(This story corrects typo in 10th paragraph.) By Jessica Damiana JAKARTA (Reuters) - From white water rafting in Bali to visiting temples on Java, former U.S. President Barack Obama’s private family holiday is being closely tracked in Indonesia where he spent four years as a child. Obama was six when he moved to Jakarta after his American mother, Ann Dunham, married an Indonesian man following the end of her marriage to Obama’s Kenyan father.   “I feel proud that my friend became a president,” said Sonni Gondokusumo, 56, a former classmate of Obama at the Menteng 01 state elementary school in Jakarta. Gondokusumo showed a class photograph of himself standing behind a young Obama, who was wearing a school beret.  “He was a clever boy. Whenever a teacher asked him to solve a problem in front of the class, he could do it,” Gondokusomo told Reuters, adding he hoped to meet the former president again. Obama remains popular in the world’s most populous Muslim nation and his trip has been splashed across the media during an extended public holiday to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. The Rakyat Merdeka newspaper carried a headline “Obama loves Indonesia”. Obama returned for an official visit as president in 2010 with his wife, Michelle, but this time has brought daughters Malia and Sasha as well. Indonesians are avid social media users and snaps of the former U.S. president walking with his family in rice fields and rafting on Bali’s Ayung River have gone viral.     Obama kicked off the holiday on the island of Bali, where he stayed at the luxurious Four Seasons Resort Bali near the cultural center of Ubud.  On Wednesday, Obama and his family arrived in the city of Yogyakarta on Java island, and visited the ancient temple of Borobudur.  According to CNN Indonesia, Central Java police deployed 700 officers to secure his visit to Borobudur, a Buddhist temple dating from the 8th and 9th centuries. Obama is due to meet President Joko Widodo on Friday at the palace in Bogor, south of Jakarta, and visit the capital on Saturday.

Summary: हाँ वह कर सकता हैः 'चतुर लड़का' ओबामा परिवार की छुट्टियों के लिए इंडोनेशिया लौटे


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain, who was diagnosed with brain cancer, is returning home to Arizona for medical treatment at the Mayo Clinic, McCain’s office said on Friday. “On Monday, July 31, he will begin a standard post-surgical regimen of targeted radiation and chemotherapy. During that time, Senator McCain will maintain a work schedule,” the office said in a statement. It said the 80-year-old Republican would return to Washington at the end of the August congressional recess.

Summary: सीनेटर मैक्केन कैंसर के इलाज के लिए एरिजोना लौट रहे हैंः बयान


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jacobs Technology Inc was awarded a $427 million contract related to threat/target systems for warfighter training, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The company, a unit of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc, was the only one to compete for the contract to provide “test and evaluation/training threat/target systems for warfighter training and debriefing systems,” the Pentagon said in a statement.

Summary: जैकब्स टेक्नोलॉजी को 42.7 करोड़ डॉलर का अनुबंध दिया गयाः पेंटागन


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate voted narrowly on Wednesday to repeal an exemption from strict federal protections that former President Barack Obama’s Labor Department had given to state-sponsored retirement savings plans for lower-income workers.  The exemption, championed by states such as California but opposed by the mutual fund industry, had freed the state-run plans from the strict compliance requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA. Private-sector workers whose employers do not offer 401(k) or other retirement benefits, and who often have low incomes, are automatically enrolled in plans being launched in some states, such as Illinois. States say the exemption would have let employers pass workers’ money into plans without footing ERISA compliance costs. It stoked fights in Washington, however, over the reach of federal regulation, states’ rights and income inequality. The Republican-led Senate passed the resolution repealing the exemption by a vote of 50-49. The House of Representatives, also controlled by Republicans, previously approved the measure, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign into law.  It was the 14th Obama-era rule killed by Congress under the once-obscure Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to repeal newly minted regulations and forbids agencies from enacting similar rules in the future. In mid-April, Trump signed a nearly identical resolution affecting city-run retirement plans, which are in the design stages. But the resolution for state-run plans was stuck in limbo for weeks, as Republicans struggled to gather votes and major lobby groups representing retirees and business interests turned up the heat on lawmakers. Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, missed Wednesday’s vote because of minor heart surgery, helping the Senate avoid a tie. Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana broke party ranks to oppose the resolution, saying Americans were in a “real and ongoing crisis” to save enough money for retirement. “While state-based retirement plans are not my first choice, if implemented carefully, they could help close the retirement savings gap,” he said in a statement to Reuters. The California plan’s primary champion, Democratic state Senator Kevin de Leon, expressed outrage at the vote, saying taxpayers would ultimately foot the bills of people who retire without adequate savings. “Wall Street investment firms fear their profits will take a hit ... even though the investment industry has historically ignored middle- and lower-income workers at medium- and small-sized businesses,” he said in a statement. The mutual fund, insurance and securities industries said the exemption would have denied some workers protections that are guaranteed for others.  “Denying ERISA protections to workers who are automatically enrolled would limit their legal remedies to fight against high fees or mismanagement of the plans,” said Paul Schott Stevens, president of the Investment Company Institute, a trade group representing funds holding $19.3 trillion in assets and that are often used to save for retirement.

Summary: सीनेट ने राज्य द्वारा संचालित सेवानिवृत्ति योजनाओं पर श्रम विभाग के नियम को निरस्त करने के लिए मतदान किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday began debate on the country’s first major energy bill in over eight years, featuring measures aimed at protecting the electric power grid against cyber attacks and speeding exports of liquefied natural gas.  Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican chair of the Senate energy committee and Washington Senator Maria Cantwell, its ranking Democrat, urged lawmakers not to thwart passage of the bipartisan bill, which cleared their panel in an 18-4 vote. A handful of senators planned to file amendments to the bill  to spur legislative action on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan and to address other more contentious energy issues.  Aides said Democratic Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan plan to offer amendments laying out a legislative response to the Flint emergency. They would not provide details on the amendments. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah and other western lawmakers are expected to offer an amendment that would make it harder for the U.S. Interior Department to move forward with a moratorium on coal development on federal land introduced this month. “Let’s show the Senate can work. Let’s not go crazy with a bunch of ancillary things,” Cantwell said on the Senate floor.  Murkowski said the bill is the result of more than a year of working with committee members to find common ground on a handful of key priorities. “We found common ground in many areas, more, perhaps, than any of us expected,” Murkowski said. The bill focuses on energy efficiency, infrastructure, supply, accountability, and conservation. Measures include expediting the permitting of LNG projects, natural gas pipeline permits, boosting hydropower production and improving defenses against cyber attacks on the electric grid. Murkowski and Cantwell tried to craft a bill that could pass with bipartisan support in an election year. In December, Congress voted to repeal a 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil, a Republican policy priority. The deal also included the Democratic goal of extending tax breaks to boost renewable energy for five years. “Not only will this bipartisan legislation help bring our energy policies in line with the demands of today, it will also help position us to benefit from the opportunities of tomorrow,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He told reporters he expected to complete debate on the bill next week. The Obama administration said in a statement it “supports some provisions of the legislation” but has concerns with a few elements.

Summary: सीनेट ने व्यापक ऊर्जा विधेयक पर बहस शुरू की


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is preparing new executive orders to re-examine all 14 U.S. free trade agreements and review government procurement policies to aid American companies, two administration officials said. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada will top the list of trade deals to be reviewed, which affect 20 countries from the Americas to Asia, the officials told Reuters. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the orders were still being developed. They said on Wednesday that the trade deal and procurement review orders were among several executive actions that the Trump administration is preparing on trade. The timing of the orders is unclear, but they could start to be rolled out next week, the officials said. Politico first reported the plan for the two orders, quoting a senior administration official as saying the trade orders would help shift the White House narrative “to a place where the president can really shine.” The fate of Trump’s first major legislative effort in Congress, a measure to replace the 2010 Obamacare health law, remains uncertain amid stiff opposition from conservative Republicans. The House of Representatives had to delay a vote on the bill on Thursday due to insufficient support for the legislation. The orders to review existing trade deals and public procurement policies would be largely symbolic, as the administration has already announced its intention to renegotiate NAFTA, with plans to formally notify Congress of its intention to launch talks in the coming weeks.  Early last month, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said, “We’re going to re-examine all the current trade deals, figure out if we can improve them.” The U.S. bilateral and multilateral trade deals cover these countries: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama, Peru, Singapore and South Korea. Media representatives for the White House and the U.S. Trade Representatives’ office declined to comment on any forthcoming executive orders.  Senator Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said he would welcome orders to review trade deals if that means it accelerated negotiations on changing them. “I think we’ve got to start moving,” Hatch told reporters on Wednesday. “If he wants to do these unilaterally or bilaterally, he’s got to get going on them.”  Trump’s trade officials, including White House adviser Peter Navarro, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, have long said that NAFTA’s rules-of-origin provisions need to be tightened to exclude more components from outside the trading bloc. NAFTA requires cars and trucks to have only 62.5 percent North American content, providing significant opportunities for Asian manufacturers to provide parts. The procurement review would be in line with Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” campaign push and could win some allies among Democrats in Congress. These include Senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who urged the White House in a recent letter to exclude U.S. government contracts from NAFTA and restrict waivers that allow more foreign companies to bid on public procurements. But news of the potential trade orders did not impress  Republican Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas. “I’m more interested in getting our trade representative passed on the Senate floor,” Roberts told reporters, referring to Robert Lighthizer, Trump’s choice for U.S. trade representative, whose nomination has been stalled in the Senate. Roberts also said he wanted to impress upon the White House the importance of trade deals to boost agricultural exports, including a glut of Kansas wheat, amid what he views as a preoccupation with manufactured exports in the administration.

