WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sought on Monday to avoid openly taking sides in an Iraqi-Kurdish dispute, as Iraq’s capture of the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk raised the risk of an open conflict between U.S. allies in the fight against Islamic State. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment the two sides were fighting. “We don’t like the fact that they’re clashing. We’re not taking sides,” Trump told reporters at the White House.  “We’ve had for many years a very good relationship with the Kurds as you know and we’ve also been on the side of Iraq, even though we should have never been there in the first place. We should never have been there. But we’re not taking sides in that battle.” Iraqi government forces captured the major Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk on Monday, responding to a Kurdish referendum on independence with a bold lightning strike that transforms the balance of power in the country. A convoy of armored vehicles from Iraq’s elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Force seized Kirkuk’s provincial government headquarters on Monday afternoon, less than a day after the operation began, a Reuters reporter in Kirkuk said. Senator John McCain, the influential chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned Iraq’s government of “severe consequences” over any further misuse of U.S.-provided weaponry against Kurdish forces. Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning declined to speculate on whether the United States might cut off military aid and training to Iraqi forces in the event a major conflict, saying: “I’m not going to speculate on that but I will tell you that we’re looking at all options for planning considerations ... We encourage dialogue.”

Summary: इराक-कुर्दिश विवाद में अमेरिका 'पक्ष नहीं ले रहा': ट्रम्प


ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan has told at least 10 foreign-funded aid groups to close, an umbrella agency said on Wednesday, including a charity founded by hedge fund billionaire and philanthropist George Soros, the group said. Pakistan has toughened its stance towards domestic and international non-governmental groups in recent years, accusing some of using their work as a cover for espionage. In January, it ordered about a dozen groups working on women s issues and human rights to halt their operations. A representative of the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF), which represents 63 international aid groups, said the Ministry of Interior had issued 10 of its members  letters of rejection ,  meaning their applications to register had been rejected. The forum did not identify the 10 groups but two international groups, the Pakistani branch of the Soros  charity the Open Society Foundations, and ActionAid, said they had been told they had to close.  We obviously find what has happened both disappointing and surprising, and are urgently seeking clarification,  the executive director of the Open Society s Pakistani office, Saba Khattak, said in a statement. The group had spent $37 million on grants and relief assistance in Pakistan since 2005, she said. The interior ministry did not respond to requests for comment. However, the ministry, in a letter to one of the 10 groups and seen by Reuters, said its registration application had been denied.  Wind up operations/activities of above said INGO within 60 days,  the ministry said in the letter.  It did give a reason why the group had to stop its work. The ministry lists 139 international non-governmental organizations (INGO) on its website that have submitted registration applications, of which 72 are still being processed.  There is no list of those whose applications have been denied.  During the lengthy INGO registration process we provided all the information and documents required and are confident we comply with all necessary rules and regulations,  ActionAid country director Iftikhar Nizami said in a statement.    This year, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres was ordered to stop work at three facilities in violence-plagued  ethnic Pashtun areas bordering Afghanistan, although the interior ministry lists the group as an approved INGO.       The Save the Children aid group fell afoul of the government in 2011, when it was linked to a Pakistani doctor recruited by the CIA to help in the hunt that led to the killing of al Qaeda militant leader Osama bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad. Save the Children s foreign staff were expelled from Pakistan soon after the accusations surfaced, but more than 1,000 local staff continued to operate.  The charity denied any links with the doctor or the CIA.

Summary: पाकिस्तान ने जॉर्ज सोरोस फाउंडेशन और अन्य सहायता समूहों को बंद करने का आदेश दिया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointee Neil Gorsuch gave a speech to a conservative group on Thursday at a hotel in which Trump has a financial interest, drawing criticism from protesters outside the building and the top Senate Democrat. About 50 demonstrators appeared outside the Trump International Hotel located just blocks from the White House, saying Gorsuch’s speech called into question his impartiality as the high court potentially weighs cases involving the Republican president, including some involving the hotel itself. “There’s a reason we questioned his independence during his confirmation hearings,” Senator Chuck Schumer said in a statement. Gorsuch was confirmed by the Republican-led U.S. Senate to his lifetime position as a justice in April despite unified opposition from Democrats who said some of his past rulings favored corporations over ordinary Americans and doubted his independence from Trump. Protester Josh Orton, a consultant for abortion-rights group NARAL, said if Gorsuch continues to make appearances that raise ethics questions “the Supreme Court will be in danger of losing its sacred reputation as a neutral arbiter of justice.” Gorsuch did not address the controversy during his 20-minute speech, instead focusing on the work of the event’s organizer, The Fund for American Studies, which runs student academic programs and fellowships promoting limited government and free-market economics.  He spoke of his job as a justice, saying, “The people and the place are a joy.” He lauded American values such as free speech and civil rights. Justices often address a variety of groups across the political spectrum in their spare time. But Gorsuch’s speech comes just days before the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court term in which Trump’s administration has a stake in several major cases.  The hotel is a focus of lawsuits accusing Trump of violating the U.S. Constitution by letting his properties and restaurants accept payments from foreign governments.  “Justice Gorsuch told the Senate during his confirmation that he was committed to the independence and integrity of the judiciary,” said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, which represents more than 200 members of Congress in one of those lawsuits. “His decision to speak at an event that profits the president, however, sadly falls far short of that standard – whether or not speaking at Trump’s hotel breaks any explicit ethics rules.” Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said Gorsuch declined to comment on the ethics issue.

Summary: ट्रम्प के होटल भाषण पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट के गोरसच की आलोचना


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed the prospect of talks with North Korea as a waste of time a day after his own secretary of state said the United States was maintaining open lines of communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.  I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful secretary of state, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,  Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim and seeming to contradict the top U.S. diplomat. Trump, who has traded insults and threats with Kim in recent weeks amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang s nuclear and missile programs, later tweeted that his White House predecessors, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, had all  failed  on North Korea by  Being nice to Rocket Man.   So why would it work now?  he asked. Kim succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, as North Korean leader in 2011, during Obama s administration. Previous presidents negotiated with Pyongyang but ultimately failed to prevent it from pressing ahead with its internationally condemned weapons programs. Tillerson disclosed on Saturday that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue.  Save your energy Rex, we ll do what has to be done!  Trump said. Tillerson said during a trip to China that the United States had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, the first such disclosure by the Trump administration, and that it was probing North Korea to see if it was interested in dialogue. Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.  We are probing, so stay tuned,  Tillerson told a small group of reporters.  We ask:  Would you like to talk?  He said the United States had  a couple of, three channels, open to Pyongyang.  In Beijing on Monday, China s foreign ministry said it supported dialogue.  We consistently support the United States and North Korea engaging in dialogue and contact to promote mutual understanding and resolve related issues through consultations,  it said in an emailed response to a Reuters query on Tillerson s revelations about contact with North Korea. A senior Trump administration official, asked for clarification about Trump s Sunday morning tweets, played down the significance of the communication channels.  At a time when North Korea is continuing its provocations, the president does not think now is the time to negotiate with them,  the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. To the extent that diplomatic channels exist between Washington and Pyongyang, they are aimed at securing the return of Americans detained by North Korea, the official added. R.C. Hammond, an adviser to Tillerson, denied that his boss had been undercut by Trump s tweets and rejected any suggestion that the secretary of state should resign.  Let s resign the idea of resignation. The President just made it clear to the Kim regime the diplomatic offer on the table is cooling,  Hammond said on Twitter. He also downplayed any contacts.  Channels have been open for months. They ve been unused and cooling for months,  Hammond wrote. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert made a similar point on Sunday.  Diplomatic channels are open for #KimJongUn for now. They won t be open forever,  she wrote on Twitter. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, wrote on Twitter:  If Tillerson is wasting his time, it s only because his boss fails to understand the catastrophic consequences of war on the Korean peninsula.  Trump s rhetoric on North Korea has run the gamut, from personal attacks on Kim to veiled military threats, from a denial of any interest in talks to an insistence that he would prefer a diplomatic solution. After announcing new U.S. sanctions on North Korea last month, he acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking:  Why not? . But he has also frequently declared that he had military options at its disposal, although U.S. officials and outside experts have long said a U.S. strike on North Korea would risk massive casualties.

