Madras High Court today upheld the decision of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/elections-commission-calls-off-polls-in-tamil-nadus-vellore-over-cash-haul-210961">Election Commission of India to cancel</a> the election to Vellore Lok Sabha constituency.

The Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency was cancelled on Tuesday by the EC following the recovery of a huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader.

The EC took the decision after the district police had filed a complaint against the accused, Kathir Anand, as well as two party functionaries on the basis of a report from the Income Tax department on April 10. Polling in Vellore was scheduled on April 18.

Anand was charged under the Representation of the People Act for giving "wrong information" in his election affidavit filed along with his nomination papers, the police said. The other two, identified as Srinivasan and Damodaran, were booked under bribery charges.

The recommendation was sent to the legislative department of the law ministry Tuesday which issued the notification.

On March 30, Income Tax officials had conducted searches at the residence of Anand's father Durai Murugan over suspected use of unaccounted money for electioneering, and seized Rs 10.50 lakh in alleged "excess" cash.

Two days later, they claimed to have seized Rs 11.53 crore from a cement godown belonging to a DMK leader's associate in the same district.

(Inputs: ANI, PTI)

25th school massacre in Florida calls for a debate on armed staff in schools

Madras High Court today upheld the decision of Election Commission of India to cancel the election to Vellore Lok Sabha constituency. The Lok Sabha election to the Vellore constituency was cancelled on Tuesday by the EC following the recovery of a huge amount of cash allegedly from an associate of a DMK leader. The EC took the decision after the district police had filed a complaint against the accused, Kathir Anand, as well as two party functionaries on the basis of a report from the Income Tax department on April 10. Polling in Vellore was scheduled on April 18. Anand was charged under the Representation of the People Act for giving "wrong information" in his election affidavit filed along with his nomination papers, the police said. The other two, identified as Srinivasan and Damodaran, were booked under bribery charges. The recommendation was sent to the legislative department of the law ministry Tuesday which issued the notification. On March 30, Income Tax officials had conducted searches at the residence of Anand's father Durai Murugan over suspected use of unaccounted money for electioneering, and seized Rs 10.50 lakh in alleged "excess" cash. Two days later, they claimed to have seized Rs 11.53 crore from a cement godown belonging to a DMK leader's associate in the same district. (Inputs: ANI, PTI)

Opinion: School security in Florida after 18 shootings in 2018

The same day as today, exactly a year back, an event of great political significance took place.

There&rsquo;s no denying that that the entire world closely watched American business magnate Donald Trump lock horns with his Democratic counterpart Hilary Clinton in the run up to becoming the 45th President of United States.

As it turned out, most of America voted for the Republican candidate Donald Trump who took the oath to &ldquo;faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States&rdquo;.

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<h5>It wasn&rsquo;t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan.</h5>
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The Trump administration completes a year today and the US President has successfully clocked-in 365 days of governance that, in a nutshell, has been marred by surprises, chaos, upheavals, revelations and controversies, of course.

A look at Trump&rsquo;s maiden year would certainly involve some of his biggest announcements and strongest of stances over international issues and on America&rsquo;s ties with other countries.

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<h5>It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan.</h5>
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While Trump&rsquo;s declaration on identifying <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-recognises-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-sparks-firestorm-26072">Jerusalem as Israel&rsquo;s capital</a> was an event that raked many controversies, his positioning on Iran, North Korea and the Arab world came into the limelight time and again.

It wasn&rsquo;t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan.

It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan with an aim to resolve more than a decade old conflict.

But &ldquo;a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda,&rdquo; Trump noted in August 2017.

And thus followed his statement on putting considerable &ldquo;pressure&rdquo; on Pakistan with an aim to dismantle terrorist activism breeding on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Not to mention, the White House, time and again, called out to Pakistan to adopt stringent measures against terrorism that allegedly bred from within its territories.

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<h5>Trump&rsquo;s reactions on Pakistan came as a shock to the world!</h5>
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Trump recently accused Pakistan of providing &lsquo;safe havens&rsquo; to terrorism and extremist groups.

&ldquo;The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies &amp; deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!,&rdquo; Trump tweeted as the New Year dawned.

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The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies &amp; deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/947802588174577664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Trump administration notes that Pakistan can reverse the aid cut by taking strategic and stringent measures.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-can-do-without-us-aid-foreign-minister-khawaja-asif-29980">Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif</a> recently noted that while the country is trying to better its ties and balance relations with the White House, it will not take anything against its &ldquo;national integrity&rdquo;.

Khawaja also noted that the relationships between the two countries were normal before the US President made scathing remarks against Pakistan. &ldquo;Pakistan can do without the US aid,&rdquo; Asif noted.

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When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some &quot;ally.&quot;
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/220976065231863809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2012</a></blockquote>
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Pakistan&rsquo;s retaliatory stance is now been speculated with many fearing that the country could clip US access to routes used to supply American troops in Afghanistan.

US State Department added another twist in its plot with Pakistan when it recently announced placing Pakistan on a special watch list for &ldquo;severe violations of religious freedoms&rdquo; under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

The US defense department <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-defense-department-blocks-military-payments-to-pakistan-18160">froze military payments to Pakistan</a> in July 2017.

&quot;Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defense committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year 2016 Coalition Support Funds,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

The past year saw Donald Trump sparing no opportunity to hint at the possibility of clamping down on Pakistan with harsher measures.

&ldquo;We make massive payments every year to Pakistan&hellip; They have to help,&rdquo; the President exclaimed recently.

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It&#39;s not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don&rsquo;t even want to negotiate a long overdue...
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/948322496591384576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The recent cut of aid to Pakistan is just a one of the many ways for the White House to put Islamabad under &ldquo;pressure&rdquo;.

The Trump administration has also given a thought to resorting to more stringent measures like removing Pakistan from US non-NATO allies.

Husain Haqqani, a Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, previously noted that Trump&rsquo;s stance on Pakistan is indicative of his administration&rsquo;s &ldquo;step-by-step plan to indicate that business as usual is no longer possible.&rdquo;

While the US aid cut to Pakistan prevails, the White House celebrates Donald&rsquo;s Trump one year of governance.

Meanwhile, tensions continue to simmer in Islamabad.

Fresh reports suggest that Pakistan can even decide to close air routes to Afghanistan, a move that will cripple US anti-terrorism military operations in Afghanistan.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif recently noted that while the country is trying to better its ties and balance relations with the White House, it will not take anything against its 'national integrity'

The same day as today, exactly a year back, an event of great political significance took place. There’s no denying that that the entire world closely watched American business magnate Donald Trump lock horns with his Democratic counterpart Hilary Clinton in the run up to becoming the 45th President of United States. As it turned out, most of America voted for the Republican candidate Donald Trump who took the oath to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States”. It wasn’t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan. × The Trump administration completes a year today and the US President has successfully clocked-in 365 days of governance that, in a nutshell, has been marred by surprises, chaos, upheavals, revelations and controversies, of course. A look at Trump’s maiden year would certainly involve some of his biggest announcements and strongest of stances over international issues and on America’s ties with other countries. It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan. × While Trump’s declaration on identifying Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was an event that raked many controversies, his positioning on Iran, North Korea and the Arab world came into the limelight time and again. It wasn’t quite a cordial year for the Pakistan-US ties which touched a new low when the White House decided to pull out a whopping $1.9 billion aid to Pakistan. It all started somewhere halfway down the year with Trump outlining a new strategy on Afghanistan with an aim to resolve more than a decade old conflict. But “a hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda,” Trump noted in August 2017. And thus followed his statement on putting considerable “pressure” on Pakistan with an aim to dismantle terrorist activism breeding on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Not to mention, the White House, time and again, called out to Pakistan to adopt stringent measures against terrorism that allegedly bred from within its territories. Trump’s reactions on Pakistan came as a shock to the world! × Trump recently accused Pakistan of providing ‘safe havens’ to terrorism and extremist groups. “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!,” Trump tweeted as the New Year dawned. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 × The Trump administration notes that Pakistan can reverse the aid cut by taking strategic and stringent measures. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif recently noted that while the country is trying to better its ties and balance relations with the White House, it will not take anything against its “national integrity”. Khawaja also noted that the relationships between the two countries were normal before the US President made scathing remarks against Pakistan. “Pakistan can do without the US aid,” Asif noted. When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some "ally." — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2012 × Pakistan’s retaliatory stance is now been speculated with many fearing that the country could clip US access to routes used to supply American troops in Afghanistan. US State Department added another twist in its plot with Pakistan when it recently announced placing Pakistan on a special watch list for “severe violations of religious freedoms” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The US defense department froze military payments to Pakistan in July 2017. "Secretary Mattis has informed congressional defense committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani network to permit full reimbursement of Fiscal Year 2016 Coalition Support Funds," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said. The past year saw Donald Trump sparing no opportunity to hint at the possibility of clamping down on Pakistan with harsher measures. “We make massive payments every year to Pakistan… They have to help,” the President exclaimed recently. It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 × The recent cut of aid to Pakistan is just a one of the many ways for the White House to put Islamabad under “pressure”. The Trump administration has also given a thought to resorting to more stringent measures like removing Pakistan from US non-NATO allies. Husain Haqqani, a Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, previously noted that Trump’s stance on Pakistan is indicative of his administration’s “step-by-step plan to indicate that business as usual is no longer possible.” While the US aid cut to Pakistan prevails, the White House celebrates Donald’s Trump one year of governance. Meanwhile, tensions continue to simmer in Islamabad. Fresh reports suggest that Pakistan can even decide to close air routes to Afghanistan, a move that will cripple US anti-terrorism military operations in Afghanistan.

Trump & Pakistan: Deceit, lies & games nations play

The Statue of Liberty, temporarily closed by a US government budget shutdown, will reopen on Monday to once again beckon other countries` &quot;huddled masses&quot; -- as well as not-so-poor tourists with dollars to spend.

&quot;We will not stand by as this symbol of freedom and opportunity goes dark,&quot; New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a tweet Sunday, announcing that the state had found funds to keep the iconic landmark open.

Shutting the surrounding park &quot;jeopardizes an economic driver for the state of New York,&quot; said Cuomo, a Democrat.&nbsp;

&quot;This park is a symbol of New York and our values. And her message has never been as important as it is today,&quot; he said, alluding to the budget battle in Washington, where Democrats were seeking protection for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants before agreeing to Republican proposals to extend funding for the government.&nbsp;

As a result of the budget impasse, many government services including the Statue of Liberty have been closed since Saturday.

Speaking to reporters from the southern tip of Manhattan Island with the Statue of Liberty in the background, Cuomo explained that the state will provide the $65,000 it takes each day to pay the federal workers who keep the park open.&nbsp;

The statue on Liberty Island, as well as the related museum on nearby Ellis Island, where arriving immigrants were once processed, annually welcome about 4.5 million visitors. Most come by boat from Manhattan.&nbsp;

On Saturday hundreds of tourists were caught unaware, even if tour companies quickly offered boat tours, or reimbursement, as a salve.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 to honour the centenary of US independence 10 years earlier.

It is among the hundreds of parks, battlefields, recreation areas and monuments managed by the National Park Service.

After Democrats and the majority, Republicans in Congress missed a Friday deadline to pass a new federal budget, most &quot;non-essential&quot; government services and programs were ordered to close.

Some of the best-known parks have been kept open, including the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Yellowstone National Park. But most are operating with skeleton staff, meaning many stores, restaurants and even restrooms are closed.

In an unusual move, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose department oversees the parks service, said on Twitter that he had personally helped welcome visitors to the World War II memorial on the National Mall in Washington.

During the last government shutdown, a 16-day standoff in 2013, the memorial was closed. That prompted a group of military veterans, some of them in wheelchairs or hobbling on canes, to force their way in.&nbsp;

It was an embarrassment the White House of President Donald Trump has vowed to avoid.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 to honour the centenary of US independence 10 years earlier

The Statue of Liberty, temporarily closed by a US government budget shutdown, will reopen on Monday to once again beckon other countries` "huddled masses" -- as well as not-so-poor tourists with dollars to spend. "We will not stand by as this symbol of freedom and opportunity goes dark," New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a tweet Sunday, announcing that the state had found funds to keep the iconic landmark open. Shutting the surrounding park "jeopardizes an economic driver for the state of New York," said Cuomo, a Democrat. "This park is a symbol of New York and our values. And her message has never been as important as it is today," he said, alluding to the budget battle in Washington, where Democrats were seeking protection for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants before agreeing to Republican proposals to extend funding for the government. As a result of the budget impasse, many government services including the Statue of Liberty have been closed since Saturday. Speaking to reporters from the southern tip of Manhattan Island with the Statue of Liberty in the background, Cuomo explained that the state will provide the $65,000 it takes each day to pay the federal workers who keep the park open. The statue on Liberty Island, as well as the related museum on nearby Ellis Island, where arriving immigrants were once processed, annually welcome about 4.5 million visitors. Most come by boat from Manhattan. On Saturday hundreds of tourists were caught unaware, even if tour companies quickly offered boat tours, or reimbursement, as a salve. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 to honour the centenary of US independence 10 years earlier. It is among the hundreds of parks, battlefields, recreation areas and monuments managed by the National Park Service. After Democrats and the majority, Republicans in Congress missed a Friday deadline to pass a new federal budget, most "non-essential" government services and programs were ordered to close. Some of the best-known parks have been kept open, including the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Yellowstone National Park. But most are operating with skeleton staff, meaning many stores, restaurants and even restrooms are closed. In an unusual move, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose department oversees the parks service, said on Twitter that he had personally helped welcome visitors to the World War II memorial on the National Mall in Washington. During the last government shutdown, a 16-day standoff in 2013, the memorial was closed. That prompted a group of military veterans, some of them in wheelchairs or hobbling on canes, to force their way in. It was an embarrassment the White House of President Donald Trump has vowed to avoid.

New York vows to reopen Statue of Liberty, at its own cost

Amazon.com Inc will open its checkout-free grocery store to the public on Monday after more than a year of testing, the company said, moving forward on an experiment that could dramatically alter brick-and-mortar retail.

The Seattle store, known as Amazon Go, relies on cameras and sensors to track what shoppers remove from the shelves, and what they put back. Cash registers and checkout lines become superfluous - customers are billed after leaving the store using credit cards on file.

For grocers, the store&#39;s opening heralds another potential disruption at the hands of the world&#39;s largest online retailer, which bought high-end supermarket chain Whole Foods Market last year for $13.7 billion. Long lines can deter shoppers, so a company that figures out how to eradicate wait times will have an advantage.

Amazon did not discuss if or when it will add more Go locations, and reiterated it has no plans to add the technology to the larger and more complex Whole Foods stores.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/the-rise-rise-of-jeff-bezos-amazon-14019" target="_blank">The Rise &amp; Rise of Jeff Bezos &amp; Amazon</a>

The convenience-style store opened to Amazon employees on Dec. 5, 2016 in a test phase. At the time, Amazon said it expected members of the public could begin using the store in early 2017.

But there have been challenges, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included correctly identifying shoppers with similar body types, the person said. When children were brought into the store during the trial, they caused havoc by moving items to incorrect places, the person added.

Gianna Puerini, vice president of Amazon Go, said in an interview that the store worked very well throughout the test phase, thanks to four years of prior legwork.

&quot;This technology didn&#39;t exist,&quot; Puerini said, walking through the Seattle store. &quot;It was really advancing the state of the art of computer vision and machine learning.&quot;

&quot;If you look at these products, you can see they&#39;re super similar,&quot; she said of two near-identical Starbucks drinks next to each other on a shelf. One had light cream and the other had regular, and Amazon&#39;s technology learned to tell them apart.

How it works

The 1800-square-foot (167-square-meter) store is located in an Amazon office building. To start shopping, customers must scan an Amazon Go smartphone app and pass through a gated turnstile.

Ready-to-eat lunch items greet shoppers when they enter. Deeper into the store, shoppers can find a small selection of grocery items, including meats and meal kits. An Amazon employee checks IDs in the store&#39;s wine and beer section.

Sleek black cameras monitoring from above and weight sensors in the shelves help Amazon determine exactly what people take.

If someone passes back through the gates with an item, his or her associated account is charged. If a shopper puts an item back on the shelf, Amazon removes it from his or her virtual cart.

Much of the store will feel familiar to shoppers, aside from the check-out process. Amazon, famous for dynamic pricing online, has printed price tags just as traditional brick-and-mortar stores do.