Summary: व्यापार सौदों और खरीद की समीक्षा के लिए आदेश तैयार कर रहे हैं ट्रंपः अधिकारी


GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is “closing the door” on people fleeing Islamic State, and may try to re-open secret detention centers where torture can be used, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Wednesday, calling on Congress to intervene. A temporary ban on refugees that Trump is expected to sign this week is a “particularly ugly” policy among a range of populist initiatives that could also breach the U.S. Constitution, the rights group said. Trump looks set to “stop refugee admissions to the United States, ostensibly on security grounds,” HRW head Kenneth Roth told a news briefing in Geneva.  “But in order to score a political point at home, Trump is closing the door on them. That is one particularly ugly aspect of what he is doing.” “It’s as if Trump is indifferent to the extraordinary suffering that many of these refugees have been through. Many of these people are fleeing ISIS (Islamic State), or the ISIS equivalents around the world,” he said. HRW, one of the biggest international human rights groups, based in the United States, said it feared Trump would “start refilling Guantanamo” and possibly use “dark sites” on foreign soil for detainees. “One thing we expect either today or later this week is an order from Trump to begin exploring ... the resumption of CIA dark sites,” said Roth, an American.  The Washington Post published on Wednesday a draft executive order, “Detention and Interrogation of Enemy Combatants”, that could open the way for terrorism suspects to be interrogated in secret prisons abroad. “Last time, these black sites were often in democracies - they were in Poland, Latvia, Romania, if you look around the world, they were in places like Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, Afghanistan,” Roth said. “I hope all these governments and the other prospective governments say ‘no’ this time around, that they don’t want to be complicit in any new U.S. torture scheme.” Obama closed black sites and ordered a halt to waterboarding, a form of simulated drowning, which experts say constitutes torture banned under international law. Trump promised during his campaign to bring back waterboarding and “a hell of a lot worse”. “If Trump is going to start toying with the Army Field Manual and weakening its preclusion of torture or other forms of inhumane and cruel interrogation, that would be very problematic,” Roth said. He called on Congress to exercise oversight over the new administration and “stand up for the Constitution and international human rights law”. “Obviously people are afraid of Trump at this stage because he does have the bully pulpit, but that’s when an independent Congress standing up for principles is particularly important.”

Summary: मानवाधिकार समूह ने ट्रम्प शरणार्थी योजना, यातना पर आशंका जताई


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon s Saad al-Hariri arrived in Cyprus for a meeting with its president on Tuesday, Hariri said on his Twitter feed, ahead of his expected return to Beirut to take part in independence day celebrations on Wednesday. Hariri is expected to return to Lebanon in the coming hours, his first trip home since his sudden resignation as prime minister on Nov. 4 plunged the country into political crisis.  It was a 45-minute meeting which was requested earlier today through diplomatic channels,  Cypriot government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides told Reuters of the meeting between Hariri and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.  We, and he, desire to see stability in Lebanon. He is leaving as we speak,  he added.

Summary: लेबनान का हरीरी साइप्रस में उतरा, अपने राष्ट्रपति से मिला-हरीरी ट्विटर फीड


MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Relief supplies and volunteers are piling up at rescue sites in upscale districts of Mexico City following Tuesday s deadly earthquake in a show of solidarity that has contrasted with the government s struggle to get aid to people most in need. In the wealthy neighborhoods of Roma and Condesa in the center of Mexico City, volunteers by the hundreds stand ready to help dig for survivors who may be trapped beneath the rubble. In recent days, however, they have largely remained idle. Others have brought food and water, eager to tend to rescue workers or the thousands of people made homeless by the quake. Yet they have struggled to find takers because so much sustenance is on offer. In the poor, far-flung neighborhoods in the outskirts of the capital, meanwhile, aid and comfort were less abundant. And in villages in some states surrounding the Mexico City, victims said they had yet to see government aid arrive.  In the hard-hit Mexico City neighborhood of Del Valle, 48-year-old Marcela Sanchez came in search of aid after she lost her home in the large, working-class area of Nezahualcoyotl, in the remote northeast suburbs.  We haven t received any aid,  Sanchez said.  Those of us who work in Mexico City return home with aid. God willing, they can help us.  The government s response to Tuesday s quake, which killed 319 people in Mexico City and surrounding states, is under scrutiny ahead of presidential elections next year.  Earthquakes are politically sensitive after the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party s flawed response to the 1985 earthquake that killed thousands.  The government s handling of this disaster is markedly better than it was 32 years ago, when days passed before rescues began at many buildings. That disaster led to more rigorous building codes and regular quake drills. The lasting memory of the 2017 quake may be the outpouring of voluntary action, but also the unevenness of the relief operations and the lack of government coordination of resources.  There s plenty (of provisions and aid workers). All that s missing here is emergency management,  said Roberto Hernandez, founder of  Los Topos,  or The Moles, a civilian rescue squad that rose to prominence after the 1985 earthquake. The government response is being coordinated by the Civil Protection unit of the Interior Ministry, which did not immediately make an official available for comment. President Enrique Pena Nieto s office did not respond to requests for comment.  A combination of Mexican government employees, police, soldiers and sailors as well as foreign aid teams and hordes of civilian volunteers have cleared buildings of debris, rescued some 69 people and recovered bodies.  But the enormous logistical task of marshalling those resources has appeared wanting. Even in the best of times, coordinating action among myriad government agencies in Mexico is complicated, and volunteers and victims have complained that the overlapping jurisdictions have thwarted relief efforts. While rescuers work around the clock at disaster sites, dozens of police and military forces are left without any apparent task, sometimes just standing by, inactive. Hernandez, of Los Topos, complained about the slow pace of removing debris at a collapsed office building in Roma. While rescuers in hard hats worked atop the ruins, scores of uniformed police and soldiers appeared to have little to do.   We need to break up slabs and bring them down to look for bodies or survivors. We did this 32 years ago and saved 137 people,  Hernandez said.  Look at them (police officers). Every one of them would be willing to pick up a couple of rocks if you asked them.   The mayor of Mexico City said in an interview with broadcaster TV Azteca that the official response was improving.  We have stuck to the contingency plan without reticence. We are working hand-in-hand with the navy, with the army, with the federal police,  Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said. That contention may be lost on people in the states of Morelos and Puebla, closer to the epicenter of the 7.1 magnitude quake, where in some villages victims said the government had not arrived. Instead, caravans of volunteers from the capital traveled  backroads and waded through rivers to deliver aid to remote populations. Even in relatively close neighborhoods, such as San Geronimo on the capital s southern extreme where many of the modest adobe and brick homes crumbled or cracked and road damage has impeded access, residents complained aid was slow to arrive and not nearly as abundant as in the upscale neighborhoods close to the city center.  We have not had any support from the authorities,  said  Antonio Ramirez, a retired teacher who was surveying damaged homes.  The support has been from ordinary people. Even the soldiers, instead of bringing picks and shovels, brought their machine guns.

Summary: जबकि अमीर मैक्सिकन भूकंप सहायता से डूबे हुए हैं, गरीब खुद को परित्यक्त महसूस कर रहे हैं


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill requiring the country’s top securities regulator to add up the costs of following new rules before putting them into force, part of a Republican push to reform the federal bureaucracy. By a vote of 243-183, the chamber passed the bill, largely along party lines, which would also require the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to periodically review its existing rules.  “Whether it is buying a car or choosing a college savings plan, every American family weighs the pros and cons before making major life decisions,” said Representative Ann Wagner, the Missouri Republican who sponsored the bill. The legislation “simply requires that the Commission engages in the same process and can justify that the benefits of a proposed regulation will outweigh its costs,” she said. At the same time, the House passed a bill requiring the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the country’s derivatives regulator, to assess the costs and benefits of proposed regulations or orders. The CFTC legislation also treads into two long-standing disputes. It bars the SEC from lowering the dollar-amount threshold for requiring swap dealers to register with it. Currently the bar is at $8 billion, and there have been moves to drop it to $3 billion. It also restricts the commission in limiting positions that traders can hold in the commodity markets. The CFTC has pushed off finalizing those limits, included in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law to prevent fraud and manipulation, over Republicans’ concerns they will hurt farmers and small businesses. Republican lawmakers who control Congress are eager to ease regulation and undo rules enacted under President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Nonetheless, Democrats hold enough seats in the U.S. Senate to block the SEC and CFTC legislation. Only nine Democrats in the House voted for the SEC bill, and seven for the CFTC bill. A single Republican, North Carolina’s Walter Jones, voted against both bills.

