NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez abused his power to help a wealthy benefactor in a years-long bribery scheme that netted the New Jersey Democrat lavish gifts and major campaign donations, federal prosecutors told a jury on Wednesday. “This case is about a corrupt politician who sold his Senate office for a life of luxury he couldn’t afford,” the lead prosecutor, Peter Koski, said at the start of Menendez’s corruption trial in Newark. Menendez’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said prosecutors had twisted a close, brother-like relationship into something illicit. “Acting out of friendship is not improper, it is not corrupt, and it is certainly not a crime,” he said. Menendez is accused of intervening with federal officials to help his co-defendant Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist who gave the senator private flights, stays at a Caribbean villa and hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign money. The case comes at a crucial time in Washington, D.C., where Republicans hold a razor-thin 52-48 edge in the Senate. If Menendez is convicted and either resigns or is expelled by his colleagues before January, his replacement would be named by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican. A group of supporters cheered Menendez, 63, as he entered court on Wednesday morning. The senator told reporters he had “never backed away from a fight.” He is running for a third six-year term in 2018 despite the charges. Koski told jurors Menendez used his influence to help Melgen, securing visas for Melgen’s foreign girlfriends and pressuring the U.S. State Department to resolve a contract dispute between a company Melgen owned and the Dominican Republic. After Medicare, the federal insurance plan for the elderly and disabled, concluded Melgen had overbilled it by $8.9 million, Menendez asked officials to change the reimbursement policy, Koski said. Melgen was convicted earlier this year of perpetrating a massive Medicare fraud. He has yet to be sentenced. Koski also urged jurors to pay attention to the timing of Melgen’s gifts. In April 2012, for instance, Menendez met with an assistant secretary of state regarding the Dominican Republic dispute; Melgen gave Menendez $80,000 on the same day. “Robert Menendez was Salomon Melgen’s personal United States senator,” Koski said. Lowell said Menendez only acted at Melgen’s suggestion after researching the issue with his staff and concluding it was sound policy. He also accused prosecutors of cherry-picking a handful of examples amidst countless similar interventions that Menendez has made over the years when matters were brought to his attention. The trial is expected to last up to eight weeks.

Summary: सीनेटर बॉब मेनेंडेज़ को संघीय भ्रष्टाचार मुकदमे का सामना करना पड़ता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke on Friday denied reports that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly pressured her to end protections for tens of thousands of immigrants, and said she plans to remain in the Trump administration. The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Kelly pressured Duke to end what is called temporary protected status for tens of thousands of Hondurans living in the United States. The newspaper also reported that Duke has informed Kelly that she plans to resign. The New York Times later reported that Kelly “made an 11th-hour plea” to Duke that she end the protections. “The recent media reports regarding the TPS decision-making process are seriously flawed,” Duke said in a statement late on Friday evening.  She said she had conversations with Kelly, the former secretary of homeland security, leading up to her decision, but that he “consistently reiterated that, as the Acting Secretary, the current decisions were mine to make and should be done in accordance with the existing law.”  “At no time did he pressure me to terminate TPS for Nicaragua, Honduras or El Salvador: any reports otherwise are false,” she added. In the end, Duke extended the benefits for Honduran immigrants until July 2018, though officials said it could then be terminated. Duke decided to end the special status for Nicaraguan immigrants, however, and it will expire in January 2019. Duke said it was “a tremendous honor” to serve at DHS, and said she planned to continue in the department’s second-highest position, deputy secretary, once Kirstjen Nielsen, the nominee for DHS secretary, wins Senate confirmation. “I have no plans to go anywhere and reports to the contrary are untrue,” Duke said. Thousands from both Nicaragua and Honduras were given the special status in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America. In all, temporary protected status protects more than 300,000 people living in the United States.

Summary: कार्यवाहक डीएचएस प्रमुख ने व्हाइट हाउस द्वारा आव्रजन कार्यक्रम पर दबाव डालने से इनकार किया


PRISTINA (Reuters) - Ramush Haradinaj, a former guerrilla fighter who has twice stood trial for war crimes, was chosen on Thursday to form a new government in Kosovo, ending a political deadlock that has persisted since elections on June 11. President Hashim Thaci gave Haradinaj the mandate after his coalition struck an agreement with a smaller party that paved the way for them to take power. Haradinaj s coalition comprises parties made up of former guerrillas who fought Serbian forces in 1998 and 1999. That campaign led to accusations of war crimes against him, but he was acquitted twice by a United Nations war crimes tribunal. The coalition signed an agreement on Monday with the smaller New Alliance for Kosovo (AKR) party to put together a new government, an agreement that gives them 62 seats in the 120-seat parliament [nL8N1L42QO. The AKR is led by Behgjet Pacolli, whom media call the richest man in Kosovo.  Haradinaj is expected to present his program to parliament on Saturday, after which the government should be elected.   The new government will confront unemployment running at 30 percent and uncertain relations with Kosovo s neighbors, especially Serbia, a precondition for both countries to move forward in their efforts to join the European Union. It must also reform health and education and the tax administration system as well as include representatives of some 120,000 Kosovo Serbs who do not recognize independence. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after NATO air strikes drove out Serbian forces that had been accused of expelling and killing ethnic Albanian civilians in a two-year counter-insurgency.

Summary: पूर्व गुरिल्ला गठबंधन को कोसोवो में सरकार बनाने का जनादेश मिला


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will lay out a new U.S. national security strategy on Monday based on his  America First  policy and will, among other items, make clear that China is a competitor, two senior U.S. officials said on Saturday. Trump has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping while also demanding that Beijing increase pressure on North Korea over its nuclear program and to change trade practices to make them more favorable to the United States. The  national security strategy, to be rolled out in a speech by Trump, should not be seen as an attempt to contain China but rather to offer a clear-eyed look at the challenges China poses, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The strategy, which was still being drafted, may also reverse Democratic President Barack Obama s declaration in September 2016 that climate change is a threat to security, one official said. Trump, a Republican, is to lay out his foreign policy priorities, and will emphasize his commitment to  America First  policies such as building up the U.S. military, confronting Islamist militants and realigning trade relationships to make the United States more competitive, the officials said.

Summary: सुरक्षा भाषण में चीन को प्रतिद्वंद्वी कहेंगे ट्रंपः अधिकारी


TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Luis Zelaya, the third-placed candidate in Sunday s Honduran presidential election, said on Monday that Salvador Nasralla was the country s new leader, and urged the U.S.-friendly incumbent Juan Orlando Hernandez to accept defeat.

Summary: होंडुरास के उम्मीदवार का कहना है कि नस्राला ने जीत हासिल की, राष्ट्रपति से स्वीकार करने का आग्रह किया


MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Twelve people died and 18 were injured on Tuesday in Mexico s  state of Quintana Roo when a tour bus lost control and rolled over during an excursion to ancient ruins. The bus was carrying 31 passengers, including citizens of the United States, Brazil and Sweden, authorities said. A child was among the dead. Quintana Roo is one of three states on Mexico s Yucatan Peninsula, which has popular tourist sites. Twenty-seven of the passengers had been traveling on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said.   Our hearts go out to all those involved in the bus accident,  Martinez said in a statement.  We are doing all we can to care for our guests, including assisting with medical care and transportation.  The tourists were headed to the archaeological zone of Chacchoben, an ancient Mayan ruin south of the resort town of Tulum, when the vehicle veered off the highway early on Tuesday. After the accident, passengers were taken to hospitals, bus company Costa Maya said in a statement. Five have been discharged and the injured were in stable condition, it said. The government of Quintana Roo said in a statement that it was investigating the cause of the accident. The U.S. embassy in Mexico said it was working with authorities to learn whether U.S. citizens were aboard the bus. Last year, 11 tourists were killed in a crash in Quintana Roo when their bus flipped en route to Cancun, the Associated Press reported.

Summary: मैक्सिकन खंडहरों की यात्रा पर बस दुर्घटना में कम से कम 12 लोगों की मौत


LONDON (Reuters) - Arron Banks, a tycoon who backed leaving the European Union, on Wednesday dismissed allegations that Russia had funded Brexit. Britain s electoral commission earlier said it had opened an investigation into whether Banks breached campaign finance rules in the 2016 Brexit referendum.  Allegations of Brexit being funded by the Russians... are complete bollocks (rubbish) from beginning to end,  Banks said in an emailed statement. Commenting on the electoral commission investigation, Banks said:  This is the Remain establishment once again trying to discredit the result and it s all starting to get rather boring!  Banks ended the statement with the word  Nostrovia , a mispronunciation of the Russian phrase  na zdorovie  which is sometimes used as a toast to good health when drinking.

Summary: ब्रेक्सिट टाइकून बैंकों का कहना है कि रूस ने यूरोपीय संघ छोड़ने के अभियान के लिए धन नहीं दिया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Tuesday criticized Republican Donald Trump’s proposal to dismantle the Dodd-Frank financial reform law, calling the idea “reckless.” “Latest reckless idea from Trump: gut rules on Wall Street, and leave middle-class families out to dry,” Clinton said on Twitter. Trump, in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, called the 2010 law a “very negative force.”

Summary: क्लिंटन ने डोड-फ्रैंक को हटाने के ट्रम्प के प्रस्ताव को 'लापरवाह' बताया


MOSCOW (Reuters) - The decision to scale back British-Russian dialogue was a groundless and untimely decision by London, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, on the eve of British foreign minister Boris Johnson s visit to Moscow. Johnson s visit on Dec. 22 for talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss international security issues will be the first visit to Russia by a British foreign minister in five years.

