Donald Trump has hailed the firing of a veteran FBI agent Andrew McCabe as a &quot;great day for democracy,&quot; a move his attorney said he hoped would bring an end to a probe into alleged collusion between the president&#39;s campaign and Russia.

But critics slammed the axing as a &quot;dangerous&quot; ploy to discredit the top law enforcement agency as well as the work of Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian influence in the 2016 election.

McCabe, who was the FBI&#39;s deputy under former director James Comey, is a potentially key witness in the Russia probe.

Trump&#39;s personal attorney, John Dowd, told the Daily Beast on Saturday that he hoped Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would follow the lead of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and &quot;bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe&#39;s boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier.&quot;

Dowd told the Daily Beast he was speaking for the president. But in a subsequent statement, he said he had been &quot;speaking for myself, not the president.&quot;

McCabe, who has endured a year of withering attacks from Trump, was fired by the Justice Department late Friday, just two days before he was to retire after 21 years with the FBI.

The firing threw new fuel on the fire raging over the investigation, with critics saying Trump might be planning to engineer Mueller&#39;s dismissal, potentially sparking a constitutional crisis.

Mueller is also examining whether Trump might have obstructed justice, including by firing Comey last May.

&#39;War&#39; on the FBI

&quot;Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hardworking men and women of the FBI - A great day for Democracy,&quot; Trump tweeted soon after the firing.

McCabe pushed back hard, denying any impropriety and saying he was the victim of a Trump administration &quot;war&quot; against the FBI and the special counsel.

McCabe kept memos of his interactions with Trump, The Washington Post reported Saturday, adding that the memos could bolster his version of events.

Comey pushed back as well, tweeting: &quot;Mr President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honourable and who is not.&quot;

The firing could add to discontent inside the FBI, where both Comey and McCabe are widely respected.

The Justice Department said an internal investigation had found that McCabe made unauthorized disclosures to the media, and had not been fully honest &quot;on multiple occasions&quot; with the department&#39;s inspector general.

&quot;The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and accountability,&quot; Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

Lack of candour under oath is a firing offence at the FBI, but the politically charged context of the move raised questions among McCabe&#39;s backers.

In a stinging response to the president, former CIA chief John Brennan tweeted Saturday: &quot;When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history.&quot;

Trump, in an early afternoon tweet, belittled the media for its coverage of the story, saying: &quot;The Fake news is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired...&quot;

And in a second tweet, he again denied any collusion with Russia, adding, &quot;there was tremendous leaking, lying and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI, Justice &amp; State.&quot;

&#39;Not political appointees&#39;

Details of the inspector general&#39;s probe were not made public, but it involved the FBI&#39;s handling of the 2016 investigation into Trump&#39;s election rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly accused McCabe and Comey of having protected Clinton from prosecution, including over her misuse of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

McCabe hit out following his sacking in a blistering statement.

He said the inspector general&#39;s probe &quot;became part of an unprecedented effort by the administration, driven by the president himself, to remove me from my position, destroy my reputation, and possibly strip me of a pension that I worked 21 years to earn.&quot;

&quot;It is part of this administration&#39;s ongoing war with the FBI and the efforts of the special counsel investigation.&quot;

But one law professor defended the Justice Department&#39;s investigators.

&quot;These are not political appointees,&quot; Jonathan Turley of George Washington University told CNN.

&quot;They clearly concluded that McCabe misled them and that he misled them on one of the core issues they were investigating.&quot;

The White House has shown mounting frustration with the collusion probe, as it focuses ever more closely on the president&#39;s inner circle.

McCabe, who was the FBI's deputy under former director James Comey, is a potentially key witness in the Russia probe.

Donald Trump has hailed the firing of a veteran FBI agent Andrew McCabe as a "great day for democracy," a move his attorney said he hoped would bring an end to a probe into alleged collusion between the president's campaign and Russia. But critics slammed the axing as a "dangerous" ploy to discredit the top law enforcement agency as well as the work of Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian influence in the 2016 election. McCabe, who was the FBI's deputy under former director James Comey, is a potentially key witness in the Russia probe. Trump's personal attorney, John Dowd, told the Daily Beast on Saturday that he hoped Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would follow the lead of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and "bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe's boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier." Dowd told the Daily Beast he was speaking for the president. But in a subsequent statement, he said he had been "speaking for myself, not the president." McCabe, who has endured a year of withering attacks from Trump, was fired by the Justice Department late Friday, just two days before he was to retire after 21 years with the FBI. The firing threw new fuel on the fire raging over the investigation, with critics saying Trump might be planning to engineer Mueller's dismissal, potentially sparking a constitutional crisis. Mueller is also examining whether Trump might have obstructed justice, including by firing Comey last May. 'War' on the FBI "Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hardworking men and women of the FBI - A great day for Democracy," Trump tweeted soon after the firing. McCabe pushed back hard, denying any impropriety and saying he was the victim of a Trump administration "war" against the FBI and the special counsel. McCabe kept memos of his interactions with Trump, The Washington Post reported Saturday, adding that the memos could bolster his version of events. Comey pushed back as well, tweeting: "Mr President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honourable and who is not." The firing could add to discontent inside the FBI, where both Comey and McCabe are widely respected. The Justice Department said an internal investigation had found that McCabe made unauthorized disclosures to the media, and had not been fully honest "on multiple occasions" with the department's inspector general. "The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and accountability," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. Lack of candour under oath is a firing offence at the FBI, but the politically charged context of the move raised questions among McCabe's backers. In a stinging response to the president, former CIA chief John Brennan tweeted Saturday: "When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history." Trump, in an early afternoon tweet, belittled the media for its coverage of the story, saying: "The Fake news is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired..." And in a second tweet, he again denied any collusion with Russia, adding, "there was tremendous leaking, lying and corruption at the highest levels of the FBI, Justice & State." 'Not political appointees' Details of the inspector general's probe were not made public, but it involved the FBI's handling of the 2016 investigation into Trump's election rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump has repeatedly accused McCabe and Comey of having protected Clinton from prosecution, including over her misuse of a private email server while she was secretary of state. McCabe hit out following his sacking in a blistering statement. He said the inspector general's probe "became part of an unprecedented effort by the administration, driven by the president himself, to remove me from my position, destroy my reputation, and possibly strip me of a pension that I worked 21 years to earn." "It is part of this administration's ongoing war with the FBI and the efforts of the special counsel investigation." But one law professor defended the Justice Department's investigators. "These are not political appointees," Jonathan Turley of George Washington University told CNN. "They clearly concluded that McCabe misled them and that he misled them on one of the core issues they were investigating." The White House has shown mounting frustration with the collusion probe, as it focuses ever more closely on the president's inner circle.

Donald Trump calls FBI official's firing a 'great day for Democracy', but critics call it 'dangerous'

Donald Trump flops over his pink and white baby walker and rolls it around his family&#39;s modest home in Kabul, blissfully unaware of the turmoil his &quot;infidel&quot; name is causing in the deeply conservative Muslim country.

The rosy-cheeked toddler&#39;s parents named him after the billionaire US President in the hope of replicating his success. But now he is at the centre of a social media firestorm in Afghanistan after a photo of his ID papers was posted on Facebook.&nbsp;

A self-confessed fan of the American tycoon turned leader of the free world, Sayed Assadullah Pooya said he and his wife have been inundated with &quot;vulgar and insulting&quot; comments attacking their choice of name for their third child.

Some Facebook users have gone as far as threatening to kill Sayed for giving his son an &quot;infidel name&quot;, while others have accused him of endangering the boy&#39;s life. 
There are even suggestions Sayed is using the moniker to wangle asylum in the United States -- a charge the 28-year-old teacher vehemently denies.

&quot;I didn&#39;t know at the beginning that Afghan people would be so sensitive about a name,&quot; Sayed told AFP, as Donald played with a music app on his father&#39;s Samsung smartphone in their carpeted room.&nbsp;

Sayed says someone posted the picture online, sparking the controversy that forced him to close his Facebook account.&nbsp;

Even Sayed&#39;s neighbours in the heavily Shiite area of Kabul where they live have threatened the family and told them to leave.&nbsp;

&quot;When I go out of the house I feel intimidated,&quot; he said.Donald was born in the central province of Daikundi, a few months before the 2016 US presidential election, on the farm where Sayed&#39;s parents and grandparents grew almonds, wheat and corn.

Sayed was inspired to call his son Donald Trump after reading the Persian language versions of the businessman&#39;s books, including &quot;How to get rich&quot;, which he borrowed from the local library.

&quot;I did a lot of research about him and that motivated me to choose his name for my son,&quot; he explained.

He hopes his son will &quot;be as successful&quot;, adding that photos of the older Trump already make his younger namesake &quot;happy&quot;.

But bemusement turned to anger when Sayed&#39;s parents realised the couple were serious about the name. As relations broke down the young family moved to Kabul, and they are now estranged from their relatives.

Their life could not be more different from the one enjoyed by their son&#39;s namesake, who divides his time between the White House and his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The family of five is squeezed into a spartan room overlooking a small courtyard and outdoor bathroom, which they rent for 2,000 Afghanis ($30) a month.

Beyond their metal front gate is a warren of dirt lanes barely wide enough for a car, mud-brick houses and putrid open drains.

A few blocks from their house several drug addicts loll on a grassy strip in the middle of a busy road injecting themselves or sleeping off a hit.&nbsp;

During the interview, Sayed&#39;s wife Jamila washed the family&#39;s dirty clothes in a small machine outside while keeping an eye on the couple&#39;s daughter Fatima, nine, and eldest son Karim, eight.

Despite the controversy Donald&#39;s parents have not broken the law by giving their son an un-Islamic name, according to Rohullah Ahmadzai, a senior advisor at the Population Registration Office in Kabul.

He said they have the legal right &quot;to name their children whatever they want&quot; -- even after American presidents.

While Sayed is worried about his family&#39;s safety, particularly Donald&#39;s, he remains stubbornly unrepentant.

&quot;It&#39;s likely... that he will be harassed or beaten by his classmates,&quot; he said matter of factly.

&quot;I won&#39;t reconsider (his name). To hell with the other people.&quot; 
&nbsp;

The rosy-cheeked toddler's parents named him after the billionaire US President in the hope of replicating his success

Donald Trump flops over his pink and white baby walker and rolls it around his family's modest home in Kabul, blissfully unaware of the turmoil his "infidel" name is causing in the deeply conservative Muslim country. The rosy-cheeked toddler's parents named him after the billionaire US President in the hope of replicating his success. But now he is at the centre of a social media firestorm in Afghanistan after a photo of his ID papers was posted on Facebook. A self-confessed fan of the American tycoon turned leader of the free world, Sayed Assadullah Pooya said he and his wife have been inundated with "vulgar and insulting" comments attacking their choice of name for their third child. Some Facebook users have gone as far as threatening to kill Sayed for giving his son an "infidel name", while others have accused him of endangering the boy's life. There are even suggestions Sayed is using the moniker to wangle asylum in the United States -- a charge the 28-year-old teacher vehemently denies. "I didn't know at the beginning that Afghan people would be so sensitive about a name," Sayed told AFP, as Donald played with a music app on his father's Samsung smartphone in their carpeted room. Sayed says someone posted the picture online, sparking the controversy that forced him to close his Facebook account. Even Sayed's neighbours in the heavily Shiite area of Kabul where they live have threatened the family and told them to leave. "When I go out of the house I feel intimidated," he said.Donald was born in the central province of Daikundi, a few months before the 2016 US presidential election, on the farm where Sayed's parents and grandparents grew almonds, wheat and corn. Sayed was inspired to call his son Donald Trump after reading the Persian language versions of the businessman's books, including "How to get rich", which he borrowed from the local library. "I did a lot of research about him and that motivated me to choose his name for my son," he explained. He hopes his son will "be as successful", adding that photos of the older Trump already make his younger namesake "happy". But bemusement turned to anger when Sayed's parents realised the couple were serious about the name. As relations broke down the young family moved to Kabul, and they are now estranged from their relatives. Their life could not be more different from the one enjoyed by their son's namesake, who divides his time between the White House and his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The family of five is squeezed into a spartan room overlooking a small courtyard and outdoor bathroom, which they rent for 2,000 Afghanis ($30) a month. Beyond their metal front gate is a warren of dirt lanes barely wide enough for a car, mud-brick houses and putrid open drains. A few blocks from their house several drug addicts loll on a grassy strip in the middle of a busy road injecting themselves or sleeping off a hit. During the interview, Sayed's wife Jamila washed the family's dirty clothes in a small machine outside while keeping an eye on the couple's daughter Fatima, nine, and eldest son Karim, eight. Despite the controversy Donald's parents have not broken the law by giving their son an un-Islamic name, according to Rohullah Ahmadzai, a senior advisor at the Population Registration Office in Kabul. He said they have the legal right "to name their children whatever they want" -- even after American presidents. While Sayed is worried about his family's safety, particularly Donald's, he remains stubbornly unrepentant. "It's likely... that he will be harassed or beaten by his classmates," he said matter of factly. "I won't reconsider (his name). To hell with the other people."