Summary: अमेरिकी सदन ने वित्तीय विनियमन लागत पर विधेयक को मंजूरी दी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite public promises of cooperation from Facebook and other social media companies, congressional investigators are battling over how much data the companies should hand over to them on Russian efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Congressional sources said this week that Facebook Inc (FB.O) has been slow to cooperate. The company and others have said they are turning over information, but also that they are legally obligated to protect their users’ privacy. On visits to Capitol Hill on Wednesday and Thursday, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, met with leaders of the House Intelligence Committee and said the company wanted to help investigators and would turn over more information. “Things happened on our platform that shouldn’t have happened” in the lead-up to the election, Sandberg told the Axios website on Thursday. So far, however, the congressional sources said investigators have found it hard to extract all the relevant information from Silicon Valley about alleged Russian activity. But the committees have so far seen no need to issue subpoenas for the data, the sources added. Facebook and other major internet companies including Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) and Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) have faced a stream of recent revelations about how Moscow sought to use their platforms to sow discord in the United States and influence the election in favor of the Republican White House candidate, Donald Trump. Facebook disclosed last month that it had found some 3,000 politically divisive advertisements believed to have been bought by Russia before and after the presidential campaign.  The company has now shared with congressional investigators the ads, information on how they were paid for, and how they were targeted, a Facebook spokesman said. Sandberg told congressional investigators on Thursday that in addition to the ads, the company would provide the rest of the information from accounts linked to Russia, the spokesman said.     The sources said investigators were also pressing Twitter, Google and other companies for similar data, and urging Twitter to conduct a more comprehensive search of its data banks. “We have a set of strict ads policies including limits on political ad targeting and prohibitions on targeting based on race and religion,” a Google spokeswoman said, asked about the issue. “We are taking a deeper look to investigate attempts to abuse our systems, working with researchers and other companies, and will provide assistance to ongoing inquiries.”  A Twitter spokesperson did not respond to an email requesting comment. “Twitter has likely not released all potentially relevant data to congressional investigators in part because of their policy requiring a court order and their track record of defending user privacy by fighting such requests,” Adam Sharp, former head of news and government at Twitter, said in an interview. Twitter engineers are trying to regenerate some of the lost data, and may be able to retrieve some of it, said a person familiar with the company’s technology. The use of social media platforms was part of what U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded was a broader Russian effort to meddle in the election campaign, an allegation the Kremlin has denied. Several congressional committees, as well as special counsel Robert Mueller, are investigating Russian interference, including any potential collusion between Trump associates and Moscow. Trump has denied any such collusion. In September, Facebook disclosed that it had evidence that an operation based in Russia had spent $100,000 on thousands of sponsored posts promoting divisive social and political messages in a two-year period through May 2017. Facebook said it believed the messages were likely bought by people in Russia before and after the 2016 election.     Sources familiar with Facebook’s contacts with Congress said that as recently as July this year, company officials were denying the existence of any paid Russian messaging, and only later acknowledged that the company had found $100,000 in sponsored traffic linked to 478 Facebook accounts.       The sources said investigators think the paid messaging was generated by a group called the Internet Research Agency in St. Petersburg. U.S. officials have called it a “troll factory” that creates false identities or copies real ones to spread real, skewed, and fake information for the Kremlin. Congressional sources said some of the Facebook messaging went to groups with seemingly legitimate names such as Heart of Texas, Defend the Second, and United Muslims of America, which they said all had as many as 250,000 followers. These groups now appear to have been bogus, or set up to look like legitimate political organizations, and investigators want to learn more about the groups, their followers, and their origins, the sources said. They said Facebook lawyers have argued that turning over additional data could compromise its promise of privacy to its users. However, congressional investigators say that if Russian messengers used fake identities, they would have no legal claims to privacy.

Summary: रूस की जांच को लेकर अमेरिकी कांग्रेस ने फेसबुक और अन्य सोशल मीडिया कंपनियों के साथ हाथापाई की


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her election victory in a telephone conversation on Thursday in which they also discussed the Iran nuclear deal, the White House said. “The leaders discussed how to counter Iran’s malign activities in the Middle East, and addressed the nuclear deal and Iran’s missile program, and its non-compliance with relevant United Nations resolutions,” the White House said in a statement.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने चुनाव में जीत पर मर्केल को बधाई दी, ईरान पर चर्चा कीः व्हाइट हाउस


LUANDA (Reuters) - Angola s Constitutional Court rejected on Wednesday an appeal by the largest opposition party to annul the results of last month s election, which gave a landslide victory to the ruling MPLA party. In a 38 page court document, the Constitutional Court said the evidence presented by The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) did not prove there were any irregularities or biases in the electoral process. The ruling is final and cannot be appealed. A spokesperson for UNITA said the party did not have any immediate comment. The People s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) won the Aug 23 vote with 61 percent, with UNITA second on 27 percent. UNITA had argued that in multiple provinces the results presented by the National Electoral Commission differed considerably from their own tally, alleging the results were not the product of local vote counting but were instead centrally engineered. The Constitutional Court dismissed this argument, saying the polling station tallies presented by UNITA did not show any bias against the party.

Summary: अंगोला का विपक्ष चुनाव परिणाम को रद्द करने की अपील हार गया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is not considering a carbon tax, a White House official said on Tuesday. On Feb. 8, Trump administration officials met with a group of Republican elder statesman who called for a $40 per ton tax on carbon emissions to fend off global climate change. In response to that meeting, the White House official said: “The Trump Administration is not considering a carbon tax.”

Summary: ट्रम्प प्रशासन कार्बन कर पर विचार नहीं कर रहा हैः व्हाइट हाउस अधिकारी


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney in Manhattan who became a scourge of Wall Street wrongdoers before President Donald Trump fired him in March, will soon have a new outlet to voice his criticism of the White House: a podcast. The 48-year-old is launching the weekly show “Stay Tuned With Preet,” in partnership with WNYC Studios, a subsidiary of New York Public Radio. The podcast will be produced by Some Spider Studios, a media company owned by Bharara’s brother, Vinit, where Preet Bharara became an executive vice president earlier this year. The podcast’s title is a nod to one of Bharara’s favorite responses when he was asked at news conferences about ongoing investigations. Bharara “will offer commentary on our judicial, political and cultural systems,” according to a release from Cafe, Some Spider’s news and entertainment website. The former prosecutor has already been doing plenty of that on Twitter since he was unexpectedly fired. Trump had originally asked Bharara to stay on as the country’s most prominent U.S. attorney following Trump’s election win last year. “I understand @realDonaldTrump may have called the White House a ‘dump,’” Bharara wrote a few days ago on the social media site, following news reports that Trump had disparaged the presidential residence. “That’s not in the top 500 things to be outraged about. Seriously.” In more than seven years as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Bharara became known for prosecuting high-profile cases involving Wall Street insider trading, public corruption and terrorism. After his firing, Bharara told ABC News in an interview that Trump had made “unusual” phone calls to him that left him uncomfortable, given the traditional separation between the White House and the Department of Justice. [nL1N1J809U] In addition to working at his brother’s company, Bharara signed a book deal in June with Alfred A. Knopf and has taken a position as distinguished scholar in residence at New York University’s law school. [nL1N1JJ1JR] Bharara has long said he is not interested in seeking public office, though speculation about his political ambitions was widespread even before he was fired.

Summary: ट्रम्प द्वारा बर्खास्त, पूर्व अटॉर्नी भरारा ने पॉडकास्ट लॉन्च किया


BANGKOK (Reuters) - The chief U.S. negotiator for North Korea said on Friday the United States should engage in direct diplomacy with Pyongyang alongside sanctions imposed over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered on Tuesday to begin direct talks with North Korea without pre-conditions, but the White House later said no negotiations could be held until North Korea improved its behaviour.   We should exercise direct diplomacy as well as sanctions. That is our policy, which is based on pressure and engagement, and we do want to engage in pressure and diplomacy,  Joseph Yun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy, told reporters in Bangkok. Yun travelled to Japan and Thailand this week to meet officials to discuss ways to build pressure on North Korea after its latest ballistic missile test. On Thursday, Yun met the head of Thailand s National Security Council, General Wallop Rohsanoh, and deputy foreign minister Weerasak Futrakul.  We had very constructive, open-ended discussion,  said Yun. The United States had  no specific requests  for Thailand, he said. Thailand s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday no trade takes place between Thailand and North Korea and that Thailand has abided by United Nations resolutions regarding North Korea.  We had no specific requests ... It seems like, as the deputy foreign minister said, they are fully complying with United Nations resolutions,  Yun told reporters.  Thailand s ties with North Korea have been in the spotlight this year. Tillerson pressed Thailand, the United States  oldest ally in Asia, for more action on North Korea during a visit to Bangkok in August. North Korea has an embassy in the Thai capital, Bangkok. Despite Tillerson s call for talks with Pyongyang without pre-conditions, the White House said now was not the right time and that any negotiations would have to be about giving up its nuclear arsenal.  I think what Secretary Tillerson spoke two or three days ago ... is that we do want to have a dialogue with them. We are open to dialogue and we hope that they will agree to have a dialogue ... he made it clear that we were open,  said Yun.  The U.S. delegation said in August it believed North Korean companies operated in Thailand and urged the Thais to shut them. In response, Thailand s foreign ministry told reporters that trade with North Korea had dropped by as much as 94 percent over the previous year. It did not give specific details.

Summary: अमेरिकी वार्ताकार ने कहा कि उत्तर कोरिया पर प्रत्यक्ष कूटनीति की आवश्यकता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will sign an order on Tuesday aimed at making it easier for companies to produce energy in the United States, administration officials said on Sunday. Under Trump, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is aiming to aggressively roll back Obama-era environmental regulations.  Trump plans to sign the executive order at the EPA to reduce “unnecessary regulatory obstacles that restrict the responsible use of domestic energy resources,” a White House official said. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told ABC’s “This Week” the order would help reverse the Obama administration’s anti-fossil fuel strategy. Pruitt has publicly doubted the scientific consensus that human actions are the lead cause of climate change. His installation at the EPA last month reinforced the view on both sides of the political divide that America is ceding its position as a leader in the global fight on climate change.

