MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali government forces have regained control of a town on the border with Kenya after al Shabaab militants stormed an army base there on Monday, causing heavy clashes in which at least 17 people died, the military said.  Islamist insurgents attacked the base at Balad Hawo early in the morning with a car suicide bombing before entering the compound, both sides said.  We were awoken by a suicide car bomb this morning and then fierce battle followed,  Major Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters from the town.  We chased al Shabaab out of the town,  he said. Al Shabaab spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab said the group s fighters left the town after releasing 35 prisoners from the local jail. At least 30 soldiers were killed, he said. According to the military official, at least 10 soldiers and seven al Shabaab militants were killed, though the death toll on both sides could still rise. Formed in 2006, Al Shabaab wants to topple the Western-backed government and impose its strict interpretation of Islam. Somalia has been at war since 1991 when clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other. Al Shabaab carry out frequent attacks on security and government targets, but also on civilians. They also target African Union peacekeeping troops.  Residents confirmed fighting had ended and that the militants had left the town.   Now Balad Hawo is calm and government forces fully control it,  Ahmed Hassan, a resident of the town told Reuters. Hassan said he saw 13 bodies collected from the military base.

Summary: सोमाली सेना ने हमले के बाद अल-शबाब को खदेड़ा, कम से कम 17 मारे गए


OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broke some conflict of interest rules when he accepted a vacation last year on the Aga Khan s private island, the ethics watchdog said on Wednesday, the first time a prime minister has been found to have committed such a transgression. While the finding could tarnish Trudeau s popularity half-way into his mandate, he does not face any penalties. Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson said Trudeau contravened a rule on gifts when he accepted the use of the island in March and December 2016, while there were ongoing official dealings with the Aga Khan and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada was registered to lobby Trudeau s office.  The vacations accepted by Mr. Trudeau or his family could reasonably be seen to have been given to influence Mr. Trudeau in his capacity as Prime Minister,  Dawson said. While Trudeau says the Aga Khan is a family friend, Dawson found the exception for gifts from friends did not apply. Trudeau said he accepted her report and would clear future vacations with the watchdog.  I take full responsibility for it. We need to make sure that the office of the prime minister is without reproach,  Trudeau said.  Trudeau and his family vacationed on the island during the holidays in late December 2016 into January this year. Members of his family visited in March 2016. Trudeau has come under fire from the opposition, who have said the luxury Bahamas vacation was inappropriate and showed the Liberal government is out of touch with average Canadians. The opposition has also accused Finance Minister Bill Morneau of being in a conflict of interest for not putting his assets in a blind trust. He has since said he will do so and has divested his stock in his family business.  Trudeau says he has known the Aga Khan, Prince Shah Karim Al Husseini, since childhood. The Aga Khan, the title held by the leader of the Ismaili branch of Shi ite Islam, was a pallbearer at the funeral of Justin s father, former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Trudeau also contravened the rules when he and his family traveled in the Aga Khan s private helicopter last December and when his family traveled on a non-commercial aircraft chartered by the Aga Khan in March 2016, Dawson said. However, she found no evidence Trudeau discussed any parliamentary business with the Aga Khan or his representatives, or participated in any related debates or votes.

Summary: कनाडा के ट्रूडो ने आगा खान द्वीप की यात्रा के साथ नैतिकता के नियमों को तोड़ा


DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar s foreign minister said on Wednesday that his country was willing to negotiate an end to a Gulf diplomatic rift but had seen no sign that Saudi Arabia and other countries imposing sanctions on Doha were open to mediation. Kuwait and the United States are trying to heal a bitter dispute between Qatar and four Arab countries that has damaged business ties and disrupted travel for thousands of citizens in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Emirates severed political and trade ties with the small gas-rich country on June 4, accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges. A visit this week to the UAE and Qatar by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov showed no signs of having eased tensions among the Gulf Arab powers.  Qatar maintains its position that this crisis can only be achieved through a constructive dialogue ... but the blockading counties are not responding to any efforts being conducted by Kuwait or other friendly countries,  Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told reporters in Doha on Wednesday at a news conference with his Russian counterpart.  The UAE s ambassador to the United States, Yousef al-Otaiba, in an interview with U.S.-based magazine the Atlantic on Monday, said his country would negotiate with Qatar so long as Doha did not set any preconditions for talks. Sheikh Mohammed said on Wednesday Qatar planned to bolster trade with Russia, one of the world s biggest gas exporters, and that Qatar could no longer rely on neighboring states to support its economy or guarantee food security. Lavrov said if face-to-face negotiations started, Russia would be ready to contribute to the mediation and that it was in Russia s interest  for the GCC to be united and strong .

Summary: कतर ने कहा कि अरब देश बहिष्कार पर बातचीत करने के इच्छुक नहीं हैं


HANOI (Reuters) - A court in Vietnam sentenced to death a former chairman of state -run PetroVietnam on Friday after finding him guilty in a mass  trial of 51 officials and bankers accused of graft and mismanagement that led to losses of $69 million. The death sentence for ex-PetroVietnam chairman Nguyen Xuan Son was the first time in years it had been given to such a senior former official and comes amid an intensifying corruption crackdown and maneuvering within the ruling Communist Party. Son maintained his innocence and would appeal against the verdict from the People s Court of Hanoi, his lawyer, Le Minh Tam, told Reuters. The death penalty had been recommended by the state prosecution.  Vietnam is among the world s biggest executioners, according to Amnesty International. In recent years it has replaced firing squads with lethal injections. Son was on trial as both the former chairman of PetroVietnam and the former chief executive of Ocean Group s banking unit, Ocean Bank, which was taken over by the central bank in 2015 after being unable to pay its debts. The court in Hanoi also sentenced Ha Van Tham, founder of Ocean Group and once one of Vietnam s most high profile tycoons, to life imprisonment. He was found guilty of embezzlement, violations of bank lending regulations and abuse of power. Dozens of other banking and energy officials were also jailed.  These harsh sentences are mainly for public effect,  said Carl Thayer, a Vietnam expert at the Australian Defense Force Academy. But they would have little effect without improving governance in the one-party state, he said. The ruling Communist Party has taken a tougher stance on corruption since Vietnam s security establishment emerged stronger from a power struggle last year in which ex-Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung lost out. Some critics have accused Vietnam s rulers of a witch-hunt following the launch of investigations implicating increasingly senior figures. Son was arrested in 2015, under the previous administration. On Friday, he was found guilty of embezzlement, intentional breaches of state rules over economic management leading to serious consequences and abuse of position and power. The head of a unit of state-run shipping firm Vinashin was sentenced to death over losses in February, but he was much less senior than Son. Investigations into PetroVietnam have seen a Politburo member who was a former PetroVietnam chairman, a vice trade minister sacked from their positions and a former deputy central bank governor prosecuted. The PetroVietnam investigations also grabbed global attention when Germany accused Vietnam of kidnapping former executive Trinh Xuan Thanh in Berlin last month to face trial over a separate case. Thanh had been cleared under Dung s government, official documents reviewed by Reuters showed. Dung lost out last year in the battle to secure the post of Communist Party General Secretary, Vietnam s most powerful position. The post remained in the hands of Nguyen Phu Trong, who has a more modest public profile. The court finished hearing the case against Son on Monday, when he pleaded for the court not to give  an unjust verdict  and said he could not believe he was being prosecuted for embezzlement and had become  like a soulless person.  Tham admitted the charge of lending violations at Ocean Bank, but denied graft allegations. Neither he nor Son were given a chance to speak after the verdict on Friday. Amnesty International said in April that Vietnam had executed more people than any country except China and Iran over the period from August 2013 to June 2016 after official figures showing 429 executions were published in local media.

Summary: वियतनाम की अदालत ने सामूहिक मुकदमे में पेट्रो-वियतनाम के पूर्व अध्यक्ष को मौत की सजा सुनाई


BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing s city authorities have taken down from their website a policy document put up just a few days ago that looked to help improve the city s notorious air quality by banning construction during winter months. It is unclear if the move means the prohibition is no longer in place, with an official at the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development who gave his name as Yu saying the document had been pulled from the website due to misunderstandings over the rules in media reports. He declined to give further details. The statement, dated Sept. 15, was posted on the commission s website last Friday, but it was no longer available on Wednesday. It was not clear when it was withdrawn. Under the plan, all construction of road and water projects, as well as demolition of housing, would be banned from Nov. 15 to March 15 within the city s six major districts and surrounding suburbs. As part of dust control measures, the government often instructs construction sites in northern cities to close during bouts of heavy smog in the winter when households crank up heating, drawing on the power grid which is mainly fueled by coal. Provincial authorities are rushing to enforce the central government s ambitious targets for preventing toxic air during the upcoming colder months as it has ramped up its years-long war on smog. The possible pulling of the construction rules underscores the complexity of implementing some of the steps. Among the most stringent measures are orders for heavy industry such as steel mills to curb output by as much as 50 percent during the colder months. Recent checks of factories across the north have forced many to close or curb operations, roiling supplies of some critical raw materials like coke and coal and sending prices of base metals soaring.

Summary: बीजिंग सरकार ने वेबसाइट से शीतकालीन निर्माण प्रतिबंध हटा लिया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, has tapped a new legal team to represent him as government lawyers examine possible Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, his spokesman Jason Maloni said. Law firm WilmerHale had been speaking on Manafort’s behalf to investigators, but that relationship has ended, Maloni said. “As of today, WilmerHale no longer represents Mr. Manafort,” Maloni said in a statement. “Mr. Manafort is in the process of retaining his former counsel, Miller & Chevalier, to represent him in the office of special counsel investigation,” read the statement. Miller & Chevalier’s Richard Hibey has previously represented Manafort. His other clients have included CIA officer Clair George, who was convicted in 1992 of making false statements to Congress about the Reagan administration’s secret arms sales to Iran. Earlier this week, sources confirmed that FBI agents had raided Manafort’s Virginia home and seized documents and other material as part of the probe.