Summary: ट्रंप ने शीर्ष अमेरिकी राजनयिक से कहाः उत्तर कोरिया से बात करने की जहमत न उठाएं


OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegians vote on Sept. 10 and 11 to pick a parliament for the next four years and determine whether the center-right minority government stays in power or is replaced by parties on the center-left. Opinion polls show the election remains too close to call. Exit polls and forecasts based on early votes will be made public on Monday at 1900 GMT, and most ballots will be counted within three to four hours. In the case of an exceptionally tight race however, the final result may not emerge until late on Tuesday. Below is a summary of key policy differences and the dynamics of the race: All 169 seats in parliament are up for grabs, and as many as nine parties are expected to win seats under Norway s system of proportional representation. However, there are only two candidates for the job of prime minister - the incumbent Erna Solberg of the Conservatives and Labour s Jonas Gahr Stoere. A calculation by www.pollofpolls.no, measuring the average of September opinion polls, gave Solberg s four-party block 85 seats, just enough for a majority, while the four on the center-left, plus the independent Green Party, would win 84 seats. But whether it s the center-left or center-right that hits the crucial 85 seats, the winner faces tricky post-election negotiations and will meet tough demands from small parties to keep their support over the next four years. The race could be decided by how many of the small parties clear the key four-percent hurdle that gives access to a pool of so-called  seats at large , boosting their presence in parliament. Two parties on the right, two on the left and one in the center, the Greens, are all close to this key threshold. Solberg seeks further cuts in personal income tax and a reduction of the wealth tax, but has declined to say by how much. She requires backing from the centrist Liberals and Christian Democrats, which would temper the size of any cuts. Labour has vowed to raise taxes for above-average earners and the wealthy by up to $2 billion to improve public services and reduce the reliance on cash from Norway s sovereign wealth fund. Citing concerns over climate change and potential pollution, several small parties seek to limit the expansion of Norway s oil and gas industry, which brings in almost half the country s export revenues. The independent Greens, which could hold the balance of power in post-election maneuvers, have made it a condition for anyone seeking their support to end all exploration   a demand that neither Labour nor the Conservatives are willing to meet. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party hopes to slow down the awards of new exploration acreage to oil firms if the Conservatives stay in power, while on the left the Reds and the Socialist Left will make similar demands of a Labour-led government. The seas surrounding the arctic Lofoten archipelago could thus remain off-limits to the oil industry, while the extent of drilling in the far-north Barents Sea may emerge as a flash-point in post-election negotiations. With nearly $1 trillion saved up from Norway s extensive oil and gas industry, the next parliament faces key questions over how to organize the fund and whether to allow investments beyond the foreign stocks, bonds and real estate it currently holds. Decisions are mostly made in consensus between the bigger parties, however, and neither Labour nor the Conservatives have said whether they agree with a recent report that suggested it should no longer be managed by the central bank. If Labour s Gahr Stoere emerges as the likely next prime minister, he will face pressure from center-left parties to review EU-outsider Norway s extensive inclusion in the European Union s single market. At stake is Norway s participation in the European Economic Area (EEA) treaty, strongly favored by both Labour and the Conservatives but opposed by the euro-skeptic Centre Party (CP) and the Socialist Left (SL). However, both the CP and the SL, in government with Labour from 2005 to 2013, agreed at the time to govern on the basis of the EEA. An interactive Reuters graphic of polling data can be found at tmsnrt.rs/2wYkVIO

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः संसद के लिए नॉर्वे का करीबी चुनाव


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Saturday put restrictions on the kind of lucrative lobbying gigs his White House aides and other administration officials can accept after they leave government. Trump, a Republican businessman whose campaign was based in part on getting rid of Washington insiders, had pledged during last year’s election campaign to “drain the swamp” of political practices that he said made politicians beholden to business interests. On his executive order making good on that pledge, Trump said his appointees would agree to refrain from lobbying their own agency for five years after leaving, and would not lobby any government appointee for two years. Trump’s order also requires his officials to agree to a lifetime ban on working on behalf of foreign governments or foreign political parties. Trump himself has come under pressure to distance himself from his business interests, and put his sons in charge of his company, which owns hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world. Ethics watchdogs have said the arrangement does not prevent conflicts of interest.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने अपने राजनीतिक नियुक्तियों पर पांच साल का लॉबिंग प्रतिबंध लगाया


BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel won a fourth term in office in the German national election on Sept. 24, but a fractured vote that brings the far-right into parliament means she must try to work out a three-way coalition untested at federal level. The new alliance would comprise Merkel s conservative bloc - her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) - along with the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and environmentalist Greens. Such a tie-up is called a  Jamaica  coalition, because the three parties  colors of black, yellow and green match those of the Jamaican flag. To secure a coalition agreement, the unlikely bedfellows must overcome differences on a range of issues including immigration policy, Europe, tax and the environment. The CDU and CSU have reached an agreement over immigration policy, but it is not clear whether it will pass muster in a full coalition. Following are remarks on the possible coalition from senior officials:  We achieved a joint result (with the Bavarian CSU allies) which I think is a very, very good basis to go into exploratory talks with the FDP and Greens.    On Friday, October 20th, we will have a first round of exploratory talks with all partners.   The parties come from very different starting positions. There will be discussions in a lot of policy areas with the FDP and the Greens.   We know that unusual combinations can, of course, bring the opportunity to find some solutions to things that had seemed unsolvable until now. So now we need to put our noses to the grindstone and see what we can do.    We d be well advised not to be perfectionists in the upcoming coalition negotiations but rather to be open and to build trust that a government will be formed that acts sensibly, even during unforeseeable crises.   Thoroughness is certainly more important than speed, but I m optimistic that everything will be sorted out by Christmas. All four parties are showing goodwill and the will of the voters is clear too:  Jamaica  should be formed.   We all need to just get started now.   Compromises always mean everyone needs to give a bit.   If the coalition comes off, it must not be a coalition that only agrees on the lowest common denominator. That won t work.    We don t have to govern. There is also the possibility of another grand coalition (between Merkel s conservatives and the Social Democrats).   It can succeed. The most important thing is that trust needs to be built between participants, and that takes time. That s why it would be illusory to believe we could conclude negotiations by Christmas.   No one would understand it if the new government does not pass an immigration law.   We need a mix of humanity and order. We Greens also want to secure the EU s external borders and build a sensible database of fingerprints.   There must be a compromise that nonetheless represents everyone.   This is an agreement between the CDU and CSU, and far from the result of exploratory talks for a coalition with the FDP and Greens.   Immigration is not the only issue where the parties have different ideas.   I am certain that, in the end, the solution that the CDU/CSU have found with each other will not be the basis for common work (with us) for the next four years.   No party can expect the others to accept its original wording without changes ... But I believe that a signal about limiting immigration on humanitarian grounds will ultimately make its way into the coalition agreement.   Europe s fiscal policy needs a shift away from austerity toward a common pact for tax collection and investments, which would trigger social and ecological innovations.   A red line for us in coalition talks is the mutualization of debt in Europe, the creation of new pots of money.   What we Christian Democrats call  preservation of Creation  overlaps a lot with what the Greens call a sustainable approach to nature.   A misunderstanding on the part of the chancellor must be cleared up before the exploratory talks begin: We Greens are resolutely against the driving bans of which there is a risk due to the lack of action and ignorance of her Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt, Germany s most incompetent minister.   There can only be a Jamaica tax concept if it includes the end of the solidarity surcharge without taking that money out of people s pockets somewhere else.

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्स-जर्मन गठबंधन की निगरानीः सबसे कम सामान्य भाजक पर सहमति पर्याप्त नहीं है-ग्रीन्स


VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday excoriated politicians who foment fear of migrants, saying they were sowing violence and racism, and urged them to  practise the virtue of prudence  to help them integrate. The pope, who has made defense of migrants and refugees a major plank of his papacy, made his comments in a message prepared for the Roman Catholic Church s World Day of Peace, which is celebrated on Jan. 1 each year. The message, whose title for 2018 is  Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in Search of Peace , is traditionally sent to heads of state and government and international institutions. The message is being released as migration has become a top political issue in countries including the United States, Italy, Australia and Germany.  Many destination countries have seen the spread of rhetoric decrying the risks posed to national security or the high cost of welcoming new arrivals, and doing so demeans the human dignity due to all as sons and daughters of God,  he wrote.  Those who, for what may be political reasons, foment fear of migrants instead of building peace are sowing violence, racial discrimination and xenophobia, which are matters of great worry  for all those concerned about the safety of every human being,  he said. In elections in Germany in September, the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made significant gains, with electors punishing Chancellor Angela Merkel for her open-door policy and pushing migration policy to the top of the agenda in talks to form a coalition government. Italy s anti-immigrant Northern League, whose leader Matteo Salvini often gives fiery speeches against migrants, is expected to make gains in national elections next year. Francis urged governments to make legal immigration easier but said that leaders should also recognize that many people move  mainly out of desperation, when their own countries offer neither safety nor opportunity, and every legal pathway appears impractical, blocked or too slow . In the United States, President Donald Trump has promised to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep illegal immigrants out, something the pope has criticized in the past. The pope said richer countries should show  a spirit of compassion  toward those forced to flee war, hunger, discrimination, persecution, poverty and environmental degradation. He acknowledged that immigrants can sometimes  compound numerous existing problems  and that leaders have a  clear responsibility toward their own communities ; but practical ways had to be found to welcome newcomers, who can enrich society with their cultures, skills and energy.  By practicing the virtue of prudence, government leaders should take practical measures to welcome, promote, protect, integrate and, within the limits allowed by a correct understanding of the common good, to permit (them) to become part of a new society,  he said. Francis urged the United Nations to make  compassion, foresight and courage  the foundations for global compacts on migration and refugees that the world body is preparing for next year.  Only in this way can the realism required of international politics avoid surrendering to cynicism and to the globalization of indifference,  Francis said.

Summary: पोप ने आप्रवासन पर नस्लवाद भड़काने के लिए राजनेताओं की आलोचना की


ALMATY (Reuters) - United States Energy Secretary Rick Perry has canceled a planned visit to Kazakhstan on Monday, the U.S. embassy in Kazakhstan said, due to Hurricane Harvey.  Due to Hurricane Harvey and the Department of Energy s duty to react to emergencies related to power supply and energy infrastructure, the planned visit by Energy Secretary Rick Perry to Astana is canceled,  the embassy said in a Russian-language statement. Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette would lead the U.S. delegation instead of Perry, it said. Perry was due to meet Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev later on Monday. U.S. companies are among the biggest investors in the oil-rich Central Asian nation. Harvey, which wreaked havoc along the U.S. Gulf coast over the weekend, is the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, killing at least two people, causing large-scale flooding, and forcing the closure of Houston port as well as several refineries.