Amazon's new Seattle store -- Amazon Go -- relies on cameras and sensors to track what shoppers remove from shelves

Amazon.com Inc will open its checkout-free grocery store to the public on Monday after more than a year of testing, the company said, moving forward on an experiment that could dramatically alter brick-and-mortar retail. The Seattle store, known as Amazon Go, relies on cameras and sensors to track what shoppers remove from the shelves, and what they put back. Cash registers and checkout lines become superfluous - customers are billed after leaving the store using credit cards on file. For grocers, the store's opening heralds another potential disruption at the hands of the world's largest online retailer, which bought high-end supermarket chain Whole Foods Market last year for $13.7 billion. Long lines can deter shoppers, so a company that figures out how to eradicate wait times will have an advantage. Amazon did not discuss if or when it will add more Go locations, and reiterated it has no plans to add the technology to the larger and more complex Whole Foods stores. Also read: The Rise & Rise of Jeff Bezos & Amazon The convenience-style store opened to Amazon employees on Dec. 5, 2016 in a test phase. At the time, Amazon said it expected members of the public could begin using the store in early 2017. But there have been challenges, according to a person familiar with the matter. These included correctly identifying shoppers with similar body types, the person said. When children were brought into the store during the trial, they caused havoc by moving items to incorrect places, the person added. Gianna Puerini, vice president of Amazon Go, said in an interview that the store worked very well throughout the test phase, thanks to four years of prior legwork. "This technology didn't exist," Puerini said, walking through the Seattle store. "It was really advancing the state of the art of computer vision and machine learning." "If you look at these products, you can see they're super similar," she said of two near-identical Starbucks drinks next to each other on a shelf. One had light cream and the other had regular, and Amazon's technology learned to tell them apart. How it works The 1800-square-foot (167-square-meter) store is located in an Amazon office building. To start shopping, customers must scan an Amazon Go smartphone app and pass through a gated turnstile. Ready-to-eat lunch items greet shoppers when they enter. Deeper into the store, shoppers can find a small selection of grocery items, including meats and meal kits. An Amazon employee checks IDs in the store's wine and beer section. Sleek black cameras monitoring from above and weight sensors in the shelves help Amazon determine exactly what people take. If someone passes back through the gates with an item, his or her associated account is charged. If a shopper puts an item back on the shelf, Amazon removes it from his or her virtual cart. Much of the store will feel familiar to shoppers, aside from the check-out process. Amazon, famous for dynamic pricing online, has printed price tags just as traditional brick-and-mortar stores do.

This store, opening today, will have no checkout counters

European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his &quot;America First&quot; message.

Politicians, business chiefs, bankers and celebrities will meet in the Swiss Alps under the banner &quot;Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World&quot; for the four-day gathering against an unsettling global backdrop.

A decade after the bankruptcy of US investment bank Lehman Brothers helped trigger a global financial crisis, economic growth has returned and stock markets are hitting record highs.

Yet there is a nagging fear among many in Davos that the brighter economic outlook could turn out to be little more than a mirage if the daunting array of geopolitical threats - from protectionism and climate change to cyber attacks and outright war - gather pace in 2018.

&quot;Not all geopolitical threats are threats to financial markets,&quot; Axel Weber, the chairman of Swiss bank UBS and former president of the German Bundesbank told Reuters. &quot;But I agree that there may be a disconnect, which has been going on for some time already and may well continue for some time.&quot;

The Global Risks Report published by the WEF last week showed that many see a heightened risk of political and economic confrontations between major powers this year.

Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000, is a source of much of this anxiety after a volatile first year in office in which he has turned American foreign policy on its head.

The forum will open on Tuesday with a speech by India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and end on Friday, when Trump is due to address the massive auditorium where Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke last year, offering to fill the global leadership void created by an inward-looking Washington.

White House officials said over the weekend that a government shutdown in the United States was unlikely to prevent Trump from making the trip, although the budget director Mick Mulvaney said it was now &quot;in flux&quot;.

In the days between Modi and Trump, the leaders of Europe&#39;s biggest countries, absent from Davos last year and emboldened by their own economic recovery, will offer an alternative vision to Trump and Xi, who the Europeans say has failed to deliver on his promise of a year ago to open China up to foreign investment.

Europe&#39;s New Star

The charge will be led by French President Emmanuel Macron, the new star of European politics, who in an audacious move, has invited many of the business leaders who will be in Davos to the Palace of Versailles on Monday to press them to invest in France.

When he speaks in Davos on Wednesday, the former investment banker will offer his own &quot;diagnosis&quot; of globalisation and set out a vision for addressing widening inequalities, global warming and the rise of nationalism, his advisers say.

&quot;I don&#39;t think Macron will be able to resist being the counter-Trump,&quot; said Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank in London.

Macron will be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, returning to the world stage after months of political limbo at home, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, back in Davos after a 20-year absence, is also due to speak.

The WEF is a marathon of panel discussions, lunches and cocktail parties that delve into subjects as diverse as terrorism, artificial intelligence and wellness.

This year&#39;s conference will include several sessions on sexual harassment, a nod to the #MeToo movement that erupted after allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Criticised in past years for not representing women, the WEF appointed seven female co-chairs this year, including Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ginni Rometty, the CEO of IBM.

Among the other leaders attending are British Prime Minister Theresa May, Israel&#39;s Benjamin Netanyahu and several African leaders, including Zimbabwe&#39;s new president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Last year, the sole envoy from the Trump camp in the week leading up to his inauguration was Anthony Scaramucci, the New York financier who was sacked after just 10 days as White House communications director.

This year, Trump will be joined by a large US delegation including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

For the first time in years, Iran will not be represented. WEF officials could not say whether the late cancellation by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had anything to do with Trump&#39;s decision to speak.

European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his "America First" message.

European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his "America First" message. Politicians, business chiefs, bankers and celebrities will meet in the Swiss Alps under the banner "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World" for the four-day gathering against an unsettling global backdrop. A decade after the bankruptcy of US investment bank Lehman Brothers helped trigger a global financial crisis, economic growth has returned and stock markets are hitting record highs. Yet there is a nagging fear among many in Davos that the brighter economic outlook could turn out to be little more than a mirage if the daunting array of geopolitical threats - from protectionism and climate change to cyber attacks and outright war - gather pace in 2018. "Not all geopolitical threats are threats to financial markets," Axel Weber, the chairman of Swiss bank UBS and former president of the German Bundesbank told Reuters. "But I agree that there may be a disconnect, which has been going on for some time already and may well continue for some time." The Global Risks Report published by the WEF last week showed that many see a heightened risk of political and economic confrontations between major powers this year. Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000, is a source of much of this anxiety after a volatile first year in office in which he has turned American foreign policy on its head. The forum will open on Tuesday with a speech by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and end on Friday, when Trump is due to address the massive auditorium where Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke last year, offering to fill the global leadership void created by an inward-looking Washington. White House officials said over the weekend that a government shutdown in the United States was unlikely to prevent Trump from making the trip, although the budget director Mick Mulvaney said it was now "in flux". In the days between Modi and Trump, the leaders of Europe's biggest countries, absent from Davos last year and emboldened by their own economic recovery, will offer an alternative vision to Trump and Xi, who the Europeans say has failed to deliver on his promise of a year ago to open China up to foreign investment. Europe's New Star The charge will be led by French President Emmanuel Macron, the new star of European politics, who in an audacious move, has invited many of the business leaders who will be in Davos to the Palace of Versailles on Monday to press them to invest in France. When he speaks in Davos on Wednesday, the former investment banker will offer his own "diagnosis" of globalisation and set out a vision for addressing widening inequalities, global warming and the rise of nationalism, his advisers say. "I don't think Macron will be able to resist being the counter-Trump," said Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank in London. Macron will be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, returning to the world stage after months of political limbo at home, and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, back in Davos after a 20-year absence, is also due to speak. The WEF is a marathon of panel discussions, lunches and cocktail parties that delve into subjects as diverse as terrorism, artificial intelligence and wellness. This year's conference will include several sessions on sexual harassment, a nod to the #MeToo movement that erupted after allegations of sexual misconduct by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Criticised in past years for not representing women, the WEF appointed seven female co-chairs this year, including Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ginni Rometty, the CEO of IBM. Among the other leaders attending are British Prime Minister Theresa May, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and several African leaders, including Zimbabwe's new president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Last year, the sole envoy from the Trump camp in the week leading up to his inauguration was Anthony Scaramucci, the New York financier who was sacked after just 10 days as White House communications director. This year, Trump will be joined by a large US delegation including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. For the first time in years, Iran will not be represented. WEF officials could not say whether the late cancellation by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had anything to do with Trump's decision to speak.

Europe readies riposte to Trump's 'America First' push in Davos

Four years ago, American figure skater Mirai Nagasu was heartbroken after being left off the U.S. team for the Sochi Olympics in favour of a woman who ranked lower than she had at a key qualifying event.

But on Monday, the woman whose Japanese immigrant parents run a sushi restaurant and mother hand-sewed her costumes, made skating history by becoming the first American woman - and only the third woman overall - to land the fiendishly difficult triple Axel jump at an Olympics.

Skating a stellar routine in the women&#39;s free skate portion of the team competition, Nagasu began with a clean triple Axel and then went on to nail eight other triple jumps, including a triple flip and triple Salchow combination as she helped America claim bronze.

Clearly overjoyed, the 24-year-old Nagasu, who was skating at her second Olympics, pumped her fists and grinned as she skated off the ice.

&quot;I feel really great,&quot; she said after her performance. &quot;Going into it, I was like a train, get on those tracks and get some speed. To nail it the way I did - and even out of the corner of my eye, I could see my team mates standing in excitement.&quot;

The only other women to land the jump in the Olympics were Japanese skaters Midori Ito and Mao Asada, and Nagasu joked that perhaps her ancestry had played a part.

&quot;Maybe it&#39;s the Japanese genetics - but lucky for me I&#39;m American, so I&#39;ll be the first U.S. lady,&quot; she said after her performance.

She was snubbed for Sochi in 2014 despite finishing third in the U.S. nationals as the selectors handed the Olympic berth to Ashley Wagner, who finished fourth.

&quot;Four years ago I was crying with Adam Rippon because we both didn&#39;t make the team,&quot; she said, referring to the men&#39;s singles skater. &quot;So for both of us to be on the team... is super exciting.&quot;

Nagasu was born to Japanese immigrant parents who run a sushi restaurant in California, where she grew up. Her first name means &#39;future&#39; in Japanese and she reportedly speaks a mixture of Japanese and English at home with her parents.

She began skating at the age of five and idolized two-time Olympic medalist and skater Michelle Kwan. As her career took off, she said it was sometimes difficult to keep going on the income from a restaurant.

HAND-SEWN COSTUMES

&quot;My mom also made a lot of my skating costumes,&quot; Nagasu said on a conference call in January. &quot;She also, like Michelle&#39;s mom, sewed sequins on one by one and I would complain that they were not as shiny as the rocky crystals because we got ours at Target and Michael&#39;s.&quot;

Nagasu says that while in general she turns to comedy and laughter to reduce pressure at big events like the Olympics, overcoming the heartbreak of missing the Sochi team was tough.

&quot;I was very upset for a very long time. But I changed myself and became a better skater,&quot; she told the conference call. &quot;I honestly don&#39;t think that I would have worked as hard on the triple Axel if I didn&#39;t have that time to really contemplate.&quot;

Unfortunately, her parents weren&#39;t there to see her make history. Nagasu has said that her sushi chef father rarely had the chance to see her skate because he almost never closed his restaurant, and now is no different.

&quot;Three weeks is a long time, especially to leave work,&quot; she said. &quot;They&#39;re only coming for the last week but I&#39;m sure they&#39;re home now watching it. I can&#39;t wait to see them.&quot;

Nagasu made skating history by becoming the first American woman — and only the third overall — to land the fiendishly difficult triple Axel jump at an Olympics

Four years ago, American figure skater Mirai Nagasu was heartbroken after being left off the U.S. team for the Sochi Olympics in favour of a woman who ranked lower than she had at a key qualifying event. But on Monday, the woman whose Japanese immigrant parents run a sushi restaurant and mother hand-sewed her costumes, made skating history by becoming the first American woman - and only the third woman overall - to land the fiendishly difficult triple Axel jump at an Olympics. Skating a stellar routine in the women's free skate portion of the team competition, Nagasu began with a clean triple Axel and then went on to nail eight other triple jumps, including a triple flip and triple Salchow combination as she helped America claim bronze. Clearly overjoyed, the 24-year-old Nagasu, who was skating at her second Olympics, pumped her fists and grinned as she skated off the ice. "I feel really great," she said after her performance. "Going into it, I was like a train, get on those tracks and get some speed. To nail it the way I did - and even out of the corner of my eye, I could see my team mates standing in excitement." The only other women to land the jump in the Olympics were Japanese skaters Midori Ito and Mao Asada, and Nagasu joked that perhaps her ancestry had played a part. "Maybe it's the Japanese genetics - but lucky for me I'm American, so I'll be the first U.S. lady," she said after her performance. She was snubbed for Sochi in 2014 despite finishing third in the U.S. nationals as the selectors handed the Olympic berth to Ashley Wagner, who finished fourth. "Four years ago I was crying with Adam Rippon because we both didn't make the team," she said, referring to the men's singles skater. "So for both of us to be on the team... is super exciting." Nagasu was born to Japanese immigrant parents who run a sushi restaurant in California, where she grew up. Her first name means 'future' in Japanese and she reportedly speaks a mixture of Japanese and English at home with her parents. She began skating at the age of five and idolized two-time Olympic medalist and skater Michelle Kwan. As her career took off, she said it was sometimes difficult to keep going on the income from a restaurant. HAND-SEWN COSTUMES "My mom also made a lot of my skating costumes," Nagasu said on a conference call in January. "She also, like Michelle's mom, sewed sequins on one by one and I would complain that they were not as shiny as the rocky crystals because we got ours at Target and Michael's." Nagasu says that while in general she turns to comedy and laughter to reduce pressure at big events like the Olympics, overcoming the heartbreak of missing the Sochi team was tough. "I was very upset for a very long time. But I changed myself and became a better skater," she told the conference call. "I honestly don't think that I would have worked as hard on the triple Axel if I didn't have that time to really contemplate." Unfortunately, her parents weren't there to see her make history. Nagasu has said that her sushi chef father rarely had the chance to see her skate because he almost never closed his restaurant, and now is no different. "Three weeks is a long time, especially to leave work," she said. "They're only coming for the last week but I'm sure they're home now watching it. I can't wait to see them."

Pyeongchang 2018: Triumph after tears as America's Mirai Nagasu makes skating history

The collapse of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would not be a disaster for Mexico, the top foreign policy advisor to leftist presidential election frontrunner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said, adding that Mexico should depend less on the United States and not interfere with regional neighbours.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday (February 08), veteran diplomat Hector Vasconcelos echoed Lopez Obrador&#39;s position that Mexico should suspend talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement until a new government is elected in July, and said Mexico had other trade options.

The United States takes about 80 percent of Mexico&#39;s exports, despite numerous international trade deals. The current government has stepped up efforts to diversify to other markets in response to US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s threats to scrap the 1990s-era NAFTA, which also includes Canada.

Vasconcelos emphasised that Mexico would keep close ties to the United States if Lopez Obrador were to win, saying his government would seek an alliance for economic growth instead of a focus on police and military relations.

The diplomat pushed back at political rivals who say that Lopez Obrador&#39;s policies would take Mexico down a route similar to crisis-hit Venezuela, but said he did not support US&nbsp;sanctions on Venezuela&#39;s socialist government.

US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on a five-nation tour of Latin America and the Caribbean this week, said the United States was moving closer to a decision on imposing sanctions on Venezuelan oil.

Canada, Mexico, and the United States agreed to form a working group to study how to mitigate any fallout from the potential sanctions.

The top foreign policy advisor told this to leftist presidential election frontrunner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and added that Mexico should depend less on the United States and not interfere with regional neighbours

The collapse of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would not be a disaster for Mexico, the top foreign policy advisor to leftist presidential election frontrunner Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said, adding that Mexico should depend less on the United States and not interfere with regional neighbours. In an interview with Reuters on Thursday (February 08), veteran diplomat Hector Vasconcelos echoed Lopez Obrador's position that Mexico should suspend talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement until a new government is elected in July, and said Mexico had other trade options. The United States takes about 80 percent of Mexico's exports, despite numerous international trade deals. The current government has stepped up efforts to diversify to other markets in response to US President Donald Trump's threats to scrap the 1990s-era NAFTA, which also includes Canada. Vasconcelos emphasised that Mexico would keep close ties to the United States if Lopez Obrador were to win, saying his government would seek an alliance for economic growth instead of a focus on police and military relations. The diplomat pushed back at political rivals who say that Lopez Obrador's policies would take Mexico down a route similar to crisis-hit Venezuela, but said he did not support US sanctions on Venezuela's socialist government. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on a five-nation tour of Latin America and the Caribbean this week, said the United States was moving closer to a decision on imposing sanctions on Venezuelan oil. Canada, Mexico, and the United States agreed to form a working group to study how to mitigate any fallout from the potential sanctions.

End of NAFTA wouldn't be 'end of world': Mexican leftist's top diplomat

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/after-firing-one-trump-on-collision-course-with-new-fbi-director-31533" target="_blank">After firing one, Trump on collision course with new FBI director</a>

FBI Director Christopher Wray was hand-picked by Donald Trump to head a law enforcement agency the US president believed was biased against him.

Now, just six months into his tenure, the 50-year-old Wray finds himself on a collision course with a president who has already fired one FBI director.

CNN reported Thursday that Wray could quit if Trump goes ahead and approves the release of a secret memo at the center of a political firestorm in Washington.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/fidel-castros-eldest-son-commits-suicide-cuban-media-31534" target="_blank">Fidel Castro&#39;s eldest son commits suicide: Cuban media</a>

The son of late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, committed suicide on Thursday after being treated for months for depression, Cuban state-run media reported.

&quot;Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning,&quot; Cubadebate website said.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/apple-says-it-sold-fewer-iphones-but-made-record-profit-31535" target="_blank">Apple says it sold fewer iPhones but made record profit</a>

Apple on Thursday said its earnings in the final three months of last year set new records, with sales of its flagship iPhone X topping its expectations.