Summary: मास्को का कहना है कि ब्रिटेन-रूस वार्ता को कम करने का लंदन का निर्णय था


PARIS (Reuters) - Forty people were arrested and 500 people rescued after a swoop on human trafficking across West Africa, international police organization Interpol said on Thursday. The Interpol-led action comes amid a global outcry sparked by footage of Africans being solved as slaves in Libya, often the final transit for migrants wanting to reach Europe. In a statement, Interpol said that some 500 people, including 236 minors, had been rescued in simultaneous operations across Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. Forty suspected traffickers were arrested.  The results of this operation underline the challenge faced by law enforcement and all stakeholders in addressing human trafficking in the Sahel region,  said the operation s coordinator Innocentia Apovo.  The 40 arrested face prosecution for offences including human trafficking, forced labor and child exploitation.   They are accused of forcing victims to engage in activities ranging from begging to prostitution, with little to no regard for working conditions or human life,  the statement said.

Summary: पश्चिम अफ्रीका में चालीस मानव तस्कर गिरफ्तार, 500 लोगों को बचाया गया


MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The search for victims of an earthquake that killed hundreds in Mexico City ended on Wednesday as rescue workers recovered the body of the last person known to be missing beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings. Deputy Interior Minister Roberto Campa said all the bodies had been recovered from the ruins of an office building in the upscale Roma district of the capital. The search at other buildings that collapsed ended several days ago.   In total 369 people died in the Sept. 19 earthquake, the most deadly in a generation, with almost two-thirds of the fatalities in the capital. Earlier that month, 98 people died when an even more powerful tremor hit the south of the country.

Summary: भूकंप के बाद मेक्सिको सिटी में शवों की तलाश समाप्त


HONOLULU (Reuters) - One of three federal appeals court judges who last month upheld a ruling that blocked U.S. President Donald Trump’s first try at a travel ban said on Thursday it was “corrosive to the justice system” when litigants attack judges for their decisions. Judge Richard Clifton of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals became the latest in a series of judges to draw criticism from Trump after Clifton and two colleagues refused to reinstate an executive order temporarily barring entry by people from seven Muslim-majority countries. Shortly after the Feb. 9 ruling, Trump tweeted: “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” He also told reporters that the ruling was “political.” “It’s easy to blame the referee when you don’t like the result,” Clifton said in a speech to the Conference of Western Attorneys General, which is meeting in Honolulu. “It is corrosive to the system when a disappointing result, or result disappointing to you, is responded to by blaming the referee,” said Clifton, who did not mention Trump by name. He urged the state attorneys general not to blame judges, saying it could lead to a “breakdown in law and order.” Clifton, appointed to the court by former Republican President George W. Bush, was discussing the executive order case, but did not comment on any substantive issues about the travel ban. The White House had no immediate comment on his speech. Trump has frequently attacked judges who rule against him. Last month, he called a Seattle federal judge who ruled against the first travel ban a “so-called judge.” During last year’s presidential campaign, he said a San Diego federal judge overseeing a fraud lawsuit against Trump University was biased because of his Mexican heritage.

Summary: ट्रंप के खिलाफ फैसला देने वाले न्यायाधीश ने कहा, न्यायाधीशों को दोषी ठहराना 'क्षयकारी' है


ANKARA (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel s comments about stopping arms exports to Turkey are not appropriate for a foreign minister, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. Gabriel said on Monday Berlin had put most arms exports to NATO partner Turkey on hold due to deteriorating human rights in Turkey. However German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday rejected a total ban. [nB4N1FT01N] Cavusoglu told reporters that Turkey found Merkel s stance more suitable, and added that attempts to drum up support by attacking Turkey ahead of Germany s election later this month would yield no result.

Summary: तुर्की ने हथियारों की बिक्री पर जर्मन विदेश मंत्री की टिप्पणी को अनुचित बताया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Fox News debate without front-runner Donald Trump attracted the second-smallest audience of the seven such televised encounters among Republicans so far this election cycle, according to ratings figures released on Friday. According to Nielsen data, about 12.5 million people watched the Republican face-off, beating only an earlier debate on the less-prominent Fox Business Network.  But Thursday’s encounter was one of Fox News’s biggest-ever hits and drew more viewers than coverage of a rally at the same time that was hosted by Trump. The billionaire refused to participate in the debate out of anger that Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was a moderator.  Last-minute phone calls with Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes failed to resolve their dispute, which broke out just days before next week’s Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest for the Nov. 8 presidential election.     Instead, Trump held his own rally in Iowa at the same time as the debate, which he promoted as a way to raise money for charity. CNN and MSNBC gave his event some coverage, but their combined audience during that time was about a quarter of the crowd watching the Fox debate, according to Nielsen data.  On Friday, Trump defended his decision to snub Fox News, one of the most powerful media forces in Republican politics.          “I have a very good relationship with Fox, but when somebody doesn’t treat you properly, you’ve got to be tough,” he said at a rally in New Hampshire. Trump often claims on the campaign trail that he is responsible for strong viewership of Republican debates. And he managed to upstage the debate to a certain extent, dominating Twitter mentions and Google searches during the event.      Despite Trump’s absence, Thursday’s debate was the second-largest audience ever for a Fox News telecast, beaten only by the first Republican presidential debate in 2015 with 24 million viewers.     It was also the most-watched program on TV on Thursday night, Fox News said. “The debate topped all TV Thursday night in total viewers including all broadcast shows,” Fox News said in a statement.  Audiences for all Republican debates in the current presidential election campaign have been higher than in previous years, though viewership tapered after the first two. About 18 million people watched a CNN-hosted Republican debate in December. The Fox Business event this month drew the smallest crowd with 11 million viewers. Democratic debates have gotten lower ratings this election cycle.  (Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine and Alana Wise; Editing by Alistair Bell) SAP is the sponsor of this coverage which is independently produced by the staff of Reuters News Agency.

Summary: ट्रम्प के बिना, रिपब्लिकन बहस की दूसरी सबसे कम रेटिंग है


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Polish reforms of its judiciary pose a systemic threat to the rule of law in the country and Warsaw must change tack, the deputy head of the European Commission said on Monday. Poland has been locked in a deepening dispute with the European Union s executive over democratic standards since the nationalist-minded, eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party won power in late 2015. Many other EU member states, the Polish opposition and human rights groups have also sharply criticized the PiS government, but Warsaw says its overhaul of the judiciary is in line with European standards.  I have to say very clearly to you today, the Commission is of the opinion that these laws do create a threat to the rule of law, a systemic threat to the rule of law in Poland,  Frans Timmermans told the European Parliament. The Commission says the new laws undermine the independence of the judiciary by giving the justice minister - a politician of the ruling party - the right to sack and appoint senior judges. Brussels also says the PiS government violated Poland s constitution in its reform of the Constitutional Tribunal, a court which decides whether new laws approved by the PiS parliamentary majority are in line with the constitution.  The PiS government accuses Timmermans, who has led a legal case against it for more than a year, of waging a vendetta against Poland, but the commissioner said his views were shared by a range of international bodies including the European organization of judges and the U.N. Rapporteur on the judiciary.  Surely, surely the Polish government cannot just simply ignore all of that and pretend as if there s only one guy in the Commission that has a problem and there is not an issue at all apart from that,  said Timmermans, who is Dutch.  Surely the Polish government knows by now there are many concerns in many member states about this...,  he said. Timmermans urged the Polish government to heed the warnings.  You have so much room for maneuver with the political mandate you got from your voters without having to go after the rule of law. There s no need to do that. Please refrain from doing that,  Timmermans said. He also said EU member states were too closely linked together for violation of the rule of law in one of them not to affect others.  If we do not maintain the rule of law in Europe, then we will take leave of the most fundamental values of a European cooperation. And this will not just affect the member state Poland. It will affect all of us,  he said.

Summary: पोलैंड की न्यायपालिका में सुधार कानून के शासन के लिए खतराः यूरोपीय संघ आयोग


TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) - A man deliberately drove his car into a group of people outside a school near Toulouse in southern France on Friday, injuring three Chinese students, police sources said.  The driver of the vehicle, a 28-year-old man, was known to police for committing minor offences but was not on a terrorism watchlist, the sources said. He was arrested at the scene. One of the students, a young woman, was being treated for serious head injuries.  For the moment, it is not being looked at as a terrorist incident although it is also not ruled out,  the Toulouse prosecutor said in a statement.  The driver has long suffered from psychological problems and was hospitalized until Dec. 2016, the prosecutor said. More than 240 people have been killed in France since early 2015 in attacks by Islamist militants or assailants inspired by the Islamic State group. Monday will mark the second anniversary of attacks in Paris that killed more than 130 people. Earlier this week, French police arrested nine people and another was arrested in Switzerland in coordinated counter-terrorism swoops.

Summary: दक्षिणी फ्रांस में एक व्यक्ति ने जानबूझकर कार से छात्रों को कुचला, तीन घायल


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan on Wednesday blasted a proposal from the top two Democrats in Congress for a three-month increase in the nation’s debt limit. “I think that’s a ridiculous idea,” Ryan told reporters when asked about the proposal floated earlier on Wednesday by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. “We’ve got all this devastation in Texas. We’ve got another unprecedented hurricane about to hit Florida. And they want to play politics with the debt ceiling?” he said.