Summary: ऊर्जा सचिव पेरी ने तूफान के कारण कजाकिस्तान की यात्रा रद्द की


JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African veteran politician and anti-apartheid activist Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a leading contender to take over as head of the ruling ANC in December, will be sworn in as a member of parliament next week, a senior party official said on Friday. Dlamini-Zuma, the ex-wife of current ANC leader and South African President Jacob Zuma, does not hold a top position and could use a seat in parliament to raise her profile ahead of the party s December leadership conference.   She is going to be sworn in,  ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe was quoted as saying by the local EWN news network. The former health and foreign affairs minister s main opponent in the ANC leadership race is expected to be Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a trade unionist-turned-business tycoon whom many investors would prefer to see running a country with serious economic challenges. Dlamini-Zuma is pushing for a more radical redistribution of wealth from whites to blacks, a policy that appeals to many poor people who resent the stark racial inequality that persists 23 years after the end of apartheid. The next head of the ANC will be the party s presidential candidate in 2019 general elections.

Summary: दक्षिण अफ्रीका के द्लामिनी-जुमा, एएनसी नेतृत्व के दावेदार, सांसद बनेंगे


BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Brazilian prosecutor investigating potentially corrupt investments made by state pension funds said the real estate company run by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears to have benefited “suspiciously” from a massive redevelopment of Rio de Janeiro’s port ahead of the Olympics. The development, known as Porto Maravilha, or Marvelous Port in Portuguese, cost 8 billion reais ($2.5 billion) and developed run-down docklands into a plaza, museums, corporate and residential real estate. As part of the project, five 38-story buildings were meant to be erected under the Trump brand.  Public prosecutor Alselmo Lopes said in a court filing made public on Thursday that he is investigating the Porto Maravilha deal, in which the national employee severance fund FGTS, managed by state-bank Caixa Economica Federal [CEF.UL], paid up-front for building rights which it then sold on.      The structuring of the Porto Maravilha deal “favored, in a suspicious way, the Trump Organization economic group”, among others, Lopes said. The prosecutor gave no further details and was not immediately reachable for comment.  His spokeswoman, Dionne Tiago, said Lopes would not explain the basis for his suspicions until next week.  None of the five people Lopes sought to charge in the court filing for siphoning off 8 billion reais from the Caixa’s pension fund were related to the Trump Organization.   The Trump Organization, which sold naming rights for the Rio towers but did not provide any funding for the project, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  A senior executive involved in the Trump Towers Rio dismissed the prosecutor’s charge as baseless. “Any allegations that the Porto Maravilha Investment Fund of Caixa Econômica Federal has favored in a suspicious way the Trump Organization economic group are completely unfounded,” the executive, who asked not to be named, said by email.  Not long after plans for the towers were first announced, Donald Trump tweeted in January 2013: “The Trump Organization is going revolutionize Rio de Janeiro’s downtown port area with Trump Towers. Construction begins soon!”  Two of the five Trump Towers were supposed to be ready by the Olympics, but ground has yet to be broken. Developers say the project is still going ahead and has not been scrapped. Trump Towers Rio on its website claims it is the first project in Brazil to bear the name of the U.S. real estate magnate and the largest urban office development in the BRICS group of leading emerging market countries.

Summary: ब्राजील के अभियोजक का कहना है कि ट्रम्प मताधिकार को भ्रष्टाचार से लाभ हुआ होगा


SYDNEY (Reuters) - Hundreds of people attended rallies in Australia s major cities on Sunday to protest an advertisement the Indian community described as  highly insulting  in its depiction of the Hindu deity Lord Ganesha. The India Forum Australia (IFA) arranged the protests in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in response to a Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) advertisement, aired earlier this month. The ad featured various religious figures including the Hindu god, considered vegetarian by followers, sitting down to a meal of lamb. IFA president Nihal Agar said on Sunday the MLA had not listened to the Indian community s earlier concerns when the ad initially screened.  To say something is legal is one thing, but it s something else to touch the heart and that is how MLA has failed our community,  he said.  This is not the multicultural Australia that we truly love.  Earlier this month, India s High Commission in Canberra lodged a complaint with the Australian government asking for the ad s removal. The Advertising Standards Bureau dismissed complaints, saying Lord Ganesha was depicted positively and that the advertisement s intent was to be inclusive. Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs, Zed Seselja, told Reuters on Sunday that he had met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and leaders of Australia s Hindu community because of the  genuine hurt  that had been caused. Seselja said organizations needed to consider the impact on people of faith when they exercised their freedom of speech but cautioned against censorship. An MLA spokesman said in a statement after the ad first aired that the organization had undertaken  extensive research and consultation  while making the advertisement. The industry association has a history of controversial campaigns, geared at generating discussion and promoting meat consumption. Another advertisement this year featuring indigenous Australians welcoming boat arrivals to a barbecue on a beach was described as insensitive while a previous campaign was criticized for promoting violence against vegans.

Summary: ऑस्ट्रेलियाई हिंदुओं ने भगवान गणेश के मांस के विज्ञापन का विरोध किया


MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A powerful earthquake late on Thursday in Mexico killed at least 26 people, authorities said, raising the number of fatalities after the governor of the southern state of Oaxaca said on Friday that 20 people were killed in that region. Oaxaca governor Alejandro Murat said 17 of the 20 fatalities were in Juchitan, a town on Mexico s Tehuantepec isthmus.