Summary: ऊर्जा नियमों में ढील देने के आदेश पर मंगलवार को हस्ताक्षर करेंगे ट्रंपः अधिकारी


(Reuters) - Bernie Sanders got his sweetest endorsement yet on Monday when one of the founders of Ben & Jerry’s unveiled an ice cream flavor for the Democratic presidential hopeful, inviting Sanders’ backers to enjoy a spoonful of “Political Revolution.” The flavor named “Bernie’s Yearning” is mint ice cream topped with a solid chocolate disk, to reflect Sanders’ campaign theme of economic inequality, according to Ben Cohen, co-founder of Vermont-based Ben & Jerry’s. “The chocolate disc represents the huge majority of economic gains that have gone to the top 1 percent since the end of the recession. Beneath it, the rest of us,” according to the label, which suggests eaters smash up the chocolate and mix it with the ice cream. “Nothing is so unstoppable as a flavor whose time has finally come. #FeelTheBern #BerniesYearning,” Cohen said on both Twitter (@YoBenCohen) and his Facebook page. Cohen launched the flavor on his own using “Ben’s Best” branding and said it is not an endorsement by Ben & Jerry’s, now a unit of Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch consumer products maker. Sanders represents Vermont in the U.S. Senate. Cohen has made just 40 pints of the new ice cream and is giving 25 of them to the Sanders campaign, he said on social media. The rest will be awarded in a drawing among those who register at www.berniesyearning.com by Feb. 3. Sanders is polling strongly in Iowa and New Hampshire against rival Hillary Clinton in the bid for the 2016 Democratic nomination. The first voting will take place in one week at the Iowa caucuses. By late Monday afternoon, #BerniesYearning was a top-trending hashtag on Twitter.  Earl Fando (@earlfando) tweeted: “Ben & Jerry’s have released an ice cream flavor named Bernie’s Yearning. Needless to say, people are reading the ingredients very carefully.”  Christine Odunlami (@christineodun) tweeted: “Not only can you #FeelTheBern, you can now #TasteTheBern.” Others took advantage of the opportunity to take a jab at the Sanders campaign. Wired-Up Patriot (@ADHDPatriot) posted: “#BerniesYearning ice cream: 1. Must wait in long lines to get 2. Very limited amount 3. Extremely expensive or for short, like #BernieCare.”  (Reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Dan Burns and Andrew Hay) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency.

Summary: एक 'राजनीतिक क्रांति' पसंद है? 'बर्नीज़ यरिंग' आइसक्रीम आज़माएँ


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - He is ready for some quiet time, plans to do some writing and intends to give his successor space to govern, at least on most issues. President Barack Obama gave some insight into his vision for life after the White House during a final news conference on Wednesday in which he praised the role of a free press and shared personal reflections on how his daughters had dealt with the results of the 2016 election. Obama and his family will leave for Palm Springs, California, on Friday after the inauguration of Republican Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States. “I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much,” said Obama, 55, who wants to write a book during his first year out of office and spend time with his family. Obama, a Democrat who made history in 2008 when he was elected America’s first black president, has said repeatedly he appreciated the example set by his predecessor, Republican George W. Bush, who steadfastly refrained from weighing in publicly with his views after leaving the Oval Office. But Obama made clear there were some issues on which he would not hesitate to speak out - issues “where I think our core values may be at stake,” like new obstacles to voting, “institutional efforts to silence dissent or the press” and any push to deport undocumented people who were brought to America as children. In 2012, Obama said his administration would allow people brought to the United States illegally by their parents to remain in the country on temporary authorizations that allow them to attend college and work - one of the executive actions on immigration that Trump has pledged to undo. “The notion that we would just arbitrarily or because of politics punish those kids, when they didn’t do anything wrong themselves, I think would be something that would merit me speaking out,” Obama said. The Obamas will live in Washington, where Sasha, 15, is finishing high school. Malia, 18, has been accepted to Harvard University but is taking a “gap year” break before starting this autumn. The president and his wife, Michelle Obama, campaigned hard for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last year. The first lady, in particular, made an impassioned case for Clinton, her husband’s first secretary of state, after a leaked recording showed Trump talking openly about groping women. Obama said his daughters did not “mope” or feel cynical after the loss. “They were disappointed. They paid attention to what their mom said during the campaign and believed it because it’s consistent with what we’ve tried to teach them in our household,” Obama said. “But what we’ve also tried to teach them is resilience, and we’ve tried to teach them hope, and that the only thing that is the end of the world is the end of the world.” Similarly, Obama has sought to reassure his staff and others about the election results, in keeping with his cool-headed, dispassionate style. “And so this is not just a matter of ‘No Drama Obama,’ this is what I really believe,” Obama said. “But at my core, I think we’re going to be OK.”

Summary: ओबामा को व्हाइट हाउस के बाद शांति की उम्मीद है लेकिन वह 'मूल मूल्यों' की रक्षा करेंगे


(Reuters) - A Vietnamese student activist was jailed for six years plus four years of probation by a local court on Wednesday for conducting propaganda against the state, his lawyer said. Despite sweeping reforms to its economy and growing openness to social change, including gay, lesbian and transgender rights, Vietnam s sole Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism. Phan Kim Khanh, 24, is a student studying international relations and the eldest child of a Catholic farming family in a remote area north of capital Hanoi. He had written blogs criticizing the government before he was arrested earlier this year.  The proof used in court against Khanh was vague,  lawyer Ha Huy Son told Reuters, adding he was not certain if Khanh wants to appeal. Human Rights Watch on Tuesday called on Vietnam to drop all charges and release Khanh.  The bogus crime of conducting propaganda against the state is designed to silence peaceful critics of the Vietnamese authorities,  said Brad Adams, Human Rights Watch s Asia director.   Vietnam ought to get rid of these laws and stop persecuting students and ordinary people for just talking about the country s problems on the internet.

Summary: वियतनाम ने राज्य के खिलाफ प्रचार करने के लिए छात्र कार्यकर्ता को छह साल की जेल की सजा सुनाई


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A House of Representatives committee said on Tuesday it will consider this week a resolution asking President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions to provide documents related to Trump’s firing of James Comey as FBI director. The House Judiciary Committee said it would consider the resolution of inquiry asking Trump to provide the documents to the House and directing Sessions to do so on Thursday. Trump fired Comey, who was overseeing the investigation of ties between his campaign and Russia, on May 9. Moscow has denied any effort to influence the 2016 U.S. election, and Trump has disputed any allegations of collusion between his associates and Russia.

Summary: हाउस पैनल कोमी को बर्खास्त करने के दस्तावेजों की मांग करने वाले उपाय पर विचार करेगा


LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistanis began casting votes on Sunday for the parliamentary seat vacated by ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in a by-election seen as a test of support for the Sharif dynasty ahead of the 2018 general election. Sharif s ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party hopes a resounding victory in the eastern city of Lahore would show that support for the family was undiminished despite the Supreme Court s removal of Sharif in July. Sharif s daughter Maryam has spearheaded the PML-N campaign for her mother Kulsoom - who is the MPL-N candidate despite receiving cancer treatment in London with Nawaz at her side. Maryam, who some PML-N leaders see as a future leader, has framed the poll as a chance for voters to give a bloody nose to the judiciary by handing the party a thumping victory.  Will you take revenge for your disrespected vote?  Maryam asked supporters at a recent rally. Opposition leader Imran Khan - whose threats of street protests pushed the Supreme Court to launch a probe into Nawaz s wealth - is seeking to build on the success of his anti-graft crusade by making inroads into Sharifs  power base in Punjab. The Supreme Court in July disqualified Sharif because he did not declare a monthly salary, equivalent to $2,722, from a company owned by his son when the veteran leader, who had held power twice in the 1990s, became prime minister for the third time. Sharif denies receiving the salary. Khan has turned the by-election into a plebiscite about corruption, and has accused the provincial Punjab government, which is run by Nawaz s brother Shahbaz, of abusing state resources to help the PML-N campaign.  Your prime minister owns some of the most expensive real estate in the world - all in his daughter s name. Meanwhile half the children of this country are malnourished,  Khan told a rally on Saturday. Analysts predict PML-N will win again but they say Khan s party would build momentum ahead of the 2018 poll if PTI candidate Yasmin Rashid, a gynecologist from the area, substantially reduces the PML-N s 40,000 vote-winning margin from 2013.  PTI would be very happy if the margin ended up being small. That would be a victory for them,  said Hasan Askri a political analyst. Many of the 321,633 registered voters in the central Lahore NA-120 consituency are conflicted.  My head goes towards PTI while my heart goes towards PML-N,  said Ali Raza, 25, a bank employee.  Kulsoom and Rashid will be competing against about 40 other candidates, including religious parties. One candidate is backed by a new party that is led by an Islamist firebrand who is subject to a $10 million bounty offered by the United States. Hafiz Saeed heads the Jammat-ud-Dawa (JuD) charity, having founded and formerly led the Lashkhar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group that carried out the 2008 attacks on the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166 people. The United States has placed Saeed, the charity and LeT on a terrorist list. (L4N1LV52I) Voting began at 9am (0400 GMT) and the polls are due to close at 5pm, with results likely to be announced after midnight.