Baby Donald Trump causes a stir in Afghanistan

Data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica harvested private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday.

The newspapers, which cited former Cambridge Analytica employees, associates and documents, said the data breach was one of the largest in the history of Facebook Inc.

Facebook on Friday said it was suspending Cambridge Analytica after finding data privacy policies had been violated.

The Observer said Cambridge Analytica used the data, taken without authorization in early 2014, to build a software program to predict and influence choices at the ballot box.

The paper quoted Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, who worked with an academic at Cambridge University to obtain the data, as saying the system could profile individual voters to target them with personalized political advertisements.

The more than 50 million profiles represented around a third of active North American Facebook users, and nearly a quarter of potential U.S. voters, at the time, the paper said.

&quot;We exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people&rsquo;s profiles. And built models to exploit what we knew about them and target their inner demons. That was the basis that the entire company was built on,&rdquo; the Observer quoted Wylie as saying.

The New York Times said interviews with a half-dozen former Cambridge Analytica employees and contractors, and a review of the firm&rsquo;s emails and documents, revealed it not only relied on the private Facebook data but still possesses most or all of it.

The Observer said the data was collected through an app called thisisyourdigitallife, built by academic Aleksandr Kogan, separately from his work at Cambridge University.

Through Kogan&#39;s company Global Science Research (GSR), in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica, hundreds of thousands of users were paid to take a personality test and agreed to have their data collected for academic use, the Observer said.

However, the app also collected the information of the test-takers&rsquo; Facebook friends, leading to the accumulation of a data pool tens of millions-strong, the paper said. It said Facebook&rsquo;s &ldquo;platform policy&rdquo; allowed only collection of friends data to improve user experience in the app and barred it from being sold on or used for advertising.

Facebook said on Friday it had suspended Cambridge Analytica and its parent group Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) after receiving reports they did not delete information about Facebook users that had been inappropriately shared.

A spokesman for Cambridge Analytica said GSR &quot;was contractually committed by us to only obtain data in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act and to seek the informed consent of each respondent.&quot;

&quot;When it subsequently became clear that the data had not been obtained by GSR in line with Facebook&rsquo;s terms of service, Cambridge Analytica deleted all data received from GSR,&quot; he said.

&quot;We worked with Facebook over this period to ensure that they were satisfied that we had not knowingly breached any of Facebook&rsquo;s terms of service and also provided a signed statement to confirm that all Facebook data and their derivatives had been deleted,&quot; the spokesman said.

He added that &quot;no data from GSR was used by Cambridge Analytica as part of the services it provided to the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign.&quot;

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Facebook did not mention the Trump campaign or any other campaigns in its statement, which was attributed to the social network&#39;s deputy general counsel, Paul Grewal.

&quot;We will take legal action if necessary to hold them responsible and accountable for any unlawful behaviour,&quot; Facebook said, adding that it was continuing to investigate the claims.

In a Twitter post, Facebook&#39;s Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos called the news reports &quot;important and powerful,&quot; but said it was &quot;incorrect to call this a &#39;breach&#39; under any reasonable definition of the term.&quot;

&quot;We can condemn this behaviour while being accurate in our description of it,&quot; he said.

&#39;More evidence&#39;

On its website, Cambridge Analytica says it &quot;provided the Donald J. Trump for President campaign with the expertise and insights that helped win the White House.&quot;

Brad Parscale, who ran Trump&#39;s digital ad operation in 2016 and is his 2020 re-election campaign manager, declined to comment on Friday.

In past interviews with Reuters, Parscale has said Cambridge Analytica played a minor role as a contractor in the 2016 campaign, and that the campaign used voter data from a Republican-affiliated organization rather than Cambridge Analytica.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, said the case was &quot;more evidence that the online political advertising market is essentially the Wild West&quot; and showed the need for Congress to pass legislation to bring transparency and accountability to online political advertisements.

The suspension means Cambridge Analytica and SCL cannot buy ads on the world&#39;s largest social media network or administer pages belonging to clients, Andrew Bosworth, a Facebook vice president, said in a Twitter post.

Trump&rsquo;s campaign hired Cambridge Analytica in June 2016 and paid it more than $6.2 million, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Cambridge Analytica says it uses &quot;behavioural microtargeting,&quot; or combining analysis of people&rsquo;s personalities with demographics, to predict and influence mass behaviour. It says it has data on 220 million Americans, two-thirds of the U.S. population.

It has worked on other campaigns in the United States and other countries, and it is funded by Robert Mercer, a prominent supporter of politically conservative groups.

Facebook in its statement described a rocky relationship with Cambridge Analytica and two individuals going back to 2015.

That year, Facebook said, it learned that Kogan, the Cambridge University professor, lied to the company and violated its policies by sharing data that he acquired with a so-called &quot;research app&quot; that used Facebook&#39;s login system.

Kogan was not immediately available for comment.

The app was downloaded by about 270,000 people. Facebook said Kogan gained access to profile and other information &quot;in a legitimate way&quot; but &quot;he did not subsequently abide by our rules&quot; when he passed the data to SCL/Cambridge Analytica and Wylie of Eunoia Technologies. http://bit.ly/2FZU1Ir Eunoia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Facebook said it cut ties to Kogan&#39;s app when it learned of the violation in 2015, and asked for certification from Kogan and all parties he had given data to that the information had been destroyed.

Although all certified they had destroyed the data, Facebook said it received reports in the past several days that &quot;not all data was deleted,&quot; prompting the suspension announced on Friday.

The Observer said the data was collected through an app called thisisyourdigitallife, built by academic Aleksandr Kogan, separately from his work at Cambridge University.

Data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica harvested private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday. The newspapers, which cited former Cambridge Analytica employees, associates and documents, said the data breach was one of the largest in the history of Facebook Inc. Facebook on Friday said it was suspending Cambridge Analytica after finding data privacy policies had been violated. The Observer said Cambridge Analytica used the data, taken without authorization in early 2014, to build a software program to predict and influence choices at the ballot box. The paper quoted Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Christopher Wylie, who worked with an academic at Cambridge University to obtain the data, as saying the system could profile individual voters to target them with personalized political advertisements. The more than 50 million profiles represented around a third of active North American Facebook users, and nearly a quarter of potential U.S. voters, at the time, the paper said. "We exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people’s profiles. And built models to exploit what we knew about them and target their inner demons. That was the basis that the entire company was built on,” the Observer quoted Wylie as saying. The New York Times said interviews with a half-dozen former Cambridge Analytica employees and contractors, and a review of the firm’s emails and documents, revealed it not only relied on the private Facebook data but still possesses most or all of it. The Observer said the data was collected through an app called thisisyourdigitallife, built by academic Aleksandr Kogan, separately from his work at Cambridge University. Through Kogan's company Global Science Research (GSR), in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica, hundreds of thousands of users were paid to take a personality test and agreed to have their data collected for academic use, the Observer said. However, the app also collected the information of the test-takers’ Facebook friends, leading to the accumulation of a data pool tens of millions-strong, the paper said. It said Facebook’s “platform policy” allowed only collection of friends data to improve user experience in the app and barred it from being sold on or used for advertising. Facebook said on Friday it had suspended Cambridge Analytica and its parent group Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) after receiving reports they did not delete information about Facebook users that had been inappropriately shared. A spokesman for Cambridge Analytica said GSR "was contractually committed by us to only obtain data in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act and to seek the informed consent of each respondent." "When it subsequently became clear that the data had not been obtained by GSR in line with Facebook’s terms of service, Cambridge Analytica deleted all data received from GSR," he said. "We worked with Facebook over this period to ensure that they were satisfied that we had not knowingly breached any of Facebook’s terms of service and also provided a signed statement to confirm that all Facebook data and their derivatives had been deleted," the spokesman said. He added that "no data from GSR was used by Cambridge Analytica as part of the services it provided to the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign." The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Facebook did not mention the Trump campaign or any other campaigns in its statement, which was attributed to the social network's deputy general counsel, Paul Grewal. "We will take legal action if necessary to hold them responsible and accountable for any unlawful behaviour," Facebook said, adding that it was continuing to investigate the claims. In a Twitter post, Facebook's Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos called the news reports "important and powerful," but said it was "incorrect to call this a 'breach' under any reasonable definition of the term." "We can condemn this behaviour while being accurate in our description of it," he said. 'More evidence' On its website, Cambridge Analytica says it "provided the Donald J. Trump for President campaign with the expertise and insights that helped win the White House." Brad Parscale, who ran Trump's digital ad operation in 2016 and is his 2020 re-election campaign manager, declined to comment on Friday. In past interviews with Reuters, Parscale has said Cambridge Analytica played a minor role as a contractor in the 2016 campaign, and that the campaign used voter data from a Republican-affiliated organization rather than Cambridge Analytica. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, said the case was "more evidence that the online political advertising market is essentially the Wild West" and showed the need for Congress to pass legislation to bring transparency and accountability to online political advertisements. The suspension means Cambridge Analytica and SCL cannot buy ads on the world's largest social media network or administer pages belonging to clients, Andrew Bosworth, a Facebook vice president, said in a Twitter post. Trump’s campaign hired Cambridge Analytica in June 2016 and paid it more than $6.2 million, according to Federal Election Commission records. Cambridge Analytica says it uses "behavioural microtargeting," or combining analysis of people’s personalities with demographics, to predict and influence mass behaviour. It says it has data on 220 million Americans, two-thirds of the U.S. population. It has worked on other campaigns in the United States and other countries, and it is funded by Robert Mercer, a prominent supporter of politically conservative groups. Facebook in its statement described a rocky relationship with Cambridge Analytica and two individuals going back to 2015. That year, Facebook said, it learned that Kogan, the Cambridge University professor, lied to the company and violated its policies by sharing data that he acquired with a so-called "research app" that used Facebook's login system. Kogan was not immediately available for comment. The app was downloaded by about 270,000 people. Facebook said Kogan gained access to profile and other information "in a legitimate way" but "he did not subsequently abide by our rules" when he passed the data to SCL/Cambridge Analytica and Wylie of Eunoia Technologies. http://bit.ly/2FZU1Ir Eunoia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Facebook said it cut ties to Kogan's app when it learned of the violation in 2015, and asked for certification from Kogan and all parties he had given data to that the information had been destroyed. Although all certified they had destroyed the data, Facebook said it received reports in the past several days that "not all data was deleted," prompting the suspension announced on Friday.

Trump consultants harvested data from 50 million Facebook users: Reports

Donald Trump flops over his pink and white baby walker and rolls it around his family&#39;s modest home in Kabul, blissfully unaware of the turmoil his &quot;infidel&quot; name is causing in the deeply conservative Muslim country.

The rosy-cheeked toddler&#39;s parents named him after the billionaire US President in the hope of replicating his success. But now he is at the centre of a social media firestorm in Afghanistan after a photo of his ID papers was posted on Facebook.&nbsp;

A self-confessed fan of the American tycoon turned leader of the free world, Sayed Assadullah Pooya said he and his wife have been inundated with &quot;vulgar and insulting&quot; comments attacking their choice of name for their third child.