Summary: मेक्सिको में भूकंप से कम से कम 26 लोगों की मौत, अधिकारी


(Reuters) - President Barack Obama knocked Republican presidential candidates for anti-Muslim rhetoric and accused critics on Tuesday of playing into the hands of Islamic State in a speech aimed at setting an optimistic tone for his last year in office. Obama, delivering his last State of the Union speech to Congress before leaving office next year, said it was fiction to declare the United States was in economic decline or getting weaker on the international stage. In a direct slap at Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, Obama said insulting Muslims hurt the United States and “betrayed” its identity. “When politicians insult Muslims ... that doesn’t make us safer,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd in the House of Representatives chamber. “It’s just wrong. It diminishes us in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals.” 10:52:30 PMIn the Republican response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley took a softer tone on immigration than the harsh rhetoric often heard from her party’s presidential candidates. “Immigrants have been coming to our shores for generations to live the dream that is America,” Haley said in a speech delivered from Columbia, the state capital. Following Obama’s lead, she appeared to use the speech as an occasion to respond to Donald Trump, the front runner for the Republican nomination who has called for a ban on allowing Muslims to enter the United States.  “Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference,” she said. “That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference.” Haley’s speech was praised by both sides of politics. Former Obama strategist David Axelrod tweeted: “Really effective speech by @nikkihaley. Avoided the Response to SOTU curse.”  Republican pollster Frank Luntz said Haley, who is being touted as a possible Republican running mate, tested well with voters. “This is the highest we’ve ever tested a #SOTU response.” 10:25:44 PMPresident Obama wrapped up his final State of the Union address with a forceful statement of confidence in the future of the United States. “I believe in change because I believe in you,” Obama said in his closing remarks, generating a standing ovation. “That’s why I stand here as confident as I have ever been that the State of our Union is strong.”  Obama received about a dozen standing ovations during his address, but just a handful were fully bipartisan. In addition to the standing ovation that greeted the entry of First Lady Michelle Obama, the other bipartisan applause moments came after his comments on cutting red tape and outdated regulations, when he announced Vice President Joe Biden would lead a cancer “moonshot” initiative and when he lauded the U.S. military as the finest fighting force in the world. Several more moments won big applause from the Democratic side of the chamber. Those included Obama’s remarks on: * Making college affordable * Food stamps not causing the financial crisis * Biden securing new resources for National Institutes of Health * His administration’s clean energy achievements * The Islamic State not being representative of one of the world’s largest religions * His request for new authorization to use military force * Terrorists finding that Americans have long memories and the U.S. reach has no limits * His assertion that “we are on track to end the scourge of HIV/AIDS 9:52:13 PMTwitter traffic on the hashtag #SOTU has exploded since President Obama started delivering his final State of the Union address, with more than 761,000 tweets using the tag, up by roughly 500,000 since Obama’s speech began. Jeers at House Speaker Paul Ryan’s lack of participation counted heavily among the tweets. According to social media analytics firm Zoomph, #PaulRyan was among the top hashtags during the speech. Ryan appeared only to have applauded Obama when the president mentioned U.S. military personnel. Author and New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) tweeted: “After curing cancer, we should cure the problem that prevents Paul Ryan’s hands from joining even for things he agrees with. #SOTU.”  While President Barack Obama was widely expected to focus on gun control in his final State of the Union address, the word “gun” appeared just once in the prepared text of his speech when he quickly summarized several proposals he’s already made.  Obama symbolically had a chair left empty in the box where First Lady Michelle Obama was sitting in honor of those who have died from gun violence. The hashtag #EmptySeat was trending heavily on Twitter in response to the gesture. The single reference to “gun” compared with four mentions of “climate change” and 15 to the “economy.” Obama apparently has delivered on his promise to keep this year’s speech shorter: The text of his speech unofficially comes in at 5,438 words versus 6,776 in his 2015 speech. The White House released a post (bit.ly/1Q3P2oz) by Vice President Joe Biden explaining his new task, heading an initiative to find a cure for cancer.  President Barack Obama was expected to detail Biden’s role during the State of the Union speech Tuesday night. “I know that we can help solidify a genuine global commitment to end cancer as we know it today — and inspire a new generation of scientists to pursue new discoveries and the bounds of human endeavor,” Biden wrote.  President Barack Obama has entered the U.S. House of Representatives to deliver his final State of the Union speech as U.S. commander in chief. Obama has taken the podium and has begun. He promises to keep this speech, his eighth, “a little shorter,” joking that many in the audience need to get to Iowa, site of the first U.S. party caucuses ahead of November’s presidential election. According to an advance text of his speech, he will rebuff talk from critics that America is in economic decline as “political hot air.” President Barack Obama will call on Congress to end the practice of drawing congressional districts so that politicians can pick their voters. Too many Americans feel “the system is rigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest,” Obama said, according to a copy of the speech released by the White House. First Lady Michelle Obama has arrived in the House chamber for her husband's final State of the Union address, wearing a mustard-colored dress. Members of Obama's cabinet have also arrived, as have the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. 8:56:55 PMThe White House has posted the text of President Obama's speech (bit.ly/1nh7MFI) and he will describe ISIS militants as "killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down and destroyed."  Separately, however, he said claims that the ISIS fight is World War III are “over the top.” Still, he urged Congress to pass authorizations to use military force against ISIS.  Obama is also expected to say that Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died from a brain tumor,  will lead a new effort to make America the country that cures cancer once and for all. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has entered the House of Representatives chamber ahead of President Obama’s State of the Union address, shaking hands with several of members as he arrived.  House Speaker Paul Ryan, attending his first State of the Union in his new capacity, greeted the vice president as he walked up the steps. “How’s it going Joe?” Ryan said. The two men aren’t strangers. They debated during the 2012 campaign as the respective vice presidential nominees for their parties. Also spotted on the House floor: Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Obama, meanwhile, is enroute to Capitol Hill from the White House. The White House posted video on Snapchat of him climbing into his car, nicknamed The Beast.  8:36:29 PMWith about 30 minutes to go until the State of the Union, social media traffic was heavy, with the hashtag #SOTU tweeted more than 171,000 times. Other top hashtags on Twitter, according to social media analytics firm Zoomph, include #kimdavis, referring to the woman who was jailed last year over the same-sex marriage license controversy but then invited to the speech. Also in the mix were #tcot, referring to “Top Conservatives on Twitter” and #P2, a hashtag for progressives. Republican presidential hopeful Ben Carson took to Twitter to criticize Obama for speaking while American military members were being held in Iran. “When President Obama takes the stage tonight, there will still be 10 United States military members being held captive by Iran,” Carson tweeted.  8:26:15 PMPresident Barack Obama has no plans to speak about the Iranian seizure of U.S. Navy sailors in his final State of the Union address, CNN reported Tuesday.  “There are no plans to address this issue,” White House communications director Jen Psaki said in a CNN interview. “He’s tracking this closely, he’s following this closely but the State of the Union will not be about this issue.” The president will, however, “absolutely” tout the nuclear deal he reached with Iran and other world powers last year, she said.  In the latest development on the seizure, a U.S. defense official said plans were in place for Iran to return the 10 sailors to a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters early on Wednesday. 8:05:43 PMPresident Barack Obama on Tuesday urged U.S. leaders to “fix our politics” and lift Americans’ standard of living in a final State of the Union speech designed to contrast his vision for the country with Republican presidential campaign rhetoric. Obama, who is delivering his last annual speech to Congress before leaving office next January, said political discourse was meant to be messy, but - in an apparent nod to proposals by Republican candidates such as Donald Trump - required “bonds of trust” between citizens.Obama’s speech, scheduled for 9 p.m. EST (0200 GMT on Wednesday), is one of his few remaining chances to capture the attention of millions of Americans before the Nov. 8 election of a new president who will take office next January. In the latest teaser leading up his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, President Barack Obama touted his record on the economy and health care. “More than 14 million jobs, nearly 18 million people now with health coverage — together, we’ve pulled ourselves out of yesterday’s crisis to put us on a stronger course for tomorrow,” Obama said in the message posted at www.whitehouse.gov. Still, Obama said his speech will stay focused on the future. “Tonight I’ll lay out a vision for an economy that’s even stronger, a country that’s safer, and a union that’s more perfect. “Because with one year left in my presidency, I’m still fired up and ready to go.” In the White House’s latest Snapchat clip ahead of the State of the State speech, Edith S. Childs, the retired nurse who coined President Obama’s notable “Fired up” campaign chant in 2008, is shown singing the refrain. Wearing a cream-colored suit and pumping her fist, Childs is featured on The White House Official Snapchat Story singing: “Fired up! Ready to go!” again and again.  Childs will be a special guest of First Lady Michelle Obama.  06:43:51 PM President Barack Obama is set to tell Americans on Tuesday that while the country faces extraordinary change, the nation can overcome the challenges it faces if Americans come together, the White House said. “It will only happen if we fix our politics,” Obama will say, according to excerpts of his State of the Union address provided by the White House. “The future we want - opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids - all that is within our reach,” will say. 6:16:53 PMPresident Barack Obama made a brief appearance on Facebook on Tuesday as he finalized the text of his last State of the Union address. The president, sitting at his desk, said he was making last minute changes and added touches to his speech. “There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done,” Obama said, adding that he wanted to make sure that the American people understood his proposals. “We’ve got some big choices ahead,” he said.  6:06:01 PM Hardly a quiet few hours for the White House in the run up to President Obama’s swan song State of the Union address later on Tuesday. As the president goes through his final preparations for the speech: Iran has taken 10 sailors aboard two U.S. Navy boats into custody, although Iran has told the United States that the crew members will be “promptly” returned, U.S. officials said. And at least 145 congressional Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, are condemning the Obama administration’s immigrant deportation efforts. Ahead of his final State of the State speech, the White House tweeted that President Barack Obama would share a few thoughts live on Facebook before the event. Obama’s speech before a joint session of Congress is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.  Meanwhile, indie rock band EL VY was gearing up for the pre-speech performance at 7:45 p.m. ET. The White House posted clips of the band’s warm up on Snapchat. U.S. President Barack Obama will talk about the prospects for self-driving cars in his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, according to government officials, the first time the president has used the annual speech to tackle an important issue facing the auto and technology industries. Millions of Americans were discussing President Obama’s upcoming State of the Union address on Tuesday on top social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, debating anticipated speech topics such as gun control, terrorism and healthcare. U.S. President Barack Obama voiced regret for failing to unite Washington since taking office on a wave of hope in 2009, as he prepared to give a State of the Union speech on Tuesday to launch his final year in the White House. Asked about his inability to heal America’s political divisions, Obama told NBC’s “Today” show, “It’s a regret.” The president planned to speak optimistically about America’s future in his speech in Congress, one of his few remaining chances to capture and hold the attention of millions of Americans before the Nov. 8 election of a new president who will take office next January. The Democratic president will give his final State of the Union address as campaign rhetoric for November’s presidential election intensifies with candidates fighting over illegal immigrants, wage inequality and violence. 9:00:22 AMPresident Barack Obama said he could envision Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump giving a State of the Union address - but in a comedy skit. In a “Today” show interview ahead of his final State of the Union address, the Democratic president was asked if he could envision Trump, the billionaire developer known for his bombastic style, making his own State of the Union speech as president. “Well, I can imagine it - in a ‘Saturday Night’ skit,” Obama said, referring to the NBC’s long-running late-night comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” “Look, anything’s possible. And I think, you know, we shouldn’t be complacent.”

Summary: राष्ट्रपति ओबामा का अंतिम स्टेट ऑफ द यूनियन संबोधन


PALONG KHALI, Bangladesh (Reuters) - Mohammad Ayas, a 12-year-old Rohingya refugee in the sprawling Palong Khali camp, is busy hawking piazu, a fried mixture of onions, lentils and spices. The 150 portions of piazu, made by his mother from the aid package the family received after fleeing violence in Myanmar, sell for 1 taka each, or a little more than 1 U.S. cent.  I started my trading here with the relief I got,  Mohammad told Reuters.  I did not buy anything. I got this relief package five days ago and my mum made this piazu this morning.  Myanmar s Rohingya Muslims have endured killings, arson and rape by Myanmar troops and ethnic Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes since Aug. 25, in response to Rohingya insurgent attacks on security posts, the United Nations says. It says problems like children trafficking existed in Bangladesh s camps, even before they were overwhelmed by the more than 600,000 new arrivals. Now, driven by a need for food and other essentials, trade is starting to thrive in the Palong Khali camp, located about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the Naf River that marks the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. For the photo essay on trading inside the camps click on: reut.rs/2A5Sg7v Some refugees are returning to their previous occupations to eke out a living. Abul Fayaj, a 50-year-old vegetable seller from Buthidaung township in Rakhine, now sells green chilies to residents of the camp. He said a Bangladeshi lent him money for the chilies, which he sells for 200 taka ($2.39) per kg, higher than the local market price of 130 taka per kg.  I don t have the money to take lots of food, that s why I have to take a loan,  he said.  I have to pay more to the lender who gave me the money to buy the vegetables, so there is only a small profit,  said Fayaj, adding he takes home 100 taka a day. Obaidul Mannan, 40, with five daughters and two sons, traded clocks in Myanmar until the military came to his village, arresting people and burning homes.      He now sells betel nut that he bought with 9 grams (0.3 ounces) of gold that belonged to his wife. His complaints are common to shopkeepers everywhere.  The problem I m facing here is that I m selling next door to traders who are also selling the same items,  he said. Some Bangladeshi shopkeepers have hired Rohingya to run shops within the camp. Kalim Ullah, 42, fled from the Buthidaung area with his wife, six sons and a daughter. He used to transport goods in Myanmar, but was told that Rohingya could not own a business in Bangladesh. Ullah joined up with a local business owner and now sells snacks and red chilies in the camp for a daily wage of 100 taka. Two Bangladesh government officials confirmed that the refugees are not legally allowed to own businesses in the country since they are not citizens.  We are giving all kind of humanitarian assistance. They are not our citizens,  said a senior home ministry official.  The Myanmar government will have to take them back.  Bangladeshis are aware of the opportunities that the Rohingya exodus provides for trade and a number of them have moved closer to the camps. Abdur Razzak, 26, sells knives, pots and water buckets in the Palong Khali camp where he set up shop three months ago. After paying rent on his shop, wages for two assistants and transporting goods from the town of Ukhia, about 9 km (5.4 miles) north of the camp, Razzak earns about 500 taka profit on sales of 2,000 taka.   I m not making a lot of money. I just profit a little,  he said. ($1 = 83.7000 taka)