Summary: पाकिस्तानियों ने उपचुनाव में मतदान किया जिसे अपदस्थ प्रधानमंत्री शरीफ के समर्थन की परीक्षा के रूप में देखा गया


JACKSON, Miss. (Reuters) - A historic black church in Mississippi was burned and spray-painted with “Vote Trump” and authorities said on Wednesday it was arson and being probed as a hate crime committed one week before the U.S. presidential election. Greenville Fire Chief Ruben Brown Sr. told a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that investigators had determined the fire at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church was “intentionally set.” “Samples and evidence have been collected from inside the church and are being analyzed to determine the accelerant or ignition source,” Brown said. Earlier in the day he said no one was injured in the Tuesday evening blaze, but the church was extensively damaged.  “We’re investigating this as a hate crime,” Greenville Police Chief Delando Wilson told a news conference early on Wednesday. “We feel that the quote on the church is intimidating. “It tries to push your beliefs on someone else, and this is a predominantly black church and no one has a right to try to influence the way someone votes in this election.” Wilson told the Wall Street Journal that police on Wednesday evening were interviewing a “person of interest” in connection with the fire but the individual had not been charged. Wilson did not immediately return a call or email.  Black churches in the U.S. South have long been a base of support for the Democratic Party.  During the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, southern black churches were often targets for arson and bombings by white supremacists. “The FBI Jackson Division is aware of the situation in Greenville, and we are working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to determine if any civil rights crimes were committed,” the agency said in a statement. “This act is a direct assault of people’s right to freely worship,” Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons said in a statement.  The town of some 33,000 people is about 100 miles (160 kms) northwest of Jackson. “The act that happened left our hearts broken,” Pastor Carolyn Hudson told the news conference, noting that the church has a 111-year history. The Mississippi Republican Party declined to comment.  In October, the Orange County Republican Party’s office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was set on fire and a graffiti message left nearby said “leave town or else.” No arrests have been made in that incident, which Indiana Governor Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential candidate, called “political terrorism.”

Summary: मिसिसिपी चर्च में आग लगा दी गई, 'वोट ट्रम्प' के साथ तोड़फोड़ की गई


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The latest version of Senate Republicans’ legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would leave 22 million Americans without health insurance coverage by 2026, the U.S. Congressional Budget office said on Thursday. The Senate healthcare bill, which Senate Leader Mitch McConnell shelved on Monday, would reduce U.S. deficits by $420 billion over the coming decade by reducing spending on Medicaid spending and non-group health insurance, the CBO said.

Summary: नवीनतम सीनेट स्वास्थ्य सेवा विधेयक 22 मिलियन लोगों को बिना बीमा के छोड़ देगाः सी. बी. ओ.


TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) - A federal grand jury indicted U.S. Representative Corrine Brown of Florida and her chief of staff on fraud charges and other crimes, accusing them of funneling money for a bogus education charity to personal use, U.S. prosecutors said on Friday. The 69-year-old Democrat from Jacksonville, Florida, denied that she had used her political position to help raise more than $800,000 that donors believed supported college scholarships and other educational purposes.  According to the 53-page indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida this week, funds donated to the group One Door for Education were used to pay for a golf tournament honoring Brown, luxury box seats at a Beyonce concert, a football game and other personal expenses. Prosecutors noted that the organization was not properly registered as a non-profit group and awarded only two scholarships totaling $1,200. “I am innocent of the charges announced today, and intend to vigorously defend myself in court against these politically motivated allegations,” Brown said in a statement. She said she would temporarily step down from her role as the Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs due to House rules. The 24-count indictment also accuses her chief of staff, Elias “Ronnie” Simmons, 50, of multiple counts of fraud. There was no immediate response from Brown’s office to requests for comment from Simmons.  During a court appearance on Friday, Brown and Simmons pleaded not guilty, local media reported. “It is incredibly disappointing that an elected official, who took an oath year after year to serve others, would exploit the needs of children and abuse the charitable hearts of constituents to advance her own personal and political agendas and deliver them with virtually nothing,” Michelle Klimt, special agent in charge of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation division in Jacksonville, said in a statement. Brown was elected to Congress in 1992 as one of the first three black members of Florida’s congressional delegation since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. Now seeking re-election, she faces a primary challenge in a redrawn district. Her indictment follows the June conviction of U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah of Philadelphia for orchestrating multiple frauds to enrich himself and preserve his political career. He subsequently resigned. Prosecutors said Simmons misused his position to help a relative obtain government employment and receive more than $735,000 without doing work. They said he diverted more than $80,000 of his relative’s salary for his own personal use. Brown is also accused of falsifying her tax filings.

Summary: फ्लोरिडा की सांसद धोखाधड़ी योजना में आरोपित


NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. presidential campaign tensions seeped into a high-profile charity dinner on Thursday as Donald Trump joked about sending Hillary Clinton to prison and she alluded to Trump’s statements about women by estimating how he might rate the Statue of Liberty’s attractiveness a four, maybe a five. The candidates shared the stage at a formal dinner in New York City named for the state’s former governor, Alfred E. Smith, less than 24 hours after finishing their third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The annual event, which raises money for needy children, typically offers presidential hopefuls a respite from the tension of the campaign trail. But Trump and Clinton opted to instead trade sharpened barbs that reflected the acrimony of the 2016 White House campaign. Trump spoke first and set the room on edge with bitter jabs at his rival, with his label of Clinton as “corrupt” drawing boos. “With all of the heated back and forth between my opponent and me at the debate last night, we have proven that we can actually be civil to each other,” Trump said. “In fact just before taking the dais, Hillary accidentally bumped into me and she very civilly said, ‘Pardon me.’” “And I very politely replied, ‘Let me talk to you about that after I get into office,’” said Trump, a Republican whose supporters chant “lock her up” at rallies. Clinton, whose remarks elicited both polite applause and derision, riffed off Trump’s derogatory remarks about women’s appearances, such as joking in a 2002 radio interview that they become less attractive after age 35. “Donald looks at the Statue of Liberty and sees a four, maybe a five if she loses the torch and tablet and changes her hair,” Clinton said of the New York City landmark. “Come to think of it, you know what would be a good number for a woman? 45,” Clinton said. The president elected on Nov. 8 will be the 45th in U.S. history. Trump and Clinton sat just a seat apart on the dais, separated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York. At the event’s conclusion, they shook hands – a gesture they avoided at Wednesday’s debate.  But the tone of both candidates’ remarks was a departure from the past, when political figures and presidential candidates have stuck to a largely self-deprecating and good-natured brand of humor. At one point at the event, which raised $6 million for Catholic charities supporting children, Trump said Clinton was “pretending not to hate Catholics.”  Trump was referring to the apparently hacked personal emails of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, published by Wikileaks, which show Clinton staffers criticizing high-profile figures for embracing Catholicism as the most “politically acceptable” of socially conservative religions. Alfred Smith IV, the evening’s host, perhaps best reflected the tension in the room, and the campaign, in his introductory remarks: “This has been a campaign for the history books,” he said. “It has also been a campaign for the psychiatry books.”

Summary: वार्षिक चैरिटी डिनर में ट्रम्प और क्लिंटन के बीच तनाव मजाक में बदल गया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday minimized tensions with his boss, President Donald Trump, and brushed aside comments from an influential lawmaker, who compared Trump’s undermining of his top diplomat to a public castration. “I am fully committed to his objectives. I agree with his objectives. I agree with what he is trying to do,” Tillerson said of Trump on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ program. Tillerson’s tenure as secretary of state has been dogged by rumors about rifts with Trump over policy. Earlier this month, Trump undercut Tillerson in a Twitter message, saying the secretary of state was wasting his time trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said Trump’s comments were the equivalent of castrating the secretary in public. “I checked. I’m fully intact,” Tillerson said when asked about Corker’s comments on CNN. Tillerson repeatedly declined to answer a question about a report by NBC News that said the secretary of state had called Trump a “moron” during a private meeting in July with U.S. officials. The secretary of state accused CNN moderator Jake Tapper of trying “make a game” out of pressing him on the “moron” comment. “I’m not playing,” Tillerson said. Tillerson has often found himself at odds with the president on a range of issues, from withdrawing from the Paris agreement on climate change to North Korea and, at times, Iran, according to current and former U.S. officials and news media reports. Signs of tensions between Trump and Tillerson have raised questions among in foreign capitals about whether the secretary of state speaks for the administration. Tillerson has batted away rumors that he might resign. Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, has been mentioned as a possible replacement to Tillerson should he step down. She said she was happy being in New York, where the United Nations is based, and said that from what she has observed Trump and Tillerson have a constructive relationship. “The secretary puts out as many options for the president as he can. He makes a decision, there’s a mutual respect, and they go forward. And so everything that I have witnessed, all was fine,” she said. Tillerson acknowledged in a separate appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that he and the president “don’t agree on everything.” “Sometimes he changes his mind,” Tillerson said.  “I will work as hard as I can to implement his decisions successfully.”