Some Facebook users have gone as far as threatening to kill Sayed for giving his son an &quot;infidel name&quot;, while others have accused him of endangering the boy&#39;s life.

There are even suggestions Sayed is using the moniker to wangle asylum in the United States -- a charge the 28-year-old teacher vehemently denies.

&quot;I didn&#39;t know at the beginning that Afghan people would be so sensitive about a name,&quot; Sayed told AFP, as Donald played with a music app on his father&#39;s Samsung smartphone in their carpeted room.&nbsp;

Sayed says someone posted the picture online, sparking the controversy that forced him to close his Facebook account.&nbsp;

Even Sayed&#39;s neighbours in the heavily Shiite area of Kabul where they live have threatened the family and told them to leave.&nbsp;

&quot;When I go out of the house I feel intimidated,&quot; he said.

Inspired by Trump&nbsp;

Donald was born in the central province of Daikundi, a few months before the 2016 US presidential election, on the farm where Sayed&#39;s parents and grandparents grew almonds, wheat and corn.

Sayed was inspired to call his son Donald Trump after reading the Persian language versions of the businessman&#39;s books, including &quot;How to get rich&quot;, which he borrowed from the local library.

&quot;I did a lot of research about him and that motivated me to choose his name for my son,&quot; he explained.

He hopes his son will &quot;be as successful&quot;, adding that photos of the older Trump already make his younger namesake &quot;happy&quot;.

But bemusement turned to anger when Sayed&#39;s parents realised the couple were serious about the name. As relations broke down the young family moved to Kabul, and they are now estranged from their relatives.

Their life could not be more different from the one enjoyed by their son&#39;s namesake, who divides his time between the White House and his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

The family of five is squeezed into a spartan room overlooking a small courtyard and outdoor bathroom, which they rent for 2,000 Afghanis ($30) a month.

Beyond their metal front gate is a warren of dirt lanes barely wide enough for a car, mud-brick houses and putrid open drains.

A few blocks from their house several drug addicts loll on a grassy strip in the middle of a busy road injecting themselves or sleeping off a hit.&nbsp;

During the interview, Sayed&#39;s wife Jamila washed the family&#39;s dirty clothes in a small machine outside while keeping an eye on the couple&#39;s daughter Fatima, nine, and eldest son Karim, eight.

Despite the controversy Donald&#39;s parents have not broken the law by giving their son an un-Islamic name, according to Rohullah Ahmadzai, a senior advisor at the Population Registration Office in Kabul.

He said they have the legal right &quot;to name their children whatever they want&quot; -- even after American presidents.

While Sayed is worried about his family&#39;s safety, particularly Donald&#39;s, he remains stubbornly unrepentant.

&quot;It&#39;s likely... that he will be harassed or beaten by his classmates,&quot; he said matter of factly.

&quot;I won&#39;t reconsider (his name). To hell with the other people.&quot;

Donald Trump flops over his pink and white baby walker and rolls it around his family's modest home in Kabul, blissfully unaware of the turmoil his "infidel" name is causing in the deeply conservative Muslim country

Donald Trump flops over his pink and white baby walker and rolls it around his family's modest home in Kabul, blissfully unaware of the turmoil his "infidel" name is causing in the deeply conservative Muslim country. The rosy-cheeked toddler's parents named him after the billionaire US President in the hope of replicating his success. But now he is at the centre of a social media firestorm in Afghanistan after a photo of his ID papers was posted on Facebook. A self-confessed fan of the American tycoon turned leader of the free world, Sayed Assadullah Pooya said he and his wife have been inundated with "vulgar and insulting" comments attacking their choice of name for their third child. Some Facebook users have gone as far as threatening to kill Sayed for giving his son an "infidel name", while others have accused him of endangering the boy's life. There are even suggestions Sayed is using the moniker to wangle asylum in the United States -- a charge the 28-year-old teacher vehemently denies. "I didn't know at the beginning that Afghan people would be so sensitive about a name," Sayed told AFP, as Donald played with a music app on his father's Samsung smartphone in their carpeted room. Sayed says someone posted the picture online, sparking the controversy that forced him to close his Facebook account. Even Sayed's neighbours in the heavily Shiite area of Kabul where they live have threatened the family and told them to leave. "When I go out of the house I feel intimidated," he said. Inspired by Trump Donald was born in the central province of Daikundi, a few months before the 2016 US presidential election, on the farm where Sayed's parents and grandparents grew almonds, wheat and corn. Sayed was inspired to call his son Donald Trump after reading the Persian language versions of the businessman's books, including "How to get rich", which he borrowed from the local library. "I did a lot of research about him and that motivated me to choose his name for my son," he explained. He hopes his son will "be as successful", adding that photos of the older Trump already make his younger namesake "happy". But bemusement turned to anger when Sayed's parents realised the couple were serious about the name. As relations broke down the young family moved to Kabul, and they are now estranged from their relatives. Their life could not be more different from the one enjoyed by their son's namesake, who divides his time between the White House and his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The family of five is squeezed into a spartan room overlooking a small courtyard and outdoor bathroom, which they rent for 2,000 Afghanis ($30) a month. Beyond their metal front gate is a warren of dirt lanes barely wide enough for a car, mud-brick houses and putrid open drains. A few blocks from their house several drug addicts loll on a grassy strip in the middle of a busy road injecting themselves or sleeping off a hit. During the interview, Sayed's wife Jamila washed the family's dirty clothes in a small machine outside while keeping an eye on the couple's daughter Fatima, nine, and eldest son Karim, eight. Despite the controversy Donald's parents have not broken the law by giving their son an un-Islamic name, according to Rohullah Ahmadzai, a senior advisor at the Population Registration Office in Kabul. He said they have the legal right "to name their children whatever they want" -- even after American presidents. While Sayed is worried about his family's safety, particularly Donald's, he remains stubbornly unrepentant. "It's likely... that he will be harassed or beaten by his classmates," he said matter of factly. "I won't reconsider (his name). To hell with the other people."

China&#39;s rubber-stamp parliament - National People&#39;s Congress (NPC) - unanimously re-appointed President Xi Jinping to a second five-year term on Saturday, days after paving the way for him to stay in power beyond 2023.

Xi won all 2,970 votes at the annual session of the National People&#39;s Congress. In 2013, Xi had received 2,952 votes, with one against and three abstentions, a 99.86 per cent share.

Xi&nbsp;will also unveil a new government on Saturday in which except for Premier Li Keqiang, all top posts including the entire Cabinet beside Governor of the central bank will be occupied by a new set of officials.

While the amendment empowered 64-year-old Xi to remain in power for life, his power base is expected to be further reinforced by his close associate Wang Qishan who carried out the dreaded anti-corruption campaign in the last five years in which over one-and-a-half million people including over 100 ministerial-level officials were punished.

The National People&#39;s Congress has widely expanded Xi&#39;s already considerable authority during its annual session, adding his name to the Constitution and lifting the two five-year term limit for the presidency and vice presidency.

As part of the package of constitutional amendments, the president and other government officials will for the first time take the oath of office by pledging allegiance to the Constitution.

Elevating Wang would allow Xi to keep a formidable ally by his side as China&#39;s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong cements his authority and sets his sights on a possible lifelong tenure.

Wang, 69, stepped down from the Communist Party&#39;s ruling council in October under informal retirement rules. But he has kept a prominent profile, sitting at the same table as the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee during the public sessions of the National People`s Congress.

Known internationally in his previous role as China&#39;s pointman on trade, analysts say Wang could help Xi handle increasingly tense relations with the United States amid fears of a looming trade war.

Wang was at the frontline of Xi&#39;s anti-corruption crusade, heading the party&#39;s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which punished 1.5 million officials in the past five years, from low-level cadres to regional leaders and generals.

Xi`s most important title is general secretary of the Communist Party, but by putting a retired party loyalist in the vice presidency, he would again be breaking with party norms and unwritten rules of succession.

Xi is keeping Wang by his side because of his &quot;talent and ability,&quot; according to Hua Po, an independent Chinese political commentator.

&quot;Choosing Wang as vice president is certainly to consolidate his power,&quot; Hua told AFP.

&quot;Xi is already a very powerful man. The problem is that he has too few people who are loyal and competent for his use, so he has to retain Wang and give himself more time to cultivate more talented people.&quot;

Wang would replace Li Yuanchao, a relatively low-profile politician who has represented Xi on trips abroad.

When he was vice premier, Wang periodically travelled to the United States, where President Barack Obama once gave the Chinese delegation a signed basketball that the official held up at a press conference.

An &quot;amazing&quot; economist, Wang could now form a &quot;dream team&quot; with another member of the party leadership, Wang Yang, to deal with US President Donald Trump&#39;s trade threats, said Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King`s College London.

Xi won all 2,970 votes at the annual session of the National People's Congress. In 2013, Xi had received 2,952 votes, with one against and three abstentions, a 99.86 per cent share

China's rubber-stamp parliament - National People's Congress (NPC) - unanimously re-appointed President Xi Jinping to a second five-year term on Saturday, days after paving the way for him to stay in power beyond 2023. Xi won all 2,970 votes at the annual session of the National People's Congress. In 2013, Xi had received 2,952 votes, with one against and three abstentions, a 99.86 per cent share. Xi will also unveil a new government on Saturday in which except for Premier Li Keqiang, all top posts including the entire Cabinet beside Governor of the central bank will be occupied by a new set of officials. While the amendment empowered 64-year-old Xi to remain in power for life, his power base is expected to be further reinforced by his close associate Wang Qishan who carried out the dreaded anti-corruption campaign in the last five years in which over one-and-a-half million people including over 100 ministerial-level officials were punished. The National People's Congress has widely expanded Xi's already considerable authority during its annual session, adding his name to the Constitution and lifting the two five-year term limit for the presidency and vice presidency. As part of the package of constitutional amendments, the president and other government officials will for the first time take the oath of office by pledging allegiance to the Constitution. Elevating Wang would allow Xi to keep a formidable ally by his side as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong cements his authority and sets his sights on a possible lifelong tenure. Wang, 69, stepped down from the Communist Party's ruling council in October under informal retirement rules. But he has kept a prominent profile, sitting at the same table as the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee during the public sessions of the National People`s Congress. Known internationally in his previous role as China's pointman on trade, analysts say Wang could help Xi handle increasingly tense relations with the United States amid fears of a looming trade war. Wang was at the frontline of Xi's anti-corruption crusade, heading the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which punished 1.5 million officials in the past five years, from low-level cadres to regional leaders and generals. Xi`s most important title is general secretary of the Communist Party, but by putting a retired party loyalist in the vice presidency, he would again be breaking with party norms and unwritten rules of succession. Xi is keeping Wang by his side because of his "talent and ability," according to Hua Po, an independent Chinese political commentator. "Choosing Wang as vice president is certainly to consolidate his power," Hua told AFP. "Xi is already a very powerful man. The problem is that he has too few people who are loyal and competent for his use, so he has to retain Wang and give himself more time to cultivate more talented people." Wang would replace Li Yuanchao, a relatively low-profile politician who has represented Xi on trips abroad. When he was vice premier, Wang periodically travelled to the United States, where President Barack Obama once gave the Chinese delegation a signed basketball that the official held up at a press conference. An "amazing" economist, Wang could now form a "dream team" with another member of the party leadership, Wang Yang, to deal with US President Donald Trump's trade threats, said Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King`s College London.

China's parliament unanimously gives Xi second term

Donald Trump Jr&#39;s wife Vanessa has filed for a divorce. The couple who have been married since 2005, have 5 children together. 
 
The reasons for the divorce filed on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court were not clear but the divorce was listed as &quot;uncontested,&quot; indicating the split was amicable.

Trump Jr., 40, runs his father US President Donald Trump&#39;s business with his brother, Eric and has been travelling extensively for work. 
 
