News brief: Big stories of the day

Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition remains critical, put on life support

The condition of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has worsened over the past 24 hours and he has been put on life-support system, Delhi's AIIMS said in a statement Wednesday night.

The 93-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party leader was admitted at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.

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"Unfortunately, his condition has worsened over the last 24 hours. His condition is critical and he is on life-support system," AIIMS said in the statement.

Trump revokes ex-CIA chief John Brennan's security clearance he was a frequent critic

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday revoked the security clearance of former Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan, and warned several other prominent critics they too risk being blacklisted.

In a highly unusually directive, Trump claimed that Brennan -- a former station chief in Riyadh who rose to lead the formidable spy agency -- had become "erratic."

China to send negotiator to US for trade talks this month

China will send a negotiator to the US for trade talks later this month.

The two countries have been engaged in a full-blown trade war ever since US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on a number of Chinese goods.China responded in kind.

The announcement, of the trade talks was made by the Chinese commerce ministry which seemed to say the invitehad come from the US.

Twitter said Wednesday it was putting curbs on the account of far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after he called on his supporters to take up "battle rifles" to fight internet censorship.

The social network's move affected the personal account of Jones, who operates the Infowars website, which has disputed the veracity of the September 11 attacks, the Sandy Hook school massacre and other events.

Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey told NBC News that "we put him in a timeout," which resulted in "removing his ability to tweet for a time period."

'America was never that great,' says New York Governor

While addressing a speech at a bill signing event in New York on Wednesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo invited a lot of criticism over his statement claiming "America was never that great".

The Democrat politician said that they were not going to make America great again as it was never that great. News reports said there was anaudible gasp from the audience.

Cuomo said the US has not reached greatness. That it will become great when every American citizen is engaged, when discrimination and stereotyping of women is gone and when every woman is making her full contribution.