Summary: टिलरसन ने ट्रंप के साथ तनाव को कम किया


LONDON (Reuters) - An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 struck a town near the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday night, state media reported, but there were no initial reports of casualties or significant damage. Last month, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit villages and towns in Iran s western Kermanshah province along the mountainous border with Iraq, killing 620 people and injuring thousands of others. Authorities said they were gathering information about the latest quake, which hit in the late evening at a depth of 7 km (4 miles). They asked residents to remain calm but be prepared for possible aftershocks. The epicenter of the quake was 3 km from the city of Malard, and not far from Meshkin Dasht, which sits about 50 km west of Tehran, state news agency IRNA said. The quake was also felt in Alborz, Qazvin, Qom, Gilan and Markazi provinces, according to state media.   There have been no reports of casualties or damage,  Behnam Saeedi, a spokesman for Iran s National Disaster Management Organization, was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA news agency. In Tehran and other cities, residents flooded into streets and parks, fearing a stronger aftershock. Some set up tents to spend the night outside, and lit fires.  Tasnim news agency quoted Minister of Sports Masoud Soltanifar as saying sport centers in city of Karaj in Alborz province, and Eslamshahr in southern Tehran were open to the public to spend the night.  Some people also took refuge at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic in southern Tehran. Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying that Amirkabir Dam, one hour west of Tehran, remained intact and supply of water and electricity was not disrupted in any way. Schools, universities and government offices will be closed in Tehran, Alborz and Qom provinces on Thursday, according to the state television.

Summary: ईरान की राजधानी के पास 5.8 तीव्रता का भूकंप


BEIRUT (Reuters) - A commander in Iran s elite Revolutionary Guards and a lower-ranking Iranian fighter have been killed fighting Islamic State in Syria in recent days, Iranian media reported on Sunday. The Revolutionary Guards, Iran s most powerful military force which also oversees an economic empire worth billions of dollars, have been fighting in support of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad for several years. An Iranian official told the Tasnim news agency last year that more than 1,000 Iranians have been killed in Syria. Senior members of the Guards have been among those killed. Kheyrollah Samadi, a Guards commander in charge of a unit in Syria, died on Thursday in fighting in the Albu Kamal region, bordering Iraq, according to Fars News. Samadi was killed in clashes with Islamic State, according to the Ghatreh news site. Iranian media have previously reported on fighting in that area between Iran s Shi ite militia allies and Islamic State. The Syrian army and its allies took complete control over Albu Kamal, Islamic State s last significant town in Syria, a military news service run by Hezbollah said on Sunday. Samadi, who fought in the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s and had retired from the Iranian military before signing on to go to Syria, was killed by a mortar explosion, Fars News, a news agency, said. Iranian news sites posted pictures on Sunday of Samadi with Qassem Soleimani, head of the Guards branch responsible for operations outside Iran. The lower-ranking Iranian fighter, Mehdi Movahednia, was killed on Saturday in clashes with Islamic State in the town of Mayadin in eastern Syria, Fars News reported. The Revolutionary Guards initially kept quiet about their role in the Syria conflict. But in recent years, as casualties have mounted, they have been more outspoken about their engagement, framing it as an existential struggle against the Sunni Muslim fighters of Islamic State who see Shi ites, the majority of Iran s population, as apostates. On web sites linked to the Guards, members of the organization killed in Syria and Iraq are praised as protectors of Shi ite holy sites and labeled  defenders of the shrine . U.S. President Donald Trump last month gave the U.S. Treasury Department authority to impose economic sanctions on members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in response to what Washington calls its efforts to destabilize and undermine its opponents in the Middle East.

Summary: ईरानी रिवोल्यूशनरी गार्ड्स कमांडर, एक और लड़ाका, सीरिया में मारा गयाः ईरानी मीडिया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to shake up Washington and as president the brash real estate mogul will be in a position to dramatically change how the United States handles immigration, trade and a range of other policies. Yet many of his more ambitious proposals will require cooperation from Congress. While he will likely enjoy a post-election honeymoon with congressional Republicans, a long-lasting romance is far from guaranteed, given his uneasy relationship with congressional leaders and some basic ideological differences he has with Republican orthodoxy. Following is an overview of Trump’s top domestic policy plans, based on the sometimes vague details of his agenda, and their likelihood of success: In his campaign, Trump argued that international trade agreements had hurt U.S. workers and the country’s competitiveness. He has promised to “get tough” on China, withdraw from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which is still not finalized, and renegotiate or scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, the 1994 free-trade deal with Mexico and Canada.  As president, Trump does have some power to raise tariffs on countries such as China. He could delay the TPP, as well, even if Congress approves it. Economists have warned that such moves would damage the economy by forcing consumers to pay dramatically higher prices on everything from refrigerators to T-shirts. U.S. exports, such as airplanes and soybeans, would likely suffer as well.      On the campaign trail, Trump has promised to build a wall along the Mexican border, deport millions of undocumented immigrants and ban immigration from countries that have been “compromised by terrorism.”  Those policies would not come cheap. Trump has estimated the wall would cost $8 billion to $12 billion. Other estimates have run much higher. Politico estimated it would cost at least $166 billion to deport all of those in the country illegally and complete a border wall. While many congressional Republicans support those policies, they might blanch at the cost. Trump has said he would force Mexico to pay for the wall, but he has no power to force another country to spend money on something it does not want.  More broadly, Trump could shift the broader debate over immigration, empowering skeptics like Republican Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who want to reduce overall immigration levels and reduce the number of skilled guest workers. That would be a blow to business groups and Hispanic advocates who have sought to relax immigration laws. Trump has promised to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, and replace it with a plan that would give states more control over the Medicaid health plan for the poor and allow insurers to sell plans nationally. He would need Congress to act, and Republicans could have difficulty getting the 60 votes needed to advance a repeal effort through the 100-seat Senate. Republicans could face a public backlash if they repeal a law that has provided healthcare to millions of Americans. A Trump administration would have plenty of other opportunities to undermine Obamacare, however, by appointing officials who are not committed to its success. Trump has vowed to make deep tax cuts, while also promising to protect popular health and retirement programs that account for more than a third of U.S. government spending. That combination of policies would massively increase the national debt, according to the nonpartisan Center for a Responsible Budget. He has also proposed increasing spending on the military and infrastructure, but has said he would reduce spending on categories other than health and retirement by 1 percent each year. On taxes, he would get plenty of help from Republicans in Congress, who have been laying the groundwork for a tax-code overhaul that would lower rates and close loopholes. But they will encounter fierce resistance from homeowners, businesses and other interest groups that benefit from current tax breaks. Trump’s promise to protect entitlement programs will rile fiscal conservatives, who worry they will swamp the federal budget in the decades to come. But those programs are popular with the American public. Trump has promised a “dismantling” of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law enacted following the financial crisis, but has given few details. The Republican Party’s platform calls for reinstating Glass-Steagall, the 1930s-era law that forced the separation of investment banks from deposit-taking institutions. Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, said in July that his campaign backed that change. Republican lawmakers have so far been unable to undo many of their most-despised pieces of the Dodd-Frank law, and many in their ranks oppose a return to Glass-Steagall. Trump has offered few details about his plans to fight Islamic State but has said he would “knock the hell out of” the militant group. He says he is keeping the details of his strategy a secret so as not to disclose them to the enemy. Trump has said if he wins, he would give U.S. generals 30 days after he takes office on Jan. 20 to propose their own plans. Trump has said he opposes accepting refugees fleeing violence in Syria, and instead has said he would create “safe zones” there, which he says would be funded by Gulf states. Obama has said a safe zone in Syria would require a large U.S. military commitment, something that could prove to be unpopular with Americans weary of lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump has said he would have a “very, very good” relationship with Russia.  Trump has said could work with Russia to combat Islamic State. He also said he would look into recognizing Crimea, seized from Ukraine in 2014, as Russian territory and lifting sanctions on Russia imposed by Western nations for what they called an illegal land grab. Trump has criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying some U.S. allies have not met their defense commitments. In July, he said if Russia attacked a NATO member, he would consider whether the country has paid up before providing defense. NATO leaders say the sanctions against Russia are key to persuading it to change that country’s behavior in Ukraine, where it has backed ethnic Russian separatists, and that the alliance has long been focused on fighting international terrorism. With one vacancy on the Supreme Court and several more likely in the coming four years, Trump will have a chance to put a conservative stamp on the nation’s courts for decades to come. His list of potential nominees has won praise from conservative activists and Republicans in the Senate, who will be eager to help him in that area.

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः राष्ट्रपति ट्रम्प के लिए शीर्ष लक्ष्य, उनके सामने बाधाएं


TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will expel a Venezuelan diplomat and also bar the country s ambassador from returning, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Monday, two days after Venezuela booted out Canada s envoy for criticizing its rights record. Western nations and Latin American neighbors have been increasingly critical of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro this year, accusing him of stamping on democracy and human rights.  Venezuela says foreign governments are trying to encourage a right-wing coup. On Saturday, it also expelled the Brazilian envoy. Venezuela had already withdrawn its ambassador to Canada in protest over sanctions against the Maduro regime that Canada imposed in September.  In a statement, Freeland said the ambassador was no longer welcome in Canada and that Venezuela s charge d affaires is persona non grata. Venezuela s expulsion of the Canadian diplomat over the weekend, she said, was  typical of the Maduro regime, which has consistently undermined all efforts to restore democracy and to help the Venezuelan people.   Canadians will not stand by as the Government of Venezuela robs its people of their fundamental democratic and human rights, and denies them access to basic humanitarian assistance,  she said in the statement. Canada in September, following a similar move by the United States, imposed targeted sanctions against 40 Venezuelan senior officials, including Maduro, to punish them for  anti-democratic behavior.  The ministers of defense and the interior as well as several Supreme Court judges were also among those targeted by the measures.  Canada is a member of the 12-nation Lima Group, which is trying to address the Venezuelan crisis and which next meets in Chile in January.