The California-based technology giant reported that profit climbed to $20 billion on revenue that increased 13 percent to $88.3 billion during the period.

&quot;We&#39;re thrilled to report the biggest quarter in Apple&#39;s history, with broad-based growth that included the highest revenue ever from a new iPhone lineup,&quot; said Apple chief executive Tim Cook.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-russia-roles-in-americas-alarming-says-rex-tillerson-31537" target="_blank">China, Russia roles in Americas &#39;alarming&#39;, says Rex Tillerson</a>

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that China and Russia are assuming &quot;alarming&quot; roles in Latin America and urged regional powers to work with the United States instead.

&quot;Latin America doesn&#39;t need new imperial powers that seek only to benefit their own people,&quot; Tillerson said, in a major policy address yesterday before his first tour of South American capitals.

&quot;China&#39;s state-led model of development is reminiscent of the past. It doesn&#39;t have to be the hemisphere&#39;s future,&quot; he said, warning that &quot;unfair trading practices&quot; would cost local jobs.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-turns-down-un-security-council-visit-31539" target="_blank">Myanmar turns down UN Security Council visit</a>

Myanmar&#39;s government has told the Security Council that this month was &quot;not the right time&quot; for a visit by the top UN body to see first-hand the Rohingya refugee crisis, the council president said on Thursday.

Kuwait&#39;s Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said Myanmar authorities were not opposed to such a visit, which could take place in March or April.

&quot;They just think that this is not the right time for a visit,&quot; Otaibi, who holds the council presidency for February, told reporters at UN headquarters.

After firing one, Trump on collision course with new FBI director FBI Director Christopher Wray was hand-picked by Donald Trump to head a law enforcement agency the US president believed was biased against him. Now, just six months into his tenure, the 50-year-old Wray finds himself on a collision course with a president who has already fired one FBI director. CNN reported Thursday that Wray could quit if Trump goes ahead and approves the release of a secret memo at the center of a political firestorm in Washington. Fidel Castro's eldest son commits suicide: Cuban media The son of late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, committed suicide on Thursday after being treated for months for depression, Cuban state-run media reported. "Diaz-Balart, who had been attended by a group of doctors for several months due to a state of profound depression, committed suicide this morning," Cubadebate website said. Apple says it sold fewer iPhones but made record profit Apple on Thursday said its earnings in the final three months of last year set new records, with sales of its flagship iPhone X topping its expectations. The California-based technology giant reported that profit climbed to $20 billion on revenue that increased 13 percent to $88.3 billion during the period. "We're thrilled to report the biggest quarter in Apple's history, with broad-based growth that included the highest revenue ever from a new iPhone lineup," said Apple chief executive Tim Cook. China, Russia roles in Americas 'alarming', says Rex Tillerson Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that China and Russia are assuming "alarming" roles in Latin America and urged regional powers to work with the United States instead. "Latin America doesn't need new imperial powers that seek only to benefit their own people," Tillerson said, in a major policy address yesterday before his first tour of South American capitals. "China's state-led model of development is reminiscent of the past. It doesn't have to be the hemisphere's future," he said, warning that "unfair trading practices" would cost local jobs. Myanmar turns down UN Security Council visit Myanmar's government has told the Security Council that this month was "not the right time" for a visit by the top UN body to see first-hand the Rohingya refugee crisis, the council president said on Thursday. Kuwait's Ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi said Myanmar authorities were not opposed to such a visit, which could take place in March or April. "They just think that this is not the right time for a visit," Otaibi, who holds the council presidency for February, told reporters at UN headquarters.

WION Morning News Brief, February 2, 2018

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that China and Russia are assuming &quot;alarming&quot; roles in Latin America and urged regional powers to work with the United States instead.

&quot;Latin America doesn&#39;t need new imperial powers that seek only to benefit their own people,&quot; Tillerson said, in a major policy address yesterday before his first tour of South American capitals.

&quot;China&#39;s state-led model of development is reminiscent of the past. It doesn&#39;t have to be the hemisphere&#39;s future,&quot; he said, warning that &quot;unfair trading practices&quot; would cost local jobs.

&quot;Russia&#39;s growing presence in the region is alarming too,&quot; he said, complaining that Moscow sells arms to &quot;unfriendly regimes who do not share or respect democratic process.&quot;

Tillerson was addressing staff and students at the University of Texas before he was to fly out on a six-day five-nation tour of Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Jamaica.&nbsp;

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that China and Russia are assuming "alarming" roles in Latin America.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that China and Russia are assuming "alarming" roles in Latin America and urged regional powers to work with the United States instead. "Latin America doesn't need new imperial powers that seek only to benefit their own people," Tillerson said, in a major policy address yesterday before his first tour of South American capitals. "China's state-led model of development is reminiscent of the past. It doesn't have to be the hemisphere's future," he said, warning that "unfair trading practices" would cost local jobs. "Russia's growing presence in the region is alarming too," he said, complaining that Moscow sells arms to "unfriendly regimes who do not share or respect democratic process." Tillerson was addressing staff and students at the University of Texas before he was to fly out on a six-day five-nation tour of Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Colombia and Jamaica.

China, Russia roles in Americas 'alarming', says Rex Tillerson

Evacuation orders were issued Saturday for areas in California&#39;s Santa Barbara County as the state battles its third-largest wildfire since 1932, with winds and dry conditions threatening to help the blaze grow.

Santa Barbara&#39;s Office of Emergency Management announced a series of mandatory evacuation orders as well as voluntary evacuation warnings for parts of the county on its Twitter account.

The OEM said that &quot;due to extreme traffic on the County Website it has shut down.&quot;

The so-called Thomas fire menacing Santa Barbara has already burned 259,000 acres (105,000 hectares) of land, destroyed over 1,000 structures and cost more than $100 million since it broke out on December 4, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said.

Conditions including winds, dry fuel and low humidity &quot;will continue to support fire growth,&quot; Cal Fire said.

More than 8,000 people are involved in battling the blaze, which is now 40 percent contained.

Cal Fire also warned that conditions were ripe for new wildfires to emerge.

&quot;Over the weekend winds across northern California are expected to reach 30-40 MPH (48-64 kilometers per hour). Wildfires can strike anywhere at any time,&quot; it warned in a Facebook post.

Only two fires have burned more acreage in California so far this century: the Cedar Fire of 2003, and the Rush Fire of 2012, which scorched 273,246 and 271,911, respectively.

Cal Fire&#39;s list of the top 20 largest wildfires in the state dates back to 1932, as earlier records &quot;are less reliable, and this list is meant to give an overview of the large fires in more recent times,&quot; it says.

The Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 reportedly burned 300,000 acres, which would make it the largest.

A series of fires broke out in California this month, most of which have since been contained.

The Thomas fire is the only one to have resulted in deaths.

San Diego-based Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson died fighting the Thomas fire in Ventura County, while a 70-year-old woman was killed in an accident as she fled in her car.

This year is the worst on record for wildfire devastation in California.

California Governor Jerry Brown has said that the wildfires ravaging his state should serve as a warning to parts of the world threatened by climate change.

&quot;The important fact is that these fires are going to become a very frequent occurrence. That&#39;s what the science is telling us,&quot; Brown said.

&quot;It&#39;s a real indicator of bad things to come, and hopefully will serve to wake up people who right now are too complacent.&quot;

Santa Barbara`s Office of Emergency Management announced a series of mandatory evacuation orders

Evacuation orders were issued Saturday for areas in California's Santa Barbara County as the state battles its third-largest wildfire since 1932, with winds and dry conditions threatening to help the blaze grow. Santa Barbara's Office of Emergency Management announced a series of mandatory evacuation orders as well as voluntary evacuation warnings for parts of the county on its Twitter account. The OEM said that "due to extreme traffic on the County Website it has shut down." The so-called Thomas fire menacing Santa Barbara has already burned 259,000 acres (105,000 hectares) of land, destroyed over 1,000 structures and cost more than $100 million since it broke out on December 4, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said. Conditions including winds, dry fuel and low humidity "will continue to support fire growth," Cal Fire said. More than 8,000 people are involved in battling the blaze, which is now 40 percent contained. Cal Fire also warned that conditions were ripe for new wildfires to emerge. "Over the weekend winds across northern California are expected to reach 30-40 MPH (48-64 kilometers per hour). Wildfires can strike anywhere at any time," it warned in a Facebook post. Only two fires have burned more acreage in California so far this century: the Cedar Fire of 2003, and the Rush Fire of 2012, which scorched 273,246 and 271,911, respectively. Cal Fire's list of the top 20 largest wildfires in the state dates back to 1932, as earlier records "are less reliable, and this list is meant to give an overview of the large fires in more recent times," it says. The Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 reportedly burned 300,000 acres, which would make it the largest. A series of fires broke out in California this month, most of which have since been contained. The Thomas fire is the only one to have resulted in deaths. San Diego-based Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson died fighting the Thomas fire in Ventura County, while a 70-year-old woman was killed in an accident as she fled in her car. This year is the worst on record for wildfire devastation in California. California Governor Jerry Brown has said that the wildfires ravaging his state should serve as a warning to parts of the world threatened by climate change. "The important fact is that these fires are going to become a very frequent occurrence. That's what the science is telling us," Brown said. "It's a real indicator of bad things to come, and hopefully will serve to wake up people who right now are too complacent."

Evacuations ordered for California's third-largest wildfire since 1932

War must not be allowed to break out on the Korean peninsula and the issue must be resolved through talks, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of the danger of &quot;sleepwalking&quot; into conflict.

Xi made his comments to visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in just days after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered to begin direct talks with North Korea without pre-conditions.

But the White House said on Wednesday that no negotiations could be held until North Korea improved its behaviour. The White House has declined to say whether President Donald Trump, who has taken a tougher rhetorical line toward North Korea, approved Tillerson&#39;s overture.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tillerson&#39;s offer of direct contacts with North Korea was &quot;a very good signal&quot;, while warning that a U.S. strike on the North would have catastrophic consequences.

North Korea tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29, which it said could put all of the United States within range, in defiance of international pressure and U.N. sanctions.

The United States has said all options were on the table in dealing with North Korea, including military action.

While South Korea and China share the goal of getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and stop testing increasingly sophisticated long-range missiles, the two have not seen eye-to-eye on how to achieve this.

Meeting in Beijing&#39;s Great Hall of the People, Xi told Moon that the goal of denuclearising the Korean peninsula must be stuck to, and war and chaos cannot be allowed, Chinese state media said.

&quot;The peninsula issue must, in the end, be resolved via dialogue and consultation,&quot; Xi was cited as saying.

China and South Korea have an important shared interest in maintaining peace, and China was willing to work with South Korea to promote talks and support North and South to improve relations, Xi said.

South Korea&#39;s Yonhap news agency said Xi and Moon agreed war on the peninsula would not be tolerated and they would cooperate in applying sanctions and pressure on North Korea.

The apparently warm tone of their talks followed nearly a year of tense relations between the two countries.

&#39;Dramatic circumstances&#39;

China has been furious about the deployment of the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying its powerful radar can see far into China and will do nothing to ease tension with North Korea.

China and South Korea agreed in October to normalise exchanges and move past the dispute, which froze trade and business exchanges.

Xi reiterated China&#39;s position on THAAD and said he hoped South Korea would continue to &quot;appropriately handle&quot; the issue.

Guterres, speaking to reporters in Tokyo after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Security Council resolutions on North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programmes must be fully implemented by Pyongyang and other countries.

&quot;Security Council resolutions must be fully implemented, first of all by North Korea, but by all other countries whose role is crucial,&quot; Guterres said.

He said he expected a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday would deliver a strong expression of unity and the need for diplomacy to resolve the issue.

&quot;The worst possible thing that could happen is for us all to sleepwalk into a war.&quot;

Japan says now is the time to keep up pressure on North Korea, not start talks on its missile and nuclear programmes.

China and Russia, however, have welcomed Tillerson&#39;s overture.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a U.S. strike on North Korea by the United States would have catastrophic consequences and he hoped to work with Washington eventually to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Russia does not accept North Korea&#39;s nuclear status, Putin told a news conference. But he also said some U.S. actions had provoked North Korea.

&quot;We believe the two sides should now stop aggravating the situation,&quot; Putin said.

North Korea justifies its weapons programmes as necessary defence against U.S. plans to invade. The United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, denies any such intention.

The North&#39;s state news agency KCNA said Trump was taking a big step towards nuclear war in seeking a naval blockade and North Korea would take &quot;merciless self-defence&quot; measures if the United States tried to impose one.

North Korea would regard a naval blockade as &quot;an act of war&quot; and a &quot;wanton violation&quot; of its sovereignty and dignity, the agency cited a foreign ministry spokesman as saying, adding that North Korea was a responsible nuclear power.

White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said in September that even military options short of a preventative strike, such as a naval blockade meant to enforce sanctions, carried risks of military escalation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday of the danger of 'sleepwalking' into conflict

War must not be allowed to break out on the Korean peninsula and the issue must be resolved through talks, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of the danger of "sleepwalking" into conflict. Xi made his comments to visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in just days after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered to begin direct talks with North Korea without pre-conditions. But the White House said on Wednesday that no negotiations could be held until North Korea improved its behaviour. The White House has declined to say whether President Donald Trump, who has taken a tougher rhetorical line toward North Korea, approved Tillerson's overture. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tillerson's offer of direct contacts with North Korea was "a very good signal", while warning that a U.S. strike on the North would have catastrophic consequences. North Korea tested its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29, which it said could put all of the United States within range, in defiance of international pressure and U.N. sanctions. The United States has said all options were on the table in dealing with North Korea, including military action. While South Korea and China share the goal of getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and stop testing increasingly sophisticated long-range missiles, the two have not seen eye-to-eye on how to achieve this. Meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Xi told Moon that the goal of denuclearising the Korean peninsula must be stuck to, and war and chaos cannot be allowed, Chinese state media said. "The peninsula issue must, in the end, be resolved via dialogue and consultation," Xi was cited as saying. China and South Korea have an important shared interest in maintaining peace, and China was willing to work with South Korea to promote talks and support North and South to improve relations, Xi said. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Xi and Moon agreed war on the peninsula would not be tolerated and they would cooperate in applying sanctions and pressure on North Korea. The apparently warm tone of their talks followed nearly a year of tense relations between the two countries. 'Dramatic circumstances' China has been furious about the deployment of the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying its powerful radar can see far into China and will do nothing to ease tension with North Korea. China and South Korea agreed in October to normalise exchanges and move past the dispute, which froze trade and business exchanges. Xi reiterated China's position on THAAD and said he hoped South Korea would continue to "appropriately handle" the issue. Guterres, speaking to reporters in Tokyo after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said Security Council resolutions on North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes must be fully implemented by Pyongyang and other countries. "Security Council resolutions must be fully implemented, first of all by North Korea, but by all other countries whose role is crucial," Guterres said. He said he expected a meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday would deliver a strong expression of unity and the need for diplomacy to resolve the issue. "The worst possible thing that could happen is for us all to sleepwalk into a war." Japan says now is the time to keep up pressure on North Korea, not start talks on its missile and nuclear programmes. China and Russia, however, have welcomed Tillerson's overture. Russian President Vladimir Putin said a U.S. strike on North Korea by the United States would have catastrophic consequences and he hoped to work with Washington eventually to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula. Russia does not accept North Korea's nuclear status, Putin told a news conference. But he also said some U.S. actions had provoked North Korea. "We believe the two sides should now stop aggravating the situation," Putin said. North Korea justifies its weapons programmes as necessary defence against U.S. plans to invade. The United States, which has 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, denies any such intention. The North's state news agency KCNA said Trump was taking a big step towards nuclear war in seeking a naval blockade and North Korea would take "merciless self-defence" measures if the United States tried to impose one. North Korea would regard a naval blockade as "an act of war" and a "wanton violation" of its sovereignty and dignity, the agency cited a foreign ministry spokesman as saying, adding that North Korea was a responsible nuclear power. White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said in September that even military options short of a preventative strike, such as a naval blockade meant to enforce sanctions, carried risks of military escalation.

China's Xi says war must not be allowed to break out on Korean peninsula

I never thought I&#39;d be saying this, but Donald Trump, for once, is making sense. &quot;We cannot solve problems by making the same failed assumptions. Old problems need new solutions&quot;, he said.&nbsp; It was a pleasant change to see him sticking to the script. (It&#39;s time the world recognised the virtues of the teleprompter too!) Low on his trademark garbled rhetoric, more coherent. He declared his commitment to achieving peace, announcing the shift of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognised the latter as the capital of Israel.

Bad in law, unjust to the Palestinians, unfair on the part of a mediator, a blow to decades of US foreign policy, diplomatic arson, the kiss of death for peace - the naysayers have spared no effort in crafting the choicest expressions of criticism. And yet, the move makes sense.

Did anyone have illusions about where the American loyalties lay in this conflict? Others pretended to be fair, Trump wore his bias on his sleeve.

Did the so-called peace process make any tangible progress when America stuck to the previous strategy of maintaining a precarious balance? Previous Presidents failed. There&#39;s nothing to suggest that Trump&#39;s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner&#39;s efforts and visits had made any headway.

Will the Arab world and America&#39;s European allies do anything beyond the token protests? The EU is mulling pushing for the Palestinian capital in Jerusalem. Only, Jerusalem is under Israeli control and under the current circumstances, the idea is impractical.