Summary: हाउस स्पीकर रयान ने 3 महीने की ऋण सीमा बढ़ाने के डेमोक्रेट्स के प्रस्ताव की निंदा की


AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas-based LGBT advocacy helped spark a grammar debate this week over whether an errant comma in the stridently anti-homosexual Republican Party of Texas platform can be read as saying the majority of Texans are gay. The plank that was approved by delegates at the party’s convention this month reads: “Homosexuality is a chosen behavior that is contrary to the fundamental unchanging truths that has been ordained by God in the Bible, recognized by our nations founders, and shared by the majority of Texans.” Lone Star Q, which describes itself as the state’s No. 1 source for LGBT news, asked on Twitter on Wednesday to have a “grammar debate” over the wording. In response, grammarians pointed out that placement of the final comma in the plank could lead to understanding it to mean  that homosexuality is a chosen behavior shared by the majority of Texans. They also noted that “nations” should have an apostrophe and that by using “has been,” the plank gives the impression that homosexuality has been ordained by God.  Party officials did not respond to requests to comment. The party, which dominates Texas politics, has been hostile toward homosexuality for years. Its platform has said homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable lifestyle and gays should not be allowed to marry. Over the years, the party’s platforms have favored a number of hard-right positions, such as cutting off funding for about a dozen U.S. government agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, abolishing the Federal Reserve, a return to the gold standard for the U.S. dollar and U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations.

Summary: व्याकरण विफल हो जाता है, या क्या टेक्सास रिपब्लिकन मानते हैं कि अधिकांश टेक्सस समलैंगिक हैं?


GENEVA (Reuters) - Syria is in the throes of its worst fighting since the battle for eastern Aleppo last year, with heavy air strikes causing hundreds of civilian casualties, aid agencies said on Thursday. Hospitals, schools and people fleeing violence have been  targeted by direct air strikes  that may amount to war crimes, the United Nations said, without apportioning blame. Russia and a U.S.-led coalition are carrying out separate air strikes in Syria ostensibly aimed at defeating Islamic State militants.   September was the deadliest month of 2017 for civilians with daily reports of attacks on residential areas resulting in hundreds of conflict-related deaths and injuries,  U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator Panos Moumtzis said in a statement. Air strikes killed dozens this week in Raqqa, where 8,000 people remain trapped, and at least 149 people, mostly women and children, in residential areas of rebel-dominated Idlib province in Syria s northwest in the last 12 days of September, he said. Explosions in Damascus killed 20 people and civilian casualties were also reported in rural areas around the Syrian capital and in Hama, Aleppo and Deir al-Zor, Moumtzis said, again without saying who was responsible. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement that up to 10 hospitals were reported to have been damaged in the past 10 days.   We have seen a number of hospitals being targeted, we got very worrying reports and converging reports about hospitals, schools, civilian infrastructure being targeted,  Robert Mardini, ICRC regional director for the Middle East, told Reuters in an interview in his Geneva office.  And of course this is outrageous, unacceptable,  he said, adding that damage to Sham hospital in Idlib alone had cut off half a million people from access to health care. The ICRC voiced alarm that violence was occurring in many of the  de-escalation  areas including Idlib, rural Hama and eastern Ghouta.  Taken together, these are the worst levels of violence since the battle for Aleppo in 2016,  it said.  Hundreds of civilians killed is certainly a very conservative figure,  Mardini said.  We see a very strong correlation between the escalation and the intensification in the fighting on one hand and the human cost of this conflict, the attacks on health facilities and civilian infrastructure.  Syria s six-year-old civil war pits President Bashar al-Assad s government supported by Russia and Iran against a myriad number of rebel factions, some Western-backed, and Islamist militant groups. Military jets believed to be Russian killed at least 60 civilians trying to flee heavy fighting in the oil-rich Deir al-Zor province when their small boats were targeted as they sought to cross the Euphrates River, opposition activists, former residents and a war monitor said late on Wednesday. The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria has carried out air strikes that have also caused civilian casualties, which it says it goes to great lengths to avoid.  The point here is not to point fingers,  Mardini said, declining to identify suspected perpetrators of deadly strikes.  What should be non-negotiable is the respect for the laws of war, everywhere in Syria. This is absolutely critical today.

Summary: सीरिया अलेप्पो के बाद से सबसे खराब तरीके से लड़ रहा है, हवाई हमले घातकः सहायता एजेंसियां


MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Pro-trade Republicans in the U.S. Congress are growing worried that U.S. President Donald Trump may try to quit the NAFTA free trade deal entirely rather than negotiate a compromise that preserves its core benefits. As a fifth round of talks to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement kicked off in Mexico on Friday, several Republicans interviewed by Reuters expressed concerns that tough U.S. demands, including a five-year sunset clause and a U.S.-specific content rule, will sink the talks and lead to the deal’s collapse. Business groups have warned of dire economic consequences, including millions of jobs lost as Mexican and Canadian tariffs snap back to their early 1990s levels.  “I think the administration is playing a pretty dangerous game with this sunset provision,” said Representative Charlie Dent, a moderate Republican from eastern Pennsylvania. He said putting NAFTA under threat of extinction every five years would make it difficult for companies in his district, ranging from chocolate giant Hershey Co to small family owned manufacturing firms, to invest in supply chains and manage global operations. Hershey operates candy plants in Monterrey and Guadalajara, Mexico. Some 74 House of Representatives members signed a letter this week opposing U.S. proposals on automotive rules of origin, which would require 50 percent U.S. content in NAFTA-built vehicles and 85 percent regional content. They warned that this would “eliminate the competitive advantages” that NAFTA brings to U.S. automakers or lead to a collapse of the trade pact. Representative Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican who has long been a supporter of free trade deals, said he disagreed with the Trump approach of “trying to beat someone” in the NAFTA talks. Texas is the largest U.S. exporting state with nearly half of its $231 billion in exports last year headed to Mexico and Canada, according to Commerce Department data. “We need to offer Mexico a fair deal. If we want them to take our cattle, we need to take their avocados,” Sessions said. Still, congressional apprehension about Trump’s stance is far from unanimous. The signers were largely Republicans, with no Democrats from auto-intensive states such as Michigan and Ohio signing. Some pro-labor Democrats have actually expressed support for U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s tough approach. “Some of those demands are in tune,” said Representative Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means trade subcommittee. “We don’t want to blow it up, Republicans don’t want to blow it up. But we want substantial changes in the labor, the environmental, the currency, on how you come to an agreement when there’s a dispute, and on problems of origin.” Farm state Republicans are especially concerned that a collapse of NAFTA would lead to the loss of crucial export markets in Mexico and Canada for corn, beef and other products.  Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said Lighthizer in a recent meeting agreed that a withdrawal from NAFTA would be hard on U.S. agriculture, which has largely benefited from the trade pact. U.S. agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico quintupled to about $41 billion in 2016 from about $9 billion in 1993, the year before NAFTA went into effect, according to U.S. Commerce Department data. Grassley said, however, that Lighthizer’s approach was “taking everybody to the brink on these talks.” Other Republicans are taking a wait and see approach to the talks. Representative Frank Lucas of Oklahoma said he was willing to give Trump “the benefit of the doubt” on NAFTA talks, adding that farmers and ranchers in his rural district were strong Trump supporters in the 2016 election. “The president’s a practical fellow. When push comes to shove, he understands the base,” Lucas said.

Summary: व्यापार समर्थक रिपब्लिकन घबराए हुए हैं कि नाफ्टा वार्ता विफल हो सकती है


TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he hoped a visit to Israel by U.S. President Donald Trump would be a “historic milestone” in achieving regional peace. “May your first trip to our region prove to be a historic milestone on the path towards reconciliation and peace,” Netanyahu said in a welcome speech to Trump. He said Israel shared the United States’ commitment to peace and that, “Israel’s hand is extended in peace to all our neighbors, including the Palestinians.”

Summary: नेतन्याहूः उम्मीद है कि ट्रम्प की यात्रा शांति के लिए 'मील का पत्थर' होगी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Khizr Khan, the father of a decorated American soldier killed in Iraq, lashed out at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday for saying his son would still be alive if Trump had been president at the time. “For this candidate to put his political expediency ahead of any realization of pain and suffering of the families is shameful,” Khan said in an interview with CNN. The New York businessman raised the name of U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan in a Sunday night presidential debate while  criticizing Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for voting in favor of the 2003 invasion of Iraq when she was a U.S. senator. “If I was president at that time he would be alive today,” Trump said. Despite his assertion that he always opposed the war, Trump had expressed support for it in a 2002 interview. Khizr Khan had delivered a speech to the Democratic National Convention in July showcasing his son’s military service and criticizing Trump’s campaign call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country. Trump responded at the time by questioning whether Khan’s wife, Ghazala Khan, was not “allowed” to speak when she appeared next to her husband on the stage, an insinuation of some conservative form of Islam that embroiled the candidate in an unpopular dispute with the Muslim parents of a fallen war hero.  The Khans were stunned to hear Trump bring up the name of their son, who was killed in 2004, in Sunday’s nationally televised debate, the father said. “We were not only shocked, we were saddened for such disingenuous expression of his thinking and of his feeling,” Khan said. Trump has said he has modified his call for a ban on Muslims entering the country to a plan for “extreme vetting.”