Summary: पॉल मैनफोर्ट, ट्रम्प के पूर्व अभियान प्रमुख, कानूनी टीम को हटा देते हैं


SURENDRANAGAR, India (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Indians voted in the first stage of assembly elections in the western state of Gujarat on Saturday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces his toughest electoral test since coming to power with a landslide victory in 2014. Modi has himself led the campaign to ensure that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retains power in his home state, as a combined opposition mounted the biggest challenge ahead of the general election in 2019.   Three big polls carried out in the run-up to the vote on Saturday and next week have predicted a victory for BJP but with a greatly reduced majority. Voters started turning up early in the morning and some had to wait for about 15 minutes due to a malfunction in the electronic voting machine. In the first few hours, more than 15 percent of voters in Surendranagar district cast their ballot, according to state government officials. An ABP-CDS poll this week gave the BJP 91-99 seats in the 182-member state house and the main opposition Congress 78-86, suggesting a close fight. To win, a party needs 92 seats.   The surveys have often gone wrong, though, and Modi himself remains far more popular across the country than his rivals, including Rahul Gandhi who is leading the Congress charge to weaken Modi in his home base.   Votes from the election will be counted on Dec. 18 and the results announced the same day.   In the first stage of state assembly elections on Saturday, 977 candidates are trying their luck in 89 constituencies spread across 19 districts of Gujarat, according to the Election Commission. More than 21 million people will vote during the first stage of the election on Saturday. Modi has thrown himself into the campaign, addressing dozens of rallies over the past month, saying he alone could deliver on development. Gujarati businesses, which form the core of Modi s support base, have complained that the Goods and Services Tax introduced this year and late last year s shock move to abolish 500 and 1,000 rupee bank notes, accounting for 86 percent of cash in circulation, aggravated already tough economic conditions. Hindu-majority Gujarat is one of India s richest and fastest growing states but also one of its most communally divided. About 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed after a wave of riots rocked Gujarat in 2002, when Modi was chief minister. A Supreme Court investigation found no case against Modi, who denied any wrongdoing.

Summary: चुनाव के पहले चरण में भारतीयों ने मोदी के लिए तेजाब परीक्षण के रूप में मतदान किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Estimates of the size of a Hurricane Harvey aid package for Texas and Louisiana rose on Thursday, with one proposal being drafted for $150 billion, while the White House promised to make a request for funding soon to Congress. The Trump administration will make a request to the U.S. Congress shortly for funds to help recovery efforts from Harvey, which caused devastating flooding, White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said. He told reporters that an aid funding request will likely come in stages as more is known about the storm’s impact. Trump has prepared a request to Congress for an initial $5.9 billion in aid, an administration official said.  U.S. taxpayers are likely to face a bill for Harvey near the $110.2 billion for 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Estimates on the amount of the Harvey aid varied widely. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Houston, was crafting legislation for $150 billion in emergency funding through nearly two-dozen government agencies and departments.  Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Wednesday the state could need more than $125 billion. Figures of $50 billion to $80 billion were cited by Republican Representatives Pete Sessions of Texas and Leonard Lance of New Jersey on Fox Business Network. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund had only $3.3 billion when the storm struck. A Republican leadership source said Congress was expected to consider and vote on an initial allocation of Harvey aid in the first half of September. The urgency of aiding areas hit by Harvey may also complicate a broader fiscal policy showdown that is coming in late September. When Harvey plowed into the Texas coast this week, Congress and President Donald Trump were already struggling to deal with the debt ceiling, which is a cap on how much money the federal government can borrow, and the need to approve a temporary federal budget bill by Oct. 1 to prevent a government shutdown. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told broadcaster CNBC on Thursday that the impact of Hurricane Harvey spending could bring forward the deadline by which the nation’s debt ceiling needs to be raised by “a couple of days.” He repeated that the limit needs to be raised by Sept. 29 Financial markets have been anxious about the possibility of the debt ceiling not being raised, which could cause a U.S. credit default and send economic shockwaves worldwide. A Trump administration official and a prominent House of Representatives conservative both said on Thursday that hurricane aid funding should not be tied to the debt limit. Bossert said the administration wants a “clean” disaster relief supplemental measure, free of unrelated measures, including any effort to raise the federal debt ceiling.  Representative Mark Meadows, the Republican chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told the Washington Post that attaching Harvey aid to a debt-ceiling increase would be a “terrible idea ... conflating two very different issues.” Meadows told the Post, “We’re going to fund Harvey relief without a doubt, but I think it just sends the wrong message when you start attaching it to the debt ceiling.” That left open the possibility that the aid package could be linked to a broad, short-term budget measure that must pass by Oct. 1 to prevent a government shutdown. The prospect of that linkage was seen as making a government shutdown less likely because of the urgency of getting aid to hurricane-hit areas, and that has been reassuring to financial markets. Asked if there was still a chance of a shutdown, House tax committee Chairman Kevin Brady told Fox News Channel on Thursday, “We are going to keep this government open, we are going to pay our debts on time.”

Summary: व्हाइट हाउस ने हार्वे सहायता अनुमानों के बढ़ने पर त्वरित कार्रवाई का वादा किया


MOSCOW (Reuters) - There is no firm date yet for the much-discussed Syria peace congress, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. No one wants  to artificially accelerate  holding of the congress, Peskov told reporters on a conference call.

Summary: क्रेमलिन ने कहा कि सीरिया शांति कांग्रेस के लिए कोई निश्चित तारीख नहीं है


LONDON (Reuters) - Britain lifted its national security threat level to critical from severe on Friday, meaning an attack is expected, after a bomb on a London commuter train injured 29 people.  Prime Minister Theresa May said in a televised statement that armed police and members of the military would be seen on the streets in the coming days.  For this period, military personnel will replace police officers on guard duties at certain protected sites that are not accessible to the public,  she said.

Summary: ब्रिटेन ने सुरक्षा खतरे का स्तर गंभीर स्तर तक बढ़ाया, पीएम मे ने कहा


SEATTLE (Reuters) - Hawaii has become the first U.S. state to enact legislation to bring its environmental standards in line with the Paris climate accord, officials said on Wednesday, less than a week after President Donald Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the global agreement.  Hawaii Governor David Ige signed a bill on Tuesday requiring state officials to plan a response to climate change that aligns the state with the standards and goals of the Paris pact, according to Scott Glenn, an environmental adviser to the governor. “People come to Hawaii to enjoy its environment,” Glenn said. “When climate change is threatening our reefs and threatening our weather ... then it’s threatening our economy, too.” Although Hawaii already has strong environmental rules, the new law is the first to directly refer to the standards of the Paris agreement, said Glen Andersen, who tracks energy and climate issues at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Along with setting climate change as a priority for the state, the bill creates a state commission dedicated to studying climate change and putting out detailed plans for responding both to sea-level rise and climate change as a whole, with the stipulation that the plans align with the Paris agreement. Trump said on Thursday that the landmark 2015 climate agreement threatened millions of jobs and productivity, and that he would start a multi-year process to withdraw from the deal, which has been signed by almost every other nation on Earth. The governors of Washington, California and New York on the same day announced the creation of a “climate alliance” of states that would remain committed to the Paris goals. Ige joined the alliance on Friday. An overwhelming majority of scientists say human activity - including the burning of oil, gas and coal - is the main driver of rising global temperatures. Scientists at the University of Hawaii said in April that sea-level rise driven by global warming will cause flooding of low-lying areas in the state dozens of times per year by 2050, and increase the risk of dangerous interactions between tropical storms and seasonal high tides.

Summary: हवाई ने पेरिस जलवायु समझौते के लक्ष्यों के लिए प्रतिबद्ध कानून बनाया


SAN JOSE, Calif. (Reuters) - Facebook Inc has begun overhauling how it handles political ads on its platform and may put some changes in place before U.S. elections next year, Facebook’s chief technology officer said on Wednesday.  U.S. congressional and state elections set for November 2018 present a deadline of sorts for Facebook and other social media companies to get better at halting the kind of election meddling that the United States accuses Russia of. “We are working on all of this stuff actively now, so there is a big focus in the company to improve all of this on a regular basis,” Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer said in an interview.  “You’re going to see a regular cadence of updates and changes,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of a conference that Facebook is hosting about virtual reality technology.  Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said last month that the company would begin treating political ads differently from other ads, including by making it possible for anyone to see political ads, no matter whom they target. U.S. lawmakers had begun calling for regulations.  Disclosures by Facebook, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google that their products were battlegrounds for Russian election meddling last year have turned into a crisis for Silicon Valley. Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, is in Washington this week meeting U.S. lawmakers.  Moscow has denied allegations of meddling in last year’s U.S. presidential election.  Implementing changes is tricky, Schroepfer said, because Facebook does not want to stifle legitimate speech and because of the volume of material on Facebook, the world’s largest social network with 2 billion users and 5 million advertisers.  “We’re investing very heavily in technical solutions, because we’re operating at an unprecedented scale,” he said.  Facebook is also using humans. The company said this month it would hire 1,000 more people to review ads and ensure they meet its terms. Schroepfer, 42, has been Facebook’s CTO since 2013 and previously was director of engineering. He also sits on Facebook’s board of directors.  Facebook has dealt with problematic user-generated content in the past, he said.  “We don’t want misuse of the platform, whether that’s a foreign government trying to intercede in a democracy - that’s obviously not OK - or whether it’s an individual spewing hate or uploading pornography,” he said.