The couple issued a joint statement announcing their divorce.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;&ldquo;After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways. We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time,&quot; the statement read.&nbsp; 
 
In a 2006 interview with the International Herald Tribune, Vanessa shared how she met her husband. Donald Trump himself had walked up to Vanessa at a fashion show and introduced his son. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;I&#39;m at this fashion show,&quot; Vanessa said, recalling the 2003 encounter. &quot;Donald Trump comes up to me with his son: &#39;Hi, I&#39;m Donald Trump. I wanted to introduce you to my son Donald Trump Jr.&#39;&quot; 
 
Trump Jr is the US President&#39;s son from first wife Ivana. Currently married to Melania Trump, Donald Trump has had two divorces before.&nbsp;

The couple got married in 2005 and have 5 children together.

Donald Trump Jr's wife Vanessa has filed for a divorce. The couple who have been married since 2005, have 5 children together. The reasons for the divorce filed on Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court were not clear but the divorce was listed as "uncontested," indicating the split was amicable. Trump Jr., 40, runs his father US President Donald Trump's business with his brother, Eric and has been travelling extensively for work. The couple issued a joint statement announcing their divorce. "“After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways. We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time," the statement read. In a 2006 interview with the International Herald Tribune, Vanessa shared how she met her husband. Donald Trump himself had walked up to Vanessa at a fashion show and introduced his son. "I'm at this fashion show," Vanessa said, recalling the 2003 encounter. "Donald Trump comes up to me with his son: 'Hi, I'm Donald Trump. I wanted to introduce you to my son Donald Trump Jr.'" Trump Jr is the US President's son from first wife Ivana. Currently married to Melania Trump, Donald Trump has had two divorces before.

Vanessa Trump files for divorce from Donald Trump Jr

US President Donald Trump has bashed international efforts to combat climate change and questioned the scientific consensus that global warming is dangerous and driven by human consumption of fossil fuels.

But there is a disconnect between what Trump says at home and what his government does abroad. While attention has been focused on Trump&#39;s rhetoric, State Department envoys, federal agencies, and government scientists remain active participants in international efforts to both research and fight climate change, according to the US and foreign representatives involved in those efforts.

&quot;We really don&#39;t detect any change with the Americans,&quot; said one of the officials, Aleksi H&auml;rk&ouml;nen of Finland, who chairs the eight-nation Arctic Council&#39;s key group of senior officials, who are charged with protecting a region warming faster than any other on Earth.

Over the past year, the United States has helped draft the rulebook for implementing the Paris climate accord, signed international memoranda calling for global action to fight climate change, boosted funding for overseas clean energy projects, and contributed to global research on the dangers and causes of the Earth&#39;s warming.

While the United States&rsquo; participation in international forums - including the Paris accord and the Arctic Council - has been reported, its continued, broad and constructive support for climate change efforts in these gatherings has not.

This business-as-usual approach has surprised some of America&rsquo;s foreign partners, along with some of Trump&rsquo;s allies, who had expected the new administration to match its rhetoric with an obstructionist approach to combating climate change.

&quot;I am concerned that much of our climate policy remains on autopilot,&quot; complained Trump&rsquo;s former energy adviser Myron Ebell, now a research director at the right-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute, who said it reflects a failure by the administration to fill key positions and replace staffers who oppose the president&#39;s agenda.

The US efforts abroad to tackle climate change have been counter-balanced by Trump&#39;s aggressive push at home to increase production of the fossil fuels scientists blame for global warming. He has also ordered a wide-ranging rollback of Obama-era climate regulations and appointed a self-described climate sceptic, Scott Pruitt, as the nation&rsquo;s chief environmental regulator.

And to be sure, none of the US dealings in international climate efforts since last year have committed the United States to any emissions cuts that would undermine Trump&rsquo;s domestic energy agenda.

The State Department - which handles the bulk of US climate policy abroad - told Reuters it was still developing its global warming policy under Trump.

&quot;The State Department is working with the White House and the interagency to further develop our approach to international climate change diplomacy,&quot; State Department spokesman Ambrose Sayles said in a statement before Trump sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday.

&quot;In the meantime, we will continue to participate ... to ensure a level playing field that benefits and protects US interests, and to keep all options open for the President,&quot; Sayles said.

Tillerson&#39;s departure leaves a question mark over the future of US climate policy abroad. Tillerson was in favour of the Paris accord, while his successor, Mike Pompeo, has expressed doubts about the science of climate change. Climate advocates say they hope Pompeo will be too distracted by tensions with Iran and North Korea to change the State Department&rsquo;s approach to climate change.

White House spokeswoman Kelly Love declined to comment.

Trump announced last year that he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement to fight global warming, raising concerns among other parties to the deal that Washington might attempt to torpedo the accord or disengage from it completely.

That hasn&#39;t happened. Washington sent a 40-strong delegation to talks in Bonn in November to help draft a new rulebook that will provide rules of the road for the 200 participating nations. It was a smaller delegation than Washington had sent to past meetings, but it still won praise from fellow delegates for its work.

For example, Andrew Rakestraw - a climate negotiator for the State Department since 2013 - co-chaired discussions on how to ensure that the pledges by signatories are comparable and use the same accounting standards - a point seen as critical to the success of the accord.

Nazhat Shameem Khan, chief negotiator for Fiji, which presided over the talks, said the United States delegation was &quot;constructive and helpful.&quot; &nbsp;The UN&rsquo;s climate chief, Patricia Espinosa, also called the US role constructive.&nbsp;

Thomas Shannon, the State Department&#39;s chief climate negotiator in Bonn, did not respond to requests for comment. Rakestraw also did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment.

A US source familiar with the US position at the talks, who asked not to be named, said that US delegates in Bonn were pushing an agenda that resembled those of past administrations - stressing that emerging economies like China follow the same rules as developed nations and meet international standards for monitoring and reporting emissions.

There was one jarring note: Washington sponsored a side event to promote &ldquo;clean coal.&rdquo; Some other delegates said they were unhappy with this, as they wanted the talks to focus on renewable energies.

Under the details of the accord, the United States cannot formally withdraw until 2020.

The State Department&rsquo;s delegations to the Arctic Council are also continuing their work in much the same way they did under President Barack Obama - acknowledging that warming is real and should be countered in planning everything from new shipping routes to the protection of indigenous peoples.

Some US agencies are also still bolstering international efforts to fight climate change.

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which seeks to advance US policy by financing foreign business ventures, doubled its support for solar projects in 2017 under a climate-friendly policy last updated by the Obama administration.

And NASA, the US space agency, continues to research climate change, publish climate change data, and contribute to international reports, spokesman Stephen Cole said.

Both OPIC and NASA are independent of the State Department, so would not be under Pompeo&#39;s sway.

Scientists representing the United States in the international research say they have also been unfettered by the Trump administration, despite concerns early in the Trump presidency that the White House would seek to silence them or restrict their work.

&ldquo;There has been no pressure on US authors,&rdquo; said one US scientist, who is now helping to write a United Nations report that will call for coal to be &ldquo;phased out rapidly&rdquo; to limit global warming - &nbsp;a direct clash with Trump&#39;s pro-coal agenda.

The scientist asked not to be named because the draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), due to be released in October, is confidential.

&quot;Our US colleagues know that climate change is not a hoax,&quot; said one of the non-US authors of the same report, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Christopher Field, a professor of environmental studies at Stanford University who co-chaired a 2014 IPCC report on the impacts of climate change, agreed: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve not seen any indication that the climate denialism from Trump and other members of the administration has had any influence ... on the alignment of the US scientific community with the scientific consensus around the world.&quot;

Still, scientists worry that while the Trump administration is not interfering with their research it is ignoring it.

The Trump administration made no move to block an assessment by 300 experts last year that outlined the threats and causes of warming in the United States and concluded there is &ldquo;no convincing alternative explanation&rdquo; for climate change than human activity.

&quot;But then they haven&#39;t acknowledged the findings, nor changed their climate science denying stance,&rdquo; said the US scientist involved in drafting the UN coal report.

Trump has bashed international efforts to combat climate change and questioned the scientific consensus that global warming is dangerous and driven by human consumption of fossil fuels

US President Donald Trump has bashed international efforts to combat climate change and questioned the scientific consensus that global warming is dangerous and driven by human consumption of fossil fuels. But there is a disconnect between what Trump says at home and what his government does abroad. While attention has been focused on Trump's rhetoric, State Department envoys, federal agencies, and government scientists remain active participants in international efforts to both research and fight climate change, according to the US and foreign representatives involved in those efforts. "We really don't detect any change with the Americans," said one of the officials, Aleksi Härkönen of Finland, who chairs the eight-nation Arctic Council's key group of senior officials, who are charged with protecting a region warming faster than any other on Earth. Over the past year, the United States has helped draft the rulebook for implementing the Paris climate accord, signed international memoranda calling for global action to fight climate change, boosted funding for overseas clean energy projects, and contributed to global research on the dangers and causes of the Earth's warming. While the United States’ participation in international forums - including the Paris accord and the Arctic Council - has been reported, its continued, broad and constructive support for climate change efforts in these gatherings has not. This business-as-usual approach has surprised some of America’s foreign partners, along with some of Trump’s allies, who had expected the new administration to match its rhetoric with an obstructionist approach to combating climate change. "I am concerned that much of our climate policy remains on autopilot," complained Trump’s former energy adviser Myron Ebell, now a research director at the right-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute, who said it reflects a failure by the administration to fill key positions and replace staffers who oppose the president's agenda. The US efforts abroad to tackle climate change have been counter-balanced by Trump's aggressive push at home to increase production of the fossil fuels scientists blame for global warming. He has also ordered a wide-ranging rollback of Obama-era climate regulations and appointed a self-described climate sceptic, Scott Pruitt, as the nation’s chief environmental regulator. And to be sure, none of the US dealings in international climate efforts since last year have committed the United States to any emissions cuts that would undermine Trump’s domestic energy agenda. The State Department - which handles the bulk of US climate policy abroad - told Reuters it was still developing its global warming policy under Trump. "The State Department is working with the White House and the interagency to further develop our approach to international climate change diplomacy," State Department spokesman Ambrose Sayles said in a statement before Trump sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday. "In the meantime, we will continue to participate ... to ensure a level playing field that benefits and protects US interests, and to keep all options open for the President," Sayles said. Tillerson's departure leaves a question mark over the future of US climate policy abroad. Tillerson was in favour of the Paris accord, while his successor, Mike Pompeo, has expressed doubts about the science of climate change. Climate advocates say they hope Pompeo will be too distracted by tensions with Iran and North Korea to change the State Department’s approach to climate change. White House spokeswoman Kelly Love declined to comment. Trump announced last year that he was withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement to fight global warming, raising concerns among other parties to the deal that Washington might attempt to torpedo the accord or disengage from it completely. That hasn't happened. Washington sent a 40-strong delegation to talks in Bonn in November to help draft a new rulebook that will provide rules of the road for the 200 participating nations. It was a smaller delegation than Washington had sent to past meetings, but it still won praise from fellow delegates for its work. For example, Andrew Rakestraw - a climate negotiator for the State Department since 2013 - co-chaired discussions on how to ensure that the pledges by signatories are comparable and use the same accounting standards - a point seen as critical to the success of the accord. Nazhat Shameem Khan, chief negotiator for Fiji, which presided over the talks, said the United States delegation was "constructive and helpful." The UN’s climate chief, Patricia Espinosa, also called the US role constructive. Thomas Shannon, the State Department's chief climate negotiator in Bonn, did not respond to requests for comment. Rakestraw also did not respond to calls and emails requesting comment. A US source familiar with the US position at the talks, who asked not to be named, said that US delegates in Bonn were pushing an agenda that resembled those of past administrations - stressing that emerging economies like China follow the same rules as developed nations and meet international standards for monitoring and reporting emissions. There was one jarring note: Washington sponsored a side event to promote “clean coal.” Some other delegates said they were unhappy with this, as they wanted the talks to focus on renewable energies. Under the details of the accord, the United States cannot formally withdraw until 2020. The State Department’s delegations to the Arctic Council are also continuing their work in much the same way they did under President Barack Obama - acknowledging that warming is real and should be countered in planning everything from new shipping routes to the protection of indigenous peoples. Some US agencies are also still bolstering international efforts to fight climate change. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which seeks to advance US policy by financing foreign business ventures, doubled its support for solar projects in 2017 under a climate-friendly policy last updated by the Obama administration. And NASA, the US space agency, continues to research climate change, publish climate change data, and contribute to international reports, spokesman Stephen Cole said. Both OPIC and NASA are independent of the State Department, so would not be under Pompeo's sway. Scientists representing the United States in the international research say they have also been unfettered by the Trump administration, despite concerns early in the Trump presidency that the White House would seek to silence them or restrict their work. “There has been no pressure on US authors,” said one US scientist, who is now helping to write a United Nations report that will call for coal to be “phased out rapidly” to limit global warming - a direct clash with Trump's pro-coal agenda. The scientist asked not to be named because the draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), due to be released in October, is confidential. "Our US colleagues know that climate change is not a hoax," said one of the non-US authors of the same report, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Christopher Field, a professor of environmental studies at Stanford University who co-chaired a 2014 IPCC report on the impacts of climate change, agreed: “I’ve not seen any indication that the climate denialism from Trump and other members of the administration has had any influence ... on the alignment of the US scientific community with the scientific consensus around the world." Still, scientists worry that while the Trump administration is not interfering with their research it is ignoring it. The Trump administration made no move to block an assessment by 300 experts last year that outlined the threats and causes of warming in the United States and concluded there is “no convincing alternative explanation” for climate change than human activity. "But then they haven't acknowledged the findings, nor changed their climate science denying stance,” said the US scientist involved in drafting the UN coal report.