Summary: अमेरिकी युद्ध नायक के पिता ने बहस में ट्रम्प की टिप्पणी पर हमला किया


HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa swore in his cabinet on Monday, with allies defending him against criticism for giving top posts to the generals who helped his rise to power. Sworn in as president on Nov. 24 after 93-year-old Robert Mugabe quit following a de facto military coup, Mnangagwa has also come under fire for bringing back several faces from the Mugabe era, including Patrick Chinamasa as finance minister. Air Marshall Perrance Shiri, who was handed the sensitive land portfolio, defended his appointment in remarks to reporters after a simple ceremony to take oaths of office.  Who says military people should never be politicians? I m a Zimbabwean so I have every right to participate in government,  he said. Shiri is feared and loathed by many Zimbabweans as the former commander of the North Korean-trained  5 Brigade  that played a central role in ethnic massacres in Matabeleland in 1983 in which an estimated 20,000 people were killed. Land is a central political issue in the southern African country, where reforms in the early 2000s led to the violent seizure of thousands of white-owned farms and hastened an economic collapse.  Another military figure is foreign minister Sibusiso Moyo, whom most Zimbabweans remember as the khaki-clad general who went on state television in the early hours of Nov. 15 to announce the military takeover. He declined to discuss the cabinet with Reuters, saying he had yet to get into his new office. Assembling a cabinet has not been without mishaps. Mnangawa dropped his initial pick as education minister on Saturday, 24 hours after appointing him, after a public outcry and reshuffled two others to meet a Constitutional requirement that all but five ministers be Members of Parliament. This has left the information portfolio vacant after he named Chris Mutsvangwa, the influential leader of the war veterans  association, as special advisor to the president. Mutsvangwa has defended the cabinet, which at 22 is smaller than Mugabe s 33-strong team, saying the two military appointments were not unique to Zimbabwe. He also said Mnangagwa had  engaged  the opposition MDC party about taking part in an  inclusive  government, but its leader Morgan Tsvangirai had blocked it   a claim disputed by the MDC.  As far as we are concerned there was no contact whatsoever between President Mnangagwa, ZANU-PF and our party regarding the possibility of inclusion or involvement of our members in the government,  MDC Vice President Nelson Chamisa told Reuters.

Summary: जिम्बाब्वे ने मुगाबे के बाद पहली बार मंत्रिमंडल की शपथ ली


(Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have unveiled a plan to replace Obamacare, known formally as the Affordable Care Act, stripping away much of President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement that insured 20 million Americans.  President Donald Trump and his Republicans had vowed for years to dismantle the law. It was a central campaign issue in 2016. The House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee approved the bill along party lines early Thursday after nearly 18 hours of debate.  The House Energy and Commerce Committee was still debating the bill Thursday, after an all-night session where Democrats fought the measure and used numerous tactics to delay a vote. The bill could still change substantially as it makes its way through committees. Here are its main provisions:  The Republicans want to eliminate next year Obamacare’s income-based tax credits that help low-income people purchase individual insurance. These would be replaced with tax credits ranging from $2,000 to $4,000 per year that would be capped at upper income levels. While Obamacare’s credits provided more assistance to those with lower incomes, those in the Republican plan would be largely based on age.  The Republican bill would abolish most Obamacare taxes, including taxes on medical devices, health insurance premiums,  tanning salons and prescription medications. It would also delay a tax on high-cost employer-provided insurance known as “Cadillac” plans until 2025. Those taxes paid for Obamacare. Republicans have not said how they would pay for the parts of the law they want to keep.  The bill also repeals the Obamacare financial penalty for the 2016 tax year for not purchasing insurance, as well as a surtax on investment income earned by upper-income Americans.  And it repeals the mandate that larger employers must offer insurance to their employees. Under Obamacare, more than 30 states, including several Republican states, made the Medicaid government health insurance more accessible to the poor. About half of Obamacare enrollees obtained insurance through the expansion. The bill would allow the Medicaid expansion to continue until January 1, 2020, providing states that chose not to expand under Obamacare a window to enroll more people. After that date, the expansion would end and Medicaid funding would be capped on a per-person basis. States that did not expand Medicaid would receive additional funds through a number of changes, including the reinstatement of disproportionate share hospital payments, money that is provided to hospitals that serve a large number of Medicaid and uninsured people. State Medicaid plans would no longer have to cover the same essential health benefits that health insurers on Obamacare’s exchanges must provide. That fulfills a Republican promise to return more control to the states, as they can decide what their Medicaid plans must cover. The Republican plan would maintain some of Obamacare’s most popular provisions. It would allow young people to stay on their parents’ health plan until age 26, ban insurers from discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions and bans insurers from setting a lifetime dollar limit on coverage. But the bill would allow insurers to mark up premiums by 30 percent for those who have a lapse in insurance coverage of about two months or more.  Insurers won another provision they had long sought: The ability to charge older Americans up to five times more than young people. Under Obamacare, they could only charge up to three times more. It would also allow states to set their own ratio.  The measure also provides states with $100 billion to create programs for patient populations, including high-risk pools to provide insurance to the sickest patients. The bill would also revoke federal funding for Planned Parenthood for one year.

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः रिपब्लिकन ओबामाकेयर योजना मेडिकेड विस्तार, करों को निरस्त कर देगी


PARIS (Reuters) - French businesses and foreign and finance ministry officials will meet next week as they work together to understand better the consequences of U.S. President Donald Trump s refusal to certify the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.   Multi-nationals Total and Peugeot are among the most high profile companies to have signed new deals since the accord that provided sanctions relief for Iran and dozens of smaller French firms have also moved in or are looking to tap the Iranian market. According to an invitation sent to companies by the Medef business group, officials from the foreign ministry, finance ministry and France s business office in Tehran will offer on Tuesday an  analysis of the consequences of the non-certification  by Trump of the accord. European capitals are determined to keep alive an accord that offered Iran an economic lifeline and the Paris government wants to know how its companies might react to the U.S. move.  We re still assessing how firms are reacting to the Trump decision, but we are trying to not be overly alarmist with them,  said a French diplomatic source.   While Trump did not pull the United States out of the agreement, he gave the U.S. Congress 60 days to decide whether to re-impose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the pact agreed between Iran and six world powers. Despite a long history of commercial, political and social links with Iran that even saw Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei in exile near Paris in 1979, France took one of the hardest lines of the six powers negotiating the nuclear agreement with Iran.      Since the deal was agreed, however, France has manoeuvred to deepen economic ties with Tehran and has repeatedly said it believes Iran is fully implementing the nuclear accord.  According to a notice on the Medef website, the discussion points include an explanation on the next steps at the U.S. Congress, the position of the accord s other signatories - Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union - and the immediate consequences on companies already operating in Iran.

Summary: फ्रांसीसी व्यवसायों ने ईरान परमाणु समझौते पर स्पष्टता मांगी


(Reuters) - Catalonia will declare independence  in a matter of days , the region s secessionist leader Carles Puigdemont was quoted as telling the BBC, a move that would defy Madrid and attempt to implement the directive of Sunday s banned independence referendum. Puigdemont said that his government would "act at the end of this week or the beginning of next", according to an interview with the BBC on Tuesday. (bbc.in/2fHFQJx) When asked by the BBC what Puigdemont would do if the Spanish government were to intervene and take control of Catalonia's government, he said it would be "an error which changes everything". (bbc.in/2fHFQJx) The regional leader opened the door to a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain on Sunday after voters defied a violent police crackdown and, according to regional officials, voted 90 percent in favor of breaking away. The referendum, declared illegal by Spain s central government, has thrown the country into its worst constitutional crisis in decades and raised fears of street violence as a test of will between Madrid and Barcelona plays out.

Summary: पुइग्डेमोंट का कहना है कि कैटेलोनिया कुछ ही दिनों में स्वतंत्रता की घोषणा करेगाः बीबीसी


KAMPALA (Reuters) - A spate of unsolved murders of young women in Uganda is putting rare public pressure on a police force long accused by opposition politicians of spending more time suppressing political dissent than tackling crime. Widespread media coverage of the appearance of 20 corpses beside roadsides south of the capital since May reflects public anger with police for repeatedly saying they have arrested the perpetrators, only for another body to be discovered.  It s terrifying,  Susan Kabul, 29, told Reuters, standing near the garbage-littered bank of a drainage channel where the latest murder victim was discovered.  The police need to tell us who is slaughtering people like this.  The government has defended the police, and police say they have arrested 30 suspects and charged 13 of them, listing possible motives ranging from domestic rows through sexual abuse to ritual murder linked to human sacrifice.  Ritual killing is one of the motives that we suspect, we also think there might be cases of jilted lovers,  police spokesman Asan Kasingye said by telephone.  Other theories might come up as investigations progress.  There have been occasional individual cases of alleged ritual murder in the east African nation, but this is the first time there has been such a large number of people killed in similar circumstances in the same area. In a nod to the public outrage, lawmakers stopped work for two days this week after the 20th body was found, saying ministers had failed to appear before the legislature over the killings in three districts on the outer edge of Kampala. Government spokesman Ofwono Opondo accused them of populism.  They spoke as if the government is doing nothing,  he said.  They should leave police to work without pressure.  The legislature is dominated by supporters of longstanding President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986. The constitution was changed in 2005 to remove a two-term limit, allowing him to extend his rule, and parliament is discussing removing an age cap. His son is a major general and powerful presidential adviser. Opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who contends that Museveni stole his victory in last year s election, has been charged with treason. Police often break up opposition rallies with teargas, beatings or detentions.  The opposition and rights activists have long accused security forces of neglecting crime to focus on political control.  Police can t secure women in a small area - all the attention is on politics, on who is criticizing Museveni,  said Sarah Birete of the Centre for Constitutional Governance. Government spokesman Opondo said police were doing a good job.  Some people start disguised as political activists and degenerate to criminals, I think they are unhappy that the police is on their back,  he said.  The police is right to focus on all forms of crime that can cause insecurity.  Uganda is ranked among the world s most corrupt countries by watchdog Transparency International. The Ugandan government s inspector general said in a 2014 report that the police force was  the most corrupt public institution in the country  and noted crimes were rarely investigated. In Wakiso, the district south of Kampala where most of the victims have been found, few residents have faith that the killings will stop.  I have stopped moving about at night. He could be a serial killer. I don t know where he will strike next,  said Deo Busulwa, who lives a stone s throw from the canalside bank location of the latest grisly discovery, of mother-of-two Maria Nabilawa. Many residents suspect the victims are killed elsewhere and the bodies dumped. Kasingye said they had arrested Nabilawa s husband in connection with her killing. (Story refiles to add dropped word in fifth paragraph.)