Summary: रोहिंग्या शिविरों के भीतर व्यापार


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would be open to cutting a one-year or two-year deal with Democratic rivals as a way to kick-start reform of the nation’s healthcare system, a key campaign pledge made by Trump and the Republican Party. Republicans fell short several times this year in their drive to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic legislation, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, a promise the party has campaigned on for seven years. Trump has been frustrated by the failure, openly taunting Republicans as “total quitters” and “fools” this summer over their inability in the Senate to replace Obamacare. “If we made a temporary deal, I think it would be a great thing for people, but it’s really up to them (Democrats),” Trump told reporters at the White House. “So if we could do a one-year deal or two-year deal as a temporary measure, you’ll have block granting ultimately to the states, which is what Republicans want,” Trump said. Earlier on Saturday Trump said he had called Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to gauge interest in working on what he called a “great” healthcare bill to replace Obamacare. “I called Chuck Schumer yesterday to see if the Dems want to do a great HealthCare Bill,” Trump wrote on Twitter earlier on Saturday. “ObamaCare is badly broken, big premiums. Who knows!” Axios first reported Trump’s call to Schumer on Friday. Schumer said Trump had told him during the phone call on Friday that he wanted to try again to repeal and replace Obamacare. “I told the president that’s off the table,” Schumer said in a statement. “If he wants to work together to improve the existing health care system, we Democrats are open to his suggestions.” Schumer pointed to bipartisan efforts by Republican Senator Lamar Alexander and Democratic Senator Patty Murray to repair Obamacare as “a good place to start.” Alexander pulled out of the talks last month as a new Republican bill to repeal Obamacare gained momentum. After that bill collapsed, Alexander said he would again consult with Murray. Although Democrats have been mostly united against Trump’s agenda, there is a precedent for a bipartisan deal. Last month, Trump sided with Democrats in a surprising debt limit deal that blindsided Republicans and left conservative groups aghast. But there are still wide policy differences between Democrats and Trump. His administration on Friday undermined requirements under Obamacare that employers provide insurance to cover women’s birth control. A new rule will allow businesses or non-profit organizations to lodge religious or moral objections to obtain an exemption from the law’s mandate that employers provide contraceptives coverage in health insurance with no co-payment. A Democratic aide said the Trump administration would have to abandon such efforts before it could reach a healthcare deal with Republicans. “Particularly after the birth control decision yesterday, the administration has to stop sabotaging the law before anything real can happen,” the aide said on condition of anonymity.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने कहा कि वे डेमोक्रेट के साथ अस्थायी स्वास्थ्य सेवा सुधार समझौते के लिए तैयार हैं


BERLIN (Reuters) - A 96-year-old German convicted over his role in the murders of 300,000 people at the Auschwitz Nazi death camp has challenged his four-year prison sentence, arguing that imprisonment would violate his right to life, German media reported on Tuesday. A German court on Nov. 29 ruled that Oskar Groening, known as the  bookkeeper of Auschwitz , was fit to go to prison and rejected his plea for the sentence to be suspended. Groening, who is physically frail, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2015, in one of the last cases against a surviving Nazi, but he has not been incarcerated since then because of the legal argument about his health. Broadcaster ntv quoted Groening s lawyer, Hans Holtermann, as saying that the latest legal challenge asked Germany s constitutional court to determine if imprisonment would violate Groening s right to life, given his medical condition. He told the broadcaster that an expert had concluded that Groening was not fit enough to be imprisoned. Holtermann could not be immediately reached for comment. The Nov. 29 court ruling had said that enforcing Groening s sentence would not breach his fundamental rights and added that special needs related to his age could be addressed in prison. Groening, a former Nazi SS officer, did not kill anyone himself while working at the camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. But a court convicted him in 2015 of aiding and abetting mass murder there through various actions, including by sorting banknotes seized from arriving Jews. He admitted during his trial that he was morally guilty and said he had been an enthusiastic Nazi when he was sent to work at Auschwitz in 1942 at the age of 21. Some six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust carried out under Adolf Hitler.

Summary: दोषी 'ऑशविट्ज़ के बुककीपर' ने जेल के समय को चुनौती दी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump will nominate a transportation secretary on Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman told Fox News, as he continues to fill out his domestic policy team. Trump transition team spokesman Jason Miller said the Cabinet selection would be announced in the early afternoon. He did not elaborate.

Summary: ट्रम्प परिवहन सचिव के चयन की घोषणा करेंगेः प्रवक्ता


KATHMANDU (Reuters) - A leftist alliance between Nepal s former Maoist rebels and moderate communists appeared to be heading for a victory in elections aimed at completing a transition to democracy after the abolition of the monarchy and end to civil war. Early tallies from Thursday s vote show the leftists lead in 63 out of 80 constituencies where counting has begun. Nepal has seen 10 government changes in as many years. Instability has given rise to corruption, retarded growth and slowed recovery from a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people. The election pits the centrist Nepali Congress party of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who heads a loose alliance that includes the Madhesi parties from Nepal s southern plains and former royalists, against the tight-knit alliance of former Maoists and the moderate Communist UML party. The Nepali Congress party is considered a pro-India group, while the opposition alliance is seen as closer to China. Nepal is a natural buffer between the two and the outcome could indicate whether China or India gets the upper hand in the battle for influence in a nation rich in hydropower and home to Mount Everest. Nepal emerged from a civil war in 2006 and abolished its 239-year-old Hindu monarchy two years later. Guna Raj Luintel, editor of the daily Nagarik, said it was almost certain the leftist alliance would win.  Trends so far suggest they could win a two-thirds majority. If that happened, that will be a landslide win,  Luintel said. There are 165 seats to be decided on a first-past-the-post basis for which voting was held on Thursday with another 110 seats decided by proportional representation. Few results are in from the southern plains, home to nearly half of the population, and communists are thought to have weaker support there. Final results of the election, Nepal s first under its republican constitution approved by a special Constituent Assembly in 2015, could take around 10 days due to cumbersome counting procedures.

Summary: नेपाल में वामपंथी गठबंधन चुनावी जीत की ओर बढ़ रहा है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a wide-ranging request for documents and analysis, President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team asked the Department of Homeland Security last month to assess all assets available for border wall and barrier construction.  The team also asked about the department’s capacity for expanding immigrant detention and about an aerial surveillance program that was scaled back by the Obama administration but remains popular with immigration hardliners. And it asked whether federal workers have altered biographic information kept by the department about immigrants out of concern for their civil liberties.  DON'T MISS: Megyn Kelly leaving Fox News to join NBC Reuters TV: Trump fears grow in Mexico valley where dollar is king The requests were made in a Dec. 5 meeting between Trump’s transition team and Department of Homeland Security officials, according to an internal agency memo reviewed by Reuters. The document offers a glimpse into the president-elect’s strategy for securing the U.S. borders and reversing polices put in place by the Obama administration.   Trump’s transition team did not comment in response to Reuters inquiries. A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment.       In response to the transition team request, U.S. Customs and Border Protection staffers identified more than 400 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border, and about the same distance along the U.S.-Canada border, where new fencing could be erected, according to a document seen by Reuters.      Reuters could not determine whether the Trump team is considering a northern border barrier. During the campaign, Trump pledged to build a wall and expand fencing on parts of the U.S.-Mexico border but said he sees no need to build a wall on the border with Canada.  One program the transition team asked about, according to the email summary, was Operation Phalanx, an aerial surveillance program that authorizes 1,200 Army National Guard airmen to monitor the southern border for drug trafficking and illegal migration.  The program once deployed 6,000 airmen under President George W. Bush but was downsized by Barack Obama, a move blasted by some conservatives who argue the surveillance is vital to border security.        The transition team also asked for copies of every executive order and directive sent to immigration agents since Obama took office in 2009, according to the memo summarizing the meeting.      Trump has said he intends to undo Obama’s executive actions on immigration, including a 2012 order to allow children brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents to remain in the country on temporary authorizations that allow them to attend college and work.  The program, known as DACA, collected information including participants’ addresses that could theoretically be used to locate and deport them if the policy is reversed. Another request of the transition team was for information about whether any migrant records have been changed for any reason, including for civil rights or civil liberties concerns, according to the internal memo seen by Reuters.      A Department of Homeland Security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the agency interpreted the request to mean the transition team wanted to make sure that federal workers were not tampering with information to protect DACA recipients and other migrants from deportation.  On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to deport more undocumented immigrants, a promise that may have prompted the transition team’s request for information about the feasibility of expanding temporary detention facilities.      The internal memo summarizing the meeting between Trump’s transition team and U.S. Customs and Border protection said the team had requested a comprehensive picture of border security as well as resources available for walls and barriers.  The Department of Homeland Security official said agency representatives who attended the meeting believed the request to include both the northern and southern borders. U.S. Customs and Border Protection then prepared a report on specific locations and costs of building a fence along the U.S.-Canada border.  Reuters reviewed a copy of the report, which estimated the cost of building fencing along the northern border fence would be $3.3 billion and cover 452 miles along border of Canada and the states of Washington, Idaho, Montana, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.     Adding 413 miles of fencing on the southwest border would be more expensive, according to the estimate of $11.37 billion, because it would be aimed at keeping pedestrians as well as vehicles from crossing.  Pedestrian fences require more staff and would cost $11.2 million per mile versus $4.1 million per mile to build to build, according to the report.  In fiscal year 2015, the latest year for which data is available, border patrol agents apprehended 2,626 illegal migrants on the U.S.-Canada border compared to 331,333 apprehended on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Summary: एक्सक्लूसिवः ट्रंप की टीम ने सीमा अवरोधों, निगरानी पर एजेंसी रिकॉर्ड मांगे


SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact will continue working to bring a deal to fruition despite a pledge by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to withdraw from the accord, Chile’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. “Whether it be with the United States or without the United States, there’s a willingness among the countries that make up the TPP to move forward,” Heraldo Munoz told a news conference ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the South American nation. “Whether it’s to be the same framework as the current TPP, that remains to be seen.” On Monday, Trump released a video pledging to withdraw from the TPP on his first day in office, calling it “a potential disaster” for the United States.  World leaders have had varying reactions to Trump’s comments, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saying during a visit to Buenos Aires that U.S. abandonment of the deal would render it “meaningless.” The future of the 12-nation deal, which does not include China, was one of the key themes of summit talks between leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies in Lima in recent days. There is debate over to what extent a U.S.-free TPP might  advance without a complete renegotiation. China has been pushing its own alternative trade pact, which excludes the Americas, although it has said other countries including Chile are interested in joining. The Chinese premier was due to arrive in Santiago on Tuesday, where he will meet with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and speak at the United Nations’ Latin American arm, ECLAC. Munoz said China and Chile plan to sign an agreement to deepen bilateral trade ties during Xi’s visit. In a column in national newspaper El Mercurio published on Tuesday, Xi wrote that Chile and China should work together to facilitate free trade and business ties in areas such as mining, agriculture, infrastructure, telecommunications, clean energy and IT.

Summary: चिली के विदेश मंत्रीः ट्रम्प की टिप्पणियों के बावजूद टी. पी. पी. मरा नहीं है


BOSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. hedge fund managers began warming to President Donald Trump soon after his surprise election ignited a powerful stock market rally. Now, his dramatic tax cut plans give them even more reasons to cheer. Trump, looking to make good on pledges for sweeping tax reform, on Wednesday unveiled plans for a cut in the tax rate to 15 percent for so-called pass-through businesses. While the proposal is being billed as a boon for small businesses from pizzerias to investment management firms, one clear winner looks to be the hedge fund set, where owners can earn hundreds of millions in income a year, tax experts, managers, and their lawyers said on Wednesday. “For hedge funds, this is an unmitigated benefit as their tax liabilities could drop significantly,” said Robert Willens, an independent tax consultant. “Obviously, they are quite enthusiastic and there may be a few fist bumps along the way.” A manager whose hedge fund earns $50 million a year, for example, would be paying some $19.8 million in taxes, or 39.6 percent, under the current rules. That could drop to as little as $7.5 million if the rate were cut to 15 percent. To be sure, Trump’s plan has a long, hard road to becoming reality, but that didn’t stop fund managers from blitzing their tax lawyers with calls about how to play it. Most attorneys advised patience, saying they would need to wait at least until early June, when a bill with more specific language might be hammered out. “If the goal is to get people talking, then it is working,” said Jeffrey Parker, a partner at law firm EisnerAmper. “A proposal is just a proposal. The final version often differs significantly from the final draft.” Aside from the pass-through proposal, an open question is what kind of treatment will be given to so-called carried interest. That allows managers to pay a tax rate as low as 20 percent, a loophole that Trump has railed against in the past. Similarly, there is no clarity on whether businesses would be required to pay “reasonable compensation” to their managers, income that could be taxed at a higher rate, experts said. Including that could help Trump appeal to his base and mollify critics who say the plan is a giveaway for millionaires. “Who needs to worry about carried-interest going away if you have a 15 percent pass-through tax rate,” said hedge fund manager Jim Chanos, who runs Kynikos Associates. “This should really be called the ‘Put Rich Guys Back on Top Tax Act of 2017.’” Tax reform has been a signature goal for Trump since the campaign and his closest aides, including former Goldman Sachs (GS.N) president Gary Cohn who now directs the National Economic Council, are pushing to get it done this year. But in the wake of other stalled initiatives, plenty on Wall Street expect the plan to hit some roadblocks.  “So the first draft - prepared quickly just like his failed travel ban and healthcare proposal before the 100 days runs out - will be push-backed and maybe dramatically changed by the Democrats and members of his own party,” said Douglas Kass, who runs hedge fund Seabreeze Partners Management.

Summary: ट्रम्प की कर योजना को लेकर हेज फंडों पर 'मुट्ठी में उछाल'


ABU DHABI/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates central bank has asked banks and finance companies in the UAE to provide information on the accounts of 19 Saudi citizens, banking sources told Reuters on Thursday. Saudi authorities have previously confirmed that almost all the 19 have been detained in a sweeping corruption investigation. One of those is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of international investment firm Kingdom Holding. The regulators  request was contained in a circular sent earlier this week and banks have responded, the sources said, adding that the banks had not been asked to freeze the accounts.  Officials at the central bank were not available to comment. Commercial bankers said they believed UAE authorities were acting at the request of Saudi authorities, but this was not confirmed. Saudi officials have said they will try to recover billions of dollars of illicit assets from dozens of senior businessmen and officials detained in the probe. Saudi Arabia has mutual legal assistance arrangements with other Gulf Arab countries that help it seek such information in criminal cases.

Summary: यूएई ने बैंकों से 19 सऊदी अरबियों के खातों की जानकारी मांगीः सूत्र


BEIJING (Reuters) - Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Indian and Chinese troops must maintain cooperation to ensure that a recent confrontation on their common border did not happen again. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, Jaishankar said peace in border areas was a prerequisite for India-China development and the two countries had agreed to make more efforts to enhance mutual trust.

Summary: भारतीय और चीनी रक्षा बलों को सहयोग बनाए रखना चाहिएः भारतीय विदेश सचिव


BERLIN (Reuters) - German government officials and security experts say they have not seen signs of hacking or suspicious news leaks ahead of the Sept. 24 election despite months of warnings about possible foreign meddling. The BSI federal cyber protection agency said it was keeping a close watch on possible efforts to influence the election from abroad, as well as efforts to close security gaps discovered in a widely-used vote-tabulating software.  We have no indications of any new incidents or attacks in connection with the federal election,  a BSI spokesman said. Other German government sources confirmed they had not detected any unusual activity, but noted a major leak of emails belonging to then candidate Emmanuel Macron did not surface until shortly before France s presidential election. Tyson Barker, a fellow at the German arm of the U.S.-based Aspen Institute think tank, said German political parties had agreed not to play up any fake news or embarrassing information.  There is a stronger cohesion ... within the German political class to make sure that this is not impactful on the election results if it were to come to pass,  Barker said. Meanwhile, vote IT GmbH, maker of a vote collation software, is implementing a series of BSI recommendations after private researchers discovered vulnerabilities with the software at the end of July, according to BSI officials. vote IT declined to comment.  The problems, first reported this month, followed repeated warnings from Berlin that Russia could try to influence the election after a major breach of the German parliament in 2015 that was linked to the APT 28 Russian hacker group. French and U.S. officials also said Moscow sought to influence their elections. Moscow denies any effort to sway foreign elections. Klaus Poetzsch, spokesman for the German federal election director, said it was unclear exactly how many of the 12,000 local communities used the vote IT software, but his office had made it clear to all election authorities they must carry out regular software updates. He said vote IT was  plugging the biggest of the security holes  identified, but lawmakers would likely undertake a comprehensive review of security, and possible reforms, such as requirement of a uniform certification process for all vote collation software, after the election. Germans will vote on paper at polling stations or by mail in advance and the ballots will be counted and entered into a computer system. However, news reports earlier this month cited concerns about the vote collation software, particularly the lack of an authentication step when results are transmitted. Barker called the incident a wake-up call for the German public.  Just because we re doing this on paper doesn t mean that from end to end there is protection throughout the process as far as tabulating results,  he said. Kevin Bocek, vice president of security strategy and threat intelligence at Venafi, a U.S.-based cyber security firm, said hackers were growing increasingly more sophisticated and attacks often went undetected for many months. He said it was not surprising problems were found with vote IT s software, given that it had been in use for so long.  We ve got a lot of catching up to do,  he said.  A lot of investment, a lot of effort is going to be required to keep up with the adversaries.  Poetzsch said around 200 employees of the federal election office would be in Berlin and Wiesbaden on the day of the election to manage the vote process.