Weathering Trump's scepticism, US officials still fighting global warming

By Nathanial Handy*&nbsp;

In November 2015, a Turkish F16 fighter jet shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24M on the Syrian-Turkish border, sparking a diplomatic row that resulted in painful Russian sanctions against Ankara. Two recent incidents in the Syrian War illustrate not only how international that conflict has become, but also how opaque and surreal it is.

First, a Russian-made missile was blamed for the destruction of a Turkish tank and the killing of eight soldiers in the single largest loss of Turkish lives in the Afrin offensive to date. On the same day, a Russian fighter jet was shot down in Idlib province. All the evidence suggests that the Syrian rebels who did so have strong links to Turkey.

What is termed the Syrian Civil War is now a convoluted set of interrelated conflicts occurring in the geographical space internationally recognized as Syria. The contortions now being performed by some of the outside actors in these conflicts can only magnify for the Syrian forces involved their plight as pawns in much bigger strategic games.

The responses to the latest incidents highlight the importance placed upon Russian-Turkish relations in the context of the conflict. Both sides wish to maintain an engaged stance with each other. Not only was there no Turkish reaction to the suggestion of Russian materiel being responsible for Turkish deaths, but the Russians responded to the downing of their jet by Turkish allies by asking the Turks for assistance in the repatriation of the pilot&rsquo;s body.

Russia has since asked for Turkey&rsquo;s further cooperation in recovering the jet and establishing what sort of device was used to down it. This strangely gentlemanly behavior among large powers on different sides of the Syrian conflict calls the entire war itself into question. How long can conflict be sustained if the opposing international backers are inching closer and closer together?&nbsp;

Asymmetric Alliance&nbsp;

This question highlights a recurring issue at the heart of Turkish foreign policy since the Arab Uprisings, not only with relation to Russia, but the United States as well. For all President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&rsquo;s posturing for his domestic audience, the hard truth is that Turkey is a junior partner whenever it steps to the negotiating table with either major power.

The stark difference between Russian-Turkish relations today, and relations in 2015 following the Turkish downing of a Russian bomber, is the result not of rapprochement so much as the weakness of the Turkish position. As has been witnessed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Russia&rsquo;s position remains virtually static. It backs President Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s forces. All other actors are illegitimate. Most are active targets under the catchall of &ldquo;terrorists.&rdquo;

Turkey has always been the most hawkish among the nations that lined up behind the US in support of the rebel uprising. It has maintained that Assad must go in order for any political settlement to take place. It has actively backed rebel groups, and its forces are now fighting on Syrian soil for territory. As they do so, they get closer and closer to Russian forces.

Yet they do so with Russian largesse, and it is clear that such largesse has its limits. Russia controls the airspace and appears reluctant to give Turkey a free rein in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. Yet Turkey is useful to Russia. It has control over portions of the Syrian rebels. It is also a major country within the NATO alliance, offering an opportunity for disruption that is a key strategic goal of the Vladimir Putin regime.&nbsp;

By bringing Turkey into the peace talks it has conducted with Iran, Russia plays at presenting Turkey as a powerbroker with a place at the top table. It buys the talks credibility whilst simultaneously undermining and isolating the US. It also pushes Turkey into the same corner the United States had previously been pushed into &mdash; that of feeling the pressure to accept Assad as a fact on the ground.

Setting the agenda

Turkey is not the United States. It has fewer resources at its disposal with which to resist Russian power. With the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek emphasizing on February 9 the Turkish desire for a &ldquo;unified, stable Syria&rdquo; above all else, it appears that the diplomatic trajectory is on a collision course with Turkish goals in Syria. The insistence on the removal of President Assad has softened as the conflict has drawn on. Others concessions may soon follow.

Turkey seems close to the point where it might theoretically accept Assad&rsquo;s forces, with the backing of Russian airpower and Iranian militias, overrunning the Kurdish YPG militias all the way to the Turkish frontier. There is, however, one problem: The role of spoiler &mdash; so often the preserve of the Russians &mdash; is now being played in Syria by the United States.

While many predicted that US support for the Syrian Kurds would evaporate with the defeat of the Islamic State, it seems that the Trump administration sees the Syrian Kurds as the best way of maintaining leverage within the Syrian state. The attempt to form a US-trained border force made up ostensibly of Syrian Kurdish YPG militiamen is a case in point.

The result is that Turkey has been forced across the border into Syria, in pursuit of its own strategic objectives. Yet this move has brought it directly into conflict with Russia, an external player with a far stronger hand in Syria, and one that has recently faced down the Turks in the diplomatic row that followed the 2015 downing of the Russian fighter jet. Turkey is loath to isolate itself from Russia again. The result is an awkward dance in Syria that is likely to get a lot more difficult.&nbsp;

 
*Nathaniel Handy is a writer and academic with over ten years of experience in international print and broadcast media.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The responses to the latest incidents happened in Syrian highlight the importance placed upon Russian-Turkish relations in the context of the conflict. Both sides wish to maintain an engaged stance with each other.

By Nathanial Handy* In November 2015, a Turkish F16 fighter jet shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24M on the Syrian-Turkish border, sparking a diplomatic row that resulted in painful Russian sanctions against Ankara. Two recent incidents in the Syrian War illustrate not only how international that conflict has become, but also how opaque and surreal it is. First, a Russian-made missile was blamed for the destruction of a Turkish tank and the killing of eight soldiers in the single largest loss of Turkish lives in the Afrin offensive to date. On the same day, a Russian fighter jet was shot down in Idlib province. All the evidence suggests that the Syrian rebels who did so have strong links to Turkey. What is termed the Syrian Civil War is now a convoluted set of interrelated conflicts occurring in the geographical space internationally recognized as Syria. The contortions now being performed by some of the outside actors in these conflicts can only magnify for the Syrian forces involved their plight as pawns in much bigger strategic games. The responses to the latest incidents highlight the importance placed upon Russian-Turkish relations in the context of the conflict. Both sides wish to maintain an engaged stance with each other. Not only was there no Turkish reaction to the suggestion of Russian materiel being responsible for Turkish deaths, but the Russians responded to the downing of their jet by Turkish allies by asking the Turks for assistance in the repatriation of the pilot’s body. Russia has since asked for Turkey’s further cooperation in recovering the jet and establishing what sort of device was used to down it. This strangely gentlemanly behavior among large powers on different sides of the Syrian conflict calls the entire war itself into question. How long can conflict be sustained if the opposing international backers are inching closer and closer together? Asymmetric Alliance This question highlights a recurring issue at the heart of Turkish foreign policy since the Arab Uprisings, not only with relation to Russia, but the United States as well. For all President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s posturing for his domestic audience, the hard truth is that Turkey is a junior partner whenever it steps to the negotiating table with either major power. The stark difference between Russian-Turkish relations today, and relations in 2015 following the Turkish downing of a Russian bomber, is the result not of rapprochement so much as the weakness of the Turkish position. As has been witnessed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Russia’s position remains virtually static. It backs President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. All other actors are illegitimate. Most are active targets under the catchall of “terrorists.” Turkey has always been the most hawkish among the nations that lined up behind the US in support of the rebel uprising. It has maintained that Assad must go in order for any political settlement to take place. It has actively backed rebel groups, and its forces are now fighting on Syrian soil for territory. As they do so, they get closer and closer to Russian forces. Yet they do so with Russian largesse, and it is clear that such largesse has its limits. Russia controls the airspace and appears reluctant to give Turkey a free rein in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. Yet Turkey is useful to Russia. It has control over portions of the Syrian rebels. It is also a major country within the NATO alliance, offering an opportunity for disruption that is a key strategic goal of the Vladimir Putin regime. By bringing Turkey into the peace talks it has conducted with Iran, Russia plays at presenting Turkey as a powerbroker with a place at the top table. It buys the talks credibility whilst simultaneously undermining and isolating the US. It also pushes Turkey into the same corner the United States had previously been pushed into — that of feeling the pressure to accept Assad as a fact on the ground. Setting the agenda Turkey is not the United States. It has fewer resources at its disposal with which to resist Russian power. With the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek emphasizing on February 9 the Turkish desire for a “unified, stable Syria” above all else, it appears that the diplomatic trajectory is on a collision course with Turkish goals in Syria. The insistence on the removal of President Assad has softened as the conflict has drawn on. Others concessions may soon follow. Turkey seems close to the point where it might theoretically accept Assad’s forces, with the backing of Russian airpower and Iranian militias, overrunning the Kurdish YPG militias all the way to the Turkish frontier. There is, however, one problem: The role of spoiler — so often the preserve of the Russians — is now being played in Syria by the United States. While many predicted that US support for the Syrian Kurds would evaporate with the defeat of the Islamic State, it seems that the Trump administration sees the Syrian Kurds as the best way of maintaining leverage within the Syrian state. The attempt to form a US-trained border force made up ostensibly of Syrian Kurdish YPG militiamen is a case in point. The result is that Turkey has been forced across the border into Syria, in pursuit of its own strategic objectives. Yet this move has brought it directly into conflict with Russia, an external player with a far stronger hand in Syria, and one that has recently faced down the Turks in the diplomatic row that followed the 2015 downing of the Russian fighter jet. Turkey is loath to isolate itself from Russia again. The result is an awkward dance in Syria that is likely to get a lot more difficult. *Nathaniel Handy is a writer and academic with over ten years of experience in international print and broadcast media. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Turkey's strategy seems to be exposed to Russia in Syria

By&nbsp;Nicholas John Wheeler*,&nbsp;Marcus Holmes**

President Donald Trump&rsquo;s recent announcement that he would meet with Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People&rsquo;s Republic of Korea (DPRK), took the world by surprise. Never before has a sitting US president met with his North Korean counterpart.

The potential consequences of a meeting depend upon your point of view.

Either Trump has walked into a carefully laid trap laid by Kim, in which the North Korean leader will pocket this great concession on the part of his US counterpart and Trump will leave the summit with nothing to show for his bold and impulsive gamble. Or, the US leader has made a bold and daring move that opens the door to the possibility of transforming the conflict on the Korean peninsula &ndash; a conflict frozen in stone since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

The reality will depend on the expectations heaped upon the summit &ndash; and a recognition that the personal chemistry of leaders can sometimes lead to the most surprising of diplomatic breakthroughs. A promise of full denuclearisation is unlikely, but a first step towards reassurance and a meeting that signals both Kim and Trump&rsquo;s peaceful intentions is possible.&nbsp;

Prize of recognition

In agreeing to hold a summit with the North Korean leader, Trump has given Kim the great prize of diplomatic normalisation and legitimacy, sought by his predecessors. This was denied them by presidents George W. Bush and Obama, who saw a summit as a reward that had to be earned by the North Koreans after they had taken concrete and verifiable steps towards nuclear disarmament.

