. Japan s foreign ministry said Abe is expected to ask May to maintain transparency and predictability regarding Brexit so that any impact on corporate activity will be minimized - echoing concerns Abe expressed in April about a Brexit cliff-edge. May s spokeswoman said the prime minister would reiterate Britain s position that it is seeking to agree a time-limited Brexit transition period after March 2019 to avoid a sudden change in trading and regulatory conditions for businesses.   What they will discuss in private I can t pre-empt, but that is our position and she ll be setting that out if he (Abe) asks,  the spokeswoman said.  ($1 = 0.7724 pounds)

Summary: प्रधानमंत्री व्यापार यात्रा के दौरान जापान की ब्रेक्सिट आशंकाओं को कम करना चाहते हैं


ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - The Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq refused to relinquish control of its border crossings to the Iraqi government, Erbil-based TV Rudaw said on Friday, citing a KRG official. Relinquishing control over border crossings with Turkey, Iran and Syria was a demand made by Iraq, Iran and Turkey in retaliation for the Kurdish independence referendum held on Monday in northern Iraq. Backed by Ankara and Tehran, the Iraqi government has demanded that the Kurdish leadership cancel the result of the referendum or face sanctions, international isolation and possibly a military intervention. An embargo on direct international travel to Kurdistan is set to begin at 6:00 pm local time (1500 GMT), imposed by the Iraqi government to force the KRG to hand over the control of its airports to Baghdad.    Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement on Friday the direct air travel ban is not  a punition against the citizens of the region, it is a constitutional measure decided by the government in the interest of the residents of Kurdistan.

Summary: कुर्दिस्तान क्षेत्र ने सीमा पार करने का काम इराकी सरकार को सौंपने से किया इनकारः रुडाव


CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt s armed forces said on Tuesday that joint U.S.-Egyptian military exercises will resume this month for the first time since 2009, after U.S. officials canceled them in 2013 following an Egyptian army crackdown on protests. The joint training is usually held every two years but was also canceled in 2011 after the  Arab Spring  uprising that year that overthrew Egypt s longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. The announcement on the  Bright Star  exercises came weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump s administration denied Egypt $95.7 million in aid and delayed $195 million because of its failure to progress on respecting rights and democratic norms.     The exercises will take place from Sept. 10-20 at the new Mohamed Najuib military base in west Alexandria, according to a statement on the Egyptian military s official Facebook page.  The Bright Star training is considered one of the most important joint Egyptian-American armed forces exercises, which reflects the depth of relations and cooperation between the armed forces of both countries,  the Egyptian statement said. A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media confirmed the timing and location of the exercise and said U.S. Central Command is due to make an official announcement soon. Egypt is one of Washington s closest Middle East allies, and U.S. military aid has long cemented its historic 1979 peace deal with Israel. Home to the Suez Canal, the stability of the Arab world s most populous state is a U.S. priority. But the strategic relationship hit a low under former U.S. President Barack Obama, who briefly froze aid to Egypt after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi overthrew his Islamist freely elected predecessor in 2013 after mass protests against him. Washington provides $1.3 billion in military aid and about $250 million in economic aid to Egypt every year. Trump has moved to reset U.S. relations with Sisi, giving him firm backing and vowing to work together to fight Islamic militants. U.S. sources have said last month s decision to freeze aid reflected a desire to continue security cooperation but also express frustration with Cairo s stance on civil liberties. A new law regulating non-governmental organizations is widely seen as part of a growing crackdown on dissent.

Summary: मिस्र ने कहा कि निलंबित अमेरिकी सैन्य अभ्यास फिर से शुरू होंगे