Summary: युगांडा की नृशंस हत्याओं ने पुलिस की भूमिका को सार्वजनिक कटघरे में खड़ा कर दिया


MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte s honeymoon period may be over, but his deadly anti-drugs campaign will not wane, his office said on Monday, after a fall in ratings that his opponents said showed public disillusionment with his rule. Duterte has enjoyed strong opinion poll numbers since winning the presidency in last year s elections but heavy scrutiny of his war on drugs, which has killed thousands of Filipinos, appears to have impacted his ratings. Trust and satisfaction in Duterte fell to the lowest of his presidency in the third quarter of this year, a survey showed on Sunday, although sentiment about his leadership remained positive overall.  The honeymoon period of the president is usually for a year, so this is expected,  Duterte s communications secretary, Martin Andanar, said in a radio interview, adding it should motivate the government to deliver on its overall objectives.  The Social Weather Stations survey was conducted between September 23-27, two days after thousands of Filipinos rallied to denounce Duterte s drugs war and his authoritarian leadership style. The high death toll has stoked international alarm, although domestic polls have shown Filipinos are largely supportive of his tough measures to fight crime and drugs. Police say they have killed 3,900 drug suspects during their anti-narcotics operations and deny executions have taken place, as human rights groups have alleged. But the campaign has been under the microscope of late, due largely to the high-profile killing by police of a 17-year-old student on Aug. 16, which led to a senate probe. A murder investigation is under way.  Police said he was a drug suspect killed because he opened fire on them while resisting arrest, but security camera footage showed him in police custody. His family insists he was executed. Staunch critics of Duterte were quick to take advantage of a survey slump they said reflected public discontent and scepticism about his drugs war.    It s very encouraging to know that the Filipino people are beginning to see the light,  said Senator Antonio Trillanes, a fierce opponent who has recently accused Duterte of concealing assets when he was Davao City mayor.   They are now seeing Duterte for who he really is: a lying, rude, amoral, corrupt and oppressive former mayor who is totally incompetent about governance at the national level.  Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella also said the honeymoon was over, but Duterte was not motivated by popularity ratings and was  bent on making sure that he addresses the three campaign themes which is crime, corruption and illegal drugs . Duterte s office frequently cites polls, including SWS, as a sign of his public support. Peace and order are also one of the cornerstones of the 72-year-old leader s economic agenda, which aims to lift the country s growth to 7-8 percent during his six-year term.    Senator Risa Hontiveros said the ratings dip showed Duterte s  authoritarian style of governance is losing its appeal and support .  The writing on the wall is simple and clear: President Duterte cannot govern based on fear, lies and killings,  Hontiveros said in a statement.

Summary: फिलीपींस का कहना है कि दुतेर्ते की रेटिंग में गिरावट के बाद नीति ने लोकप्रियता हासिल की


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. agency that could bring civil charges against Donald Trump, Jr. if it found he violated campaign finance laws by meeting with a Russian who purportedly had damaging information on Hillary Clinton is often gridlocked by partisan politics and can take years to mete out punishment, legal experts said on Wednesday.  Some Democratic lawmakers want the Federal Election Commission to charge Trump Jr. based on emails in which he eagerly agreed to meet with a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer with damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Clinton.  They argue that his enthusiasm was akin to seeking something of “value” from a foreigner, which is prohibited under U.S. campaign laws.  Democrat U.S. Representative Grace Meng wrote to the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday asking it to take up a complaint against Trump Jr. that was filed this week by government watchdog group Common Cause.  The group asked the agency to investigate and said there was “a troubling pattern of President Trump, members of his family and key advisors acting as if they are above the law.”      Judith Ingram, a spokeswoman for the Federal Election Committee, said any complaints it received would be handled confidentially and she declined further comment.    Larry Noble, a former general counsel for the Federal Election Commission who now is senior director of the Campaign Legal Center said he thinks complaints about Trump Jr. have merit and that the agency should investigate. Noble said if the commission rejected or ignored the complaints, outside groups could sue it to try to force an investigation.  The Department of Justice could file criminal charges if there was evidence of wrongdoing by Trump Jr., but such decisions would be left to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating  possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.     The Federal Election Commission consists of six commissioners, traditionally three Republicans and three Democrats, but vacancies have left just one Democrat, an independent and three Republicans.  To begin an investigation against Trump Jr., four of the commissioners would need to consent. If any of the Republicans declined to consent the group would be gridlocked. Former Federal Election Commission Chair Ann Ravel has been a vocal critic of the agency, writing in a report earlier this year that it was “deadlocked” by partisan division. She cited the agency’s refusal to investigate secretly owned shell corporations contributing millions to political groups known as Super PACS, thereby making it impossible to determine the source of the cash. She noted that in 2006 commissioners were deadlocked in  2.9 percent of substantive votes in Matters Under Review that were closed that year. In 2016, the commissioners deadlocked in 30 percent of all substantive votes taken in such matters. In 2006, she wrote, the Commission assessed more than $5.5 million in civil monetary penalties for Matters Under Review. In 2016, it imposed a total of $595,425 in civil monetary penalties for Matters Under Review.  In an opinion piece for The New York Times in February, she wrote, “What we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark.” Paul S. Ryan, a lawyer with Common Cause who filed the complaint against Trump Jr., acknowledged that the agency’s enforcement power is “very weak.”     “Our best hope ... is going to be Robert Mueller’s investigation,” he said.

Summary: अमेरिकी एजेंसी जो ट्रम्प जूनियर को चुनौती दे सकती है, पक्षपातपूर्ण राजनीति से रुकी हुई है


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former militants from  bandit units  in Syria are now a real threat after the defeat of Islamic State, as many of them may be now planning to return to Russia, the RIA news agency cited the head of Russia s FSB security service as saying on Tuesday. The FSB head, Alexander Bortnikov, also told a meeting of Russia s National Anti-Terrorism Committee the security service had uncovered an underground cell of extremists from Central Asia planning to carry out  terrorist acts  during the New Year and Russia s 2018 presidential campaign in the Moscow region.

Summary: पराजित आईएस लड़ाकों की वापसी रूस के लिए 'वास्तविक खतरा': आरआईए ने एफएसबी प्रमुख का हवाला दिया


BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gorran, a main opposition party to Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, called on Sunday for his resignation, and for a  national salvation government  to be formed to deal with crisis pitting the Kurds and the central Iraqi authorities. Gorran, or the Change Movement, blamed Barzani for the  disaster  facing the Kurds after the loss on Oct. 16 of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, captured by Iraqi forces in retaliation to a Kurdish independence referendum held last month despite warnings from Baghdad and neighboring Iran and Turkey.  The Kurdistan presidency must be dissolved and a national salvation government be formed to overcome the current situation,  said a statement published by the party leadership after meeting in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya. Gorran supports the right of Iraq s Kurds for self-determination but it opposed holding the referendum on Sept. 25, saying the timing was ill-chosen.

Summary: इराकी कुर्द विपक्षी दल गोरन ने बरजानी से पद छोड़ने का आह्वान किया


BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) - China on Tuesday sentenced Taiwanese rights activist Li Ming-che to five years in prison for subverting state power, prompting Taiwan s ruling political party to label the verdict  totally unacceptable . Li, a community college lecturer and an activist at a human rights non-governmental organisation in Taiwan, went missing while on a trip to China in March. Chinese authorities later charged him with subverting state power.  In the first hearing of Li s case in September, he confessed to subversion, according to videos of the hearing, though his wife refused to recognise the court s authority. Tuesday s verdict was handed down by the Yueyang City Intermediate People s Court in central Hunan province, according to a video of proceedings released by the court s social media account. A mainland Chinese rights activist, Peng Yuhua, tried alongside Li, was sentenced to seven years for the same crime.  Taiwan s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that it was  strongly dissatisfied and regretful  of the result, calling for Beijing to allow Li to return to Taiwan. Beijing must ensure the health and well-being of Li, respect the law and continue to allow his family to visit him, the DPP said in a statement. Li s wife, Li Ching-yu, who had travelled to the mainland from Taiwan to attend her husband s hearing, was in attendance when the verdict was read, according to the videos. Li Ching-yu said in a statement sent to Reuters by her supporters that her husband had long realised that his rights work came with a cost and that there were  tigers in the mountains .  He came to understand early on that he must accept the torment of being made to accept guilt and of being imprisoned,  she said. Peng had been the main actor in the subversion and Li had been an active participant, the court authorities said in the video. Both Li and Peng said that they accepted the ruling and would not appeal, according to the court s video. Ties between Beijing and Taipei have been strained since  Taiwan s President Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, took office last year. Tsai s refusal to state that Taiwan and China are part of one country has angered Beijing, as have her comments about human rights on the mainland.