Summary: कनाडा ने जवाबी कार्रवाई में वेनेजुएला के राजनयिक को निष्कासित किया


COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish police said on Saturday divers had found the head and the legs of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, who died in mysterious circumstances on an inventor s homemade submarine. Peter Madsen has been charged with killing the Swedish journalist who disappeared after she went on a trip with him in his submarine on August 10. He denies the charges. Madsen, a Dane, was arrested after his submarine sank and he was rescued. His lawyer Betina Hald Engmark told Reuters that she had been informed of the development, but had not received any material or documentation and decline further comment. Police identified a headless female torso that washed ashore in Copenhagen later in August as Wall s, but a cause of death has not been determined. Madsen has said Wall died in an accident when she was hit by a heavy hatch cover on board his submarine. On Saturday a police spokesman told reporters in Copenhagen that there were no fractures to Wall s skull.  The body parts, a knife and some of Wall s clothes in bags weighted down by bits of metal were found in Koge Bay on Friday by Danish navy divers who are assisting the police. Police spokesman Jens Moller Jensen told reporters on Saturday that the body parts will be investigated further to try and determine a cause of death. He said that the Madsen and his lawyers had not had time yet to react to the new evidence. A police prosecutor said earlier this week that officers had found images  which we presume to be real  of women being strangled and decapitated on Peter Madsen s computer in a laboratory he ran. Madsen said the computer searched by police was not his but was used by everyone in the laboratory.

Summary: डेनमार्क के गोताखोरों को स्वीडिश पत्रकार के लापता शरीर के अंग मिले


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort offered to post more than $12 million in real estate and life insurance assets and to limit his travel in a bid to avoid continued house arrest, according to court documents filed on Saturday. Manafort, who ran Trump’s presidential campaign for several months last year, and associate Richard Gates earlier this week pleaded not guilty to a 12-count indictment by a federal grand jury.  The charges include conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy against the United States and failing to register as foreign agents of Ukraine’s former pro-Russian government. They are part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the 2016 election in Trump’s favor and potential collusion by Trump associates. In the Saturday court filing, Manafort offered to limit his travel to New York, Washington and Florida and pledged life insurance worth about $4.5 million as well as about $8 million in real estate assets, including a property on Fifth Avenue in New York that was identified by some media outlets as an apartment in Trump Tower. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said on Thursday that initial bail terms would remain in place and set a bail hearing for Monday to consider changes. On Friday, she suggested a potential May 7 trial date. Manafort and Gates are under house arrest, under unsecured bonds of $10 million and $5 million, respectively, which means they do not have to post the bail unless they fail to show up for court or violate other conditions. Prosecutors have argued there is a risk of flight and both men are subject to electronic monitoring. As part of the indictment, the special counsel’s office is seeking forfeiture of four of Manafort’s properties in connection with money laundering charges. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment on Saturday. Manafort, 68, in the filing also explained why he had three different U.S. passports, a fact noted by prosecutors. Manafort’s lawyer, Kevin Downing, rejected suggestions that Manafort was a “Jason Bourne character” - referencing a fictitious, globe-trotting, rogue covert agent. “The facts are much more mundane,” Downing wrote. Manafort had two passports, including one for submitting to foreign governments to receive visas while traveling on the other, his lawyers said. He was issued a third passport because one had been lost and Manafort contacted passport services to advise them it was found. Downing also wrote that funds Manafort had deposited in accounts on the island of Cyprus were legal and now had only “nominal” balances. Prosecutors said Manafort and Gates used numerous entities to transmit more than $18 million from Ukraine through Cyprus and eventually to the United States.  Federal prosecutors said in a court filing on Tuesday that Manafort’s financial assets were substantial, but difficult to quantify because he listed figures on loan applications and other financial documents since 2012 that ranged from $19 million to $136 million. The investigation has cast a shadow over the first nine months of the Trump presidency. For Manafort and Gates, a conviction on conspiracy to launder money alone could carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Summary: मैनफोर्ट ने नजरबंदी से बचने के लिए 1 करोड़ 20 लाख डॉलर की संपत्ति देने का वादा कियाः दस्तावेज़


CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The Republican presidential campaign of Ohio Governor John Kasich has hired a former deputy White House press secretary for President George W. Bush as a top communications adviser, a campaign source said on Tuesday. The adviser, Trent Duffy, is an Ohio native who worked on Capitol Hill when then-Representative Kasich was chairman of the House Budget Committee. Duffy, who has been a public relations consultant in the years since serving in the Bush White House, will be a national communications strategist and responsible for national media outreach on behalf of Kasich’s campaign for the Nov. 8 election. The hire takes place during the heat of the South Carolina primary battle. Republicans in the state vote on Saturday and Kasich is campaigning in the state over the next few days to try to build on the momentum he received from a second-place finish in the New Hampshire nominating contest last week.  (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller) SAP is the sponsor of this content. It was independently created by Reuters’ editorial staff and funded in part by SAP, which otherwise has no role in this coverage.

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस के उम्मीदवार जॉन कासिच ने पूर्व जॉर्ज डब्ल्यू बुश के प्रेस सहायक को नियुक्त किया


HARARE (Reuters) - Following is the text of an address made by Zimbabwe Major General SB Moyo, Chief of Staff Logistics, on national television after the military seized power:  Following the address we made on November 13, 2017, which we believe our main broadcaster, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and The Herald were directed not to publicize, the situation in our country has moved to another level. Firstly, we wish to assure the nation that His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and commander-in-chief of Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Comrade RG Mugabe, and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed.  We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country in order to bring them to justice.  As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy. To the civil servants, as you are aware, there is a plan by the same individuals to influence the current purging that is taking place in the political sphere to the civil service. We are against that act of injustice and we intend to protect every one of you against that.  To the judiciary, the measures underway are intended to assure that as an independent arm of the state you are able to exercise your independent authority without fear of being obstructed as has been the case with this group of individuals.  To our members of parliament, your legislative role is of paramount importance for peace and stability in this country and it is our desire that a dispensation is created that allows you to serve your respective political constituencies according to democratic tenets.  To the generality of the people of Zimbabwe we urge you to remain calm and limit unnecessary movement. However, we encourage those who are employed and those with essential business in the city to continue their normal activities usual. Our wish is that you enjoy your rights and freedoms and that we return our country to a dispensation that allows for investment, development and prosperity that we all fought for and for which many of our citizens paid the supreme sacrifice.  To political parties we urge you to discourage your members from engaging in violent behavior.  To the youth we call upon you to realize that the future of this country is yours. Do not be enticed with dirty coins of silver. Be disciplined and remain committed to the ethos and values of this great nation.  To all churches and religious organizations in Zimbabwe we call upon you and your congregations to pray for our country and preach the gospel of love, peace, unity and development.  To both our people and the world beyond our borders, we wish to make it abundantly clear that this is not a military takeover of government. What the Zimbabwe Defence Forces is actually doing is to pacify a degenerating political, social and economic situation in our country, which if not addressed may result in a violent conflict.  We call upon all the war veterans to play positive in ensuring peace, stability and unity in the country.  To members of the defense forces, all leave is canceled and you all to return to your barracks with immediate effect.  To our respected traditional leaders, you are our custodians of our culture, customs, traditions and heritage and we request you to provide leadership and direction to your communities for the sake of unity and development in our country.  To the other Security Services: We urge you to cooperate for the good of our country. Let it be clear that we intend to address the human security threats in our country. Therefore any provocation will be met with an appropriate response.  To the media; we urge you report fairly and responsibly.  Thank you