Summary: जर्मनी में 24 सितंबर के चुनाव से पहले साइबर हमले का कोई संकेत नहीं दिख रहा है


UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Qatar s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Tuesday renewed a call for  unconditional dialogue  to end a crisis pitting Qatar against four Arab states while U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected the dispute to be resolved quickly. Speaking from the podium of the 193-member United Nations General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim renewed the call  for an unconditional dialogue based on mutual respect for sovereignty . Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar on June 5, suspending air and shipping routes with the world s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas, which is home to the region s biggest U.S. military base. The nations say Doha supports regional foe Iran and Islamists, charges Qatar s leaders deny. Kuwait has been trying to mediate and the United States has taken an increasingly robust role in trying to end the crisis, but as yet to no avail. Trump and Sheikh Tamim later held a meeting in which the emir was careful to emphasize the strong Qatar-U.S. relationship after Trump appeared to be more sympathetic to the Saudi position at the start of the crisis. Qatar hosts Al Udeid air base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East.  As you said, Mr. President, we have a problem with our neighbors,  Tamim said, adding that with Trump s intervention,  hopefully we can find a solution for this problem.  Trump, who has said he would be willing to mediate the worst dispute in decades among the U.S.-allied Arab states and Qatar, said he had a  very strong feeling  the dispute would be solved  pretty quickly . In a speech severely criticizing the four Arab states  conduct during the dispute, the emir said the countries were inflicting damage on the  war on terror.   The countries who imposed the blockade on the State of Qatar interfere in the internal affairs of many countries, and accuse all those who oppose them domestically and abroad with terrorism. By doing that they are inflicting damage on the war on terror,  Sheikh Tamim said in his speech to the annual gathering of world leaders.  We have refused to yield to dictations by pressure and siege.  A Gulf official from one of the opposing countries said it was  unfortunate that Emir Tamim continues to talk about a blockade when even he in the same speech acknowledged that his ship lanes are open.   It s disappointing that he talks about interference in the internal affairs of others while refusing to admit that is a core part of the four nations  complaints against Qatar,  the official added. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia suspended any dialogue with Qatar, accusing it of  distorting facts,  just after a report of a phone call between the leaders of the two countries suggested a breakthrough in the Gulf dispute. Saudi Arabia s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke by the telephone with Qatar s emir in the first publicly reported contact between the two leaders since the start of the crisis.

Summary: कतर के अमीर ने फिर की बातचीत की अपील, ट्रंप ने कहा-विवाद का जल्द होगा समाधान


ROME (Reuters) - The Italian government called on Tuesday for confidence votes in the lower house of parliament to try to force through an electoral law that is likely to penalize the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement. The new voting law, which would be used in a national election due by next May, is backed by the ruling Democratic Party (PD), former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi s Forza Italia (Go Italy!) and the anti-migrant Northern League. Unlike the current rules, the new system, known as the Rosatellum, would allow the formation of broad coalitions before the ballot, a factor likely to hurt the maverick 5-Star, which refuses to join alliances. The party, which tops many opinion polls, says the Rosatellum could cost it up to 50 seats in parliament. It has called for protests on Wednesday, when the lower house is due to hold two confidence motions. A third vote is set for Thursday.  This is a mortal blow to democracy, a violation of democratic laws,  said Luigi Di Maio, the 5-Star s candidate for prime minister.  The aim is to destroy us.  Italy s political landscape is highly fragmented and successive governments have failed to reduce the nation s huge debt mountain and struggled to revive the economy. Investors fear political instability here could undermine the euro. President Sergio Mattarella, the only figure with the power to dissolve parliament, has demanded new voting rules be drawn up because at present there is too much divergence between the systems for electing members of the two houses of parliament. Previous efforts at reform have all ended in failure thanks to a matrix of conflicting interests. The latest version offers a mix of first-past-the-post and proportional representation, and gives party leaders a huge say over nominating candidates. Although the Rosatellum will likely hurt 5-Star, analysts say it looks unlikely to throw up a clear parliamentary majority, with opinion polls showing the center-left, center-right and 5-Star splitting the vote three ways. A government is obliged to resign if it loses a confidence vote so only deploys the motion if it thinks key legislation might get held up or radically altered without its intervention. In this case, the government motions will sweep away dozens of secret votes on various aspects of the law, which would have allowed disaffected parliamentarians from the traditional parties to sink the bill, as happened in June during a prior attempt to introduce new electoral rules. The ruling PD dismissed accusations that it was subverting democracy, saying there would still be one final secret vote on the whole package.  In this secret vote we will see if the law is good or bad,  said Ettore Rosato, the parliamentary party leader of the PD who has put his name to the reform.  This is the last chance we have to put in place an electoral law and we want to avoid, just weeks ahead of the ballot, any traps,  he told reporters. Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni hopes to get the bill through the lower house of parliament by the end of the week, after which it will go to the upper house Senate, where the government has no clearly defined majority.

Summary: इटली ने विवादित चुनावी कानून पर विश्वास मत का आह्वान किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday that he and leaders from five Nordic nations agreed on the need to maintain sanctions against Russia. During a summit meeting with the leaders of Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Finland, Obama said the countries were united in their concern about Russia’s “aggressive military presence” in the Nordic region.

Summary: अमेरिका और नॉर्डिक देश सहमत हैं कि रूस के खिलाफ प्रतिबंध जारी रहने चाहिएः ओबामा


CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - Donald Trump’s promise to revive small town America faces a tough challenge in an economy that for decades has been wired to direct income and opportunities toward urban hubs and the better educated. Little in the president-elect’s so far sketchy economic plans indicates the trend can be reversed any time soon, according to interviews with experts on income inequality and  recent occupational trends. The manufacturing jobs Trump pledges to bring back have disappeared as much because of automation as the trade deals he has promised to rewrite, and that process will only continue. A promised infrastructure revamp would boost middle wage jobs but for only as long as the programs last, economists point out. During President Barack Obama’s eight years in office incomes for the best off continued to diverge, despite nearly 10 million new jobs and recent strength in those paying middle-tier wages. On a pre-tax basis, the share of income to the top fifth of households increased from 50.4 percent to 51.4 percent between 2008 and 2015 at the expense of all the others, according to census estimates. (Graphic:tmsnrt.rs/2elimH2) Without the sort of tax and redistribution policies Republicans have traditionally opposed, Trump may struggle to make good on his promise to help those left behind in the global economy, economists who study inequality trends say.  “We have 30 to 40 years to catch up on...Lots of money has gone to the top and to change that is going to be a long and slow process,” said David Madland, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s campaign.  Trump campaigned promising to shake up a Washington establishment he argued was responsible for destroying middle class jobs with bad trade deals. The message hit home across rural America and mid-sized cities, where voters felt they missed out on the fruits of the seven-year economic recovery that big cities may have enjoyed. Charlotte has been growing fast as a financial hub that attracts college educated talent from around the country, and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton did better there than Obama did in 2012, handily beating Trump by 137,000 votes. But in the state’s textile and furniture belt just northwest from here, Trump’s promise of economic renewal and anxieties of a shrinking white majority more than offset Clinton’s urban victory, giving him 76 out of 100 North Carolina’s counties. The Catawaba County region, one of the nation’s hardest-hit by cheap imports from China, now has a more diverse economy and even the furniture industry has begun adding jobs. But many still live in poverty and rely on disability and social services for support. “The trade argument was as prominent as any. That is certainly the bet that the Trump campaign has made,” said      John Dinan, a political scientist at Wake Forest University. Trump has not highlighted income inequality the way Clinton did, but to help low-wage industries such as textiles or offer a “new deal” for blacks, he would need to tackle the income gap. Recent data show how hard it may be if Trump relies on economic growth alone: Despite a record jump in household income and a continued surge in middle wage jobs nationally, the effect on income inequality was “statistically insignificant” according to census estimates. Under Obama, after tax income for the bottom fifth of households did increase by about 18 percent, or $2,200, according to a recent Council of Economic Advisers study. But that was made possible by higher taxes on the wealthy, more benefits for the poor and, in large part, by an estimated $1,900 gain from health coverage extended under the Affordable Care Act. Trump has vowed to roll Obamacare back. Instead, Trump has proposed to strike better trade deals and offered a familiar Republican recipe - tax cuts for businesses meant to spur investment and jobs. He has been ambiguous about a possible increase in the federal minimum wage typically opposed by Republicans, but advocated by many economists as a way to help the disenfranchised workers Trump focused on in his campaign. Economists say that even if economic growth accelerates under Trump, it may not do much to counter the downward pressures on wages and middle income jobs from automation, technology and other longstanding trends. Brookings Institution senior fellow Isabel V. Sawhill said researchers on inequality agree on one point: it is hard to move the needle. “Even when you distribute all of the dividends from growth in a progressive fashion you don’t change things very much,” Sawhill said. “You shift things at the margin.”  (Correct paragraph 2 to remove extraneous word.)