Summary: चीन ने ताइवान के कार्यकर्ता को विध्वंस के लिए पांच साल की सजा सुनाई


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican candidate John Kasich said on Friday he does not think any Republican presidential contender will win enough state delegates to secure the nomination before the party’s convention in July. “As crazy as this year is, can you think of anything cooler than a convention where we’re going to learn about how America works?” Kasich said, referring to the complex rules that would come into play in a brokered convention. The decision about which candidate to nominate has to be made out in the open, Kasich said.  (Reporting by Emily Flitter and Megan Cassella; Editing by Doina Chiacu) This article was funded in part by SAP. It was independently created by the Reuters editorial staff. SAP had no editorial involvement in its creation or production.

Summary: रिपब्लिकन कासिचः राष्ट्रपति पद के चुनाव दलाली से होने वाले सम्मेलन की ओर ले जाएंगे


NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for three and a half hours on Saturday as part of the probe into her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, her campaign said. The interview at FBI headquarters in Washington followed a week of intense public focus on the investigation and on  Clinton’s viability as a presidential candidate, with four months to go to the election. Her campaign has tried for months to downplay the controversy as a distraction.   In an interview broadcast on MSNBC, Clinton said she was happy to do the FBI interview, which her spokesman earlier described as “voluntary.”  “I’ve been answering questions for over a year” regarding the private email server, Clinton said. It was not clear if the questioning of Clinton signaled an imminent conclusion to the investigation in a pivotal time for the presidential race. It does follow FBI interviews of several of Clinton’s former staff members, as well as her top aide Huma Abedin.  Clinton is expected to be formally nominated as the Democratic candidate for the Nov. 8 presidential election at the party’s convention in less than four weeks.  “Timing of FBI interview, between primaries and convention, probably good timing for @HillaryClinton,” tweeted David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama who served as the chief strategist for his two presidential campaigns. “Best to get it behind her.” Clinton is currently the front-runner for the White House with polls showing her leading presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. In a tweet on Saturday, Trump said it was “impossible for the FBI not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton. What she did was wrong!”   He also criticized Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, for meeting privately with Attorney General Loretta Lynch earlier this week, which Lynch later said she regretted, though she said they did not discuss the investigation.  “What Bill did was stupid!” Trump tweeted. The FBI is investigating whether anyone in Clinton’s operation broke the law as result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. One of the questions is whether they mishandled classified information on the server.   Clinton and her staff have struggled to respond to accusations that her use of the server in violation of State Department protocol means she is untrustworthy. Trump has said the investigation should disqualify her from being president. “@HillaryClinton campaign statement says She “voluntarily” met w @FBI for 3.5 hours this morning - yeah, lots of people volunteer 2 do that,” tweeted the Republican National Committee’s communications director, Sean Spicer. FBI Director James Comey said in testimony to Congress in March he felt pressure to complete the investigation quickly. Adding to the uncertainty over Clinton is the FBI’s refusal to say who is the target of its investigation. Republican lawmakers have called for an independent investigation, saying they do not trust the Justice Department to handle the inquiry with impartiality. Republicans, including Trump, intensified their criticism of the process on Thursday after news emerged of Lynch’s meeting with Bill Clinton.  Lynch said she would accept whatever recommendations the career prosecutors working on the case made about whether to prosecute Clinton. The FBI probe and the partisan fight over the server have added an extra layer of uncertainty to one of the most tumultuous presidential races in recent memory. Trump, a political novice once dismissed by the Republican establishment, will likely emerge this month as the party’s nominee and has set his sights on Clinton, who he has labeled “Crooked Hillary.”  Clinton held a nine-point lead over Trump in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday.

Summary: एफ. बी. आई. ने निजी सर्वर जांच में हिलेरी क्लिंटन का साक्षात्कार लिया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Donald Trump said on Tuesday his “unlimited” trove of personal wealth would help compensate for his poor presidential campaign fundraising, even as he took steps to court new donors to help win the White House. The New York real estate mogul raised only $3.1 million in individual contributions in May and ended the month with $1.3 million in cash, leaving him far behind his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton who brought in $26 million and closed the month’s books with a $42 million war chest. The figures underscore the huge cash advantage Clinton is hoping to enjoy leading into the Nov. 8 presidential election, one that could allow her a large staff and millions of dollars of television and digital ads in battleground states. Trump, who openly shunned donations while winning the party nomination, rebuffed criticism from Republicans who say he needs to raise cash for the general election fight against Clinton. His campaign might need in excess of $1 billion by some estimates but Trump said money was not a problem.      “If need be, there could be unlimited ‘cash on hand’ as I would put up my own money,” Trump said in a statement, which asserted he had already spent over $50 million dollars on his bid for the White House.  The billionaire candidate added that his campaign also costs less than a traditional one because it is “is leaner and more efficient, like our government should be.” Trump has said he is worth more than $10 billion, but much of his money is tied up in properties and businesses. Estimates from outside groups have put Trump’s wealth as low as $1 billion. Forbes magazine estimates it at $4.5 billion. According to Trump’s most recent personal financial disclosure with the Federal Election Commission, in May, he had between $65 mln and $175 million in liquid assets – money in funds, equities and cash. Despite Trump’s professed lack of concern for standard campaign fundraising, he took steps to boost donations. Several sources with knowledge of Trump’s fundraising activities said he will attend a dinner on Tuesday evening to court hedge fund managers and other Wall Street donors.  Woody Johnson, the billionaire investor and owner of the New York Jets football team, is also hosting a breakfast for Trump at a high-end restaurant in Manhattan on Wednesday morning. Targeting smaller donors, Trump on Tuesday also sent his first email asking for donations, telling supporters that he will match their contributions up to $2 million. Trump’s allies, donors, and other Republican operatives have expressed concerns about his campaign operation, which has been dogged by internal battles, a threadbare campaign infrastructure, and thin fundraising apparatus. “Without money you don’t have a campaign,” said Stan Hubbard, a Republican donor from Minnesota who owns a chain of radio stations and who has contributed to Trump.  “He’s got to call on people to give money and stop all this nonsense about funding his own campaign,” Hubbard said.  Trump this week fired his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who had been overseeing the campaign’s fundraising arm. Trump has spent much of the race so far breaking the mold of a traditional campaign, defeating a crowded field of primary opponents who vastly outspent him in ads and staff.     During the Republican primary race, he often told his supporters not to contribute money and ridiculed opponents for accepting cash from special interest groups and wealthy contributors.     He has so far showed little interest in calling donors to ask for money for his general election battle. He only began holding in-person fundraisers in late May. “Trump defeated the most talented GOP field in a generation with less staff, less experience and less money in much less time,” said Republican strategist Keith Appell.  “That said, Trump’s campaign needs to transition quickly to a national, general election effort online, on the air and on the ground – his populist, anti-Washington, new leadership message has been muddled by sideshow issues.” Trump has loaned his campaign $46 million since launching last year, federal filings show. He often uses his own plane to travel to campaign events, and also uses his hotels and other properties as venues - expenses he is required by law to reimburse from his campaign funds. The campaign has spent about $6.2 million with Trump businesses including TAG Air and his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. It has also reimbursed Trump about $390,000 for some payroll and other expenses.  The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, announced it raised $11 million in May, and had $19.9 million in cash at the beginning of June. The RNC will help Trump’s effort to get elected, but also helps fund congressional races.

Summary: ट्रम्प ने व्यक्तिगत संपत्ति का हवाला देते हुए अभियान के वित्तपोषण में देरी को टाला


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chuck Grassley and Merrick Garland go way back, but when the Republican Senate Judiciary Committee chairman and President Barack Obama’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee meet for a private breakfast on Tuesday, they will not exactly be sharing fond memories. Two decades ago, Grassley, an Iowa Republican, spearheaded a fight against Garland’s nomination to the influential U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Just like now, a Democratic president, in that case Bill Clinton, submitted Garland’s nomination to a Republican-controlled Senate. Garland, then a top Justice Department lawyer, was denied a Senate confirmation vote in 1995 and 1996 despite earning bipartisan praise. Finally, in 1997, after Clinton renominated Garland upon winning re-election in 1996, was he confirmed to a seat on the court that was a launching pad to the Supreme Court for Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas, as well as the late Antonin Scalia. Fast-forward to 2016: Another Democratic president has chosen Garland to replace Scalia only to have Grassley and a Republican Senate maneuver to block the nomination without so much as a Judiciary Committee hearing. “Nothin’ against him,” the 82-year-old Grassley, who describes himself as “just a farmer from Butler County,” told Reuters. Even so, Garland, 63, will sit down with Grassley on Tuesday and be told that once again, his nomination will be put on ice. In 1995 and 1996, Garland was entangled in “what ended up being a 12- or 15-year crusade,” Grassley said, to reduce the number of judges on the federal appeals court that Clinton chose him to join. Two decades later, Grassley again offered no criticism of Garland’s qualifications. Grassley, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has decided to ignore Garland’s nomination in the hope that a Republican will be elected president on Nov. 8 and, after taking office in January, would choose a conservative rather than the centrist Garland. “It’s not about him because we’re living by the principle ‘let the people have a voice,’” Grassley said, referring to the November presidential and congressional elections. Grassley, no stranger to controversy during 35 years in the Senate, has become the target of Democrats’ scorn in this Supreme Court drama. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said Grassley could go down as both inept and the “most obstructionist” Judiciary Committee chairman in history. Other voices have weighed in against Grassley and his fellow Republicans, with the Des Moines Register newspaper in his home state calling the Garland blockade “un-American.” Grassley, facing re-election in November, insists he will not buckle, and called the Register’s editorial “hyperbolic rhetoric.” In a Senate speech last week, he recounted showdowns dating back to the 1980s when he took on a popular president from his own party, Ronald Reagan, over budget matters. “I am no stranger to political pressure and to strong-arm tactics,” Grassley said. Grassley then turned his attention to Roberts, criticizing a speech the chief justice made shortly before Scalia’s death about the politicization of the confirmation process and warning Roberts, appointed by Republican George W. Bush, to keep his mouth shut in the Garland fight. “Now that’s a political temptation that the chief justice should resist,” Grassley said.