Summary: सत्ता पर कब्जा करने के बाद जिम्बाब्वे की सेना का बयान


HAVANA (Reuters) - President Barack Obama arrived to small but cheering crowds on Sunday at the start of a historic visit to Cuba that opened a new chapter in U.S. engagement with the island’s Communist government after decades of hostility between the former Cold War foes. The three-day trip, the first by a U.S. president to Cuba in 88 years, is the culmination of a diplomatic opening announced by Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro in December 2014, ending an estrangement that began when the Cuban revolution ousted a pro-American government in 1959. “It’s a historic opportunity to engage directly with the Cuban people,” Obama told staff at the newly reopened U.S. Embassy who were gathered at a hotel, his first stop after arriving in the afternoon. Groups of Cubans watched the motorcade from balconies and backyards as Obama was driven downtown, where a small crowd of Cubans braved a tropical downpour and tight security. They chanted: “Viva Obama, Viva Fidel,” as the president and his family left after eating dinner in a rundown neighborhood.  Obama, who abandoned a longtime U.S. policy of trying to isolate Cuba, wants to make his policy shift irreversible even if a Republican wins the White House in the Nov. 8 election. But major obstacles remain to full normalization of ties, and the Democratic president’s critics say the visit is premature. U.S. officials concede the trip may not yield immediate concessions from Cuba on rights and economic freedom. On Sunday, one bystander shouted: “Down with the blockade,” in reference to the U.S. embargo in place for 54 years that remains the top irritant for Cubans. Obama, who responded to the shout by raising his right hand, has asked Congress to rescind the embargo but has been blocked by the Republican leadership. Underscoring the ideological divide that persists between Washington and Havana, Cuban police, backed by hundreds of pro-government demonstrators, broke up the regular march of a leading dissident group, the Ladies in White, detaining about 50 people just hours before Obama arrived.    Obama arrived at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport in Air Force One, the presidential jet with “United States of America” emblazoned across its fuselage, a sight almost unimaginable not long ago on the island, just 90 miles (145 km) off the coast of Florida. He was met by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, the top Cuban official present. The formal welcoming ceremony will be on Monday when Obama meets the Cuban president at the presidential palace. U.S. officials appeared unfazed by Castro’s absence from the airport welcome, even though he personally met and greeted Pope Francis in September. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump tweeted that Obama’s visit was a “big deal” but that he got “no respect.” Obama will hold talks with Castro – but not his brother Fidel, the revolutionary leader - and speak to entrepreneurs on Monday. He meets privately with dissidents, addresses Cubans live on state-run media and attends an exhibition baseball game on Tuesday. The trip carries both symbolism and substance after decades of hostility between Washington and Havana. Traveling with first lady Michelle Obama, her mother and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, Obama took in the sights of the colonial-era neighborhood and was given a tour of Havana’s 18th century cathedral by Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who played a role in secret talks that led to the rapprochement 15 months ago. The Obamas dined at the San Cristobal restaurant, run by an Afro-Cuban as part of a cautious opening to private enterprise since Fidel Castro handed power to his brother in 2008. The trip makes Obama the first sitting American president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge arrived on a battleship in 1928 and may help chip away at barriers to U.S.-Cuba trade and travel. Since rapprochement, the two sides have restored diplomatic ties and signed commercial deals on telecommunications and scheduled airline service. Obama has used executive authority to loosen trade and travel restrictions to advance his outreach to Cuba, one of his top foreign policy priorities along with the Iran nuclear deal. Cuba still complains about U.S. control of the naval base at Guantanamo Bay under a 1934 lease agreement that Havana says is no longer valid and that Obama has said is not up for discussion. Havana is unhappy with U.S. support for dissidents and anti-communist radio and TV programs beamed into Cuba. Speaking to reporters, Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment minister Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz said before the U.S. president’s arrival that Obama’s regulatory moves “go in the right direction.” But he added: “We can’t reach a normalization of relations with the blockade still in effect.” The Americans in turn criticize one-party rule and repression of political opponents, an issue that aides said Obama would address publicly and privately. Obama’s critics at home accuse him of making too many concessions for too little in return from the Cuban government and of using his trip to take an unearned “victory lap.” Obama’s first words to the Cuban people came in a message on Twitter, a social media service that few Cubans can use regularly because of government restrictions on Internet access. “¿Qué bolá Cuba?” he said, using Cuban slang for “what’s up?” “Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people.” Little progress on the main issues is expected when Obama and Castro meet on Monday or at a state dinner that evening. Instead, the highlights are likely to be Obama’s speech on live Cuban television on Tuesday, when he will also meet dissidents and attend an exhibition baseball game between Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays and Cuba’s national team.

Summary: क्यूबा की ऐतिहासिक यात्रा पर ओबामा


BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Singapore on Tuesday sought to put recent difficulties in their relationship over Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea behind them as Singapore s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong began a trip to Beijing. Singapore is not a claimant to any disputed part of the South China Sea but is home to the biggest port in Southeast Asia, and has made clear its open economy depends on continued free navigation in the area. China is also suspicious of Singapore s good military relations with the United States and self-ruled Taiwan.  Meeting in the Great Hall of the People, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told Lee that China and Singapore had maintained mutual respect.  Singapore, Li said, is an important member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and next year will be rotating chair of ASEAN.   I trust this will inject new energy into not just China-Singapore relations but also China-ASEAN relations,  he said. China is worried it could face fresh criticism over its actions in the South China Sea when Singapore becomes ASEAN s chair, and is putting pressure on the city-state to make sure that doesn t happen, people familiar with the situation have told Reuters.  Lee said he was grateful for the attention to the bilateral relationship but also for the  opportunity to discuss how to work together in the regional context and with ASEAN.  Singapore hopes it will be able to bring China and ASEAN closer together, Lee added. The visit of Lee so close to the opening of next month s Communist Party Congress demonstrates the maintenance of high level visits between the two countries, said Bai Tian, the vice director of the Asian department at the Chinese Foreign Ministry.   This is an important political signal,  Bai said. Overall development of bilateral ties was fairing well, and both leaders agreed to  strengthen coordination and cooperation on international and regional matters , according to a readout of the meeting provided by the Chinese foreign ministry.  The United States and Singapore announced an enhanced defense relationship in late 2015, which included deployments of long range P-8 surveillance planes out of Singapore - aircraft which frequently track Chinese submarines. Singapore also has close though unofficial ties with self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a Chinese province. Tensions between the two countries burst into the open last November when Hong Kong port authorities impounded nine Singaporean armored military vehicles being shipped home from training grounds in Taiwan. Hong Kong released the vehicles earlier this year amid rare open debates in both Singapore and China about a deteriorating relationship.

Summary: चीन, सिंगापुर कठिनाइयों को पीछे छोड़ने पर विचार कर रहे हैं


BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain’s Nigel Farage will be at the Republican convention in Cleveland next week to dole out lessons from his Brexit campaign. So will Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, who sees Donald Trump as an ally in his crusade to prevent an “Islamization” of the West. But some mainstream European conservatives who have traveled to previous Republican gatherings admit in private to being horrified at the prospect of a Trump presidency and are boycotting this year’s spectacle, which runs from July 18-21. Many of the center-right politicians making the trip from Europe admit to secretly rooting for Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. They are going not to support Trump, they say, but to witness “the Donald” in the flesh and experience what is shaping up to be one of the rowdiest, most unpredictable Republican conventions in decades. “We will see whether Trump can reinvent himself at the convention,” Guenter Krings, a senior lawmaker from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives who will make the trip with just one other Bundestag colleague, told Reuters. “One can only hope so, but I have my doubts.” Politicians from around the world are invited every four years to attend the Republican and Democratic conventions as part of a formal visitors program that includes briefings with campaign managers, pollsters and foreign policy experts. They also spend time in the main convention hall. This year, nearly 120 politicians from center-right parties outside the United States are expected, roughly half of them from Europe.  Trump’s candidacy has presented European parties with traditional links to U.S. Republicans with a dilemma. Many view his positions — on issues like immigration, security, trade and the divisive Brexit question — as closer to those of upstart far-right parties whose rise they are struggling to contain. Four years ago, when Mitt Romney was the Republican candidate, the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), the largest grouping in the European Parliament, sent a delegation of eight members to Tampa. This year there will be no EPP delegation because no-one from the group expressed an interest in attending. Despite the wariness, there is a reluctance to criticize the famously thin-skinned Trump too openly, in part out of fear he could win the election in November and punish his foreign critics, as he threatened to do when David Cameron, the recently departed British prime minister, slammed Trump’s proposal for a temporary U.S. ban on Muslims as “divisive, stupid and wrong”. While the conservative mainstream is leery, Europe’s array of nationalist, anti-immigration parties seem fascinated by Trump, even if some are uneasy about embracing the New York real estate businessman, who has vowed to “make America great again”. A spokesman for Britain’s UKIP party in Brussels confirmed that Farage would attend to “give them some lessons” on Brexit. And Wilders told Reuters that he would be in Cleveland and wanted to meet Trump there. “I hope Donald Trump becomes America’s next president,” Wilders said. “Such a victory would be good for Europe. America and Europe are threatened by the same danger of cultural relativism and Islam.” Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, France’s National Front and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) are not planning to send anyone to Cleveland, the parties said. “We are neutral,” Freedom Party leader Heinz-Christian Strache told Reuters when asked if he supported Trump. “He defends American interests. He is saying some things that need to be said.”Also absent will be Italy’s Northern League, whose leader Matteo Salvini describes himself as an enthusiastic Trump fan but learned earlier this year that the admiration was not necessarily mutual. Salvini traveled to Pennsylvania in April to attend a Trump rally. He was photographed shaking hands with the Republican candidate and his party said Trump had endorsed Salvini to become Italian prime minister. But a month later, Trump denied in an interview ever having met Salvini and said he had no interest in doing so. Eirik Moen of the International Democrat Union, which coordinates trips to the convention by center-right politicians across the world, said that numbers could be dented this year because countries like Britain, Spain and Australia are in the midst of political transitions, making it difficult for some to travel. Still, eight British Conservatives who sit in the European Parliament are expected to be in Cleveland. On the continent, France’s main center-right party, les Republicains, is not sending a delegation. And the contingent from Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) is unusually small. In Germany, political debate is conducted in a sober, reserved manner and personal attacks are rare, even during election campaigns. Hence the mix of shock and horror at the tone of the U.S. race. Trump has dismissed Merkel as “insane” for letting hundreds of thousands of refugees into the country. And his idea to build a wall along the Mexican border elicits shudders in Berlin, a city that was divided by its own wall for nearly three decades and will celebrate the 27th anniversary of its fall a day after U.S. voters cast their ballots on Nov. 8. “Many of Donald Trump’s positions — for example his stance toward Muslims, toward immigration from Mexico and gun ownership — are simply not compatible with the positions of the conservatives and other parties in Germany,” said Juergen Hardt, a CDU lawmaker who also acts as the government’s coordinator for transatlantic relations. Hardt said he is planning to go on vacation with his family next week and won’t be able to attend the convention.

Summary: यूरोपीय राजनेता ट्रम्प को लेकर रिपब्लिकन सम्मेलन को लेकर सतर्क हैं