The Arab League is meeting&nbsp;on Saturday, but it&#39;s going through the motions. The Sunni states, led by Saudi Arabia see Israel as a potential partner, no more a pariah, as they prepare to deal with the perceived threat from Iran. There are elements who care about the &quot;Palestinian cause&quot; but no Arab ally of Ramallah has offered more than lip service for a while now.

Protests have begun, there&#39;s a call for another intifada or uprising by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya. But can the decision of one sovereign nation to recognise the right of another sovereign nation to determine its capital be held hostage to threats of protests?

To Trump&#39;s credit, he has made good on an election promise that most of his predecessors broke. Yes, he undermines America&#39;s stature as a peace broker. Yes, it&#39;s a gamble. But it&#39;s a better bet than seven decades of a bloody status quo which, by the way, is also a misnomer. The American President promised an unconventional approach to policymaking and governance. He&#39;s doing it. Shifting the orbit. Jolting a system. If the gambit doesn&#39;t pay off, you cannot accuse him of not having tried.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Donald Trump is shifting the orbit. Jolting a system. If the gambit doesn't pay off, you cannot accuse him of not having tried.

I never thought I'd be saying this, but Donald Trump, for once, is making sense. "We cannot solve problems by making the same failed assumptions. Old problems need new solutions", he said. It was a pleasant change to see him sticking to the script. (It's time the world recognised the virtues of the teleprompter too!) Low on his trademark garbled rhetoric, more coherent. He declared his commitment to achieving peace, announcing the shift of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognised the latter as the capital of Israel. Bad in law, unjust to the Palestinians, unfair on the part of a mediator, a blow to decades of US foreign policy, diplomatic arson, the kiss of death for peace - the naysayers have spared no effort in crafting the choicest expressions of criticism. And yet, the move makes sense. Did anyone have illusions about where the American loyalties lay in this conflict? Others pretended to be fair, Trump wore his bias on his sleeve. Did the so-called peace process make any tangible progress when America stuck to the previous strategy of maintaining a precarious balance? Previous Presidents failed. There's nothing to suggest that Trump's advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner's efforts and visits had made any headway. Will the Arab world and America's European allies do anything beyond the token protests? The EU is mulling pushing for the Palestinian capital in Jerusalem. Only, Jerusalem is under Israeli control and under the current circumstances, the idea is impractical. The Arab League is meeting on Saturday, but it's going through the motions. The Sunni states, led by Saudi Arabia see Israel as a potential partner, no more a pariah, as they prepare to deal with the perceived threat from Iran. There are elements who care about the "Palestinian cause" but no Arab ally of Ramallah has offered more than lip service for a while now. Protests have begun, there's a call for another intifada or uprising by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya. But can the decision of one sovereign nation to recognise the right of another sovereign nation to determine its capital be held hostage to threats of protests? To Trump's credit, he has made good on an election promise that most of his predecessors broke. Yes, he undermines America's stature as a peace broker. Yes, it's a gamble. But it's a better bet than seven decades of a bloody status quo which, by the way, is also a misnomer. The American President promised an unconventional approach to policymaking and governance. He's doing it. Shifting the orbit. Jolting a system. If the gambit doesn't pay off, you cannot accuse him of not having tried. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Trump's orbit shift, this year in Jerusalem

Russia&#39;s justice ministry on Tuesday named nine US media outlets including Voice of America as &quot;foreign agents&quot; after President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing international media to be slapped with the controversial label.

The ministry said that US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of their media affiliates had been recognised as &quot;carrying out the functions of a foreign agent&quot;, in a statement posted on its website.

Putin last month signed into law hastily issued legislation allowing the measure to target media.

Russia said this was a retaliatory move after Kremlin-funded RT television registered as a &quot;foreign agent&quot; in the United States under official pressure.

Rights groups fear the law could have a chilling effect on the ability of outlets to carry out independent reporting.

Voice of America and Radio Free Europe began broadcasting to the Soviet Union in the 1950s, playing a key role in providing its citizens with uncensored news.

Both broadcasters had already been formally warned by the justice ministry that they risked recognition as &quot;foreign agents.&quot;

The justice ministry has now formalised the move, naming them and their affiliates, including Radio Free Europe&#39;s news outlets dedicated to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine, and the Caucasus.&nbsp;

They also include a television channel run jointly by Radio Free Europe and Voice of America called Current Time TV.

Speaking on Current Time TV in Russian, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty&#39;s president Thomas Kent said that &quot;as a result, the activities of our organisation can face even greater restrictions&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;So far we have no concrete information on these restrictions,&quot; the head of the US Congress-funded corporation said.

He stressed: &quot;We remain committed to continuing our work in journalism in the interests of providing precise and objective information to our Russian-language audience.&quot;

&nbsp;&#39;Threat to free media&#39;&nbsp;

The 2012 law previously applied only to non-governmental organisations that had international funding.&nbsp;

Those branded &quot;foreign agents&quot; have to present themselves as such on all paperwork and submit to intensive scrutiny of their staffing and financing.

Many NGOs have closed down as a result, saying the measure made it too difficult for them to operate.

The US State Department said last month that the new law &quot;presents yet another threat to free media in Russia&quot;.

It said it was &quot;disingenuous&quot; of Moscow to equate the move to RT&#39;s listing as a foreign agent in the US since Washington&#39;s measure &quot;does not restrict an organisation&#39;s ability to operate&quot;.

The head of the Russian upper house&#39;s commission for the protection of state sovereignty, Andrei Klimov, said the measure would be strictly enforced but could be reversed.

&quot;If (foreign media) try to get out of it, we will catch up with them anyway, we will force them to obey Russian law,&quot; Klimov told Interfax news agency.

&quot;If Washington comes to its senses and ceases pressure on Russian media, however, in that case we will also consider correcting our decisions.&quot;

Russian MPs are set to vote Wednesday on whether to ban journalists from outlets labelled as &quot;foreign agents&quot; from entering the State Duma lower house of parliament.

The ministry said that US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of their media affiliates had been recognised as 'carrying out the functions of a foreign agent', in a statement posted on its website

Russia's justice ministry on Tuesday named nine US media outlets including Voice of America as "foreign agents" after President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing international media to be slapped with the controversial label. The ministry said that US-funded Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and seven of their media affiliates had been recognised as "carrying out the functions of a foreign agent", in a statement posted on its website. Putin last month signed into law hastily issued legislation allowing the measure to target media. Russia said this was a retaliatory move after Kremlin-funded RT television registered as a "foreign agent" in the United States under official pressure. Rights groups fear the law could have a chilling effect on the ability of outlets to carry out independent reporting. Voice of America and Radio Free Europe began broadcasting to the Soviet Union in the 1950s, playing a key role in providing its citizens with uncensored news. Both broadcasters had already been formally warned by the justice ministry that they risked recognition as "foreign agents." The justice ministry has now formalised the move, naming them and their affiliates, including Radio Free Europe's news outlets dedicated to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine, and the Caucasus. They also include a television channel run jointly by Radio Free Europe and Voice of America called Current Time TV. Speaking on Current Time TV in Russian, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's president Thomas Kent said that "as a result, the activities of our organisation can face even greater restrictions". "So far we have no concrete information on these restrictions," the head of the US Congress-funded corporation said. He stressed: "We remain committed to continuing our work in journalism in the interests of providing precise and objective information to our Russian-language audience." 'Threat to free media' The 2012 law previously applied only to non-governmental organisations that had international funding. Those branded "foreign agents" have to present themselves as such on all paperwork and submit to intensive scrutiny of their staffing and financing. Many NGOs have closed down as a result, saying the measure made it too difficult for them to operate. The US State Department said last month that the new law "presents yet another threat to free media in Russia". It said it was "disingenuous" of Moscow to equate the move to RT's listing as a foreign agent in the US since Washington's measure "does not restrict an organisation's ability to operate". The head of the Russian upper house's commission for the protection of state sovereignty, Andrei Klimov, said the measure would be strictly enforced but could be reversed. "If (foreign media) try to get out of it, we will catch up with them anyway, we will force them to obey Russian law," Klimov told Interfax news agency. "If Washington comes to its senses and ceases pressure on Russian media, however, in that case we will also consider correcting our decisions." Russian MPs are set to vote Wednesday on whether to ban journalists from outlets labelled as "foreign agents" from entering the State Duma lower house of parliament.

Russia declares 9 US media outlets as 'foreign agents'

Indian diplomacy is often seen as a balance between its hard power and soft power, and this balance drives New Delhi&rsquo;s &lsquo;great power&rsquo; ambitions. The traditional view of a &lsquo;great power&rsquo; is often associated with hard power and includes economic and military clout that countries leverage in order to influence the international order. The concept of &lsquo;soft power&rsquo;, pioneered by Harvard Professor Joseph Nye, is associated with the power to attract and co-opt as a means of influence.

India has plenty to leverage when it comes to soft power - from yoga and Ayurveda to democratic institutions and its rich history and culture &ndash; but there is definitely something it can learn from China.

China&rsquo;s &lsquo;soft power&rsquo; projections are more often than not, driven by centralised government schemes and conscious efforts of promotion of its culture and society to the world &ndash; be it rapidly spreading Confucius Institutes or extravagant displays of its ancient culture, likes of which the world witnessed during 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. Unlike China, India&rsquo;s &lsquo;attractiveness&rsquo; to the world has grown organically, with little or no strategic government initiatives.

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<h5>To understand China&rsquo;s soft power experiment one should look at its enhanced focus on higher education reforms and projections.</h5>
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However, we have witnessed some of New Delhi&rsquo;s conscious efforts with yoga at heart of it; but it&rsquo;s only on a limited scale. On the contrary, to understand China&rsquo;s soft power experiment one should look at its enhanced focus on higher education reforms and projections. No small parts of China&rsquo;s &lsquo;soft power&rsquo; strategies are its elite scholarship programs, such as Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University and Yenching Academy at Peking University. Modeled after Oxford&rsquo;s prestigious Rhodes scholarships, these scholarships are designed to educate and influence future leaders of the world.

These scholarships are attracting the best and brightest graduates from across the world, many of whom have graduated from Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge and other top-ranked universities. With the full support of Chinese government and policymakers, these fully funded scholarships are backed by huge endowments and donations. For instance, American billionaire and Chairman of private equity firm Blackstone Group, Stephen Schwarzman have donated 100 million USD.

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<h5>The trend is indicative of the fact that &lsquo;higher education&rsquo; and &lsquo;quality education&rsquo; no longer remain the monopoly of the global north and there is scope for universities and institutes from developing world to compete for the best and brightest minds.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The trend is indicative of the fact that ?higher education? and ?quality education? no longer remain the monopoly of the global north and there is scope for universities and institutes from developing world to compete for the best and brightest minds." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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The attraction towards these scholarships is representative of China&rsquo;s constantly growing global influence and shifting international order. The specially designed curriculum of these programs is an effective &lsquo;soft power&rsquo; tool deployed by Beijing, as they allow &lsquo;future leaders&rsquo; to explore China&rsquo;s ancient culture and traditions, its politics and its role and aspirations in the 21st century.

The trend is indicative of the fact that &lsquo;higher education&rsquo; and &lsquo;quality education&rsquo; no longer remain the monopoly of the global north and there is scope for universities and institutes from developing world to compete for the best and brightest minds. But it&rsquo;s a long road ahead for India until we focus on our quality of research. India&rsquo;s highest-ranked institution Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) is not even in the top 250, as per world university rankings by Times Higher Education (THE), while China&rsquo;s Peking and Tsinghua were ranked 27th and 30th respectively and had seven representations in Top 200 of 2018 rankings. Quality of research and teaching are the key areas where Indian institutions continue lacking.

Creation of such elite scholarship/fellowship programs could also be utilised by New Delhi as an instrument of diplomacy; the way Britain and America have done in the 20th century and China has started doing. In the past, Indian corporates and individuals have endowed such funds and scholarships allowing Indians to study abroad &ndash; and now is the time when India should attract &lsquo;future leaders&rsquo; and let them explore India&rsquo;s rich culture and heritage and more importantly understand India&rsquo;s role in global affairs. Such an investment could prove to be highly successful in attracting people to the world&rsquo;s largest democracy.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Creation of such elite scholarship/fellowship programs could be utilised by New Delhi as an instrument of diplomacy; the way Britain and America have done in the 20th century and China has started doing

Indian diplomacy is often seen as a balance between its hard power and soft power, and this balance drives New Delhi’s ‘great power’ ambitions. The traditional view of a ‘great power’ is often associated with hard power and includes economic and military clout that countries leverage in order to influence the international order. The concept of ‘soft power’, pioneered by Harvard Professor Joseph Nye, is associated with the power to attract and co-opt as a means of influence. India has plenty to leverage when it comes to soft power - from yoga and Ayurveda to democratic institutions and its rich history and culture – but there is definitely something it can learn from China. China’s ‘soft power’ projections are more often than not, driven by centralised government schemes and conscious efforts of promotion of its culture and society to the world – be it rapidly spreading Confucius Institutes or extravagant displays of its ancient culture, likes of which the world witnessed during 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing. Unlike China, India’s ‘attractiveness’ to the world has grown organically, with little or no strategic government initiatives. To understand China’s soft power experiment one should look at its enhanced focus on higher education reforms and projections. × However, we have witnessed some of New Delhi’s conscious efforts with yoga at heart of it; but it’s only on a limited scale. On the contrary, to understand China’s soft power experiment one should look at its enhanced focus on higher education reforms and projections. No small parts of China’s ‘soft power’ strategies are its elite scholarship programs, such as Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University and Yenching Academy at Peking University. Modeled after Oxford’s prestigious Rhodes scholarships, these scholarships are designed to educate and influence future leaders of the world. These scholarships are attracting the best and brightest graduates from across the world, many of whom have graduated from Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge and other top-ranked universities. With the full support of Chinese government and policymakers, these fully funded scholarships are backed by huge endowments and donations. For instance, American billionaire and Chairman of private equity firm Blackstone Group, Stephen Schwarzman have donated 100 million USD. The trend is indicative of the fact that ‘higher education’ and ‘quality education’ no longer remain the monopoly of the global north and there is scope for universities and institutes from developing world to compete for the best and brightest minds. × The attraction towards these scholarships is representative of China’s constantly growing global influence and shifting international order. The specially designed curriculum of these programs is an effective ‘soft power’ tool deployed by Beijing, as they allow ‘future leaders’ to explore China’s ancient culture and traditions, its politics and its role and aspirations in the 21st century. The trend is indicative of the fact that ‘higher education’ and ‘quality education’ no longer remain the monopoly of the global north and there is scope for universities and institutes from developing world to compete for the best and brightest minds. But it’s a long road ahead for India until we focus on our quality of research. India’s highest-ranked institution Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) is not even in the top 250, as per world university rankings by Times Higher Education (THE), while China’s Peking and Tsinghua were ranked 27th and 30th respectively and had seven representations in Top 200 of 2018 rankings. Quality of research and teaching are the key areas where Indian institutions continue lacking. Creation of such elite scholarship/fellowship programs could also be utilised by New Delhi as an instrument of diplomacy; the way Britain and America have done in the 20th century and China has started doing. In the past, Indian corporates and individuals have endowed such funds and scholarships allowing Indians to study abroad – and now is the time when India should attract ‘future leaders’ and let them explore India’s rich culture and heritage and more importantly understand India’s role in global affairs. Such an investment could prove to be highly successful in attracting people to the world’s largest democracy. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: China excels in soft power diplomacy; India doesn't

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-warns-north-korean-leadership-will-be-utterly-destroyed-in-case-of-war-25470" target="_blank">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-warns-north-korean-leadership-will-be-utterly-destroyed-in-case-of-war-25470" target="_blank"> warns North Korean leadership will be &#39;utterly destroyed&#39; if war breaks out</a>

The United States warned the North Korean leadership that it would be &quot;utterly destroyed&quot; if war were to break out, after Pyongyang test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, putting the US mainland within range.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/now-assams-brahmaputra-river-also-turns-black-report-25476" target="_blank">Now, Assam&#39;s Brahmaputra river also turns black: Report</a>

After reports that the colour of the water of the river Siang in Arunachal Pradesh turned black, comes a report that the water downstream of the river Brahmaputra in Assam has changed to black as well.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-attacks-british-pm-may-after-she-criticises-his-retweeting-of-anti-islam-videos-25473" target="_blank">Trump attacks British PM May after she criticises his retweeting of anti-Islam videos</a>

Donald Trump hit back publicly at British Prime Minister Theresa May after she criticised his retweeting of anti-Islam videos.&nbsp;

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/bosnian-croat-war-crimes-convict-dies-after-taking-poison-in-court-report-25472" target="_blank">Bosnian-Croat war crimes convict dies after taking &#39;poison&#39; in court: Report</a>

A Bosnian Croat wartime commander died after swallowing what he said was poison in a UN war crimes courtroom on Wednesday after losing an appeal against a 20-year prison sentence, Croatian state TV said.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/football/epl-league-leaders-manchester-city-win-chasers-keep-chasing-25474" target="_blank">EPL: League leaders Manchester City win, chasers keep chasing</a>

With Manchester United having cut the gap with league leaders Manchester City to five points and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool winning, any City stutter would have been cause for celebration. But Pep Guardiola&#39;s side thundered on with a club record 12th successive league victory.