Summary: ग्रासले, गारलैंड ने 1990 के दशक की न्यायिक पुष्टि लड़ाई को दोहराया


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nearly half of American adults are “very concerned” about two issues that have hounded Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign this year: her use of a private email server to conduct government business and donations to her family’s charitable foundation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Wednesday.  Both issues stem from Clinton’s tenure between 2009 and 2013 as secretary of state, during President Barack Obama’s first term. During that time, she used an unauthorized private email server to conduct government business - something that the Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier this summer criticized as “extremely careless.”  The Clinton Foundation’s acceptance of donations from foreign governments and corporations while Clinton herself was secretary of state has drawn criticism about possible conflicts of interest. In August, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called on the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate whether Clinton granted any special favors in exchange for those donations. The Sept. 2-11 online poll found that 46 percent of American adults said they were “very concerned” about Clinton’s use of a personal email account, while 47 percent said the same about donations from foreign governments or corporations to the Clinton Foundation. The public appears to have mostly responded to these issues along party lines, with nearly twice as many Republicans expressing concern as Democrats. However, a considerable portion of Democrats appear to be just as rattled by the reports.    Among Democrats, 21 percent were very concerned about Clinton’s emails, and 22 percent were very concerned about the Clinton Foundation donations. Among Clinton supporters, 14 percent said they are very concerned about the emails, and the same proportion said they are concerned about donations. The issues, which have drawn wide attention by the media and by her opponents, may have eroded Clinton’s popularity, but it is not clear whether they have made a lasting impact on her level of support in the presidential race against Trump, where she holds a small lead.   Since the beginning of August, a growing portion of Americans have expressed a negative view of Clinton. Yet, when asked to pick between her and Trump for president, Americans have given a small, but consistent advantage to Clinton. According to the poll, among the respondents who said they were concerned about the emails, 52 percent said the main reason was because the emails might contain classified information that was vulnerable to hackers. Another 40 percent were mostly concerned that Clinton had violated State Department policies.  Among those who said they were concerned about donations to the Clinton Foundation, 48 percent said they were generally concerned about foreign money being contributed to organizations run by high-ranking politicians, while 38 percent said they were specifically concerned that donors had more access to Clinton while she was serving in the Obama administration. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English in all 50 states. It asked questions only to those respondents who were aware of the email and the Clinton Foundation issues. There were 2,745 respondents for the email questions, including 1,070 registered Democrats and 944 registered Republicans. There were  2,116 respondents for the Foundation questions, including 817 registered Democrats and 801 registered Republicans.  The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 2 percentage points for the entire sample, and 4 points for the Democrats and Republicans.

Summary: लगभग आधे अमेरिकी क्लिंटन के ईमेल के बारे में 'बहुत चिंतित' हैंः रॉयटर्स/इप्सोस पोल


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify before the House Judiciary Committee about issues facing the Justice Department on Nov. 14, the committee confirmed on Tuesday. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT), it said in a statement.  Reuters reported on Monday that the committee would hold a hearing with Sessions next week. It will offer Democrats their first opportunity to question him about his past statements regarding contacts between President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russian intermediaries. In a letter to Sessions on Tuesday, all 17 Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee told the attorney general they would question him about his past denials of communications between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Court filings made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russia’s role in the election, indicate that Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos made Sessions aware of his contacts with Russian representatives. “When you appear before our Committee, we intend to ask you about these inconsistencies. We are providing you with notice in advance because we expect you to respond,” ranking committee Democrat Rep. John Conyers and his colleagues wrote Sessions. Separately, although some congressional aides had expected Sessions to also appear in a closed session of the House Intelligence Committee on Nov. 14, a Justice Department spokesman said there are no plans for him to do so.

Summary: महान्यायवादी जेफ सेशंस 14 नवंबर को हाउस ज्यूडिशियरी पैनल का सामना करेंगे


WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain’s stunning vote to leave the European Union, buoyed by a frenzy of nationalism and populist anger, was a crushing rejection of the political elite. Republican Donald Trump hopes it is also a preview of November’s U.S. presidential election. The referendum result reverberated immediately in a U.S. presidential campaign dominated by Trump’s rapid rise to capture the nomination, fueled by a similar brew of anti-establishment and anti-globalization sentiment. The vote in Britain reinforced the notion that the insurgent campaign launched by the wealthy real estate developer had tapped into a global political movement that might be hard to stop. “This is a protest vote against globalization and there is one presidential candidate who won the nomination who has put globalization in his crosshairs - and that’s Donald Trump,” Republican strategist John Feehery said. Trump, who has spent much of his campaign warning of the dangers posed by immigrants who illegally enter from Mexico and proposing a temporary ban on U.S. entry for Muslims, has matched the global mood with his rhetoric. “There are swaths of the population around the world who are struggling economically in the current economy, and groping for targets of blame,” said Katherine Cramer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Trump and the Brexit vote offer up tangible targets, and it is not surprising that people grab onto them. The vote yesterday is a reminder that Trump could very well win the presidential election,” she said. A Brexit supporter, Trump was happy to note the parallels to his own campaign when he reopened his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, on Friday. Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton bemoaned the result. The referendum, which most British opinion polls had predicted was headed to defeat, was a wake-up call for Democrats who have been heartened by Clinton’s lead over Trump in opinion polls of late. “I woke up this morning a little dismayed,” said Democratic strategist Dane Strother. “The question is whether Trump is similarly underperforming in the polls here. If that under-polled anger was present in Britain, as a Democrat you have to hope it isn’t mirrored here.” Global stock markets wobbled immediately after the vote, which experts warned could trigger a global recession and weaken the U.S. economy. British Prime Minister David Cameron, who said after the vote he could step down by October, presents a cautionary lesson for Clinton as she prepares to face Trump. British voters ignored repeated warnings from Cameron about the dire consequences of a departure from the European Union. Clinton can take advantage of the unsettled global mood without indulging in predictions of doom or the over-the-top rhetoric that sometimes has set back Trump, Republican strategist Rich Galen said. “She can reflect some of the same sentiment that Trump and the Brexit forces tapped into but use it to her advantage,” Galen said. “She is not going to, and doesn’t want to, out-Trump Trump, but the idea is to say, ‘I understand these concerns.’” Clinton adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters after the vote that she has “a real confidence that Americans are generous, tolerant, big-hearted people” who believe that the country is stronger together. “They’re going to watch what impact (the Brexit vote) ends up having on the U.K. and on the British economy and come November, they are going to make their own decision about the kind of leadership that they’re looking for,” he said. Differences between the electorates in the United Kingdom and the United States are one reason the Brexit sentiment may not translate fully into success for Trump.  About 30 million votes were cast in the last British general election in 2015, with about 10 percent of those cast by minority voters. Polling in the UK ahead of the Brexit vote suggested broad support for staying in the EU among those voters. By contrast, according to the Pew Research Center, nonwhite voters constituted 26 percent of all voters in the 2012 U.S. general election — and by a huge margin they backed Democratic President Barack Obama. Pew projects that by November, nearly one in three voters will be a minority, and opinion polls show Trump struggling with those blocs. Just being more mature, experienced and sympathetic than Trump may not be enough for Clinton. “The argument is you need a responsible grownup, but a large part of the world doesn’t want a responsible grownup,” said Tom Rath, a New Hampshire-based Republican strategist. “I don’t think it’s enough to say I know all the stuff he doesn’t or he’s rash, because right now people aren’t filtering that through.”

Summary: क्या ब्रेक्सिट वोट अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति पद की दौड़ का पूर्वावलोकन हो सकता है?