Some have suggested that Kim has already &ldquo;won&rdquo;: even if nothing comes out of the summit, the DPRK will be treated as an equal. The &ldquo;supreme leader&rdquo; of North Korea is dangling the juicy carrot of ultimate denuclearisation in the way his father and grandfather did, but like them, he has made any such disarmament conditional on security guarantees.

The question remains whether there is a non-nuclear path to North Korea&rsquo;s security that is acceptable to its leader. This was an issue that bedevilled, and ultimately derailed, the &ldquo;six party talks&rdquo; of the 2000s. If the North Korean leadership believes all that stands between it and US-led regime change is the DPRK&rsquo;s possession of nuclear weapons, then it would be unwise to stake the success of the summit on how far it achieves the goal of denuclearisation. The fates of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya are clear reminders of what happens to leaders who decide to give up nuclear weapons.

But the litmus test of success for the summit should not be judged in terms of whether it achieves an agreement on the DPRK&rsquo;s denuclearisation. Instead, its success should be judged in terms of how far it promotes reassurance between the two leaders that each is committed to achieving a de-escalation of the conflict that recognises the other has legitimate security concerns.&nbsp;

Reagan and Gorbachev: building trust

As we argue in our recent research, face-to-face interaction at the highest levels of diplomacy opens up new possibilities for two leaders to gain a better understanding of each other&rsquo;s intentions, and even to develop a personal relationship of trust. The most successful case of this kind of interpersonal trust-building and reassurance was the diplomatic summitry between US and Soviet leaders Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.&nbsp;

To be sure, Trump is not Reagan and Kim is no Mikhail Gorbachev. As critics have pointed out, the level of diplomatic preparation at lower levels, as well as the absence of a history of summits between the two parties makes for an imperfect analogy. However, the basic lesson of the Geneva Summit in November 1985 between Reagan and Gorbachev is nevertheless useful.

Its aims were relatively modest: both sides sought and reached agreement that a nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought. But what was equally important and ultimately transformational to ending US-Soviet enmity was the personal bond that developed between Reagan and Gorbachev, and the trust that this made possible between these two leaders of formerly enemy states.

If a summit between Trump and Kim could begin a similar process of bonding and trust formation, where each leader recognised that the only security between their two countries was mutual security, then it really could be a game-changer in de-escalating tension on the Korean peninsula. In the end, the lesson of the Reagan-Gorbachev encounters is that neither leader should go into a summit believing that they know what the other&rsquo;s bottom line is. The whole point of face-to-face diplomacy is to try and reshape each side&rsquo;s understanding of the other&rsquo;s intentions in ways that promote trust and mutual security.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

*Nicholas John Wheeler is a professor of International Relations Director of the The Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security.&nbsp; 
**Marcus Holmes is an assistant professor of Government, College of William &amp; Mary.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

The basic lesson of the Geneva Summit in November 1985 between Reagan and Gorbachev is nevertheless useful. It needs to be assured that Trump is not Reagan and Kim is no Mikhail Gorbachev.

By Nicholas John Wheeler*, Marcus Holmes** President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he would meet with Kim Jong-un, leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), took the world by surprise. Never before has a sitting US president met with his North Korean counterpart. The potential consequences of a meeting depend upon your point of view. Either Trump has walked into a carefully laid trap laid by Kim, in which the North Korean leader will pocket this great concession on the part of his US counterpart and Trump will leave the summit with nothing to show for his bold and impulsive gamble. Or, the US leader has made a bold and daring move that opens the door to the possibility of transforming the conflict on the Korean peninsula – a conflict frozen in stone since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The reality will depend on the expectations heaped upon the summit – and a recognition that the personal chemistry of leaders can sometimes lead to the most surprising of diplomatic breakthroughs. A promise of full denuclearisation is unlikely, but a first step towards reassurance and a meeting that signals both Kim and Trump’s peaceful intentions is possible. Prize of recognition In agreeing to hold a summit with the North Korean leader, Trump has given Kim the great prize of diplomatic normalisation and legitimacy, sought by his predecessors. This was denied them by presidents George W. Bush and Obama, who saw a summit as a reward that had to be earned by the North Koreans after they had taken concrete and verifiable steps towards nuclear disarmament. Some have suggested that Kim has already “won”: even if nothing comes out of the summit, the DPRK will be treated as an equal. The “supreme leader” of North Korea is dangling the juicy carrot of ultimate denuclearisation in the way his father and grandfather did, but like them, he has made any such disarmament conditional on security guarantees. The question remains whether there is a non-nuclear path to North Korea’s security that is acceptable to its leader. This was an issue that bedevilled, and ultimately derailed, the “six party talks” of the 2000s. If the North Korean leadership believes all that stands between it and US-led regime change is the DPRK’s possession of nuclear weapons, then it would be unwise to stake the success of the summit on how far it achieves the goal of denuclearisation. The fates of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya are clear reminders of what happens to leaders who decide to give up nuclear weapons. But the litmus test of success for the summit should not be judged in terms of whether it achieves an agreement on the DPRK’s denuclearisation. Instead, its success should be judged in terms of how far it promotes reassurance between the two leaders that each is committed to achieving a de-escalation of the conflict that recognises the other has legitimate security concerns. Reagan and Gorbachev: building trust As we argue in our recent research, face-to-face interaction at the highest levels of diplomacy opens up new possibilities for two leaders to gain a better understanding of each other’s intentions, and even to develop a personal relationship of trust. The most successful case of this kind of interpersonal trust-building and reassurance was the diplomatic summitry between US and Soviet leaders Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. To be sure, Trump is not Reagan and Kim is no Mikhail Gorbachev. As critics have pointed out, the level of diplomatic preparation at lower levels, as well as the absence of a history of summits between the two parties makes for an imperfect analogy. However, the basic lesson of the Geneva Summit in November 1985 between Reagan and Gorbachev is nevertheless useful. Its aims were relatively modest: both sides sought and reached agreement that a nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought. But what was equally important and ultimately transformational to ending US-Soviet enmity was the personal bond that developed between Reagan and Gorbachev, and the trust that this made possible between these two leaders of formerly enemy states. If a summit between Trump and Kim could begin a similar process of bonding and trust formation, where each leader recognised that the only security between their two countries was mutual security, then it really could be a game-changer in de-escalating tension on the Korean peninsula. In the end, the lesson of the Reagan-Gorbachev encounters is that neither leader should go into a summit believing that they know what the other’s bottom line is. The whole point of face-to-face diplomacy is to try and reshape each side’s understanding of the other’s intentions in ways that promote trust and mutual security. *Nicholas John Wheeler is a professor of International Relations Director of the The Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security. **Marcus Holmes is an assistant professor of Government, College of William & Mary. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Lessons for Trump-Kim summit from Reagan, Gorbachev over denuclearisation

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pakistans-behaviour-is-changing-says-us-defense-secretary-jim-mattis-35870">&#39;Pakistan&#39;s </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pakistans-behaviour-is-changing-says-us-defense-secretary-jim-mattis-35870">behaviour</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pakistans-behaviour-is-changing-says-us-defense-secretary-jim-mattis-35870"> is changing,&#39; says US defense secretary Jim Mattis</a>

As the US steps up pressure on Abbasi&#39;s government over terror, Defence secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday that has been &quot;changes in Pakistan&#39;s behaviour&quot;.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/air-indias-twitter-handle-hacked-35859">Air India&#39;s Twitter handle hacked</a>

The official Twitter handle of Air India was hacked on Wednesday morning.

The cyber attack was carried out by suspected Turkish hackers with the cover picture showing image of Turkish Airline with tweets in Turkish language.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-navy-jet-crashes-in-florida-pilots-safe-35862">US Navy jet crashes off Florida coast, 2 aviators killed</a>

A US Navy jet F/A-18 crashed off the coast of Key West in Florida on Wednesday.

&nbsp;The US Navy said two aviators were killed in the crash.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/porn-star-stormy-daniels-for-court-intervention-to-dissolve-gag-agreement-with-trump-35867">Porn star</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/porn-star-stormy-daniels-for-court-intervention-to-dissolve-gag-agreement-with-trump-35867"> Stormy Daniels for court intervention to dissolve gag agreement with Trump</a>

Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump, according to court papers published Wednesday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-throwback-to-lionel-messis-first-goal-in-champions-league-35861">Watch: Throwback to Lionel Messi&#39;s first goal in Champions League</a>

Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal of Champions League against Chelsea in the decisive second leg clash in the round of 16 at Camp Nou and inspired the team to reach the quarter-finals of UEFA Champions League.

&nbsp;

'Pakistan's behaviour is changing,' says US defense secretary Jim Mattis As the US steps up pressure on Abbasi's government over terror, Defence secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday that has been "changes in Pakistan's behaviour". Air India's Twitter handle hacked The official Twitter handle of Air India was hacked on Wednesday morning. The cyber attack was carried out by suspected Turkish hackers with the cover picture showing image of Turkish Airline with tweets in Turkish language. US Navy jet crashes off Florida coast, 2 aviators killed A US Navy jet F/A-18 crashed off the coast of Key West in Florida on Wednesday. The US Navy said two aviators were killed in the crash. Porn star Stormy Daniels for court intervention to dissolve gag agreement with Trump Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump, according to court papers published Wednesday. Watch: Throwback to Lionel Messi's first goal in Champions League Lionel Messi scored his 100th goal of Champions League against Chelsea in the decisive second leg clash in the round of 16 at Camp Nou and inspired the team to reach the quarter-finals of UEFA Champions League.

WION Morning News Brief, March 15, 2016

Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump, according to court papers published Wednesday.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniels last week seeking to toss out the confidential settlement she signed just days before the November 2016 election.

The lawsuit alleges that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, began an &quot;intimate relationship&quot; with Trump in the summer of 2006 that continued well into 2007.

A copy of the settlement filed in court shows that Daniels received the $130,000 from a company known as Essential Consultants LLC in return for her silence.

Later on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal published details of an arbitration document filed on February 22 in California and signed by Jill A. Martin, a Trump Organization lawyer.&nbsp;

The document, intended to stop Daniels from further discussing the alleged affair, represents the first link between Trump`s company and efforts to stop Daniels talking.

The White House has denied any sexual encounter between Trump and Daniels -- who has offered to return the $130,000 she received so that she can be free to &quot;speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and the attempts to silence her.&quot;

She is also asking to be allowed to publish text messages, photos and videos relating to the president, Avenatti said in a letter to Trump`s lawyer Michael Cohen.

&quot;I think it`s time for her to tell her story and for the public to decide who`s telling the truth,&quot; Avenatti said last week.

Using the pseudonyms Peggy Peterson and David Dennison, Daniels and Trump were to sign the 2016 agreement, along with Essential Consultants.

But Trump never signed, providing the basis for Avenatti`s attempt to have it thrown out and release Daniels from her obligations.