Summary: बेहतर जमीनी नौकरियों, वेतन के बारे में ट्रम्प की प्रतिज्ञा के लिए कठिन वास्तविकता की जाँच


FRANKFURT (Reuters) - U.S. House Democrats rejected an assertion by Deutsche Bank that privacy laws prevent it from sharing information about President Donald Trump’s finances, as they investigate possible collusion between his campaign team and Russia.    In a letter to the bank’s lawyers made public on Thursday, five Democrats who have been seeking financial information about Trump argued U.S. federal laws protecting banking customers’ confidentiality did not apply to requests from Congress. The bank could also circumvent privacy concerns by obtaining disclosure consent from the president and his family, they said. “Given President Trump’s repeated assertions that he does not have ties to Russia, such disclosure would ostensibly be in his interest,” they wrote. Deutsche Bank said on Thursday that its lawyers would respond “in due course.”  “We reiterate that while we seek to cooperate, we must obey the law,” the bank said in an emailed statement. Investigations are underway in Washington into claims of collusion between Trump’s inner circle and Russia during his 2016 presidential campaign - which both the president and Moscow have denied. Public records show Deutsche Bank loaned Trump millions of dollars for real-estate ventures. As well as details about those transactions, the lawmakers are seeking information about a Russian “mirror trading” scheme that allowed $10 billion to flow out of Russia. In January, Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $630 million in fines over the scheme, which could have been used to launder money out of Russia. In the letter, dated Wednesday, Maxine Waters, ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, and four peers reiterated requests for information and gave Deutsche Bank until June 29 to respond. They first asked the bank in May to share what it might know about Trump’s real-estate business and whether the president had financial backing from Russia. Deutsche Bank’s Washington-based external counsel responded to that request earlier this month by saying it was barred from sharing information about Trump’s finances. “We hope that you will understand Deutsche Bank’s need to respect the boundaries that Congress and the courts have set in an effort to protect confidential information,” the bank’s law firm, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, wrote. A disclosure document posted on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics website last week showed liabilities for Trump of at least $130 million to Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas[DBKGK.UL], suggesting the German bank is one of Trump’s biggest lenders. They included one exceeding $50 million for the Old Post Office, a historic Washington property where Trump has opened a hotel. The Democrats do not have the power to compel Deutsche Bank to comply with their request. The Financial Services Committee has subpoena power but Republican committee members, who are in the majority, would have to cooperate. No Republicans signed any of the letters to Deutsche Bank. The Russian “mirror” trades involved, for example, buying Russian stocks in rubles for a client and selling the identical value of a security for dollars for a related customer. Deutsche Bank has provided the Democrats with copies of settlements regarding the trades.

Summary: यू. एस. हाउस डेम्स ने ट्रम्प के प्रश्न में डॉयचे बैंक के गोपनीयता दावे को अस्वीकार कर दिया


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Leading Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt said on Friday his country did not deserve to be accused of declaring war against Saudi Arabia, saying it was  really sad  that Riyadh had made such a statement after decades of friendship.  We do not deserve, as Lebanese, such accusations,  Jumblatt told Reuters by telephone.  For decades, we ve been friends.  Saudi Gulf affairs minister Thamer al-Sabhan earlier this week accused the Lebanese government of declaring war on Saudi Arabia, lumping Lebanon together with the Iran-backed Lebanese Shi ite group Hezbollah as a hostile party.

Summary: जंब्लैटः लेबनान युद्ध के सऊदी आरोपों का हकदार नहीं है


PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron condemned on Tuesday what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile test conducted by North Korea and called for greater pressure on Pyongyang.  I condemn the new ballistic irresponsible trial of North Korea. It reinforces our determination to increase the pressure on Pyongyang and our solidarity to our partners,  Macron said on Twitter.

Summary: फ्रांस के मैक्रों ने उत्तर कोरिया द्वारा किए गए मिसाइल परीक्षण की निंदा की


NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi s ruling group will sweep an election in his home state of Gujarat, surveys showed on Thursday, shaking off the most serious challenge yet from a combined opposition.  The election for a new state assembly in Gujarat is seen as a litmus test for Modi ahead of a national election in 2019. Voting closed on Thursday.  A win would help him dismiss critics who said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party s support base was eroding after last year s shock move to ban high-value currency notes in the fight against graft, and poor implementation of a national sales tax this year hit businesses. The Congress party led by Rahul Gandhi and teaming up with regional politicians has run a tough campaign aiming to weaken Modi in his home base and rouse public discontent over lack of jobs and a softening economy.  But three separate television exit polls at the close of the final round of voting on Thursday showed the BJP winning more than 100 seats in the 182-member state house, well clear of the half-way mark of 92 required to rule.  Congress, the main opposition party, will win 70-74 seats, the polls showed, better than in the past but not enough to oust the BJP from power.  Another exit poll, conducted by a Today s Chanakya group, gave the BJP a two-thirds victory.  The actual votes will be counted on Monday and exit polls and other surveys have often gone wrong in India, where millions vote. The Congress party said it was too quick to call the election based on exit polls.  The BJP has ruled Gujarat since 1998, with Modi as its chief minister for more than a decade before he became prime minister three years ago.  Modi has won praise for transforming the coastal state into an economic powerhouse and deploying business-friendly policies to lure foreign investors. To ensure his party s prospects, Modi led from the front to campaign in the state and addressed dozens of public rallies, performed rituals and even waved from a sea plane on the last day of his campaign trail. On Thursday, Modi cast his ballot in Gujarat s Ahmedabad city and then hit the streets again, showing off his inked finger as he walked, surrounded by hundreds of supporters.  In separate exit surveys released for state polls held in Himachal Pradesh state also showed Modi s party emerging as a winner.

Summary: भारत में पीएम मोदी की पार्टी की लोकप्रियता में राज्य चुनावों में भारी वृद्धि देखी गई


BELGRADE (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday the United States should dismiss its ambassador to Ankara if he took the decision to suspend visa services in Turkey, adding he did not regard him as a representative of the U.S. government. Speaking at a news conference in Belgrade, Erdogan blamed the United States for causing the dispute between the two countries and asked how  agents  had infiltrated the U.S. consulate, referring to a consulate worker who was arrested last week and the involvement of a second individual at the mission.

Summary: तुर्की के एर्दोगन ने वीजा विवाद पर अमेरिकी राजदूत को निशाना बनाया


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A prominent Iraqi militia indicated on Thursday it would give any heavy weapons it had to the military once Islamic State was defeated and rejected a proposed U.S. congressional bill designating it a terrorist group. Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba, which has about 10,000 fighters, is one of the most important militias in Iraq. Though made up of Iraqis, it is loyal to Iran and is helping Tehran create a supply route through Iraq to Damascus. The Nujaba fights under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a mostly Iranian-backed coalition of Shi ite militias that played a role in combating Islamic State. Disarming the PMF is seen as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi s most difficult test as Iraqi forces edge closer to declaring victory over the Sunni militants.  The heavy weapons belong to the Iraqi government, not us. We are not rebels or agents of chaos and we do not want to be a state within a state,  Hashim al-Mouasawi, the group s spokesman, said at a news conference on Thursday. He was responding to a Reuters question on whether his group would obey orders by Abadi, who as prime minister commands the military, to return heavy weaponry, reduce the number of fighters, or withdraw from Syria. He would not be drawn on the reduction of fighters or Syria.  The PMF is under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and naturally when the war is over and victory is declared, the final decision will be his,  Mouasawi said. His comments broadly echoed those of Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool.  The tanks, armored vehicles, and machine guns belong to the army and it is natural that after the battles are over they return to the army,  Rasool told Reuters in an interview. Nujaba strongly objected to moves by Washington towards designating it a terrorist group. Nujaba blames the United States, without providing evidence, for the creation of IS. Republican U.S. Representative Ted Poe introduced a bill this month to the House of Representatives that would place Nujaba and another militia loyal to Iran on a list of terrorist groups and give President Donald Trump 90 days to impose sanctions on it once it passed.  The bill was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, sparking condemnation in Baghdad from Iraqi lawmakers and Abadi himself, who said he would not allow anyone who fought Islamic State to be treated as criminals.  Accusing us of terrorism is not new or surprising. It is not a coincidence, and does not shock us, because we have never been part of the American bloc or project,  said Mouasawi. Iraq is backed by adversaries the United States and Iran in its fight against Islamic State. The United States is concerned that Iran, a Shi ite Muslim regional power, will take advantage of gains against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria to expand the influence it amassed after the U.S. invasion in 2003, something Sunni Arab rivals such as Saudi Arabia also oppose. Tens of thousands of Iraqis heeded a call to arms in 2014 after Islamic State seized a third of the country s territory, forming the PMF, which receive funding and training from Tehran and have been declared part of the Iraqi security apparatus. They are paid by the Iraqi government and officially report to the prime minister, but some Arab Sunni and Kurdish politicians describe these militias as a de facto branch of the Iran s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC). Mouasawi openly said on Thursday his group receives support in the form of  advice  from the Guards and the commander of its foreign operations, Major-General Qassem Soleimani, and Lebanese Shi ite political and military group Hezbollah.

Summary: इस्लामिक स्टेट के हटने के बाद इराकी मिलिशिया ने सेना को भारी बंदूकें सौंपने का संकेत दिया