US warns North Korean leadership will be 'utterly destroyed' if war breaks out The United States warned the North Korean leadership that it would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out, after Pyongyang test-fired its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, putting the US mainland within range. Now, Assam's Brahmaputra river also turns black: Report After reports that the colour of the water of the river Siang in Arunachal Pradesh turned black, comes a report that the water downstream of the river Brahmaputra in Assam has changed to black as well. Trump attacks British PM May after she criticises his retweeting of anti-Islam videos Donald Trump hit back publicly at British Prime Minister Theresa May after she criticised his retweeting of anti-Islam videos. Bosnian-Croat war crimes convict dies after taking 'poison' in court: Report A Bosnian Croat wartime commander died after swallowing what he said was poison in a UN war crimes courtroom on Wednesday after losing an appeal against a 20-year prison sentence, Croatian state TV said. EPL: League leaders Manchester City win, chasers keep chasing With Manchester United having cut the gap with league leaders Manchester City to five points and Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool winning, any City stutter would have been cause for celebration. But Pep Guardiola's side thundered on with a club record 12th successive league victory.

WION morning news brief, November 30, 2017

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/de-blasio-wins-new-york-city-mayoral-election-23752" target="_blank">New York&#39;s mayor</a> on Monday signed into law the repeal of a 91-year-old piece of legislation that had technically banned dancing in thousands of bars, clubs and restaurants in the city.

The city council voted overwhelmingly on October 31 to axe the law, which had come into effect in 1926 during Prohibition and which campaigners decried as racist, saying it was used initially to crack down on Harlem&#39;s jazz clubs, where blacks and whites mixed.

Campaigners say it was also used historically to target Hispanics and members of the LGBT community. In the 1990s, mayor Rudy Giuliani used the law to get tough on clubs in his fight against crime.

&quot;It&#39;s 2017 and this law just didn&#39;t make sense. Nightlife is part of the New York melting pot that brings people together,&quot; said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

&quot;We want to be a city where people can work hard, and enjoy their city&#39;s nightlife without arcane bans on dancing.&quot;

Although the law was rarely enforced in recent years, it required public spaces that sell food and drink to acquire near impossible-to-obtain permits to authorize dancing indoors or risk a fine.

Yet only around 100 of New York&#39;s more than 22,000 bars, restaurants and clubs had the elusive permit.

Brooklyn Democratic councilman Rafael Espinal led the charge to repeal the law, saying it unfairly discriminated against small businesses.

&quot;Artist, musicians, businesses owners, workers and everyday New Yorkers looking to let loose will no longer have to fear the dance police will shut down their favorite venues,&quot; he said Monday.

A search is also now on for a &quot;nightlife mayor&quot; who can liaise between city hall, residents and the city&#39;s multi-billion-dollar nightlife industry, in order to support a safe nightlife scene that supports 300,000 jobs and attracts tourists far and wide.

While venues will not need a special dancing permit, the city will still require security guards and surveillance cameras in many venues.

&nbsp;

The ban had come into effect in 1926 during Prohibition

New York's mayor on Monday signed into law the repeal of a 91-year-old piece of legislation that had technically banned dancing in thousands of bars, clubs and restaurants in the city. The city council voted overwhelmingly on October 31 to axe the law, which had come into effect in 1926 during Prohibition and which campaigners decried as racist, saying it was used initially to crack down on Harlem's jazz clubs, where blacks and whites mixed. Campaigners say it was also used historically to target Hispanics and members of the LGBT community. In the 1990s, mayor Rudy Giuliani used the law to get tough on clubs in his fight against crime. "It's 2017 and this law just didn't make sense. Nightlife is part of the New York melting pot that brings people together," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "We want to be a city where people can work hard, and enjoy their city's nightlife without arcane bans on dancing." Although the law was rarely enforced in recent years, it required public spaces that sell food and drink to acquire near impossible-to-obtain permits to authorize dancing indoors or risk a fine. Yet only around 100 of New York's more than 22,000 bars, restaurants and clubs had the elusive permit. Brooklyn Democratic councilman Rafael Espinal led the charge to repeal the law, saying it unfairly discriminated against small businesses. "Artist, musicians, businesses owners, workers and everyday New Yorkers looking to let loose will no longer have to fear the dance police will shut down their favorite venues," he said Monday. A search is also now on for a "nightlife mayor" who can liaise between city hall, residents and the city's multi-billion-dollar nightlife industry, in order to support a safe nightlife scene that supports 300,000 jobs and attracts tourists far and wide. While venues will not need a special dancing permit, the city will still require security guards and surveillance cameras in many venues.

New York repeals 91-year-old dancing ban

Iran on Sunday accused the United States of responsibility for &quot;atrocities&quot; in Yemen through its support for Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition fighting Tehran-backed Huthi rebels.&nbsp;

Iran&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said a White House statement on Friday in support of Riyadh &quot;clearly and without question proves America&#39;s participation and responsibility in the atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen&quot;.

In its statement, Washington had said it was &quot;committed to supporting Saudi Arabia... against the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps&#39;&nbsp;aggression and blatant violations of international law.&quot;

Regional arch-rivals Shiite-ruled Iran and Sunni heavyweight Saudi Arabia back opposing sides in conflicts from Yemen to Syria.&nbsp;

They cut diplomatic relations in January 2016 after Iranian protestors stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in reaction to Riyadh&#39;s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

In early November, Riyadh accused Tehran of &quot;direct aggression&quot; after Saudi forces intercepted a missile fired by Huthi forces towards Riyadh&#39;s international airport.&nbsp;

But Ghassemi denied that Iran has &quot;any military connection with Yemen&quot;, although Tehran says it supports the Huthis politically and regularly denounces Saudi Arabia for allegedly bombing civilians.

Accusing Washington of making &quot;totally unfounded&quot; allegations, Ghassemi said its statement on Friday showed it &quot;openly supports... appalling atrocities&quot; by Saudi Arabia in Yemen.

The Saudi-led Arab military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Huthis forced him into exile.

Last month, the United Nations put the coalition on its blacklist for killing and maiming 683 children during the conflict last year and carrying out 38 verified attacks on schools and hospitals.

A report published in mid-November by the Congressional Research Service showed that Riyadh had signed arms deals worth more than $65 billion (55 billion euros) with the United States between 2009 and 2016.

&quot;Since 2015, the US-trained Saudi military has used US-origin weaponry, US logistical assistance, and shared intelligence in support of military operations in Yemen,&quot; it said.

Both parties in the Yemen conflict stand accused of neglecting civilian safety.&nbsp;

The United Nations has blacklisted the Saudi-led coalition over the &quot;killing and maiming&quot; of children.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said in support of Riyadh 'clearly and without question proves America's participation and responsibility in the atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen'.

Iran on Sunday accused the United States of responsibility for "atrocities" in Yemen through its support for Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition fighting Tehran-backed Huthi rebels. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said a White House statement on Friday in support of Riyadh "clearly and without question proves America's participation and responsibility in the atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen". In its statement, Washington had said it was "committed to supporting Saudi Arabia... against the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' aggression and blatant violations of international law." Regional arch-rivals Shiite-ruled Iran and Sunni heavyweight Saudi Arabia back opposing sides in conflicts from Yemen to Syria. They cut diplomatic relations in January 2016 after Iranian protestors stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in reaction to Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. In early November, Riyadh accused Tehran of "direct aggression" after Saudi forces intercepted a missile fired by Huthi forces towards Riyadh's international airport. But Ghassemi denied that Iran has "any military connection with Yemen", although Tehran says it supports the Huthis politically and regularly denounces Saudi Arabia for allegedly bombing civilians. Accusing Washington of making "totally unfounded" allegations, Ghassemi said its statement on Friday showed it "openly supports... appalling atrocities" by Saudi Arabia in Yemen. The Saudi-led Arab military coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Huthis forced him into exile. Last month, the United Nations put the coalition on its blacklist for killing and maiming 683 children during the conflict last year and carrying out 38 verified attacks on schools and hospitals. A report published in mid-November by the Congressional Research Service showed that Riyadh had signed arms deals worth more than $65 billion (55 billion euros) with the United States between 2009 and 2016. "Since 2015, the US-trained Saudi military has used US-origin weaponry, US logistical assistance, and shared intelligence in support of military operations in Yemen," it said. Both parties in the Yemen conflict stand accused of neglecting civilian safety. The United Nations has blacklisted the Saudi-led coalition over the "killing and maiming" of children.

Iran accuses US over Saudi 'atrocities' in Yemen

President Donald Trump gave a spirited airing of his &quot;America First&quot; doctrine in a speech to Asia-Pacific leaders on Friday, vowing his country will &quot;no longer tolerate&quot; unfair trade, closed markets, and intellectual property theft, as he seeks to rewrite the rules of global commerce.

In a speech that by turns lavished praise on Asia-Pacific nations and accused them of undercutting the world&#39;s largest economy, he said US interests had been ill-served by the architecture of global trade.&nbsp;&nbsp;

America &quot;will not tolerate... chronic trade abuses,&quot; he said as he took aim at the World Trade Organisation for failing to police free trade infringements.

&quot;We are not going to let the United States be taken advantage of anymore. I am always going to put America first the same way I expect all of you in this room to put your countries first.&quot;

In a day bringing together the big hitters of politics and business, Trump will share the venue with world leaders including Russia&#39;s Vladimir Putin, Japan&#39;s Shinzo Abe, and China&#39;s Xi Jinping.

Xi is also set to deliver a speech, likely to present a competing narrative casting China as the leader of global free trade, a role vacated by America.

China announced Friday it will further open the country&#39;s financial markets to foreign firms, a key demand from the US and other global investors who have long complained about strict limits on access to the giant economy.&nbsp;

Trump arrives fresh from trips to Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing, where he sought to build a consensus against North Korea&#39;s nuclear ambitions.

In China he was gushing in his praise of Xi, calling his host &quot;a very special man&quot; in a trip rich with photo opportunities but lacking concrete outcomes on tackling key issues such as North Korea.

As the US retreats behind &quot;economic nationalism&quot;, China will take a stride forward, said Ian Bremmer of the political consultancy Eurasia.

&nbsp;Free trade on the rack&nbsp; 
The White House ruled out any meeting between Trump and Putin, a potential box office event with Russia accused of interfering in the US election last year that brought the billionaire one-time reality TV star to power.

Trump election campaign aides are under intense legal scrutiny in the US over possible ties to the Kremlin, but Russia denies any chicanery linked to his astonishing political ascent.

The rise of Trump as leader of the world&#39;s biggest economy risks unpicking decades of US-led economic diplomacy that webbed global economies together with free trade and low tariff pacts.

He has pledged to wring a better deal from countries the US has large trade deficits with -- including China -- and bring jobs back to the hollowed out industrial heartland that voted for him.

But proponents of free trade, including many allies, have looked on aghast as Trump tears up the rulebook and anti-globalization arguments ricochet through the US and Europe.

Trump has already pulled Washington&#39;s support from the sprawling 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact and vowed to renegotiate NAFTA, a trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico.

On Friday, Asia-Pacific ministers were struggling to salvage the TPP deal, with Canada denying reports that an agreement had been struck among the remaining 11 members to press ahead without the US.

Malaysian premier Najib Razak, whose country is among the so-called TPP-11 nations, lamented the wider change of &quot;tone&quot; towards globalization.

&quot;I see the rise of anti-globalization, I see the rise of more inward-looking (nations)... there&#39;s a lot of soul-searching we have to do during this APEC,&quot; he told a room packed with CEOs on the sidelines of the forum.

The annual APEC summit is one of the largest gatherings on the annual diplomatic calendar, bringing together scores of world leaders and more than 2,000 CEOs.

APEC represents 21 Pacific Rim economies, the equivalent of 60 percent of global GDP and covering nearly three billion people, and has pushed for freer trade since its inception in 1989.

America 'will not tolerate... chronic trade abuses,' Trump said as he took aim at the World Trade Organisation for failing to police free trade infringements

President Donald Trump gave a spirited airing of his "America First" doctrine in a speech to Asia-Pacific leaders on Friday, vowing his country will "no longer tolerate" unfair trade, closed markets, and intellectual property theft, as he seeks to rewrite the rules of global commerce. In a speech that by turns lavished praise on Asia-Pacific nations and accused them of undercutting the world's largest economy, he said US interests had been ill-served by the architecture of global trade. America "will not tolerate... chronic trade abuses," he said as he took aim at the World Trade Organisation for failing to police free trade infringements. "We are not going to let the United States be taken advantage of anymore. I am always going to put America first the same way I expect all of you in this room to put your countries first." In a day bringing together the big hitters of politics and business, Trump will share the venue with world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin, Japan's Shinzo Abe, and China's Xi Jinping. Xi is also set to deliver a speech, likely to present a competing narrative casting China as the leader of global free trade, a role vacated by America. China announced Friday it will further open the country's financial markets to foreign firms, a key demand from the US and other global investors who have long complained about strict limits on access to the giant economy. Trump arrives fresh from trips to Tokyo, Seoul, and Beijing, where he sought to build a consensus against North Korea's nuclear ambitions. In China he was gushing in his praise of Xi, calling his host "a very special man" in a trip rich with photo opportunities but lacking concrete outcomes on tackling key issues such as North Korea. As the US retreats behind "economic nationalism", China will take a stride forward, said Ian Bremmer of the political consultancy Eurasia. Free trade on the rack The White House ruled out any meeting between Trump and Putin, a potential box office event with Russia accused of interfering in the US election last year that brought the billionaire one-time reality TV star to power. Trump election campaign aides are under intense legal scrutiny in the US over possible ties to the Kremlin, but Russia denies any chicanery linked to his astonishing political ascent. The rise of Trump as leader of the world's biggest economy risks unpicking decades of US-led economic diplomacy that webbed global economies together with free trade and low tariff pacts. He has pledged to wring a better deal from countries the US has large trade deficits with -- including China -- and bring jobs back to the hollowed out industrial heartland that voted for him. But proponents of free trade, including many allies, have looked on aghast as Trump tears up the rulebook and anti-globalization arguments ricochet through the US and Europe. Trump has already pulled Washington's support from the sprawling 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact and vowed to renegotiate NAFTA, a trade deal between the US, Canada, and Mexico. On Friday, Asia-Pacific ministers were struggling to salvage the TPP deal, with Canada denying reports that an agreement had been struck among the remaining 11 members to press ahead without the US. Malaysian premier Najib Razak, whose country is among the so-called TPP-11 nations, lamented the wider change of "tone" towards globalization. "I see the rise of anti-globalization, I see the rise of more inward-looking (nations)... there's a lot of soul-searching we have to do during this APEC," he told a room packed with CEOs on the sidelines of the forum. The annual APEC summit is one of the largest gatherings on the annual diplomatic calendar, bringing together scores of world leaders and more than 2,000 CEOs. APEC represents 21 Pacific Rim economies, the equivalent of 60 percent of global GDP and covering nearly three billion people, and has pushed for freer trade since its inception in 1989.

Trump defiant on trade, vows to put 'America First'

The lockdown on the Virginia State University campus has been lifted.&nbsp;

University Police said they&nbsp;had cleared the scene but that officers would continue to remain vigilant.&nbsp;

Police said first responders had found one person with gunshot wounds but that they were non-life-threatening.&nbsp;

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Shooting Conclusion - Police have cleared the scene. Officers will remain vigilant. Campus lock down has been lifted.
&mdash; VSU Police (@VSUPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/VSUPolice/status/919434217544716289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Police said the shooting had been an isolated incident, and that there was no further threat.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UPDATE</a> Police say shooting on Virginia State University campus is isolated incident, no further threat: AP <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USA</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/919426705613242368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Virginia State University campus in Petersburg, Virginia had earlier been put on lockdown after reports of a shooting on campus.&nbsp;

University Police had earlier tweeted that the area should be avoided.&nbsp;

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Shooting on Campus Update - Police scene still active and the campus remains on lockdown. Continue to avoid area.
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&nbsp;

News reports said at least one person had been shot and had life-threatening injuries

The lockdown on the Virginia State University campus has been lifted. University Police said they had cleared the scene but that officers would continue to remain vigilant. Police said first responders had found one person with gunshot wounds but that they were non-life-threatening. Shooting Conclusion - Police have cleared the scene. Officers will remain vigilant. Campus lock down has been lifted. — VSU Police (@VSUPolice) October 15, 2017 × Police said the shooting had been an isolated incident, and that there was no further threat. #UPDATE Police say shooting on Virginia State University campus is isolated incident, no further threat: AP #USA — ANI (@ANI) October 15, 2017 × The Virginia State University campus in Petersburg, Virginia had earlier been put on lockdown after reports of a shooting on campus. University Police had earlier tweeted that the area should be avoided. Shooting on Campus Update - Police scene still active and the campus remains on lockdown. Continue to avoid area. — VSU Police (@VSUPolice) October 15, 2017 ×

Virginia State University shooting: Lockdown on US campus lifted, 1 injured

India and the US have just concluded a joint military training exercise to prepare for any threats that might be encountered during UN peace-keeping operations.&nbsp;

The training exercise, named Yudh Abhyas 2017 or War Practise 2017, was conducted at joint base Lewis McChord in Washington.

The two-week long exercise which began on September 14 and ended on September 27 witnessed soldiers from both countries honing their counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist skills under a joint brigade headquarter.