Summary: फेसबुक ने 2018 के अमेरिकी चुनाव से पहले विज्ञापन में बदलाव पर जोर दियाः कार्यकारी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are accelerating efforts to craft a sweeping tax reform bill for 2017 and looking at ways to smooth the transition to a new tax system for some businesses, the House Republican tax chief said on Wednesday. Republicans on the House tax committee met in a special recess session to work on a reform bill based on an election campaign blueprint that would cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent and end taxation of foreign profits for U.S. multinational corporations. Representative Kevin Brady, Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means panel that is expected to unveil legislation early next year, said his committee is consulting with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team and Republicans in the Senate.     “We’re meeting here to take the broad outlines of our blueprint, begin filling in the specific provisions (and) identifying a path forward,” Brady told reporters after Wednesday’s session.     The panel, which oversees tax policy in the House, will hold a second session on Thursday to discuss provisions of the U.S. healthcare law popularly known as Obamacare, which Republicans have promised to repeal. The meetings were initially scheduled for January but were moved forward to be ready for Trump’s arrival in the White House. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Brady and House Speaker Paul Ryan see tax reform as a way to promote economic growth and create jobs. One of the most dramatic changes under consideration is a border adjustability provision that would exempt U.S. exports from corporate income tax but would tax imports. Advocates say the reform parallels Trump’s call for import tariffs and could help the president-elect foster manufacturing jobs for blue-collar Americans, who are among his most ardent supporters. Border adjustability has strong support among exporters. But it has also raised concerns within industries that rely heavily on imports, including retailing and oil refining. Brady said on Wednesday that his committee is sensitive to the way tax reform could affect different businesses. “We’re looking at a number of transition rules that in effect accelerate the growth aspects of all of our tax reform proposals but also acknowledge (that) these are major changes,” the Texas Republican said.  “We’re proposing bold changes. We know that. All of them affect different businesses differently. So we’re listening very closely to how we can make sure we smooth that out.”

Summary: हाउस रिपब्लिकन ने कर सुधार विधेयक पर प्रयासों में तेजी लाई


BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders will promise during talks in Brussels   sufficient and targeted funding  for migration projects in Africa and elsewhere, according to a draft statement that shows they have yet to put their money where their mouth is.  The EU has spent billions of euros in recent years on keeping a lid on immigration from the Middle East and Africa after a 2015 peak in arrivals overwhelmed the bloc and fueled support for populist, right-wing and anti-immigration groups.     In 2016, the EU promised Turkey at least 3 billion euros over two years for the Syrian refugees it hosts in exchange for Ankara cutting off the migratory route to Greece. It has so far contracted to pay nearly 1.7 billion of that and disbursed 900 million.  The bloc has been giving money to Greece and Italy, the main EU countries of arrival for refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean, spending on tightening external borders, as well as financing more deportations from Europe and providing training and equipment to the Libyan border and coast guard. Italy has led EU s efforts on the lawless Libya, where the bloc is also funding U.N. programs to send people back home further south in Africa - so that they do not try to cross to Europe - and improve the miserable conditions in camps where migrants are often stuck. The bloc decided to sponsor many other projects in Africa, including in Niger, to promote growth and slow emigration. But EU governments have been slow to chip in to the so-called Africa Trust Fund, with one senior EU diplomat saying on Wednesday the shortfall is in the  high tens of millions  of euros.       If the situation is not fixed quickly, we might find ourselves in a position that we cannot carry out our policies,  the diplomat said.  Some EU states have been hesitant to pay, saying not all projects proposed under the Africa scheme were clearly tied to keeping a lid on migration to Europe, or complaining about funds going to waste because of mismanagement or corruption.   You need to know what that money will be spent on and that has not been entirely clear so far. You need to know who will benefit from this money,  another senior EU diplomat said.  An EU official summed up the atmosphere around the table by saying:  There is no trust in the Africa Trust Fund.   Asked what does the EU - which will hold a high-profile summit with African partners in Abidjan on Nov.28-29 - need to solve this headache, the person added:  A big pot of money.  Beyond discussing financing to keep immigration to the bloc under control, EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday will praise Italy for its efforts in Libya The EU has faced heavy criticism from rights groups that the bloc is turning into a fortress, deprives refugees and migrants of their rights and exposes them to even more suffering. Brussels says investing in Africa could help prevent migrants from seeking to trek north and risk their lives in deadly crossings through the Sahara and the Mediterranean. After more than a million people crossed the sea in 2015, the number stood at 363,000 in 2016 and is below 160,000 so far this year, according to data from the United Nations and EU border agency Frontex. Frontex said on Wednesday the 156,000 arrivals this year via all four main routes - leading to Greece, Italy, Spain and south-east EU states - mark a two-third fall from a year ago. With emotions surrounding migration having subsided somewhat from the 2015 peak, EU leaders will also touch on how to handle those asylum-seekers who make it onto European shores, an issue that has divided them for two years now.  Frontline southern states and wealthy countries that receive most asylum seekers have sought to require other countries to take more in; eastern EU members have refused. Estonia, currently the bloc s rotating chairman, will make anther proposal at squaring the circle days after the summit.   The positions have not changed much but there is a slight shift maybe for a broad agreement,  another senior EU diplomat said.  Sources said the proposal to reform the bloc s asylum rules will still include some version of an obligatory or automated relocation scheme for times of high arrivals. That has long been opposed by Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, and may be too watered down to win backing from Greece or Italy.

Summary: यूरोपीय संघ प्रवास को संभालने के लिए 'बड़े धन' की तलाश कर रहा है


LONDON (Reuters) - Flames engulfed one carriage and raced along a train on a west London route to Parsons Green, forcing passengers to trample others as they rushed for an exit, an eyewitness told Reuters. The man said people were trampled on when they fled the train after hearing a whoosh and seeing flames race towards them. He said he did not hear a bang after police rushed to an incident at the station at Parsons Green.  I just heard a kind of whoosh. I looked up and saw the whole carriage engulfed in flames making its way towards me,  he told Reuters, adding that the train was packed with people.

Summary: पश्चिमी लंदन स्टेशन पर ट्रेन में लगी आगः प्रत्यक्षदर्शी


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industry groups have told President Donald Trump’s administration that they want two main things from his promised regulatory overhaul: a speedier permit process and simpler environmental rules. Associations representing the drilling, refining, mining, and building industries have submitted hundreds of pages of documents to the Commerce Department and Environmental Protection Agency in recent weeks, outlining regulations they want to see eliminated or modified. The comments, many targeting the EPA, come in response to a pair of executive orders Trump signed during his first weeks in office, meant to cut the regulatory burden on companies. Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress have already moved to rescind a slew of Obama-era environmental protections, including some aimed at combating global climate change. The EPA’s regulatory reform office alone has received remarks from more than 65,000 people and groups, many of them criticizing the regulatory rollback plan as a potential threat to public health. But business groups have embraced the plan, calling it the best chance in more than a decade to reshape the regulatory landscape and boost growth, without undermining air and water quality. “Last time I remember this was 2001. That was the last big opportunity to make some changes,” said David Friedman, vice president of regulatory affairs for the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers industry group.  That year, then Vice President Dick Cheney chaired an energy task force that produced a National Energy Policy report, a road map to boosting domestic systems and supplies. Much has changed since: U.S. oil and gas production hit all-time highs during the administration of former President Barack Obama, helped by high crude prices and improved drilling technology. This time around, industry groups appear focused on easing the permitting process for new facilities and installations, according to a Reuters review of the comments. A common refrain, for example, is for Trump’s administration to reject a planned tightening of ozone rules under the U.S. Clean Air Act’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Several groups said this would expose them to increased permitting hurdles for operations and new facilities. Several groups mentioned other permitting requirements under the Clean Air Act that they say are redundant. These include the New Source Performance Standards, the Maximum Achievable Control Technology rules and the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants.  “We have one proposal to replace eight different regulations with one that achieves the same environmental benefit but substantially reduces the cost of compliance,” said Rosario Palmieri, vice president for regulatory policy at the National Association of Manufacturers.  The American Petroleum Institute representing oil and gas companies and the Edison Electric Institute, representing electric utilities, are seeking changes in the way companies must account for greenhouse gas emissions. Comments from members of the public and environmental groups revealed worries that this process would undermine environmental protections. The EPA’s comment period ended on May 15. Jeff Baker, a military veteran and energy investor from Alabama wrote: “I implore you, as defenders of our nation’s health and security, to avoid shortsighted steps that might create prosperity for a few in the short term, at the expense of the many in the long term.” Trump’s administration requested the comments from industry as part of two similar and concurrent processes, stemming from his executive orders.  The first order, issued on Jan. 24, directed Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to review which U.S. regulations were burdens for domestic manufacturing. The Commerce Department solicited feedback from industry as a result of that order, with a March 31 deadline. Ross told Reuters in an interview last week that the department was condensing the comments into a series of recommendations that could be presented to Trump as early as this month. [nL1N1IB240] The second order was issued Feb. 24, directing all U.S. agency heads to launch a process to identify regulatory burdens. Each agency has its own timetable. The EPA, which is taking the brunt of the feedback, started its public comment period on April 11 and closed it this week.