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - While European powers France and Britain are lobbying Washington to cool tensions since North Korea s most powerful nuclear test a month ago, EU nations with embassies in Pyongyang are directly pressing the North Koreans.   A group of seven European Union countries - the Czech Republic, Sweden, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, as well as Britain and Germany - held at least two formal meetings with North Korean officials in Pyongyang in September, three EU diplomats said.  But they felt frustrated because the higher-level access that they had obtained in Pyongyang last year had fallen away, with only medium-ranking foreign ministry officials now attending the meetings, the diplomats said.  There was a sense that we weren t really getting anywhere because they sent these department heads,  said a Brussels-based diplomat who had been briefed on the meetings, which were described as  very serious  in atmosphere and tone.   They want to talk to the United States.  The White House has ruled out such talks, with President Donald Trump telling Secretary of State Rex Tillerson he would be  wasting his time  negotiating with the North Koreans. The United States has no embassy in Pyongyang and relies on Sweden, the so-called U.S. protecting power there, to do consular work, especially when Westerners get into trouble.  In contrast to recent meetings, when North Korean officials met EU envoys in the Czech Republic s embassy in 2016 to discuss issues including cultural programs and regional security, a deputy foreign minister would attend, one EU diplomat said.  For the small club of European Union governments with embassies in North Korea, that reflects Pyongyang s anger at the EU s gradually expanding sanctions that go beyond those agreed by the United Nations Security Council.  It could have repercussions for broader EU efforts to help mediate in the nuclear crisis, according to the EU diplomats briefed by their colleagues in Pyongyang, as the bloc prepares more measures against North Korea. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired talks on the historic 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, says the bloc is ready to mediate in any talks aimed at freezing North Korea s missile and nuclear weapons programs. But at the same time, the European Union wants an oil embargo on Pyongyang that it hopes other countries will follow.  Some EU governments are pushing to cancel North Korean work permits in Poland and other eastern European countries because EU officials believe workers  salaries are deposited in bank accounts controlled by the regime in Pyongyang.  The North Koreans are starting to see the EU as a U.S. puppet, but we stress that we are an honest broker,  said a second EU diplomat.  Links with the EU embassies go back years. Communist Czechoslovakia was a leading supplier of heavy machinery to North Korea. As a Soviet satellite, Czechoslovakia established diplomatic ties with North Korea in 1948, along with Poland and Romania.  The seven European embassies in Pyongyang are among only 24 foreign missions there, including Russia, China and Cuba. The EU s status as a potential broker relies, in part, on Sweden, which was the first Western European nation to establish diplomatic relations with the North in 1973. Sweden is a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which was set up to oversee the 1953 armistice between North and South Korea, undertake inspections, observe military exercises and promote trust between the two sides. Czechoslovakia was also a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission until the early 1990s.  Sweden played a key role in the release of Canadian pastor Hyeon Soo Lim and of U.S. student Otto Warmbier earlier this year. But Sweden has strongly backed the EU sanctions.  The seven European embassies are limited in what they can say because North Korean staff, required by the government to work at the EU embassies, are expected to double as informants for Pyongyang, the diplomats said.  Sanctions and pressure ... Sadly, we don t have anything else,  said an EU diplomat in Brussels. The joint meetings with the North Koreans, usually held at a single European mission, have been focused on the release of imprisoned Westerners, not big diplomatic initiatives. But as efforts intensify to calm U.S. and North Korean threats of war, they could still prove an important channel to pass messages between Pyongyang and Washington.  In the best case, we could perhaps facilitate an opening of a diplomatic track between the North Koreans and the United States,  said Carl Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister from 2006 to 2014. Bildt said anything the EU does must be kept secret.  If the EU does something along these lines, the first thing the EU should do is not to talk about it. Talking about it is a pretty good way to ensure that one can t do it,  he said. Mathieu Duchatel, a North Korea expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank that Bildt also now helps oversee, said the European Union could chair talks between China and the United States. Washington and Pyongyang have no hotlines to prevent crises from spinning out of control and it is not clear what Beijing s reaction would be if the United States intercepted a North Korean missile test, Duchatel said. For now, Paris is in contact with White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, diplomats said, noting French President Emmanuel Macron s budding relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.  Lieutenant General McMaster and Kelly, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, have a soft spot for France born of their admiration for the French military, the diplomats said. It is unclear if that translates into a direct impact on Trump s thinking on North Korea, European diplomats said.  They are trying to normalize Trump, but I don t think Trump can be normalized,  said a senior French diplomat.  To get him to listen, heads of state need to speak to him directly.  Macron, who has ruled out a military option, has said he believes he could convince Trump to avoid armed intervention. Macron s position is to keep repeating the mantra of patience and dialogue to Trump, diplomats said.

Summary: प्योंगयांग में यूरोपीय संघ का राजनयिक बैक चैनल ठंडा हो जाता है


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee announced his opposition on Wednesday to the 2017 defense authorization bill, underscoring the partisan divide over the $602 billion defense policy measure. Representative Adam Smith said changes in the bill this week by Republicans, who control the House, on issues including women’s registration for the draft, transfers from the Guantanamo detention center and protection for gay and transgender employees of military contractors, had led him to oppose it. “These have tipped the balance of the bill considerably,” Smith said in a statement. President Barack Obama had already threatened to veto the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, over a long list of issues, starting with its use of $18 billion of special war funds for day-to-day military programs to avoid automatic budget cuts. This week, the powerful House Rules Committee used a procedural move to remove, without a House vote, an amendment approved by the armed services committee that would have required women to register for the military draft. The Rules panel also decided not to allow debate on an amendment that would have stripped a “religious protection” measure from the bill that rights advocates fear would undo the president’s 2014 executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Smith said he also objected to Republicans’ adding further restrictions on transfers from the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and reduction in funds for nuclear nonproliferation and other provisions. Republicans control 246 seats in the 435-member House, which passed the bill by a vote of 277-147 late on Wednesday, largely along party lines, with most Republicans backing the bill and most Democrats opposed. However, the Senate will pass its own version of the bill later this year, which will be reconciled with the House bill to create a final version of the legislation. Once passed by the Senate and House, that NDAA would be sent to the White House for Obama to sign into law, or veto.

Summary: ग्वांतानामो, रक्षा विधेयक में अधिकारों के मुद्दे कांग्रेस को विभाजित करते हैं


MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Thursday authorities were hunting for those behind what it called a campaign of  telephone terrorism  that has prompted tens of thousands of people to be evacuated from buildings across the country in the last few days. Authorities evacuated people from dozens of buildings in Moscow on Wednesday after a flurry of anonymous phone calls falsely asserting the locations had been mined. The calls, which have affected more than 20 towns and cities, are reported to have begun on Monday.  This is telephone terrorism,  Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters.   The president (Vladimir Putin) was informed as soon as this wave of mischievous calls started. We are taking the necessary measures to identify those responsible.

Summary: रूस बम अफवाह फैलाने वालों का शिकार कर रहा है, कहता है कि 'टेलीफोन आतंकवाद' द्वारा निशाना बनाया गया हैः क्रेमलिन


WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal appeals court judges on Friday asked about President Donald Trump’s sharing of anti-Muslim videos on his Twitter account, as they grilled a U.S. government lawyer about the legality of the president’s latest travel ban. Judge Pamela Harris asked government lawyer Hashim Mooppan about Trump’s Nov. 29 online sharing of three anti-Muslim videos posted on Twitter by a far-right British party leader. Lawyers say that and earlier statements by Trump prove the policy is aimed at blocking the entry of Muslims, rather than the president’s stated goal of preserving national security. “Even with deference, construing them in the light most favorable to the president, it’s a little tricky to find the national security rationale in those” Twitter posts, Harris said at the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing in Richmond, Virginia, monitored by Reuters over audio feed. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the ban to take effect while litigation over its ultimate validity unfolds. Certain categories of people from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen are barred from entering the United States, as well as people from North Korea and some government officials from Venezuela. The Republican president has said the ban is needed to protect the United States from terrorism. However, Judge James A. Wynn Jr. said Trump “tweets the very thing” that his opponents claim is behind the ban. “What do we do with that?” On Wednesday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing over the ban, in a separate case brought by the state of Hawaii. A lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union argued against the ban on behalf of several refugee groups, civil rights groups and individual American Muslims who say they are harmed by the ban. Mooppan argued on behalf of the government that the latest travel ban should be considered on its own merits, and separately from statements Trump has made on social media or elsewhere that could be construed to be anti-Muslim. He noted that the latest iteration of the ban came after a review by government agencies. “I need you to explain to me how a review process by subordinate executive branch officials is an independent act that can cure the taint from presidential statements,” Harris, an Obama appointee, said to Mooppan. Judge Barbara Milano Keenan, also an Obama appointee, asked why nationality was more relevant than other factors such as gender in considering the potential for terrorist acts. “Could he ban the entry of all men until evidence showed further that men are not the ordinary and customary perpetrators of terrorist activity?” Keenan asked. “If 99 percent of terrorist acts are committed by men, aren’t we really protecting this country if we just keep out the men?” Mooppan pointed to previous bans on the entry of Iranians by Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Cubans by Republican President Ronald Reagan as examples of presidents who barred people based on nationality. ACLU attorney Cecillia Wang faced tough questioning from Judge Paul Niemeyer, who asked when it would be justified for courts to question the national security determinations of the president. “All foreign policy is a black box and it should be,” said Niemeyer, a George H.W. Bush appointee.  Trump issued his first travel ban in January. The order, which targeted several Muslim-majority countries, caused chaos at airports and was blocked by courts. He revised it in March, and that ban expired in September after a long court fight. It was replaced with the current version. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to ultimately decide the issue in the coming months.

Summary: यात्रा प्रतिबंध का बचाव करने वाले अमेरिकी वकील से ट्रम्प के ट्वीट्स पर अदालत में पूछताछ की गई