Both sides (together) trained, planned, and executed a series of well-developed tactical drills for the&nbsp;neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered during UN&nbsp;peace-keeping operations.

One of the largest joint military training and defence cooperation endeavours between India and the US, this year&#39;s Yudh Abhyas was the thirteenth edition of the joint exercise which is hosted alternately by the two countries.

Exercises like Yudh Abhyas provide an opportunity to the armed forces of both countries to train in an integrated manner at battalion level, with joint planning at brigade level.&nbsp;

Multiple scenarios were rehearsed during the joint exercise with a view to understanding&nbsp;each others organisational structures and battle procedures.

The exercise is aimed at a higher degree of what the armies called &quot;jointsmanship&quot;&nbsp;to further facilitate inter-operability between the armed forces of the two countries, and&nbsp;to meet any unforeseen contingency anywhere on the globe.

The exercise, the armies said, is also an ideal platform to learn from each other&rsquo;s experiences of the planning and execution of operations.

Towards the end, a joint exercise simulating operational settings under a UN mandate was undertaken by the two armies.

Experts from both sides also held academic and military discussions on varied topics to share with each other their experiences for mutual benefit.

This was the thirteenth edition of Yudh Abhyas or War Practise

India and the US have just concluded a joint military training exercise to prepare for any threats that might be encountered during UN peace-keeping operations. The training exercise, named Yudh Abhyas 2017 or War Practise 2017, was conducted at joint base Lewis McChord in Washington. The two-week long exercise which began on September 14 and ended on September 27 witnessed soldiers from both countries honing their counter-insurgency and counter-terrorist skills under a joint brigade headquarter. Both sides (together) trained, planned, and executed a series of well-developed tactical drills for the neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered during UN peace-keeping operations. One of the largest joint military training and defence cooperation endeavours between India and the US, this year's Yudh Abhyas was the thirteenth edition of the joint exercise which is hosted alternately by the two countries. Exercises like Yudh Abhyas provide an opportunity to the armed forces of both countries to train in an integrated manner at battalion level, with joint planning at brigade level. Multiple scenarios were rehearsed during the joint exercise with a view to understanding each others organisational structures and battle procedures. The exercise is aimed at a higher degree of what the armies called "jointsmanship" to further facilitate inter-operability between the armed forces of the two countries, and to meet any unforeseen contingency anywhere on the globe. The exercise, the armies said, is also an ideal platform to learn from each other’s experiences of the planning and execution of operations. Towards the end, a joint exercise simulating operational settings under a UN mandate was undertaken by the two armies. Experts from both sides also held academic and military discussions on varied topics to share with each other their experiences for mutual benefit.

WATCH: To better understand each other, Indian & US armies conduct joint military exercise

Afghanistan&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;welcomed a decision by US President Donald Trump to renew America&#39;s engagement in the war-torn country and allow for the deployment of more troops.&nbsp;

President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that the announcement showed the &quot;enduring commitment by Afghanistan&#39;s foundational partner in this global conflict&quot;.

President Ashraf Ghani said "enduring commitment by Afghanistan's foundational partner in this global conflict", after Trump's statement.

Afghanistan on Tuesday welcomed a decision by US President Donald Trump to renew America's engagement in the war-torn country and allow for the deployment of more troops. President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement that the announcement showed the "enduring commitment by Afghanistan's foundational partner in this global conflict".

Trump's "enduring commitment" towards Afghan welcomed by the President Ashraf Ghani.

The US today ruled out a hasty withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan as President Donald Trump warned Pakistan of consequences if it continues to provide safe havens to terror groups and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country.

Trump, in a prime-time televised address to the nation, laid out his South Asia policy saying a &quot;critical part&quot; of it was to further develop US&#39; strategic partnership with India.

He said after a &quot;comprehensive review&quot;, it has been decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically.

&quot;A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I&#39;ve said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations,&quot; Trump said in his address.

&quot;We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities,&quot; Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy in front of about 2,000 people from all five services and top officials of his administration.

Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so.

&quot;We can no longer be silent about Pakistan&#39;s safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond,&quot; Trump said.

&quot;Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists,&quot; he said, in a apparent warning to Pakistan.

The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

India, the world&#39;s largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said.

&quot;We appreciate India&#39;s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;

Trump said he wanted more Indian help 'especially in the area of economic assistance and development'

The US today ruled out a hasty withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan as President Donald Trump warned Pakistan of consequences if it continues to provide safe havens to terror groups and sought an enhanced role for India to bring peace in the war-torn country. Trump, in a prime-time televised address to the nation, laid out his South Asia policy saying a "critical part" of it was to further develop US' strategic partnership with India. He said after a "comprehensive review", it has been decided that the American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically. "A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I've said many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance, the dates we intend to begin, or end, military operations," Trump said in his address. "We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities," Trump said as he announced his South Asia policy in front of about 2,000 people from all five services and top officials of his administration. Trump slammed Pakistan for its continued support to terrorist groups and warned Islamabad of consequences if it continues to do so. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond," Trump said. "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists," he said, in a apparent warning to Pakistan. The US President reached out to India seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. India, the world's largest democracy, is a key security and economic partner of the United States, he said. "We appreciate India's important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development," Trump said.

Want India to 'help us more' in Afghanistan: Trump

Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century.

Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113-kilometer) wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the Moon briefly blocked out all light from the Sun.&nbsp;

&quot;It was incredibly beautiful. I am moved to tears,&quot; said Heather Riser, a 54-year-old librarian from Virginia, sitting on a blanket in Charleston&#39;s grassy Waterfront Park where thousands had gathered to watch.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media.

The blackest part of the shadow, known as totality because the Moon blocks all the Sun&#39;s light from the Earth, began over Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 1716 GMT.

Crowds whooped and cheered at the first sign of darkness.

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A composite image of the total solar eclipse seen from the Lowell Observatory Solar Eclipse Experience August 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. (AFP)
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People watch the solar eclipse at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University on August 21, 2017 in Carbondale, Illinois. (AFP)
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Solar eclipse watchers were ecstatic as the clouds broke minutes before totality during the total solar eclipse from one of the last vantage points where totality was visible. (AFP)
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Just inland, more than 100,000 people gathered at Madras, Oregon -- typically a town of 7,000 -- in what experts described as perfect viewing conditions.

&quot;I&#39;ve wanted to see one of these my whole life, since I&#39;ve been studying astronomy, since I was a kid,&quot; said Christine Sapio, a science professor. &quot;I thought I was prepared for it -- I totally wasn&#39;t.&quot;

&quot;I was shaking, I was crying. I was just totally taken aback by just how beautiful it was.&quot;

In Los Angeles, &quot;oohs and aahs&quot; emanated from the crowd of thousands gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began.&nbsp;

Many had hiked to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape. Others watched while wearing special, dark solar eclipse glasses.

&#39;Just awesome&#39;&nbsp;

In downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists -- some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers -- staked out prime spots on the bustling city&#39;s storied waterfront.

Forecasts of thunderstorms threatened to block the view, but the eclipse managed to peek through the wispy clouds.

Onlookers in Waterfront Park screamed and cheered as the sky went dark in the middle of the afternoon, streetlamps came on, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. &nbsp;

&quot;It was just awesome,&quot; said Dave Lichtenauer, age 63, a retired electrical engineer, describing the event as &quot;partially spiritual.&quot;

&quot;The crowd here was very into it,&quot; he added, remarking on the diversity and peacefulness of the masses.&nbsp;

&quot;You don&#39;t get many chances to experience that.&quot;

One bar had installed outdoor speakers blasting Bonnie Tyler&#39;s mega-hit &quot;Total Eclipse of the Heart&quot; -- which she performed live on a cruise ship sailing through the path of totality.

The unofficial anthem for the celestial show soared to the top of the iTunes charts, outdoing even record-smashing pop song &quot;Despacito.&quot;

Cloudy weather and thunderstorms dashed viewers&#39; hopes of seeing the eclipse in some places, including Missouri.

Some of the clearest views were along the West Coast.

&#39;Don&#39;t look&#39;

In the US capital, where 81 per cent totality occurred, Donald Trump watched the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania and son Barron -- although the president appeared to have missed the memo on eclipse do&#39;s and don&#39;ts.

At one point, Trump glanced skyward without protective eyewear -- a big no-no, according to experts. &quot;Don&#39;t look,&quot; an aide shouted to him. He later donned glasses.

Eclipse watchers also flocked to Washington&#39;s National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion.&nbsp;

In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities.

Eclipse watchers often describe being overcome by emotion as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills.

&quot;It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event,&quot; eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, told AFP of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970.

Scientists planned to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer atmosphere of the Sun.

&quot;It is really exciting to see so many people interested in nature and science and this amazing phenomenon,&quot; said Kwayera Davis, an adjunct professor of astronomy at the College of Charleston.

&#39;Sharing a cosmic event&#39;&nbsp;

After weeks of turmoil triggered by the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, some commentators welcomed the national feel-good moment afforded by the Great American Eclipse.

&quot;The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science,&quot; tweeted the US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson -- who earlier advised people to &quot;put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically.&quot;

The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, drew a more somber parallel between the day&#39;s spectacle and the country&#39;s challenges.

&quot;Wish the moon wasn&#39;t the only thing casting a shadow across the country. We got through one, we&#39;ll get through the other,&quot; he tweeted.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times

Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century. Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113-kilometer) wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the Moon briefly blocked out all light from the Sun. "It was incredibly beautiful. I am moved to tears," said Heather Riser, a 54-year-old librarian from Virginia, sitting on a blanket in Charleston's grassy Waterfront Park where thousands had gathered to watch. Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media. The blackest part of the shadow, known as totality because the Moon blocks all the Sun's light from the Earth, began over Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 1716 GMT. Crowds whooped and cheered at the first sign of darkness. A composite image of the total solar eclipse seen from the Lowell Observatory Solar Eclipse Experience August 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. (AFP) × People watch the solar eclipse at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University on August 21, 2017 in Carbondale, Illinois. (AFP) × Solar eclipse watchers were ecstatic as the clouds broke minutes before totality during the total solar eclipse from one of the last vantage points where totality was visible. (AFP) × Just inland, more than 100,000 people gathered at Madras, Oregon -- typically a town of 7,000 -- in what experts described as perfect viewing conditions. "I've wanted to see one of these my whole life, since I've been studying astronomy, since I was a kid," said Christine Sapio, a science professor. "I thought I was prepared for it -- I totally wasn't." "I was shaking, I was crying. I was just totally taken aback by just how beautiful it was." In Los Angeles, "oohs and aahs" emanated from the crowd of thousands gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began. Many had hiked to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape. Others watched while wearing special, dark solar eclipse glasses. 'Just awesome' In downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists -- some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers -- staked out prime spots on the bustling city's storied waterfront. Forecasts of thunderstorms threatened to block the view, but the eclipse managed to peek through the wispy clouds. Onlookers in Waterfront Park screamed and cheered as the sky went dark in the middle of the afternoon, streetlamps came on, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. "It was just awesome," said Dave Lichtenauer, age 63, a retired electrical engineer, describing the event as "partially spiritual." "The crowd here was very into it," he added, remarking on the diversity and peacefulness of the masses. "You don't get many chances to experience that." One bar had installed outdoor speakers blasting Bonnie Tyler's mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -- which she performed live on a cruise ship sailing through the path of totality. The unofficial anthem for the celestial show soared to the top of the iTunes charts, outdoing even record-smashing pop song "Despacito." Cloudy weather and thunderstorms dashed viewers' hopes of seeing the eclipse in some places, including Missouri. Some of the clearest views were along the West Coast. 'Don't look' In the US capital, where 81 per cent totality occurred, Donald Trump watched the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania and son Barron -- although the president appeared to have missed the memo on eclipse do's and don'ts. At one point, Trump glanced skyward without protective eyewear -- a big no-no, according to experts. "Don't look," an aide shouted to him. He later donned glasses. Eclipse watchers also flocked to Washington's National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion. In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities. Eclipse watchers often describe being overcome by emotion as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills. "It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event," eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, told AFP of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970. Scientists planned to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer atmosphere of the Sun. "It is really exciting to see so many people interested in nature and science and this amazing phenomenon," said Kwayera Davis, an adjunct professor of astronomy at the College of Charleston. 'Sharing a cosmic event' After weeks of turmoil triggered by the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, some commentators welcomed the national feel-good moment afforded by the Great American Eclipse. "The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science," tweeted the US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson -- who earlier advised people to "put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically." The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, drew a more somber parallel between the day's spectacle and the country's challenges. "Wish the moon wasn't the only thing casting a shadow across the country. We got through one, we'll get through the other," he tweeted.

Total solar eclipse enthrals America

By: Claire Snell-Rood and Cathleen Willging

Much has been made of the distress and discontent in rural areas during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Few realise, however, this is also felt through unequal health.

Researchers call it the &ldquo;rural mortality&nbsp;penalty.&rdquo; While rates of mortality have steadily fallen in the nation&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/113/7/E815.full">urban areas</a>, they have actually climbed for rural Americans. And the picture is even bleaker for specific groups, such as rural white women and people of colour, who face persistent disparities in health outcomes. In every category, from suicide to unintentional injury to heart disease, rural residents&rsquo; health has been declining since the 1990s.

While some have blamed these gaping disparities on &ldquo;culture&rdquo; or &ldquo;lifestyle&rdquo; factors &ndash; such as a supposed fatalism or overconsumption of unhealthy products like Mountain Dew &ndash; the truth is that the biggest culprit is limited access to health care and challenging economic circumstances.

The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 began to change this as more rural Americans gained insurance coverage and the government invested more money into regional health facilities and training.

This progress is now at risk, however, as the Republican Congress inches closer to repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a feeble alternative that greatly weakens rural health care access. As researchers who study the mental and physical health of rural Americans, we believe this would have disastrous consequences.

The travails of rural America

Even as <a href="https://theconversation.com/where-is-rural-america-and-what-does-it-look-like-72045?sr=1">rural America</a> feeds the country, <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/05/22/529493413/in-some-rural-counties-hunger-is-rising-but-food-donations-arent">hunger is on the rise</a> in rural areas.

Some <a href="https://www.iatp.org/files/258_2_98043.pdf">98 percent of rural residents</a> live in food deserts &ndash; defined as counties in which one must drive more than 10 miles to get to the nearest supermarket. This makes it challenging to maintain healthy and nutritious diets, leading to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3481194/">higher rates of obesity in rural areas</a> that greatly increase the risk for diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

As rural workers struggle to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/rural-america-struggles-as-young-people-chase-jobs-in-cities-1395890099">sustain employment</a> in a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/05/22/a-very-bad-sign-for-all-but-americas-biggest-cities/?utm_term=.174ccab19701">shifting economy</a>, the increasing poverty is contributing to mental distress and <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002204260703700302">substance use</a>. On a larger scale, the economic changes that have hit rural areas have resulted in a declining tax base, lower incomes and strained educational institutions. Together, they challenge rural residents&rsquo; health not just in the immediate term but cumulatively over their lives.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/175505/width754/file-20170625-13475-1udmu6z.jpg" />
<figcaption>
&nbsp;

Like many other rural hospitals in the U.S., Evans Memorial in Claxton, Georgia, has struggled to keep its doors open while treating patients who tend to be older, poorer and often uninsured. AP Photo/Russ Bynum
</figcaption>
</figure>

Barriers to accessing health care

Yet, despite all these medical issues, rural residents have a tough time getting the health care they need.

The nature of rural employment, for example, is characterised by <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-0361.2005.tb00058.x/epdf">self-employment, seasonal work and lower-than-average pay</a>. This means rural workers are <a href="https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/pdf/research_compendium.pdf">less likely to get insurance through their jobs and thus face higher premiums</a> when buying their own policies.

The lack of public transportation in most rural areas is also a major hurdle to seeing a doctor, particularly as residents <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16606425">have to travel much farther</a> than those in urban areas to reach health care providers.

Rural residents get most of their services through primary care providers, who take on the work of other practitioners, like behavioural health clinicians, due to longstanding specialist shortages. When handling numerous complaints during a single medical encounter, primary care providers may concentrate on the acutest health concerns of their patients, undermining the ability to diagnose all their conditions and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609543/">meaningfully discuss their larger health risks</a>, such as exercise, weight and substance use. When providers are rushed or deliver sub-par care, rural residents may wonder if seeking it out is worth the challenge, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27322157">opting to struggle on their own</a>.

These and other constraints make it tougher for rural Americans to get the screenings necessary to spot serious diseases such as <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J013v42n02_06">cancer</a> early or to maintain adequate follow-up on conditions like <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24183213">hearing loss</a>. Finding the regular medical care necessary to manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes, depression or opioid disorders, is even more challenging.

Rural health care has at times been <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18709749">characterised as patchwork</a>. In part, that&rsquo;s because the costs of sustaining health care infrastructure in rural areas<a href="https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2014/07/30/10/36/rural-health-goals-guaranteeing-a-future"> are higher</a> thanks to the large service areas, the inability to negotiate bulk pricing and lack of financial incentives to fill in provider gaps.

The ACA and the AHCA

The ACA, intended to turn this around, has in fact led to dramatic gains in insurance coverage among rural Americans.