Summary: अमेरिकी उद्योग ने ट्रम्प विनियमन रीसेट में तेजी से अनुमति, सरल नियम मांगे


(In Dec. 21 item, corrects spelling of Jonathon Sherman s first name) By Anna Mehler Paperny and Matt Scuffham TORONTO (Reuters) - Tearful family members paid tribute to Canadian pharmaceutical billionaires and philanthropists Barry and Honey Sherman before thousands of people on Thursday, less than a week after news of the couple s mysterious deaths shocked the nation. The Shermans were found hanging by belts around their necks from a railing beside a pool in the basement of their Toronto mansion, a friend of the family told Reuters.  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the memorial service in Toronto, as did hundreds of Apotex Inc employees wearing blue, the official color of Barry Sherman s company.  The Sherman s son Jonathon began an emotional eulogy by saying the family was frustrated with the way Toronto police have handled the case, referencing Canadian media reports that said investigators were working on the theory that Barry Sherman, 75, had killed his 70-year-old wife and then himself.  We ve had to navigate through a terrifying maze of non-information and unfounded speculation,  Jonathon Sherman said.  I kept expecting my parents to walk through the front door and say,  Everything will be fine. We ve taken control of the situation.  Police have confirmed that the Shermans died of ligature strangulation and that there were no signs of forced entry to the couple s home.  Homicide detectives are leading the investigation, but the deaths have not been declared a homicide. Police have not detained any suspects and have not said if they are looking for any. Family, friends, colleagues and political leaders remembered Barry Sherman as a brilliant man. They described the graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an accomplished executive who worked around the clock to build Apotex into one of the world s biggest generic drugmakers.  Several speakers mentioned his penchant for chiding people over grammatical mistakes.   He pretty well thought he was smarter than anyone else,  said Jack Kaye, an Apotex executive who worked alongside Sherman for decades.  And he wasn t wrong about that.  Honey Sherman was described as vivacious and dedicated, a philanthropist who worked hard to keep her extended family close.   She was my best friend and my other half,  said her sister Mary Schechtman.  We completed each other s sentences and never went anywhere without each other.

Summary: कनाडा ने रहस्यमय मौतों के बाद अरबपति जोड़े को श्रद्धांजलि दी


BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran s foreign ministry denied on Wednesday U.S. accusations that the Islamic Republic is playing a destabilizing role in the region, state media reported. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said on Tuesday that Iran is carrying out  destabilizing actions  by supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon, supplying missiles to Houthi forces in Yemen and sending weapons and militia fighters to Syria.   Repeating the groundless accusations and lies will not help solve the large and strategic mistakes America has made in recent decades against Iran and the region,  foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi was quoted as saying by state media.  While there s time remaining, Mr. Tillerson should become more familiar with the realities and history of the region and American policies, and its effects which has led to serious instability and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent women, children and people.   Tillerson also said during a visit to Brussels on Tuesday that Iran must comply with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal under which the Islamic Republic agreed to curbs on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of a number of sanctions.  U.S. president Donald Trump dealt a blow to the pact in October by refusing to certify that Tehran was complying with the accord even though international inspectors said it was.

Summary: ईरान ने क्षेत्र को अस्थिर करने के अमेरिकी आरोप का खंडन किया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - FBI Director James Comey was tight-lipped when asked about investigations into any Russian meddling in the U.S. election on Thursday during a closed-door meeting in Congress, the leading Democrat on the House intelligence committee said. “At this point we know less than a fraction of what the FBI knows,” U.S. Representative Adam Schiff told reporters after Comey briefed the Republican-led committee. On Wednesday, Schiff said the committee would investigate allegations of collusion between Republican Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia as part of its probe into allegations of Russian meddling in the election. But he said the FBI had yet to give the panel a full intelligence briefing and they will call Comey back. “There were very large areas that were walled off, and those walls are going to have to come down if we are going to do our job,” Schiff said. The FBI did not immediately return a request for comment on Schiff’s remarks. Committee members questioned Comey for more than three hours about the scope of the FBI investigations and any individuals who may be the subject of any counterterrorism investigation, Schiff said. “The director declined to answer those questions. It was unclear whether that was a decision he was making on his own or a decision that he is making in consultation with the Department of Justice,” Schiff said. U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that Russia tried to help Trump win the White House in November by discrediting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her party through cyber attacks.  Appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by Democratic former President Barack Obama in 2013, Comey became the center of controversy during the presidential campaign over his handling of an inquiry into Clinton’s use of a private computer server for government business while she was secretary of state from 2009-13. The White House has dismissed the controversy over ties to Russia as a scam perpetrated by sore losing Democrats. Moscow has denied the claims. Many Democrats said Comey’s decision to disclose that the FBI was examining a new trove of Clinton emails 11 days before the Nov. 8 vote helped hand Trump a victory. Comey has stayed on as FBI director under Trump. Trump fired his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, after it emerged that Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence over contacts Flynn had with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office on Jan. 20. The Republican chairman of the committee, Representative Devin Nunes, told reporters there was still no evidence about any other contacts between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

Summary: एफ. बी. आई. ने रूस की जांच की जानकारी रोकी, डेमोक्रेट ने कहा


RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - On Election Day in 2014, Joetta Teal went to work at a polling station in Lumberton, North Carolina. Like all poll workers, she was required to stay until voting booths closed, so she decided to cast her own vote there. That was a mistake, she later discovered. What she didn’t know was that under a 2013 state law she had to vote in the precinct where she lived. The polling station where she voted was not in her precinct, so her vote was not counted.     A Reuters review of Republican-backed changes to North Carolina’s voting rules indicates as many as 29,000 votes might not be counted in this year’s Nov. 8 presidential election if a federal appeals court upholds the 2013 law. Besides banning voters from voting outside their assigned precinct on Election Day, the law also prevents them from registering the same day they vote during the early voting period.  The U.S. Justice Department says the law was designed to disproportionately affect minority groups, who are more likely to vote out of precinct and use same-day registration. Backers of the law deny this and say it will prevent voter fraud. The battleground state has a recent history of close races that have hinged on just a few thousand votes. Barack Obama, a Democrat, won North Carolina by just 14,177 votes in 2008. In 2012, Mitt Romney, a Republican, narrowly carried the state by a margin of just 2.04 percent.     Reuters reviewed state election board data showing the number of North Carolinians who made use of out-of-precinct voting and same-day registration in previous elections, including March’s state nominating contest, or primary, when voters nominated their preferred presidential candidate.      The Reuters analysis includes some assumptions. For 29,000 votes to go uncounted on Nov. 8, North Carolinians would need to vote in the same numbers and in the same ways they have in previous elections, including the March primary.   In that primary, after a court temporarily ordered a stay on  the bans, 6,387 North Carolinians voted out of their assigned precinct and 22,501 registered the same day they voted.      The North Carolina Board of Elections did not respond to requests for comment on Reuters’ findings.      North Carolina Senator Bob Rucho, a Republican who backed the law, declined to comment specifically on the findings but disputed the notion that the law suppressed votes, saying the increased turnout between the 2010 and 2014 elections shows it has not had a disparate impact on minority voters. “How can it show voter suppression when more black voters voted and more white voters voted, and there was more opportunity, and there are more black voters registered than there were before?”      Turnout between those elections did rise by 1.8 percentage points for black voters and by 1.1 percentage points for white voters, according to data the state election board entered as evidence in court.   Advocacy group Democracy North Carolina, however, said their poll monitors saw many people attempting to vote out of precinct in 2014 who were told by officials their ballots would not count, and as a result cast no vote. And it says 23,500 voters would have used same-day registration to vote in 2014 if it had not been banned, basing its findings on a review of election board data, hundreds of hotline calls, and the observations of more than 300 poll monitors.   North Carolina Board of Elections executive director Kim Strach said her office looked into claims of voters being turned away “but generally did not find statewide evidence of it.”     The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considering legal challenges to the law from the Justice Department and civil rights groups and citizens, is expected to issue a ruling in the next few weeks. North Carolina’s Senate passed its new voting laws weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5 to 4 in June 2013 to eliminate a requirement that nine states mostly in the South with a history of discrimination, including North Carolina, receive federal approval before changing election laws. Had that requirement been in place, “it may have blocked the provisions now at issue,” said Kristen Clarke, president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a non-profit legal defense fund. The Justice Department alleged a “race-based purpose” to the new law in a legal brief. Studies the department cited show that minority and low-income voters are more likely to use same-day registration and out-of-precinct voting because they are less likely to own a car or have flexible working hours. These voters are also more likely to vote for Democratic candidates.  “If you pick out precisely the way minority voters are engaging with the process, that’s intentionally treating minority voters differently,” Justin Levitt, who oversees the Justice Department’s voting unit, said in an interview.      North Carolina state officials say the changes cut fraud by making it harder for people to cast multiple ballots or impersonate other voters.  The Justice Department said in court documents that voter fraud was “virtually non-existent” in the state. Rucho, the state senator, said while the law banned some voting methods and cut the early voting period from 17 to 10 days, it extended the hours during which voters could vote.     “We opened up more locations for them to vote, more times to vote, more flexible times,” said Rucho. FOUR-PERSON TEAM    Teal, who is African American, was one of 14 North Carolina voters Reuters contacted whose votes were invalid in 2014 because of the law.     Ten of them, including Teal, did not realize their votes were not counted until informed by Reuters. One was told his vote would not count by a voter advocacy group, and the other three were told by poll workers that their ballots likely would not count. In all, 1,390 ballots were rejected in the 2014 election because they were cast out of the voter’s assigned precinct — up from 49 rejected for the same reason in 2010, according to the Reuters review of provisional ballots.     “If they could have just sent people letters and told them exactly where to go, that would have been helpful,” Teal said. The North Carolina Board of Elections website has a tool for residents to look up their assigned precincts, but Teal did not know about it. This year she plans to vote early. In other developed democracies, “the government takes a greater responsibility for ensuring that voter registration lists are kept up to date and accurate,” said Tova Wang, senior fellow at the policy research group Demos.     The election board has been trying to educate North Carolinians about the ban on out-of-precinct voting through ads and a four-person voter outreach team that travels around the state to raise awareness about the changes, said Strach, the board’s director.      “We’re telling people, go find out where you are, make sure you’re showing up at the right precinct,” Strach said. (Related stories:  INSIGHT-Native Americans move to frontlines in battle over voting rights INSIGHT-Thousands of voters in limbo after Kansas demands proof they’re American INSIGHT-Use it or lose it: Occasional Ohio voters may be shut out in November)

Summary: उत्तरी कैरोलिना के मतदान कानूनों में बदलाव से 2016 के हजारों मतपत्रों को खतरा हो सकता है।


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John McCain, who bucked Republican leadership to help quash a healthcare measure in an overnight vote, said on Friday it was time for Republicans and Democrats to work together for a fresh start on healthcare reform. “Our inability to address the pressing health care needs of the American people with meaningful and lasting reform is inexcusable,” he said in a statement. “The vote last night presents the Senate with an opportunity to start fresh.”  “It is now time to return to regular order with input from all of our members – Republicans and Democrats – and bring a bill to the floor of the Senate for amendment and debate.”