Daniels is asking for presiding judge Elizabeth Feffer to be replaced, arguing that she has a conflict of interest because she is seeking an appointment to a seat in federal court.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniels last week seeking to toss out the confidential settlement she signed just days before the November 2016 election

Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump, according to court papers published Wednesday. Lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniels last week seeking to toss out the confidential settlement she signed just days before the November 2016 election. The lawsuit alleges that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, began an "intimate relationship" with Trump in the summer of 2006 that continued well into 2007. A copy of the settlement filed in court shows that Daniels received the $130,000 from a company known as Essential Consultants LLC in return for her silence. Later on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal published details of an arbitration document filed on February 22 in California and signed by Jill A. Martin, a Trump Organization lawyer. The document, intended to stop Daniels from further discussing the alleged affair, represents the first link between Trump`s company and efforts to stop Daniels talking. The White House has denied any sexual encounter between Trump and Daniels -- who has offered to return the $130,000 she received so that she can be free to "speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and the attempts to silence her." She is also asking to be allowed to publish text messages, photos and videos relating to the president, Avenatti said in a letter to Trump`s lawyer Michael Cohen. "I think it`s time for her to tell her story and for the public to decide who`s telling the truth," Avenatti said last week. Using the pseudonyms Peggy Peterson and David Dennison, Daniels and Trump were to sign the 2016 agreement, along with Essential Consultants. But Trump never signed, providing the basis for Avenatti`s attempt to have it thrown out and release Daniels from her obligations. Daniels is asking for presiding judge Elizabeth Feffer to be replaced, arguing that she has a conflict of interest because she is seeking an appointment to a seat in federal court.

Hearing date set for Trump showdown with porn star

Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden on Tuesday slammed the Trump administration over picking Gina Haspel as head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Snowden attacked Haspel for her role in the 2002 torture of detainees at a secret CIA prison in Thailand which is dubbed as a &quot;black site.&quot;

&quot;Interesting: The new CIA Director Haspel, who &quot;tortured some folks,&quot; probably can&#39;t travel to the EU to meet other spy chiefs without facing arrest due to an @ECCHRBerlin complaint to Germany&#39;s federal prosecutor,&quot; Snowden tweeted.

Haspel, who is a career intelligence officer and joined the CIA in 1985, reportedly oversaw a black site prison in Thailand where terrorism suspects were tortured.

She briefly ran the prison in 2002, according to the Guardian.

Haspel oversaw the torture of two terrorism suspects and her name was on a cable giving instructions to destroy video evidence documenting their interrogations, according to the Times.

One of the suspects was reportedly waterboarded 83 times in one month.

Haspel, who would be the first female director of the agency, if the US Senate confirms, will likely face questioning in her Senate confirmation for her involvement in the Thailand incident.

In an another Twitter post, Snowden, the whistleblower, who fled the country after exposing classified information in 2013 about US surveillance programs, wrote, &quot;Are these really the values the US should be promoting? The CIA might as well start issuing uniforms decorated with skulls and lightning bolts.&quot;

On Tuesday, Trump made an announcement that Haspel would replace CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo is set to take over for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whom Trump has fired.

&quot;Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State,&quot; Trump wrote, &quot;He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!&quot;

Snowden attacked Haspel for her role in the 2002 torture of detainees at a secret CIA prison in Thailand which is dubbed as a 'black site'

Former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden on Tuesday slammed the Trump administration over picking Gina Haspel as head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Snowden attacked Haspel for her role in the 2002 torture of detainees at a secret CIA prison in Thailand which is dubbed as a "black site." "Interesting: The new CIA Director Haspel, who "tortured some folks," probably can't travel to the EU to meet other spy chiefs without facing arrest due to an @ECCHRBerlin complaint to Germany's federal prosecutor," Snowden tweeted. Haspel, who is a career intelligence officer and joined the CIA in 1985, reportedly oversaw a black site prison in Thailand where terrorism suspects were tortured. She briefly ran the prison in 2002, according to the Guardian. Haspel oversaw the torture of two terrorism suspects and her name was on a cable giving instructions to destroy video evidence documenting their interrogations, according to the Times. One of the suspects was reportedly waterboarded 83 times in one month. Haspel, who would be the first female director of the agency, if the US Senate confirms, will likely face questioning in her Senate confirmation for her involvement in the Thailand incident. In an another Twitter post, Snowden, the whistleblower, who fled the country after exposing classified information in 2013 about US surveillance programs, wrote, "Are these really the values the US should be promoting? The CIA might as well start issuing uniforms decorated with skulls and lightning bolts." On Tuesday, Trump made an announcement that Haspel would replace CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Pompeo is set to take over for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whom Trump has fired. "Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State," Trump wrote, "He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!"

Snowden slams Trump's CIA pick over 'black site'

Gold prices rose on Wednesday to a one-week high on a weaker dollar following US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson&#39;s sudden dismissal, which invigorated concerns of protectionist policies hampering global risk appetite.

Spot gold rose 0.12 per cent to $1,327.56 per ounce at 0402 GMT. It touched $1,329.22 an ounce during the session, its highest since March 7.

US&nbsp;gold futures for April delivery rose 0.09 per cent to $1,328.20 per ounce.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump fired Tillerson after a series of public rifts over policy on North Korea, Russia and Iran, replacing his chief diplomat with loyalist CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Risk aversion is back on the table following the unexpected news of Tillerson&#39;s dismissal and the appointment of Pompeo, said OCBC analyst Barnabas Gan.

&quot;Pompeo is a supporter of Trump&#39;s trade policy and could help advance his agenda of imposing it on US&nbsp;trading partners ... all this uncertainty and risk aversion leaves gold as a safe haven option,&quot; Gan added.

The US&nbsp;dollar wallowed against the yen and other major currencies after the dismissal of Tillerson. This killed off an earlier bounce in the currency.

A weaker dollar makes bullion, which is used as an alternative investment during times of political and financial uncertainty, cheaper for holders of other currencies.

&quot;With the US.= protectionist rhetoric likely to ring equity market alarm bells, gold should continue to be an ideal hedge in this highly unpredictable environment,&quot; said Stephen Innes, APAC trading head at OANDA.

Asian shares eased on Wednesday amid fears of rising US&nbsp;protectionism.

Meanwhile, data on Tuesday showed US&nbsp;consumer prices cooled in February amid a decline in gasoline prices and a moderation in the cost of rental accommodation, the latest indication that an anticipated pickup in inflation probably will be only gradual.

Inflation is a key economic factor the US&nbsp;central bank considers when deciding monetary policy. A strong US&nbsp;inflation reading could raise expectations for future interest rate increases, which would put pressure on non-yielding bullion.

&quot;The 0.2 per cent increase in consumer price index suggests it won&#39;t be enough to spur more rate hikes by the Fed than already expected,&quot; ANZ analysts said in a note.

Spot gold may rise to $1,334 per ounce, as it has cleared a resistance at $1,327, according to&nbsp;Technical analyst Wang Tao.

In other precious metals, silver rose 0.5 per cent to $16.62 per ounce.

Platinum gained 0.3 per cent to $964.50 per ounce and Palladium edged 0.1 per cent higher to $991.47 per ounce.

Spot gold rose 0.12 percent to $1,327.56 per ounce at 0402 GMT. It touched $1,329.22 an ounce during the session, its highest since March 7

Gold prices rose on Wednesday to a one-week high on a weaker dollar following US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's sudden dismissal, which invigorated concerns of protectionist policies hampering global risk appetite. Spot gold rose 0.12 per cent to $1,327.56 per ounce at 0402 GMT. It touched $1,329.22 an ounce during the session, its highest since March 7. US gold futures for April delivery rose 0.09 per cent to $1,328.20 per ounce. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump fired Tillerson after a series of public rifts over policy on North Korea, Russia and Iran, replacing his chief diplomat with loyalist CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Risk aversion is back on the table following the unexpected news of Tillerson's dismissal and the appointment of Pompeo, said OCBC analyst Barnabas Gan. "Pompeo is a supporter of Trump's trade policy and could help advance his agenda of imposing it on US trading partners ... all this uncertainty and risk aversion leaves gold as a safe haven option," Gan added. The US dollar wallowed against the yen and other major currencies after the dismissal of Tillerson. This killed off an earlier bounce in the currency. A weaker dollar makes bullion, which is used as an alternative investment during times of political and financial uncertainty, cheaper for holders of other currencies. "With the US.= protectionist rhetoric likely to ring equity market alarm bells, gold should continue to be an ideal hedge in this highly unpredictable environment," said Stephen Innes, APAC trading head at OANDA. Asian shares eased on Wednesday amid fears of rising US protectionism. Meanwhile, data on Tuesday showed US consumer prices cooled in February amid a decline in gasoline prices and a moderation in the cost of rental accommodation, the latest indication that an anticipated pickup in inflation probably will be only gradual. Inflation is a key economic factor the US central bank considers when deciding monetary policy. A strong US inflation reading could raise expectations for future interest rate increases, which would put pressure on non-yielding bullion. "The 0.2 per cent increase in consumer price index suggests it won't be enough to spur more rate hikes by the Fed than already expected," ANZ analysts said in a note. Spot gold may rise to $1,334 per ounce, as it has cleared a resistance at $1,327, according to Technical analyst Wang Tao. In other precious metals, silver rose 0.5 per cent to $16.62 per ounce. Platinum gained 0.3 per cent to $964.50 per ounce and Palladium edged 0.1 per cent higher to $991.47 per ounce.

Gold rises on increasing US protectionism concerns

Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump, according to court papers published Wednesday.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniels last week seeking to toss out the confidential settlement she signed just days before the November 2016 election.

The lawsuit alleges that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, began an &quot;intimate relationship&quot; with Trump in the summer of 2006 that continued well into 2007.

She has offered to return the $130,000 she received so that she can be free to &quot;speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and the attempts to silence her.&quot;

Daniels is also asking to be allowed to publish text messages, photos and videos relating to the president, Avenatti said in a letter to Trump&#39;s lawyer Michael Cohen.

&quot;I think it&#39;s time for her to tell her story and for the public to decide who&#39;s telling the truth,&quot; Avenatti said last week.

A copy of the settlement filed in court shows that Daniels received the $130,000 from a company known as Essential Consultants LLC in return for her silence.

Using the pseudonyms Peggy Peterson and David Dennison, Daniels and Trump were to sign the agreement, along with Essential Consultants.

But Trump never signed, providing the basis for Avenatti&#39;s attempt to have it thrown out and release Daniels from her obligations.

Daniels is asking for presiding judge Elizabeth Feffer to be replaced, arguing that she has a conflict of interest because she is seeking an appointment to a seat in federal court.

The White House has denied any sexual encounter between Trump and Daniels.

Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump

Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump, according to court papers published Wednesday. Lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniels last week seeking to toss out the confidential settlement she signed just days before the November 2016 election. The lawsuit alleges that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, began an "intimate relationship" with Trump in the summer of 2006 that continued well into 2007. She has offered to return the $130,000 she received so that she can be free to "speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and the attempts to silence her." Daniels is also asking to be allowed to publish text messages, photos and videos relating to the president, Avenatti said in a letter to Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen. "I think it's time for her to tell her story and for the public to decide who's telling the truth," Avenatti said last week. A copy of the settlement filed in court shows that Daniels received the $130,000 from a company known as Essential Consultants LLC in return for her silence. Using the pseudonyms Peggy Peterson and David Dennison, Daniels and Trump were to sign the agreement, along with Essential Consultants. But Trump never signed, providing the basis for Avenatti's attempt to have it thrown out and release Daniels from her obligations. Daniels is asking for presiding judge Elizabeth Feffer to be replaced, arguing that she has a conflict of interest because she is seeking an appointment to a seat in federal court. The White House has denied any sexual encounter between Trump and Daniels.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gorakhpur-phulpur-bypoll-results-counting-underway-amid-heavy-security-35739">Gorakhpur, Phulpur Bypoll results: Counting underway amid heavy security</a>

Counting of votes for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha byelections began today amid tight security.&nbsp;

All eyes are on Gorkahpur as it is the home constituency of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath from where he had won five times as an MP.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-targeting-60-billion-tariffs-on-chinese-imports-in-100-items-35719">Trump targeting $60 billion tariffs on Chinese imports in 100 items</a>

President Trump&#39;s administration is targeting China import tariffs upto $60 billion even as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the US Senate was &quot;highly unlikely&quot; to pass legislation to nullify tariffs which President Trump has announced.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/chahbahar-project-not-aimed-at-strangulating-anybody-iran-35741">Chabahar project not aimed at &#39;strangulating&#39; anybody: Iran</a>

Iran has invited Pakistan and China to participate in the strategic Chabahar Port and said the initiative is not aimed at &quot;strangulating&quot; or &quot;encircling&quot; anybody, a media report today quoted visiting Iranian Foreign Minister as saying.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/shoe-hurled-at-pakistan-tehreek-i-insaf-chief-imran-khan-35713">Shoe hurled at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan</a>

A shoe was hurled at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Tuesday during a rally in Gujrat city in Pakistan&#39;s Punjab province.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/us-crude-prices-fall-over-rising-production-tillerson-firing-35722">US crude prices fall over rising production, Tillerson firing</a>

Oil fell more than 1 per cent on concerns over rising US production and as equities fell, erasing earlier gains driven in part by the firing of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Gorakhpur, Phulpur Bypoll results: Counting underway amid heavy security Counting of votes for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha byelections began today amid tight security. All eyes are on Gorkahpur as it is the home constituency of UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath from where he had won five times as an MP. Trump targeting $60 billion tariffs on Chinese imports in 100 items President Trump's administration is targeting China import tariffs upto $60 billion even as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the US Senate was "highly unlikely" to pass legislation to nullify tariffs which President Trump has announced. Chabahar project not aimed at 'strangulating' anybody: Iran Iran has invited Pakistan and China to participate in the strategic Chabahar Port and said the initiative is not aimed at "strangulating" or "encircling" anybody, a media report today quoted visiting Iranian Foreign Minister as saying. Shoe hurled at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan A shoe was hurled at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Tuesday during a rally in Gujrat city in Pakistan's Punjab province. US crude prices fall over rising production, Tillerson firing Oil fell more than 1 per cent on concerns over rising US production and as equities fell, erasing earlier gains driven in part by the firing of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

WION Morning News Brief, March 14, 2018

Japan is considering a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, local media reported, as diplomatic efforts to engage Pyongyang ramp up.