Broadly speaking, insurance rates in rural areas <a href="http://hrms.urban.org/quicktakes/Substantial-Gains-in-Health-Insurance-Coverage-Occurring-for-Adults-in-Both-Rural-and-Urban-Areas.html">reached almost 86 percent</a> in early 2015, up from an estimated 78 percent in 2013.

In Kentucky &ndash; a state with high poverty, a large rural population (42 percent of residents) and a successful <a href="https://theconversation.com/love-it-or-hate-it-obamacare-has-expanded-coverage-for-millions-66472?sr=2">Medicaid expansion</a> initiative &ndash; <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/blog/medicaid-at-50-kentuckys-experience-highlights-benefits-of-medicaid-expansion">tens of thousands of newly insured low-income adults</a> began using preventative services after previously being unable to afford it. The state&rsquo;s uninsured fell by half and, as a result, <a href="http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/35/1/96.abstract">fewer people skipped taking their medications</a> due to financial hardships relative to other states that didn&rsquo;t expand Medicaid.

The ACA also <a href="http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/brief/how-obamacare-repeal-would-harm-rural-america">strengthened rural health care institutions</a> by investing in upgrades to hospitals and clinics, preventative health programs and support for providers to stay in rural areas. While rural hospitals are often laden with the expense of providing extensive care without payment to indigent patients, rural hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/research/health/house-passed-bill-would-devastate-health-care-in-rural-america?utm_source=CBPP+Email+Updates&amp;utm_campaign=d303d5c441-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_05_16&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_ee3f6da374-d303d5c441-110964945">finally was able to better balance their books when caring for this vulnerable group</a>. At the same time, the ACA supported innovative models ideal for rural areas that prioritised <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18709749">outreach</a>, <a href="http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/29/5/852.abstract">integration of services</a> and <a href="http://nashp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Rural-Opioid-Primer.pdf">collaboration between safety-net players</a>.

Both the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/obamacare-senate-bill-compare/">House and Senate</a> bills to repeal and replace Obamacare would <a href="http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/brief/how-obamacare-repeal-would-harm-rural-america">drastically reduce rural Americans&rsquo; insurance coverage</a> and significantly threaten the ability of <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/22/533680909/republicans-proposed-medicaid-cuts-would-hit-rural-patients-hard">many rural hospitals and clinics to keep their doors open</a>. <a href="http://www.cbpp.org/research/health/house-passed-bill-would-devastate-health-care-in-rural-america">Analysts show</a> that the bill would provide insufficient tax credits to pay for rural premium costs, drastically increase the price of rural premiums and increase uncompensated care in rural hospitals.

What rural areas need from health care reform

Previous efforts at health care reform show us that rural areas are uniquely vulnerable. Efforts need to take account not only of coverage and access &ndash; as has been the focus of the current debate &ndash; but also how reform affects rural health care institutions and the larger social factors shaping overall health.

The particular economic factors affecting rural health care institutions <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3415203/">make rural areas particularly vulnerable to political shifts</a> that disrupt services for existing patients and for those newly insured, creating immense challenges for rural providers. Steps that fail to account for the impact of financial hardship on these institutions not only hurt their bottom line but contribute to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22229021">poor morale and workforce turnover</a> and larger-scale decisions to reduce services, which decrease their ability to address patient needs.

At the same time, commitment to improving the health of rural Americans requires attention to the so-called upstream factors shaping rural health. That means <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/medicaid-plays-a-more-significant-role-in-small-towns-and-rural-communities-than-in-metro-areas-300469734.html">preserving the safety net programs so vital in rural areas</a> with underemployment and low-paying jobs, <a href="http://www.soar-ky.org/about-us">strengthening rural economies</a> and investing in <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2017/01/04/a-better-future-for-rural-communities-starts-at-the-schoolhouse/">high-quality education</a>.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/78018/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />If our leaders are serious about reform that will lessen the rural-urban mortality gap, they should recognise the unique needs of rural America and ensure health care policy reflects how vital access to quality care is to their financial success &ndash; not to mention their well-being.

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/claire-snell-rood-378593">Claire Snell-Rood</a>, Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley and Cathleen Willging, Adjunct Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of New Mexico

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ahca-would-make-rural-americas-already-distressed-health-care-worse-78018">original article</a>.

Researchers who study the mental and physical health of rural Americans, believe this repealing Obamacare would have disastrous consequences

By: Claire Snell-Rood and Cathleen Willging Much has been made of the distress and discontent in rural areas during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Few realise, however, this is also felt through unequal health. Researchers call it the “rural mortality penalty.” While rates of mortality have steadily fallen in the nation’s urban areas, they have actually climbed for rural Americans. And the picture is even bleaker for specific groups, such as rural white women and people of colour, who face persistent disparities in health outcomes. In every category, from suicide to unintentional injury to heart disease, rural residents’ health has been declining since the 1990s. While some have blamed these gaping disparities on “culture” or “lifestyle” factors – such as a supposed fatalism or overconsumption of unhealthy products like Mountain Dew – the truth is that the biggest culprit is limited access to health care and challenging economic circumstances. The passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 began to change this as more rural Americans gained insurance coverage and the government invested more money into regional health facilities and training. This progress is now at risk, however, as the Republican Congress inches closer to repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a feeble alternative that greatly weakens rural health care access. As researchers who study the mental and physical health of rural Americans, we believe this would have disastrous consequences. The travails of rural America Even as rural America feeds the country, hunger is on the rise in rural areas. Some 98 percent of rural residents live in food deserts – defined as counties in which one must drive more than 10 miles to get to the nearest supermarket. This makes it challenging to maintain healthy and nutritious diets, leading to higher rates of obesity in rural areas that greatly increase the risk for diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. As rural workers struggle to sustain employment in a shifting economy, the increasing poverty is contributing to mental distress and substance use. On a larger scale, the economic changes that have hit rural areas have resulted in a declining tax base, lower incomes and strained educational institutions. Together, they challenge rural residents’ health not just in the immediate term but cumulatively over their lives. Like many other rural hospitals in the U.S., Evans Memorial in Claxton, Georgia, has struggled to keep its doors open while treating patients who tend to be older, poorer and often uninsured. AP Photo/Russ Bynum Barriers to accessing health care Yet, despite all these medical issues, rural residents have a tough time getting the health care they need. The nature of rural employment, for example, is characterised by self-employment, seasonal work and lower-than-average pay. This means rural workers are less likely to get insurance through their jobs and thus face higher premiums when buying their own policies. The lack of public transportation in most rural areas is also a major hurdle to seeing a doctor, particularly as residents have to travel much farther than those in urban areas to reach health care providers. Rural residents get most of their services through primary care providers, who take on the work of other practitioners, like behavioural health clinicians, due to longstanding specialist shortages. When handling numerous complaints during a single medical encounter, primary care providers may concentrate on the acutest health concerns of their patients, undermining the ability to diagnose all their conditions and meaningfully discuss their larger health risks, such as exercise, weight and substance use. When providers are rushed or deliver sub-par care, rural residents may wonder if seeking it out is worth the challenge, opting to struggle on their own. These and other constraints make it tougher for rural Americans to get the screenings necessary to spot serious diseases such as cancer early or to maintain adequate follow-up on conditions like hearing loss. Finding the regular medical care necessary to manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes, depression or opioid disorders, is even more challenging. Rural health care has at times been characterised as patchwork. In part, that’s because the costs of sustaining health care infrastructure in rural areas are higher thanks to the large service areas, the inability to negotiate bulk pricing and lack of financial incentives to fill in provider gaps. The ACA and the AHCA The ACA, intended to turn this around, has in fact led to dramatic gains in insurance coverage among rural Americans. Broadly speaking, insurance rates in rural areas reached almost 86 percent in early 2015, up from an estimated 78 percent in 2013. In Kentucky – a state with high poverty, a large rural population (42 percent of residents) and a successful Medicaid expansion initiative – tens of thousands of newly insured low-income adults began using preventative services after previously being unable to afford it. The state’s uninsured fell by half and, as a result, fewer people skipped taking their medications due to financial hardships relative to other states that didn’t expand Medicaid. The ACA also strengthened rural health care institutions by investing in upgrades to hospitals and clinics, preventative health programs and support for providers to stay in rural areas. While rural hospitals are often laden with the expense of providing extensive care without payment to indigent patients, rural hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid under the ACA finally was able to better balance their books when caring for this vulnerable group. At the same time, the ACA supported innovative models ideal for rural areas that prioritised outreach, integration of services and collaboration between safety-net players. Both the House and Senate bills to repeal and replace Obamacare would drastically reduce rural Americans’ insurance coverage and significantly threaten the ability of many rural hospitals and clinics to keep their doors open. Analysts show that the bill would provide insufficient tax credits to pay for rural premium costs, drastically increase the price of rural premiums and increase uncompensated care in rural hospitals. What rural areas need from health care reform Previous efforts at health care reform show us that rural areas are uniquely vulnerable. Efforts need to take account not only of coverage and access – as has been the focus of the current debate – but also how reform affects rural health care institutions and the larger social factors shaping overall health. The particular economic factors affecting rural health care institutions make rural areas particularly vulnerable to political shifts that disrupt services for existing patients and for those newly insured, creating immense challenges for rural providers. Steps that fail to account for the impact of financial hardship on these institutions not only hurt their bottom line but contribute to poor morale and workforce turnover and larger-scale decisions to reduce services, which decrease their ability to address patient needs. At the same time, commitment to improving the health of rural Americans requires attention to the so-called upstream factors shaping rural health. That means preserving the safety net programs so vital in rural areas with underemployment and low-paying jobs, strengthening rural economies and investing in high-quality education. If our leaders are serious about reform that will lessen the rural-urban mortality gap, they should recognise the unique needs of rural America and ensure health care policy reflects how vital access to quality care is to their financial success – not to mention their well-being. Claire Snell-Rood, Assistant Professor of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley and Cathleen Willging, Adjunct Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of New Mexico This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Trump's health care policy is disastrous for rural America

Martha the Neapolitan Mastiff, a sluggish 125 pound (57 kg) dog won first place among the 14 contestants who had participated in the World&#39;s Ugliest Dog Competition, organised in Petaluma, California.

The 3-year-old dog walked onstage lazily and snored loudly when she was supposed to be showing off at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.

Impressing the judges with what appeared to be her &quot;300 pounds&quot; of droopy skin on her long bones, she won the crown along with a trophy, a trip to New York and $1500 (USD).&nbsp;

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Martha shakes water off her head after winning this year&#39;s World&#39;s Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP)
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Martha used to be among the thousands of neglected large breed dogs, whose owner was trying to sell her on Craigslist (an American version of Olx)&nbsp;when her current handler Shirley Zindler took her in. Zindler is the founder of the animal fostering group, &#39;Dogwood Animal Rescue Project&#39;, the New York Times reported.

&quot;She knocks over every water bucket no matter how securely attached to the fence,&quot; said owner Shirley Dawn Zindler of her homely hound. &quot;She bosses the other dogs around and makes sure all guests are suitably slimed on arrival.&quot;

Martha will now live with Ms&nbsp;Burkard, who reached out to Dogwood via Facebook, reported the New York Times.&nbsp;

The competition was stiff: Moe, a lackadaisical, scraggly-haired mutt whose tongue generally hangs out the side of his mouth nabbed second place.

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Miriam Tcheng holds her Brussel Griffon Pug &#39;Moe&#39; during The World&#39;s Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP)
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Precious, a rat-like, wide-eyed Chihuahua claimed the spirit award.

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Precious the Chihuahua faces off with Martha the Neapolitan Mastiff during The World&#39;s Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP)
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The small coastal city of Petaluma has been hosting an annual ugly dog contest for more than 50 years, organisers said.&nbsp;

This year&#39;s event included a red carpet walk and a &quot;fashion faux paw show&quot; -- complete with ugly sweaters -- allowing the less aesthetically pleasing canines of the world the chance to strut their stuff.

&quot;We celebrate the spirit and imperfections that make these dogs lovable,&quot; said event marketing director Karen Spencer.

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A Chinese Crested dog named Chase walks on stage during The World&#39;s Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP)
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Josie, a Chinese Crested, waits to compete in the World&#39;s Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP)
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&nbsp;

The World's Ugliest Dog Competition is organised annually in Petaluma, California for the past 50 years

Martha the Neapolitan Mastiff, a sluggish 125 pound (57 kg) dog won first place among the 14 contestants who had participated in the World's Ugliest Dog Competition, organised in Petaluma, California. The 3-year-old dog walked onstage lazily and snored loudly when she was supposed to be showing off at the Sonoma-Marin Fair. Impressing the judges with what appeared to be her "300 pounds" of droopy skin on her long bones, she won the crown along with a trophy, a trip to New York and $1500 (USD). Martha shakes water off her head after winning this year's World's Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP) × Martha used to be among the thousands of neglected large breed dogs, whose owner was trying to sell her on Craigslist (an American version of Olx) when her current handler Shirley Zindler took her in. Zindler is the founder of the animal fostering group, 'Dogwood Animal Rescue Project', the New York Times reported. "She knocks over every water bucket no matter how securely attached to the fence," said owner Shirley Dawn Zindler of her homely hound. "She bosses the other dogs around and makes sure all guests are suitably slimed on arrival." Martha will now live with Ms Burkard, who reached out to Dogwood via Facebook, reported the New York Times. The competition was stiff: Moe, a lackadaisical, scraggly-haired mutt whose tongue generally hangs out the side of his mouth nabbed second place. Miriam Tcheng holds her Brussel Griffon Pug 'Moe' during The World's Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP) × Precious, a rat-like, wide-eyed Chihuahua claimed the spirit award. Precious the Chihuahua faces off with Martha the Neapolitan Mastiff during The World's Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP) × The small coastal city of Petaluma has been hosting an annual ugly dog contest for more than 50 years, organisers said. This year's event included a red carpet walk and a "fashion faux paw show" -- complete with ugly sweaters -- allowing the less aesthetically pleasing canines of the world the chance to strut their stuff. "We celebrate the spirit and imperfections that make these dogs lovable," said event marketing director Karen Spencer. A Chinese Crested dog named Chase walks on stage during The World's Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP) × Josie, a Chinese Crested, waits to compete in the World's Ugliest Dog Competition (AFP) ×

Martha: The beauty that won the Ugliest Dog award

US President Donald Trump&#39;s actions have &quot;weakened&quot; the West, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Monday, while also charging that Trump&#39;s &quot;short-sighted&quot; policies hurt EU interests.

&quot;Anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk,&quot; Gabriel said.&nbsp;

&quot;The short-sighted policies of the American government stand against the interests of the European Union,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;the West has become smaller, at least it has become weaker&quot;.

(AFP)

He accused Trump of accelerating climate change by weakening environmental protections and selling arms in conflict zones

US President Donald Trump's actions have "weakened" the West, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Monday, while also charging that Trump's "short-sighted" policies hurt EU interests. "Anyone who accelerates climate change by weakening environmental protection, who sells more weapons in conflict zones and who does not want to politically resolve religious conflicts is putting peace in Europe at risk," Gabriel said. "The short-sighted policies of the American government stand against the interests of the European Union," he said, adding that "the West has become smaller, at least it has become weaker". (AFP)

Trump has 'weakened' the West, hurt EU interests: German FM

A US warship sailed near a reef claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea on Thursday, a US official said, the first such operation by US President Donald Trump&#39;s administration in the disputed waterway.

The USS Dewey sailed &quot;less than 12 nautical miles&quot; from Mischief Reef -- part of the Spratly Islands -- early Thursday morning local time, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The guided-missile destroyer&#39;s &quot;freedom of navigation operation&quot; is likely to provoke anger from Beijing as the Trump administration attempts to draw support from China on reining in North Korea.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, despite partial counter-claims from Taiwan and several southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

It has rapidly built reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.

The US has challenged annexations of these islets and advocated for a diplomatic settlement to the disputes.

A Pentagon spokesman, Major Jamie Davis, said US forces operate in the South China Sea on a daily basis and will fly and sail &quot;wherever international law&quot; allows.

&quot;We have a comprehensive Freedom of Navigation Operations program that seeks to challenge excessive maritime claims in order to preserve the rights, freedoms, and uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law,&quot; Davis said in a statement to AFP.

The exercises are &quot;not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements,&quot; he added.

According to the Pentagon, the US in 2016 conducted operations &quot;challenging excessive maritime claims of 22 coastal states, including allies and partners.&quot;

Pence warning 
The US has long argued that Beijing&#39;s actions in the South China Sea threaten freedom of navigation and overflight through the strategically vital waters.

China denies these claims, countering that the US is eager to stoke tensions in the region.

Australia and other countries have supported the US exercises, but have so far been unwilling to participate.

During a visit to Japan in April, US Vice President Mike Pence said the United States would defend the right to freedom of navigation through the waterway.

Speaking in January in New Delhi, US Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris said Washington &quot;will not allow the shared domains to be closed down unilaterally -- no matter how many bases are built on artificial features in the South China Sea.&quot;

Last week, Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on a framework for creating a new code of conduct for ships and aircraft operating in the region.

The meeting was attended by ASEAN nations with claims in the region -- the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Under former President Benigno Aquino, the Philippines had adopted a tough stance on China&#39;s claims, which was tacitly backed by the US.

But the country&#39;s anger at the world&#39;s second largest economy has become a warm embrace following the election last year of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has declined to push China on territorial issues in the hopes of being rewarded with investment and aid.