Summary: मैक्केन ने कहा कि रिपब्लिकन, डेमोक्रेट के लिए स्वास्थ्य सेवा पर 'नए सिरे से शुरुआत' करने का समय आ गया है


(Reuters) - Democratic U.S. Representative John Conyers has no immediate plans to resign after several women accused him of sexual misconduct, his lawyer told the Detroit News on Wednesday. “He’s not going to be forced out of office, and no one has told him he has to leave,” said attorney Arnold Reed, according to the newspaper. “He has not indicated he’s going to resign at this point,” Reed said of the 88-year-old congressman from Michigan.

Summary: कांग्रेसी कॉनयर्स इस्तीफा देने की योजना नहीं बना रहे हैंः वकील ने डेट्रॉइट न्यूज को बताया


SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has punished 8,123 people for committing fiscal violations after an audit of how the government s 2016 central budget was spent revealed multiple problems, the Xinhua state news agency reported. Hu Zejun, head of the National Audit Office, announced the infringements while briefing lawmakers on Saturday, Xinhua said. A broad anti-graft campaign in China, aimed at rooting out deep-seated corruption in the ruling Communist Party, including the misuse or embezzlement of government funds, has ensnared more than 1.3 million officials. Hu said that of the offenders, 970 were punished for misusing funds earmarked for a poverty relief campaign intended to lift everyone in rural areas out of poverty by 2020. Another 1,363 were punished for irregularities in the use of funds meant to provide affordable housing, she said.  She said 800 people in state-owned enterprises and 73 people in eight major banks were found to have committed violations, along with 505 people who were punished for malpractice involving medical insurance funds. Hu also said about 48 billion yuan ($7.30 billion) of the funds earmarked for affordable housing projects had been left unused for more than year, she said, while another 1.37 billion yuan of misused funds were recovered.  The unused affordable housing funds had since been put to use, she said. Hu gave no details of what punishment the violators faced.

Summary: चीन ने सरकारी धन के दुरुपयोग के लिए 8,000 से अधिक लोगों को दंडित कियाः सिन्हुआ


CARACAS (Reuters) - Former Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona has voiced fervent support for Venezuela s socialist President Nicolas Maduro and signed up to work for Caracas-based Telesur TV during next year s World Cup in Russia. Maradona, a World Cup winner in 1986 and longtime backer of leftist causes around the world, stated his loyalty to Maduro during a visit this week to Venezuela. Other sports and entertainment personalities this year have berated Maduro, who has faced down months of opposition protests and a chorus of international censure for alleged rights abuses.   I am here to give my support to Nicolas ... long live Maduro!  the 57-year-old Maradona said after a kickaround with the Venezuelan president late on Tuesday.  A beaming Maduro, 54, gave Maradona a photo of his predecessor Hugo Chavez with the former player, as well as a Venezuelan national team shirt.  Putting on this shirt means a lot for our  Commander  (Chavez), for Nicolas who has resisted so much battering by the opposition,  Maradona said, kissing the picture and hugging Maduro. Maradona s support for Maduro comes after Venezuelan opposition supporters took to the streets this year in protests that led to at least 125 deaths and brought fierce criticism from personalities including the manager of the national soccer team. Maduro says he is facing a United States-led global right-wing conspiracy against him. Maradona on Monday signed up to work as a pundit for regional Telesur broadcaster, which is funded by Venezuela and other leftist governments in Latin America, during the World Cup in Russia in 2018. The popular Maradona, who delights in courting controversy with strong opinions on politics and soccer and has often crossed swords with soccer s global ruling body FIFA, also worked for Telesur during the Brazil World Cup in 2014.

Summary: माराडोना ने वेनेजुएला के मादुरो का समर्थन किया, विश्व कप कवरेज के लिए हस्ताक्षर किए


The following statements were posted to the verified Twitter accounts of U.S. President Donald Trump, @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS.  The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy.  @realDonaldTrump : - Wow, the Failing @nytimes said about @foxandfriends “....the most powerful T.V. show in America.” [0648 EDT] - Come on Republican Senators, you can do it on Healthcare. After 7 years, this is your chance to shine! Don’t let the American people down! [0724 EDT] - “One of the things that has been lost in the politics of this situation is that the Russians collected and spread negative information..... [0935 EDT] - ...about then candidate Trump.” Catherine Herridge @FoxNews. So why doesn’t Fake News report this? Witch Hunt! Purposely phony reporting. [0945 EDT] -- Source link: (bit.ly/2jBh4LU) (bit.ly/2jpEXYR)

Summary: फैक्टबॉक्सः ट्विटर पर ट्रम्प (27 जुलाई)-न्यूयॉर्क टाइम्स, रिपब्लिकन सीनेटर, हेल्थकेयर


MARSEILLE, France (Reuters) - A French judge has ordered a prominent Russian businessman and lawmaker Suleiman Kerimov pay a 40 million euro ($47.25 million) bail for his release pending a tax fraud and money laundering investigation, a judicial source said on Wednesday. Kerimov was arrested on Nov. 20 in Nice on the French Riviera, prompting the Kremlin to intervene and say it would  do everything in our power to protect his lawful interests . Kerimov appeared before a judge for the bail hearing on Tuesday, the source said.  Russia s state-run Rossiya 24 TV station reported after his arrest that Kerimov had denied any guilt. Another Russian lawmaker, Rizvan Kurbanov, last month described Kerimov s arrest as an  unprecedented demarche by the French . Originally from the mainly Muslim Russian region of Dagestan, Kerimov built his lucrative natural resources business through a combination of debt, an appetite for risk, and political connections. He owned top flight soccer club Anzhi Makhachkala until he sold it in 2016. Kerimov s fortune peaked at $17.5 billion in 2008 before slumping to just $3 billion in 2009, according to Forbes magazine. The investigation centers on the purchase of several luxury residences on the French Riviera via shell companies, something that could have enabled Kerimov to reduce taxes owed to the French state, a source close to the investigation told Reuters after Kerimov s arrest. ($1 = 0.8465 euros)

Summary: फ्रांसीसी अदालत ने रूसी सांसद के लिए 40 मिलियन यूरो की जमानत की मांग की


HAVANA (Reuters) - From the Bay of Pigs invasion to a historic visit by President Barack Obama to Havana, Cubans have known for generations that whenever the United States turns its face to Cuba, Fidel Castro would be staring right back. But the death of “El Comandante” has added to worries among  Cubans that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will slam the door shut on nascent trade and travel ties, undoing two years of detente with the United States under Obama. Many Cubans believe they could do with their late leader’s charisma and way with words to counter Trump’s bombast. “With ‘El Comandante’ gone, I am a little fearful of what could happen because of Trump’s way of thinking and acting,” said Yaneisi Lara, a 36-year-old Havana street vendor and flower seller. “He could set back and block everything that’s been going on, all the things Obama has done. And he did a lot, managing to get the U.S. closer to Cuba,” she said, admitting she would consider moving to the United States herself. Trump has struck a very different tone from Obama, who reached an agreement two years ago with Castro’s younger brother, President Raul Castro, to end half a century of hostilities. Late in his election campaign, Trump sought to reassure  Cuban-American voters in Florida that he was firm in his opposition to the Castros, and pledged that, if elected, he would close down the newly re-opened U.S. embassy in Havana. Earlier on, in the primary contests to pick the Republican presidential nominee, Trump said he thought restoring diplomatic ties with Cuba was fine, but that Obama ought to have cut a better deal. Now that Trump has won the presidency, it is hard to know exactly what his approach to Cuba will be. “None of that has been decided,” Trump’s senior adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “The president-elect will make those decisions once he takes office.” However, Reince Priebus, who will be Trump’s chief of staff when he takes office on Jan. 20, said Trump would call for more political freedoms from the Cuban government, and that if he did not get this he would roll back Obama’s opening. “There isn’t going to be a one-way relationship from the United States to Cuba without some action from the Castro administration,” Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday.” After the death of the 90-year-old Fidel Castro on Friday, Obama called him a “singular figure,” while Trump described him as a “brutal dictator.” Castro began his career as a revolutionary by toppling a U.S.-backed government, repelled a CIA-backed counter-revolutionary invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961, and faced off against President John F. Kennedy in the Cuban missile crisis a year later. During 49 years in office, he crossed swords with 10 U.S. presidents. And while he took a lower profile after officially retiring in 2008, Castro never stopped warning Cubans that the American government was not to be trusted. Although moving closer to the United States, Raul Castro has not given up much ground to the Obama administration in terms of liberalizing Cuba’s one-party political system. Obama did not succeed in convincing Congress to lift the United States’ tough economic embargo on Cuba, but he personally opposed the sanctions and used executive actions to allow more contact and commerce.  The first U.S. commercial flight to Havana in about half a century is due to arrive on Monday. Trump could easily review such measures. He has included Mauricio Claver-Carone, a leading advocate for maintaining a tough economic embargo, in his transition team. Without giving any specifics, Trump said on Saturday that his administration would “do all it can” once he takes office to help increase freedom and prosperity for Cuban people after the death of Castro. “Trump is the polar opposite of Obama,” said burly Havana taxi driver Pablo Fernandez Martinez, 39, as he hustled for work.  Life in Cuba remains hard for its educated but underemployed people, but engagement with the United States has brought in more dollars. Martinez fears that could dry up in Trump’s administration.      “There will probably be less tourist traffic. That will affect everyone in Cuba, and hit the economy,” said Martinez, who earns $100-$120 a week driving for foreigners. Pedro Machado, 68, is a retired engineer in marine research who now rents out rooms in his airy apartment near Havana’s “Malecon” seafront. Watching television with his wife, Machado worried that Trump’s angry rhetoric could spell trouble. “Trump’s policies are very aggressive. We’ll have to see what he actually does. But it certainly looks like bad news for Latin America and for Cuba in particular,” he said. “My generation benefited from Fidel’s revolution, in terms of education, the poor were helped. Not everything was a bed of roses, but Fidel helped us,” he added “The United States has acted as an empire, and that’s what Trump represents. Given what he has said, the future is not looking great.”

Summary: कास्त्रो के बगल में ट्रम्प से मिलने के बाद क्यूबा के लोग अपनी ज़िंदगी को लेकर परेशान हैं


(Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval on Wednesday to a sweeping, debt-financed tax bill in a midday vote. It now will go to President Donald Trump to sign into law, although the timing of that was unclear. The Senate approved the bill early on Wednesday. Here are the key parts of the bill, representing the biggest overhaul of the U.S. tax code in more than 30 years. CORPORATE TAX RATE: Cuts corporate income tax rate permanently to 21 percent from 35 percent, as of Jan. 1, 2018. PASS-THROUGHS: Creates a 20 percent deduction for the first $315,000 of qualified business income for joint filers of pass-through businesses such as partnerships and sole proprietorships. For income above that threshold, the legislation phases in limits, producing an effective marginal tax rate of no more than 29.6 percent.   CORPORATE ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX: Repeals the 20 percent corporate alternative minimum tax, set up to ensure profitable corporations pay at least some tax. TERRITORIAL SYSTEM: Exempts U.S. corporations from U.S. taxes on most future foreign profits, ending the present worldwide system of taxing profits of all U.S.-based corporations, no matter where they are earned. This would align the U.S. tax code with most other industrialized nations, undercut many offshore tax-dodging strategies and deliver to multinationals a goal they have pursued for years.  REPATRIATION: Sets a one-time mandatory tax of 8 percent on illiquid assets and 15.5 percent on cash and cash equivalents for about $2.6 trillion in U.S. business profits now held overseas. This foreign cash pile was created by a rule making foreign profits tax-deferred if they are not brought into the United States, or repatriated. That rule would be rendered obsolete by the territorial system. ANTI-BASE EROSION MEASURES: Prevents companies from shifting profits out of the United States to lower-tax jurisdictions abroad. Sets an alternative minimum tax on payments between U.S. corporations and foreign affiliates, and limits on shifting corporate income through transfers of intangible property, including patents. In combination, these measures with the repatriation and territorial system provisions, represent a dramatic overhaul of the U.S. tax system for multinationals. CAPITAL EXPENSING: Allows businesses to immediately write off, or expense, the full value of investments in new plant and equipment for five years, then gradually eliminates this 100 percent expensing over five years beginning in year six. Also makes changes to permit for more expensing by small businesses. INTEREST DEDUCTION LIMIT: Caps business deductions for debt interest payments at 30 percent of taxable income, regardless of deductions for depreciation, amortization or depletion.  CLEAN ENERGY: Preserves tax credits for producing electricity from wind, biomass, geothermal, solar, municipal waste and hydropower. CARRIED INTEREST: Leaves in place “carried interest” loophole for private equity fund managers and some hedge fund managers, despite pledges by Republicans including President Donald Trump to close it. These financiers can now claim a lower capital gains tax rate on much of their income from investments held more than a year. A new rule would extend that holding period to three years, putting the loophole out of reach for some fund managers but preserving its availability for many. BRACKETS: Maintains current seven tax brackets, but temporarily changes most income levels and rates for each one. For married couples filing jointly, effective Jan. 1, 2018 and ending in 2026, income tax would be: 10 percent up to $19,050, versus 10 percent up to $18,650 under existing law; 12 percent on $19,051 to $77,400, versus 15 percent on$18,651 to $75,900; 22 percent on $77,401 to $165,000, versus 25 percent on $75,901 to $153,100; 24 percent on $165,001 to $315,000, versus 28 percent on $153,101 to $233,350; 32 percent on $315,001 to $400,000, versus 33 percent on $233,351 to $416,700; 35 percent on $400,001 to $600,000, versus 35 percent on $416,701 to $470,700 37 percent above $600,000, versus 39.6 percent above$470,700. For single individuals, effective Jan. 1, 2018 and ending in 2026, income tax would be: 10 percent up to $9,525, versus 10 percent up to $9,325 under existing law; 12 percent from $9,526 to $38,700, versus 15 percent on $9,326 to $37,950; 22 percent on $38,701 to $82,500, versus 25 percent on $37,951 to $91,900; 24 percent on $82,501 to $157,500, versus 28 percent on $91,901 to $191,650; 32 percent on $157,501 to $200,000, versus 33 percent on $191,651 to $416,700; 35 percent on $200,001 to $500,000, versus 35 percent on $416,701 to $418,400; 37 percent above $500,000, versus 39.6 percent above $418,400. These brackets would expire after 2025. STANDARD DEDUCTION: In a change expected to end itemizing of deductions for millions of Americans, the bill for eight years beginning on Jan. 1, 2018, would increase the standard deduction - a fixed amount that can be subtracted from adjusted gross income to lower taxable income - to $12,000 from $6,350 for individuals, and to $24,000 from $12,700 for married couples. CHILD TAX CREDIT: Doubles the child tax credit to $2,000 per dependent child under age 17, with a refundable portion of $1,400. The refundable portion allows families to lower their tax bills to zero and receive a refund for the remaining value. PERSONAL EXEMPTION: Temporarily eliminates the $4,050 individual personal exemption. Under present law, taxpayers who earn below certain income caps can subtract this fixed dollar amount from their adjusted gross incomes to lower their taxable incomes. Generally, one exemption has been allowed per individual, spouse and child or other dependent. This would take effect Jan. 1, 2018, but then the personal exemption would return in 2026.  INDIVIDUAL ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX: Leaves the AMT in place but temporarily changes it by raising its exemptions and phase-outs. That will mean fewer people will have to pay the tax, while those who still do will take a smaller hit from it. INHERITANCES: Raises the exemption for estate and gift taxes to $10 million from $5 million per person and indexes the new exemption level for inflation after 2011. That means even fewer Americans would pay the estate tax, but it would stay on the books. MORTGAGES: For residences bought from Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2025, the bill caps the deduction for mortgage interest at $750,000 in home loan value. After Dec. 31, 2025, the cap would revert to $1 million in loan value. Suspends the deduction for interest on home equity loans from Jan. 1, 2018 until 2026. MEDICAL EXPENSES: Temporarily expands the deductibility of out-of-pocket medical expenses through 2019. OBAMACARE MANDATE: Repeals federal fine imposed on Americans under Obamacare for not obtaining health insurance coverage, a change expected to undermine the 2010 healthcare law. ANWR DRILLING: Allows oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Summary: अंतिम रिपब्लिकन कर विधेयक में क्या है


MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is preparing to hold large-scale military exercises it says will be of a purely defensive nature, amid concerns in neighboring nations that the drills may be used as a precursor for an invasion. A total of around 12,700 servicemen will take part in the war games, code named Zapad 2017, which will be held on Sept. 14-20 in western Russia, Belarus and Russia s exclave of Kaliningrad. These will include around 5,500 Russian troops. Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the U.S. Army s top general in Europe, told Reuters last month that U.S. allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine were worried the exercises could be a  Trojan horse  aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus. This week Russia s Defence Ministry rejected what it said were false allegations it might use the drills as a springboard to launch invasions of Poland, Lithuania or Ukraine. The following graphic shows the breakdown of the troops and military hardware, including warships and aircraft, to be used in the exercises, according to data provided by Russia s Defence Ministry. It also shows the locations of the drills. For a graphic on Russia's Zapad war games, click: here

Summary: रूस बड़े युद्ध खेलों के लिए तैयार, पड़ोसी बेचैनी से देख रहे हैं


GENEVA (Reuters) - The U.N. Human Rights Council agreed on Thursday to send experts to work with Burundi s government in pursuing perpetrators of  deplorable crimes  but the European Union and United States criticized the resolution. They said the last-minute move presented by African nations failed to take into account the conclusions of an existing probe which accused senior Burundian officials of atrocities that may amount to crimes against humanity. That commission said there are reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity have been committed since April 2015 when President Pierre Nkurunziza said he would seek a third term in office. The opposition said he was acting unconstitutionally. A government crackdown on protests followed and the ensuing upheaval triggered a food crisis and the exodus of over 400,000 refugees. The African text, supported by Bujumbura s delegation, was adopted by a vote of 23 states in favor, 14 against, with nine abstentions at the 47-member Geneva forum.  The text in no way reflects the scale or severity of the situation in Burundi,  Latvia s ambassador Janis Karklins said on behalf of the EU.  It doesn t take into account the conclusions of the investigation team and no follow-up is provided to them.  The last-minute maneuver by the African Group, led by Tunisia,  presents a dangerous precedent for the Council , he said.  It was unclear if an EU resolution on Burundi, which would extend the mandate of the existing U.N. inquiry, could survive in some form after the African resolution.  The Council is expected to decide on the EU resolution before its three-week session ends on Friday. The United States voiced deep disappointment at what it called the African resolution s failure to address the grave human rights situation in Burundi.  Due to severe restrictions on space for civil society and independent media, the Commission of Inquiry serves as a critical and credible source of information and must be able to continue its work,  U.S. diplomat Jason Mack said.  We remind this Council that after conducting more than 500 interviews the commission found reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity have been committed in Burundi and the government of Burundi continues to engage in extrajudicial killing, torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances and sexual violence,  he said. The Human Rights Council  should not support any mechanism short of a commission of inquiry or this Council further risks diminishing its credibility as the primary mechanism for protecting and promoting human rights , Mack added. Burundi s ambassador Renovat Tabu declined to comment after the vote, but earlier told the Council that the EU had  a hidden agenda  against his country.  The (Burundi) government has already achieved substantial progress in improving the human rights situation as well as building the rule of law, and in the fight against impunity and is determined to continue its efforts to move forward,  he said.