On Tuesday, Duterte said that Chinese leaders had threatened to go to war over competing claims in the region during a meeting in Beijing. China&#39;s foreign ministry later said it would work with Manila to &quot;peacefully&quot; resolve disputes.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The USS Dewey sailed 'less than 12 nautical miles' from Mischief Reef -- part of the Spratly Islands -- early Thursday morning, an official said

A US warship sailed near a reef claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea on Thursday, a US official said, the first such operation by US President Donald Trump's administration in the disputed waterway. The USS Dewey sailed "less than 12 nautical miles" from Mischief Reef -- part of the Spratly Islands -- early Thursday morning local time, the official said on condition of anonymity. The guided-missile destroyer's "freedom of navigation operation" is likely to provoke anger from Beijing as the Trump administration attempts to draw support from China on reining in North Korea. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, despite partial counter-claims from Taiwan and several southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam. It has rapidly built reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. The US has challenged annexations of these islets and advocated for a diplomatic settlement to the disputes. A Pentagon spokesman, Major Jamie Davis, said US forces operate in the South China Sea on a daily basis and will fly and sail "wherever international law" allows. "We have a comprehensive Freedom of Navigation Operations program that seeks to challenge excessive maritime claims in order to preserve the rights, freedoms, and uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law," Davis said in a statement to AFP. The exercises are "not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements," he added. According to the Pentagon, the US in 2016 conducted operations "challenging excessive maritime claims of 22 coastal states, including allies and partners." Pence warning The US has long argued that Beijing's actions in the South China Sea threaten freedom of navigation and overflight through the strategically vital waters. China denies these claims, countering that the US is eager to stoke tensions in the region. Australia and other countries have supported the US exercises, but have so far been unwilling to participate. During a visit to Japan in April, US Vice President Mike Pence said the United States would defend the right to freedom of navigation through the waterway. Speaking in January in New Delhi, US Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris said Washington "will not allow the shared domains to be closed down unilaterally -- no matter how many bases are built on artificial features in the South China Sea." Last week, Beijing and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreed on a framework for creating a new code of conduct for ships and aircraft operating in the region. The meeting was attended by ASEAN nations with claims in the region -- the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. Under former President Benigno Aquino, the Philippines had adopted a tough stance on China's claims, which was tacitly backed by the US. But the country's anger at the world's second largest economy has become a warm embrace following the election last year of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has declined to push China on territorial issues in the hopes of being rewarded with investment and aid. On Tuesday, Duterte said that Chinese leaders had threatened to go to war over competing claims in the region during a meeting in Beijing. China's foreign ministry later said it would work with Manila to "peacefully" resolve disputes. (AFP)

US warship sails near South China Sea reef claimed by Beijing

US President Donald Trump is calling for tougher sanctions on North Korea following its latest ballistic missile test.

&quot;Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea,&quot; the White House said in a brief statement.

The missile impacted &quot;so close to Russian soil -&ndash; in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan -&ndash; the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased.&quot;

North Korea &quot;has been a flagrant menace for far too long,&quot; the statement read. &quot;South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with us.&quot;

The statement emphasises that the United States &quot;maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea.&quot;&nbsp;

(AFP)

'Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea,' the White House said in a brief statement

US President Donald Trump is calling for tougher sanctions on North Korea following its latest ballistic missile test. "Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," the White House said in a brief statement. The missile impacted "so close to Russian soil -– in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan -– the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased." North Korea "has been a flagrant menace for far too long," the statement read. "South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with us." The statement emphasises that the United States "maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea." (AFP)

Trump calls for stronger sanctions on North Korea after missile test

A senior North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the United States said on Saturday Pyongyang would have dialogue with the U.S. administration if conditions were right, South Korea&#39;s Yonhap news agency reported.

Choe Son Hui, North Korea&#39;s foreign ministry director general for U.S. affairs, made the comment to reporters in Beijing as she was travelling home from Norway, Yonhap said.

&quot;We&#39;ll have dialogue if the conditions are there,&quot; she told reporters when asked if the North was preparing to hold talks with the Trump administration, according to Yonhap.

When asked if North Korea was also preparing to talk with the new government in South Korea, of liberal President Moon Jae-in, Choe said: &quot;We&#39;ll see.&quot;

The comments by Choe, who is a veteran member of the North&#39;s team of nuclear negotiators, came amid stepped up international efforts to press North Korea and ease tension over its pursuit of nuclear arms.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned in an interview with Reuters in late April that a &quot;major, major conflict&quot; with the North was possible, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute over its nuclear and missile programmes.

Trump later said he would be &quot;honoured&quot; to meet the North&#39;s leader, Kim Jong Un, under the right conditions.

Choe was in Norway for so-called Track Two talks with former U.S. government officials, according to Japanese media, the latest in a series of such meetings.

A source with knowledge of the latest meeting said at least one former U.S. government official took part but the U.S. administration was not involved.

South Korea&#39;s Moon, elected this week on a platform of a moderate approach to North Korea, has said he would be willing to go to Pyongyang under the right circumstances and said dialogue must be used in parallel with sanctions to resolve the problem over North Korea&#39;s weapons.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests in defiance of U.N. and U.S. sanctions and is also developing long-range missiles to deliver atomic weapons.

It says it needs such weapons to defend itself against U.S. aggression.

(Reuters)

Choe Son Hui, North Korea's foreign ministry director general for US affairs, made the comment to reporters in Beijing as she was travelling home from Norway

A senior North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the United States said on Saturday Pyongyang would have dialogue with the U.S. administration if conditions were right, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. Choe Son Hui, North Korea's foreign ministry director general for U.S. affairs, made the comment to reporters in Beijing as she was travelling home from Norway, Yonhap said. "We'll have dialogue if the conditions are there," she told reporters when asked if the North was preparing to hold talks with the Trump administration, according to Yonhap. When asked if North Korea was also preparing to talk with the new government in South Korea, of liberal President Moon Jae-in, Choe said: "We'll see." The comments by Choe, who is a veteran member of the North's team of nuclear negotiators, came amid stepped up international efforts to press North Korea and ease tension over its pursuit of nuclear arms. U.S. President Donald Trump warned in an interview with Reuters in late April that a "major, major conflict" with the North was possible, but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome to the dispute over its nuclear and missile programmes. Trump later said he would be "honoured" to meet the North's leader, Kim Jong Un, under the right conditions. Choe was in Norway for so-called Track Two talks with former U.S. government officials, according to Japanese media, the latest in a series of such meetings. A source with knowledge of the latest meeting said at least one former U.S. government official took part but the U.S. administration was not involved. South Korea's Moon, elected this week on a platform of a moderate approach to North Korea, has said he would be willing to go to Pyongyang under the right circumstances and said dialogue must be used in parallel with sanctions to resolve the problem over North Korea's weapons. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests in defiance of U.N. and U.S. sanctions and is also developing long-range missiles to deliver atomic weapons. It says it needs such weapons to defend itself against U.S. aggression. (Reuters)

North Korea says will have dialogue with US under right conditions: Yonhap

Donald Trump and US lawmakers inched closer to a deal Tuesday avoiding a government shutdown, as the president, eager to showcase a win marking his first 100 days, retreated from a demand to fund a border wall.

With the government set to exhaust its current funding at midnight Friday, the White House is under the gun to craft a compromise that would keep the government running while not appearing to cave on Trump&#39;s demand that Congress fund a wall on the border with Mexico.

&quot;Hopefully, we&#39;ll reach an agreement some time in the next couple of days,&quot; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, but he did not rule out passing a short-term extension that gives lawmakers time to craft a final deal.

While lawmaker said the funding legislation would steer clear of including funding for a border wall, it is expected to cover broader border security measures, such as the use of drones or anti-tunnelling technology.

But a deal remained far from certain. Among the sticking points is the fate of cost-sharing arrangements that help reduce health insurance costs for low-income Americans buying plans through the Affordable Care Act, the reform implemented by Trump&#39;s predecessor Barack Obama.

Trump had been on a collision course with lawmakers over the wall, demanding that Congress include funding to start construction in its new spending bill.

Democrats blasted the approach, warning that Republicans risked being blamed for shuttering the government barely three months into Trump&#39;s administration.

&quot;There aren&#39;t enough Republican votes to put the wall in&quot; to the spending bill, said veteran Senator Patrick Leahy, top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee.

With jitters rippling through Washington, Trump apparently agreed to soften his demand days before the deadline.

- Optimism - 
He told a group of conservative journalists he was open to delaying funding for the wall&#39;s construction until September, a White House official said, according to The Washington Post.

By Tuesday, the administration was acknowledging Trump&#39;s plan could be pushed back.

&quot;Building that wall and having it funded remains an important priority to him,&quot; advisor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News.&nbsp;

&quot;But we also know that that can happen later this year and into next year.&quot;

With shutdown fever appearing to break in Washington, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said he was &quot;optimistic&quot; about reaching a timely deal, provided Republicans do not include controversial other issues such as defunding Planned Parenthood clinics.

&quot;We&#39;re pleased he&#39;s backing off,&quot; Schumer said of Trump&#39;s funding demand.&nbsp;

Instead of a wall, lawmakers are expressing support for a broader set of border security measures, including using drones and other high technology.

&quot;We&#39;re not opposed to border security,&quot; Schumer said.&nbsp;

&quot;We are opposed to the wall. And we&#39;re not going to allow any dollars in any kind of border security appropriation to be used for a wall. Period.&quot;

Building the wall was Trump&#39;s signature campaign promise, but Democrats note that Trump pledged Mexico would pay for it.

Even as the White House appeared to soften its rigid posture, Trump sent mixed messages.

&quot;Don&#39;t let the fake media tell you that I have changed my position on the WALL. It will get built and help stop drugs, human trafficking etc,&quot; he said Tuesday on Twitter.

The president then insisted the wall would be built &quot;soon,&quot; but offered no time frame other than within his four-year term.

&quot;The wall&#39;s going to get built, folks,&quot; Trump told reporters.

- &#39;Active negotiations&#39; - 
Congress, returning from a two-week break, now has three days to strike a deal.

Lawmakers have warned that a stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, may be needed to give Congress breathing room to finalize the spending details.

&quot;This is active negotiations,&quot; Republican Senator David Purdue said.

With the 100-day mark landing on Saturday and few legislative victories under his belt, Trump is pressing to fulfill another campaign pledge.

As a candidate, he repeatedly vowed to reform the tax code and slash the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent.&nbsp;

An announcement on such reforms is due Wednesday.

Conservatives have sought a reduction in tax rates for years, but they are also adamant about reducing the debt. Some Republicans appeared hesitant to embrace such slashes to &nbsp;corporate tax rates.

&quot;Fifteen percent might be too low,&quot; House Republican Leonard Lance told CNN.

Democrats have expressed little appetite for dramatically reducing taxes, especially for big business.

If there are no significant tax breaks for small business or working-class Americans, &quot;that would certainly for me be a non-starter,&quot; Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow said.

(AFP)

Donald Trump and US lawmakers inched closer to a deal Tuesday avoiding a government shutdown, as the president, eager to showcase a win marking his first 100 days, retreated from a demand to fund a border wall. With the government set to exhaust its current funding at midnight Friday, the White House is under the gun to craft a compromise that would keep the government running while not appearing to cave on Trump's demand that Congress fund a wall on the border with Mexico. "Hopefully, we'll reach an agreement some time in the next couple of days," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, but he did not rule out passing a short-term extension that gives lawmakers time to craft a final deal. While lawmaker said the funding legislation would steer clear of including funding for a border wall, it is expected to cover broader border security measures, such as the use of drones or anti-tunnelling technology. But a deal remained far from certain. Among the sticking points is the fate of cost-sharing arrangements that help reduce health insurance costs for low-income Americans buying plans through the Affordable Care Act, the reform implemented by Trump's predecessor Barack Obama. Trump had been on a collision course with lawmakers over the wall, demanding that Congress include funding to start construction in its new spending bill. Democrats blasted the approach, warning that Republicans risked being blamed for shuttering the government barely three months into Trump's administration. "There aren't enough Republican votes to put the wall in" to the spending bill, said veteran Senator Patrick Leahy, top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. With jitters rippling through Washington, Trump apparently agreed to soften his demand days before the deadline. - Optimism - He told a group of conservative journalists he was open to delaying funding for the wall's construction until September, a White House official said, according to The Washington Post. By Tuesday, the administration was acknowledging Trump's plan could be pushed back. "Building that wall and having it funded remains an important priority to him," advisor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News. "But we also know that that can happen later this year and into next year." With shutdown fever appearing to break in Washington, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said he was "optimistic" about reaching a timely deal, provided Republicans do not include controversial other issues such as defunding Planned Parenthood clinics. "We're pleased he's backing off," Schumer said of Trump's funding demand. Instead of a wall, lawmakers are expressing support for a broader set of border security measures, including using drones and other high technology. "We're not opposed to border security," Schumer said. "We are opposed to the wall. And we're not going to allow any dollars in any kind of border security appropriation to be used for a wall. Period." Building the wall was Trump's signature campaign promise, but Democrats note that Trump pledged Mexico would pay for it. Even as the White House appeared to soften its rigid posture, Trump sent mixed messages. "Don't let the fake media tell you that I have changed my position on the WALL. It will get built and help stop drugs, human trafficking etc," he said Tuesday on Twitter. The president then insisted the wall would be built "soon," but offered no time frame other than within his four-year term. "The wall's going to get built, folks," Trump told reporters. - 'Active negotiations' - Congress, returning from a two-week break, now has three days to strike a deal. Lawmakers have warned that a stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, may be needed to give Congress breathing room to finalize the spending details. "This is active negotiations," Republican Senator David Purdue said. With the 100-day mark landing on Saturday and few legislative victories under his belt, Trump is pressing to fulfill another campaign pledge. As a candidate, he repeatedly vowed to reform the tax code and slash the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent. An announcement on such reforms is due Wednesday. Conservatives have sought a reduction in tax rates for years, but they are also adamant about reducing the debt. Some Republicans appeared hesitant to embrace such slashes to corporate tax rates. "Fifteen percent might be too low," House Republican Leonard Lance told CNN. Democrats have expressed little appetite for dramatically reducing taxes, especially for big business. If there are no significant tax breaks for small business or working-class Americans, "that would certainly for me be a non-starter," Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow said. (AFP)

US govt shutdown threat ebbs as Trump retreats from demand to fund wall

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he expected Mexico to pay for the wall he has promised to build along the southern border, resuscitating a campaign promise that roiled U.S. relations with Mexico in the first week of his presidency.

&quot;Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, Mexico will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed border wall,&quot; Trump said in a Twitter post.

Trump returned to his Mexico demand on a morning in which he simultaneously tried to pressure congressional Democrats to include funding for the border wall in must-pass spending legislation needed to keep the U.S. government open beyond Friday.

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<h5>Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, Mexico will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed border wall,&#39; Trump tweeted</h5>
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In Mexico City, a spokesman for the foreign ministry had no immediate comment on Trump&#39;s wall payment comment.

The Republican president&#39;s demand that Mexico pay for the border wall triggered a diplomatic crisis with the southern U.S. neighbor during the first week of his presidency. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Jan. 26 scrapped a planned trip to meet with Trump and the White House floated the idea of a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for the wall.

The two leaders agreed the following day not to talk publicly about payment for the wall, the Mexican government said. The White House said the two recognized they had differences over the proposed wall but agreed to &quot;work these differences out.&quot;

Trump sought the wall, projected to cost more than $20 billion, as part of his effort to curb illegal immigration. Mexico has rejected payment for the construction project as out of the question.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told ABC&#39;s &quot;This Week&quot; on Sunday the wall would get paid for one way or another.

&quot;I don&#39;t expect the Mexican government to appropriate money for it but there are ways that we can deal with our trade situation to create the revenue to pay for it, no doubt about it,&quot; Sessions said.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Mexico has earlier said paying is out of the question

President Donald Trump said on Sunday he expected Mexico to pay for the wall he has promised to build along the southern border, resuscitating a campaign promise that roiled U.S. relations with Mexico in the first week of his presidency. "Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, Mexico will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed border wall," Trump said in a Twitter post. Trump returned to his Mexico demand on a morning in which he simultaneously tried to pressure congressional Democrats to include funding for the border wall in must-pass spending legislation needed to keep the U.S. government open beyond Friday. Eventually, but at a later date so we can get started early, Mexico will be paying, in some form, for the badly needed border wall,' Trump tweeted × In Mexico City, a spokesman for the foreign ministry had no immediate comment on Trump's wall payment comment. The Republican president's demand that Mexico pay for the border wall triggered a diplomatic crisis with the southern U.S. neighbor during the first week of his presidency. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Jan. 26 scrapped a planned trip to meet with Trump and the White House floated the idea of a 20 percent tax on goods from Mexico to pay for the wall. The two leaders agreed the following day not to talk publicly about payment for the wall, the Mexican government said. The White House said the two recognized they had differences over the proposed wall but agreed to "work these differences out." Trump sought the wall, projected to cost more than $20 billion, as part of his effort to curb illegal immigration. Mexico has rejected payment for the construction project as out of the question. Attorney General Jeff Sessions told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday the wall would get paid for one way or another. "I don't expect the Mexican government to appropriate money for it but there are ways that we can deal with our trade situation to create the revenue to pay for it, no doubt about it," Sessions said. (Reuters)

Trump says Mexico 'eventually' will pay for border wall

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