Summary: संयुक्त राष्ट्र बुरुंडी के लिए विशेषज्ञों की नई टीम से सहमत है लेकिन यूरोपीय संघ और अमेरिका ने इस कदम की निंदा की


LONDON (Reuters) - British transport minister Chris Grayling said on Sunday he didn t think Britain would leave the European Union without a negotiated deal with the bloc. Negotiations are deadlocked between Prime Minister Theresa May s government and the EU on securing a divorce settlement and agreement on future relations, raising the prospect that Britain could walk away from talks without a deal.  I don t think we ll get to that position,  Grayling, a leading campaigner for  Leave  at least year s referendum, told the BBC when asked what the consequences of leaving without a deal would be. Grayling also said he thought there was no danger of Brexit stopping airlines being able to fly into and out of the country. He said he believed Britain would end up remaining a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency, which oversees safety legislation.  I m of the view that at the end of the negotiations I would expect that to be the case,  he said when asked whether Britain would remain a member of the organization.

Summary: परिवहन मंत्री को नहीं लगता कि ब्रिटेन बिना किसी समझौते के यूरोपीय संघ छोड़ देगा


HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam s crackdown on high level corruption has led to the arrest of dozens of officials from state oil firm PetroVietnam and the banking sector. As well as shedding light on graft, mismanagement and nepotism within state firms at a time privatization is accelerating, the arrests show the ascendancy of a more conservative faction within the ruling Communist Party. How many people are involved? At least 51 have been arrested across PetroVietnam and the banking sector. Some have been tried and sentenced already. The most senior figure arrested is former PetroVietnam Chairman Dinh La Thang. He is the first former politburo member to face prosecution in decades. Neither he nor his lawyer was available for comment. Germany has accused Vietnam of kidnapping one PetroVietnam suspect, Trinh Xuan Thanh. More than 100 other officials are also under threat of prosecution or have been demoted or fired. What is PetroVietnam? PetroVietnam is a tangled enterprise of 15 direct units, 18 subsidiaries and 46 affiliates in which it owns smaller stakes. Hundreds of millions of dollars in losses have been racked up at units ranging from banks to construction firms and power plants to textile mills. The scandals at PetroVietnam are connected to the banking sector through a deal in which the oil firm lost $35 million in an investment in Ocean Bank. The lender s former chief executive - a previous PetroVietnam chairman - was sentenced to death. What does the crackdown mean politically? It shows a concerted effort to rein in large-scale corruption through which some officials had secured massive personal wealth and tarnished the ruling party s image. But it has also allowed the current Communist Party leadership to strengthen its hand under General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong after winning out in a power struggle with former prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung last year. Whether or not the arrests go even higher, Trong s supremacy is assured through a term that lasts until 2021 and the faction is better placed to maintain its dominance even beyond. What divides the different groups in the ruling party? Although the party presents a public image of unity, there are diverse views on everything from the pace and openness of reforms to Vietnam s delicate diplomatic balancing between China, the United States and other powers. What best characterizes the current leadership is conservatism in preserving the party s absolute authority in close alignment with the security establishment. It marks a change of style from the leadership under Dung and his allies, some of whom emerged as personalities in their own right and showed signs of readiness for greater political openness. Alongside the corruption arrests, Vietnam has also arrested more bloggers, activists and other critics this year than in any other since a 2011 crackdown on youth activists. How popular is the corruption crackdown? Few tears are shed in Vietnam over the arrests of former officials, but there is also scepticism over the real motives. The day-to-day corruption of low-level officials and police is still a factor of Vietnamese life. What impact has this had on PetroVietnam? PetroVietnam s net profit margin in 2016 was its lowest in at least seven years at just over 7 percent from over 15 percent in 2009. The company told Reuters the oil price was the biggest factor, but it has also said failed projects, wrongdoing by officials and the investigations themselves had an impact.  PetroVietnam s shares are not listed on a stock exchange, but some of its units have underperformed its Thai peer PTT since 2009. What does this mean for reform and privatization? Although the crackdown points to the political strengthening of the party, the leadership has shown less sign of delaying economic reform than the previous administration. Facing pressure because of its budget deficit, the government has accelerated plans to sell major stakes in the most attractive assets - brewery Sabeco and Vinamilk. It is also selling stakes in three units of PetroVietnam. Some economic and business analysts believe the fear among officials of being branded corrupt could further hold up bureaucratic decision making in state-run firms and ministries. ($1=22,710 dong)

Summary: वियतनाम की भ्रष्टाचार की कार्रवाई के पीछे क्या है?


CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab foreign ministers on Sunday urged the United States to abandon its decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel s capital, saying the move would increase violence throughout the region. The announcement by President Donald Trump on Wednesday was a  dangerous violation of international law  and had no legal impact, the Arab League said in a statement after several hours of meetings attended by all its members in Cairo.

Summary: अरब राज्यों ने अमेरिका से जेरूसलम छोड़ने का आग्रह कियाः बयान


HANOI (Reuters) - A Vietnamese court on Wednesday sentenced 15 people to multiple years in jail for plotting to bomb the country s biggest airport in the southern city of Ho Chi Minh, media reported.  The 15 were charged with  terrorism opposing the people s administration , the Phap Luat (The Law) newspaper reported. Terrorist acts can be punishable by death in Vietnam.  Police foiled the plot to bomb Tan Son Nhat airport after passengers spotted boxes which were later found to consist of  explosive devices, the newspaper said. Dang Hoang Thien, accused of making petrol bombs, was jailed for 16 years. Other defendants were given jail terms from five to 14 years. The court was not available outside office hours for comment. Vietnam government s official news website cited the court indictment as saying the team acted on instructions from an overseas group which had used social media to spread propaganda and recruit. Vietnam, one of the top 10 countries for Facebook users by numbers, has called for tougher internet controls and unveiled a military cyber unit to fight  wrong  views online.

Summary: वियतनाम ने हवाई अड्डे को उड़ाने की साजिश रचने के आरोप में 15 लोगों को जेल भेजाः मीडिया


(Reuters) - Missouri’s Republican governor on Wednesday said he will convene a special legislative session next week to consider new abortion regulations and counter a local St. Louis law he said made it an “abortion sanctuary city.” The session, set to start on Monday, will seek stricter regulations on abortion clinics, including requiring annual inspections and that clinics adopt plans for potential medical complications, Governor Eric Greitens said in a statement. That came in response to a federal judge’s ruling in April that blocked requirements for clinics to meet standards for surgical centers and for doctors to have hospital privileges. Greitens said he also wants to target an ordinance approved by St. Louis aldermen in February banning employers and landlords from discriminating against women who have had an abortion, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. The Missouri legislative session ended in May without approving a proposal to nullify the ordinance, which critics said would force groups that oppose abortion to sanction it and could threaten the work of anti-abortion pregnancy resource centers.  The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis in late May sued to overturn the ordinance. “Politicians are trying to make it illegal, for example, for pro-life organizations to say that they just want to hire pro-life Missourians,” Greitens said in a statement. Allison Dreith, executive director of the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, denounced the governor’s move. “Make no mistake about it. The intent behind the governor’s actions is to shame women for their personal medical decisions and make basic reproductive health care harder to access,” she said in a statement.

Summary: मिसौरी के राज्यपाल ने गर्भपात पर विशेष सत्र बुलाया


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Makan Delrahim, who was chosen by President Donald Trump to be the top U.S. antitrust regulator, said on Wednesday that he would maintain independence from the White House in enforcing antitrust law. The Senate must still vote to confirm Delrahim. In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee overshadowed by repercussions over Trump’s firing of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey, Delrahim reiterated that he would recuse himself from a fight over whether health insurer Anthem may merge with rival Cigna. Delrahim had worked for Anthem as a lobbyist when he was with the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP. Obama’s Justice Department sued to stop the deal, and the case is currently under appeal. Asked what he would do if the White House wanted to discuss a deal being considered by the division, Delrahim said antitrust enforcement was law enforcement. “The independence of the decisions made in prosecuting and reviewing mergers as well as other conduct is a serious one that should be free from any political influence,” he said. “They will be free if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed.” Delrahim currently works in the White House as deputy assistant and deputy counsel to the president. If confirmed as expected, Delrahim’s antitrust division would review corporate mergers at a time when many investors and corporate executives are anticipating a more relaxed view of deal-making. Former President Barack Obama’s administration faced a large number of megadeals in what one enforcer called a “merger tsunami” and blocked many of them. Antitrust experts who have followed Delrahim’s career expect him to follow in the footsteps of a former boss, Hewitt Pate, who was assistant attorney general for antitrust from 2003 to 2005. Delrahim was Pate’s deputy, specializing in international antitrust. Under Pate, the division was criticized for allowing too many deals, but it sued to stop US Airways from merging with United Airlines and blocked a deal to combine DirecTV and EchoStar. It tried but failed to stop Oracle Corp from buying PeopleSoft. If confirmed, Delrahim would oversee the Justice Department’s assessment of AT&T’s Inc plan to buy Time Warner Inc, the owner of HBO, Warner Brothers and news network CNN.  The department is reviewing major transactions in seeds and agricultural chemicals, like the mergers of Dow Chemical Co and Dupont, and of Bayer and Monsanto. Those proposed deals, along with ChemChina’s purchase of Syngenta, would consolidate six agricultural chemical companies into three.

Summary: ट्रम्प यू. एस. एंटीट्रस्ट उम्मीदवार ने कहा कि वह व्हाइट हाउस से स्वतंत्र होगा


ROME (Reuters) - Rome s mayor on Friday launched an attempt to save the city s ailing public transport company from bankruptcy, asking creditors to support a restructuring of its 1.3 billion euros ($1.54 billion) of debt. Virginia Raggi, a prominent face of Italy s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, said she would ask magistrates to approve the plan for a  total renewal  of the company to keep it operating as a public body. Atac s workforce, of around 12,000 people, has been criticized as bloated and its fleet of buses, trams and metros as old and badly maintained. Calls have grown for it to be privatized. Raggi, who was elected in June last year, rejects this solution and on Friday the company s board approved the restructuring plan, which will require the backing of her city government and its suppliers.  Atac must remain public,  Raggi wrote in a Facebook post.  We are beginning a revolution that will transform the biggest public transport company in Europe into an efficient one.  Several city transport unions, fearing lay-offs, immediately announced they would hold a one-day strike this month. Turning Atac around is a daunting task. Its former chief quit in July after just three months in the job, saying he was unable to salvage the firm and feared possible legal action tied to any eventual collapse. Raggi has had a torrid time since becoming Rome s first ever woman mayor. She has lost several close aides due to political infighting or legal scandals and has so far made little tangible progress in fixing the heavily-indebted city s chronic problems, from road maintenance to refuse collection. Despite her difficulties, 5-Star remains Italy s most popular party, according to many opinion polls, and Raggi s fortunes in attempting to clean up Atac could have significant repercussions nationally. With a general election due by May next year, 5-Star can ill afford the bad publicity of extended strikes and legal disputes over the capital s transport company.

Summary: रोम के 5-सितारा महापौर ने बीमार शहर परिवहन फर्म को बचाने के लिए बोली शुरू की


VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged Colombians skeptical of a peace deal with guerrillas to be open to reconciliation with those who have repented, speaking hours after a top rebel leader asked the pontiff for forgiveness.  Dear people of Colombia: do not be afraid of asking for forgiveness and offering it,  he said, at an emotional meeting that brought together victims of the 50-year civil war with former guerrilla and paramilitary fighters. The Argentine pope, leader of the world s Roman Catholics, is visiting Colombia with a message of national reconciliation, as the country tries to heal the wounds left by the conflict and bitter disagreements over a peace deal agreed last year. Francis flew to the city of Villavicencio in Meta province, a vast cattle ranching area which was a hotbed of right-wing paramilitary and Marxist guerrilla violence during a conflict with successive governments. As he arrived, former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel leader Rodrigo Londono, now the head of a new political party, issued an open letter to the pope asking for forgiveness for the suffering the group inflicted. [nL2N1LP0UZ]  Your repeated expressions about God s infinite mercy move me to plead your forgiveness for any tears or pain that we have caused the people of Colombia,  Londono, who goes by the alias Timochenko, said in the letter. Tens of thousands of ecstatic people in this humid area of savanna and shantytowns packed the roads as the pope, riding in the front seat of a simple car, passed by on Friday morning after his plane arrived from the capital Bogota. The pope s afternoon prayer meeting in Villavicencio with about 6,000 survivors of the brutal conflict was the centerpiece of his five-day trip to overwhelmingly Catholic Colombia. He listened to personal accounts from four people, including a woman who joined a paramilitary group when she was 16, a former FARC guerrilla, and two victims of violence between the guerrillas and paramilitary squads. One of the victims, Pastora Mira Garc a, told how she lost her father, husband and two children in the conflict. To great applause she urged forgiveness to  break the cycle of violence  and said she could now  name the unnamable and forgive the unforgivable . On the wall of the stage was a destroyed statue of Jesus Christ recovered from a church attacked by the FARC in 2002 in the rain forest village of Bojaya. About 80 people were killed as they sought refuge from rebel bombings inside the humble church. The plaster figure, without arms or legs, has become an enduring symbol of the war.  As we look at it, we remember not only what happened on that day, but also the immense suffering, the many deaths and broken lives, and all the blood spilled in Colombia these past decades,  the pope said. Conflict between right-wing paramilitary squads, Marxist rebels, and government forces since the 1960s has killed more than 220,000 people and left millions more displaced. Now Colombians are deeply polarized as they prepare to receive 7,000 former fighters, such as Londono, into society. Many are furious that under last year s peace deal, FARC leaders accused of kidnapping and murder will avoid jail sentences and may receive seats in congress as members of a new political party. [nL1N1DN22O] Francis addressed this hesitancy head-on.   Undoubtedly, it is a challenge for each of us to trust that those who inflicted suffering on communities and on a whole country can take a step forward,  he said.   Let us heal that pain and welcome every person who has committed offences, who admits their failures, is repentant and truly wants to make reparation.  As he left Villavicencio, he stopped to pray at the Reconciliation Cross, a memorial to survivors and those killed during the war, and planted a tree as a symbol of peace. Earlier, Francis celebrated a Mass for hundreds of thousands of people on a muddy field to beatify Pedro Maria Ramirez, a priest who was killed in 1948 during a period of political violence known as  La Violencia,  and Bishop Jesus Emilio Jaramillo, killed in 1989 by the National Liberation Army (ELN) for suspected collaboration with the military.

Summary: पोप ने संदिग्ध कोलंबियाई लोगों से गुरिल्लाओं के साथ शांति स्वीकार करने का आग्रह किया


BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - No sign of the Argentine submarine lost in the South Atlantic since Nov. 15 has been found despite a massive international search effort, while families of the 44 crew members face the increasing likelihood that their loved ones will never return. Saturday marked the 10th day since the ARA San Juan submarine reported its last position off Argentina s southern coast. Reports of a sound detected underwater near the last known position of the vessel suggest it might have imploded after reporting an electrical problem. But citing respect for the families, navy spokesman Enrique Balbi declined to say anything to confirm the now-common belief that the crew had perished.  We are at a stage of hope and hopelessness at the same time,  Balbi told reporters.  We will not speculate beyond the facts as we know them.  He said seven ships were braving 3-meter (3.28-yard) waves to map the ocean floor where the San Juan was most likely to be found.  The U.S. Navy said it had deployed unmanned underwater vehicles, or  mini-subs  equipped with sonar, to join the search. A Russian plane arrived in Argentina on Friday carrying search equipment capable of reaching 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) below the sea surface, Balbi said. The search effort also includes ships and planes from Brazil, Chile, Great Britain and other countries.  Families of the crew were meanwhile stuck in an emotional purgatory.  The problem with being the loved one of someone who is missing is that the mourning process cannot start, because they are still out there somewhere,  local psychologist Guillermo Bruchstein said in a Saturday television interview.  They are gone but are not  dead.   The families have said they suspect the more than 30-year-old vessel was not properly maintained, a charge the government denies, and that the navy has been slow in sharing information with them.  Relatives expressed anger at the level of funding of the armed forces, whose budget has declined since the fall of a military dictatorship in the 1980s.  The loss of the San Juan is a consequence of the fact that the abandonment and degradation of our defense forces has been an official policy,  Argentine Senator Pino Solanas of the independent Project South party told local radio on Saturday. Concerns about the crew s fate have set off a fierce political debate in a society sharply divided between supporters of President Mauricio Macri and opposition Peronists, who have been quick to find fault with the government s response.  Until we find the submarine and have all the information,  Macri said on Friday,  we are not going to speculate on who is at fault.

Summary: पनडुब्बी खोज में अर्जेंटीना को 'आशा और निराशा' का सामना करना पड़ रहा है


NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced a citywide advertising campaign supporting a person’s right to use bathrooms corresponding with his or her gender identity, wading into a debate that has pitted more than a dozen states against the federal government. The advertisements, which de Blasio described as the nation’s first government-sponsored citywide campaign of its kind, will appear in subway cars, at bus stops, on phone booths and in both online and traditional publications. The ads feature transgender New Yorkers and encourage residents to “look past pink and blue,” among other messages. In March, de Blasio signed an executive order ensuring that transgender people can use the bathroom of their choice in any city-owned building without being asked for identification by employees. City law already allows transgender individuals to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. “While other cities and states are legislating intolerance and taking away individuals’ right to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identity, we are proudly standing with our transgender and gender non-conforming New Yorkers,” de Blasio, a Democrat, said in a statement. President Barack Obama’s administration in May released guidance telling public schools across the United States that they must allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice. The letter, which offered the U.S. government’s interpretation of anti-discrimination law, contained the implicit threat of cutting off federal funding for schools that do not comply.  Officials from more than a dozen states have either sued or plan to sue the Obama administration, challenging the directive as unconstitutional. North Carolina and the U.S. Department of Justice exchanged federal lawsuits last month over the state’s law banning people from using bathrooms that do not correspond to their gender of their birth.

Summary: न्यूयॉर्क शहर का विज्ञापन अभियान ट्रांसजेंडर बाथरूम अधिकारों का समर्थन करता है