The reports come after the surprise announcement that US President Donald Trump plans his own talks with the North Korean leader, part of fast-paced diplomatic developments following an Olympic detente.

However, there have been no public proposals of talks by either Pyongyang or Tokyo.&nbsp;

Japan&#39;s Kyodo news agency reported a potential Abe-Kim summit late Tuesday, citing unnamed government sources who said the talks could be part of a new approach by Tokyo to dealing with the North.

Hours later, Jiji Press reported a similar story, saying Tokyo fears being left behind in dealing with the North if talks proceed between the isolated nation and South Korea and Washington without Japan&#39;s involvement.

&nbsp;A&nbsp;foreign ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm any concrete plans for a summit.

But she added &quot;we will be studying our policies from the viewpoint of what is most effective&quot; to resolve the issues of North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programmes as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang.

Earlier this week, South Korean envoy Suh Hoon visited Tokyo to brief Japan&#39;s leadership on the fast-moving diplomatic process that saw an announcement last week of a historic US-North Korea summit to discuss Pyongyang&#39;s denuclearisation.

Suh, the chief of South Korea&#39;s National Intelligence Service, on Tuesday met with Abe but it was unclear if he brought a message from the North Korean leader to propose a summit with Japan.

Media reports and experts say Tokyo fears it may be left out of developments around North Korea, and worries that the issue of abducted Japanese citizens is being sidelined.

But the possibility of an Abe-Kim summit also comes as the Japanese premier faces a growing scandal at home over the sale of government land to one of his supporters, and an apparent cover-up of the deal by the finance ministry.

Abe rose to political prominence on his calls for a tough line on North Korea, particularly over its abductions of Japanese citizens.

Japan, a close US ally in the region, is in the &nbsp;firing line of North Korean missiles and saw two fly over its territory in 2017, sparking outrage and lifting tensions to fever pitch.

The last Japanese prime minister to meet a North Korean leader was Junichiro Koizumi, who met Kim&#39;s father Kim Jung Il in Pyongyang in 2004.

Japan is considering a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

Japan is considering a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, local media reported, as diplomatic efforts to engage Pyongyang ramp up. The reports come after the surprise announcement that US President Donald Trump plans his own talks with the North Korean leader, part of fast-paced diplomatic developments following an Olympic detente. However, there have been no public proposals of talks by either Pyongyang or Tokyo. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported a potential Abe-Kim summit late Tuesday, citing unnamed government sources who said the talks could be part of a new approach by Tokyo to dealing with the North. Hours later, Jiji Press reported a similar story, saying Tokyo fears being left behind in dealing with the North if talks proceed between the isolated nation and South Korea and Washington without Japan's involvement. A foreign ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm any concrete plans for a summit. But she added "we will be studying our policies from the viewpoint of what is most effective" to resolve the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang. Earlier this week, South Korean envoy Suh Hoon visited Tokyo to brief Japan's leadership on the fast-moving diplomatic process that saw an announcement last week of a historic US-North Korea summit to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearisation. Suh, the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, on Tuesday met with Abe but it was unclear if he brought a message from the North Korean leader to propose a summit with Japan. Media reports and experts say Tokyo fears it may be left out of developments around North Korea, and worries that the issue of abducted Japanese citizens is being sidelined. But the possibility of an Abe-Kim summit also comes as the Japanese premier faces a growing scandal at home over the sale of government land to one of his supporters, and an apparent cover-up of the deal by the finance ministry. Abe rose to political prominence on his calls for a tough line on North Korea, particularly over its abductions of Japanese citizens. Japan, a close US ally in the region, is in the firing line of North Korean missiles and saw two fly over its territory in 2017, sparking outrage and lifting tensions to fever pitch. The last Japanese prime minister to meet a North Korean leader was Junichiro Koizumi, who met Kim's father Kim Jung Il in Pyongyang in 2004.

Japan's Abe weighing talks with North Korea's Kim: Reports

Ronald Reagan was America&#39;s president when Philipos Melaku-Bello first began protesting in front of the White House.

Thirty-seven years and five presidents later, Melaku-Bello is still there, quietly delivering his message from a tarpaulin-covered shelter plastered with signs advocating for peace, against the nuclear industry, and in support of human rights.

He says the site is a living demonstration of America&#39;s right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by a Constitution which the activist says is being tested under Donald Trump, a president he describes as &quot;unlike any other.&quot;

&quot;Our federal judges, not only the Supreme Court, have tried to keep Donald Trump in check but I tell you, he has them working very hard,&quot; Melaku-Bello says, referring to the numerous court challenges faced by Trump -- on everything from immigration to birth control to potential conflicts of interest.

Opposite the front lawn of the president&#39;s home, Melaku-Bello greets passersby with a gentle manner.

&quot;How do you do, sir?&quot; he asks. &quot;Peace be with you.&quot;

Hour after hour, local residents and tourists stop to chat or to snap photographs of the orderly protest site where he sits behind a box of pamphlets about uranium and nuclear weapons, drone warfare, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Some drop donations into a plastic container which says &quot;Free Leonard Peltier,&quot; a member of the American Indian Movement jailed for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents, and whom most people will have long forgotten.

Not Melaku-Bello.

He speaks articulately, knowledgeably -- and at length -- about Peltier&#39;s case and a range of other domestic and global political issues.

They call this &#39;democracy&#39;?

Melaku-Bello dismisses suggestions he himself has become an attraction.

&quot;I&#39;d always want it to be the message more than me,&quot; he says, flanked by signs, large and small.

&quot;Free Tibet,&quot; says one.

&quot;Make a peace treaty with North Korea,&quot; demands another, dwarfed by the biggest placard that calls for &quot;wisdom and honesty.&quot;

Other signs address topical issues including the fate of hundreds of thousands of &quot;Dreamers,&quot; immigrants brought to the country illegally as children whose protections Trump has vowed to end.

A California native in his mid-50s, who describes his personal politics as anarchistic, Melaku-Bello began protesting in the 1970s.

He belonged to a punk rock band which was touring the Washington area when he first came into contact with the protest site and &quot;helped out.&quot;

That was in the summer of 1981.

The vigil was founded earlier that year by activist William Thomas, joined by Concepcion Picciotto who remained until her death in 2016. Thomas died in 2009.

For the first decade of his involvement, Melaku-Bello says he split his time between protesting and working for Amha Selassie, the exiled son of late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.

In the course of that work, which involved preparing human rights reports, Melaku-Bello recounts being wounded by a landmine blast in Ramallah in 1987, leaving him in a wheelchair.

For the past seven years, the protest site has been his life, taking 90 to 100 hours a week.

Melaku-Bello, who tucks his hair up Rasta-style in a red and white toque above his untrimmed sideburns and graying beard, has reliable support from only two other activists, Neil Cousins and Craig Thompson, who rotate shifts with him.

On the pedestrian mall in front of the White House, activists for various causes come and go but the peace vigil remains, unique because it is manned day and night, a right Melaku-Bello says has been won through court fights.

Healthy debate

Melaku-Bello&#39;s passion is undiminished.

&quot;How dare they call this a democracy when it&#39;s not government for the people by the people but by an oligarchy government controlled by the few,&quot; he says, complaining that the wealthy are able to buy political influence in the United States.

His devotion earns praise even from those who disagree with him, such as passerby Eric Meek, 47, an Ohio school teacher who describes himself as &quot;more right wing.&quot;

&quot;I think that&#39;s what makes our country great,&quot; Meek says, &quot;if two people who have different philosophies can talk in a sensible way&quot; and listen to each other.

Melaku-Bello says he will keep talking, and listening, as long as he physically can.

&quot;Maybe loving all the civilians of the planet, some people would call it madness,&quot; he says. &quot;So how long will I do it? Maybe till my last breath.&quot;

Thirty-seven years and five presidents later, Melaku-Bello is still there, quietly delivering his message from a tarpaulin-covered shelter plastered with signs advocating for peace

Ronald Reagan was America's president when Philipos Melaku-Bello first began protesting in front of the White House. Thirty-seven years and five presidents later, Melaku-Bello is still there, quietly delivering his message from a tarpaulin-covered shelter plastered with signs advocating for peace, against the nuclear industry, and in support of human rights. He says the site is a living demonstration of America's right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by a Constitution which the activist says is being tested under Donald Trump, a president he describes as "unlike any other." "Our federal judges, not only the Supreme Court, have tried to keep Donald Trump in check but I tell you, he has them working very hard," Melaku-Bello says, referring to the numerous court challenges faced by Trump -- on everything from immigration to birth control to potential conflicts of interest. Opposite the front lawn of the president's home, Melaku-Bello greets passersby with a gentle manner. "How do you do, sir?" he asks. "Peace be with you." Hour after hour, local residents and tourists stop to chat or to snap photographs of the orderly protest site where he sits behind a box of pamphlets about uranium and nuclear weapons, drone warfare, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some drop donations into a plastic container which says "Free Leonard Peltier," a member of the American Indian Movement jailed for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents, and whom most people will have long forgotten. Not Melaku-Bello. He speaks articulately, knowledgeably -- and at length -- about Peltier's case and a range of other domestic and global political issues. They call this 'democracy'? Melaku-Bello dismisses suggestions he himself has become an attraction. "I'd always want it to be the message more than me," he says, flanked by signs, large and small. "Free Tibet," says one. "Make a peace treaty with North Korea," demands another, dwarfed by the biggest placard that calls for "wisdom and honesty." Other signs address topical issues including the fate of hundreds of thousands of "Dreamers," immigrants brought to the country illegally as children whose protections Trump has vowed to end. A California native in his mid-50s, who describes his personal politics as anarchistic, Melaku-Bello began protesting in the 1970s. He belonged to a punk rock band which was touring the Washington area when he first came into contact with the protest site and "helped out." That was in the summer of 1981. The vigil was founded earlier that year by activist William Thomas, joined by Concepcion Picciotto who remained until her death in 2016. Thomas died in 2009. For the first decade of his involvement, Melaku-Bello says he split his time between protesting and working for Amha Selassie, the exiled son of late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. In the course of that work, which involved preparing human rights reports, Melaku-Bello recounts being wounded by a landmine blast in Ramallah in 1987, leaving him in a wheelchair. For the past seven years, the protest site has been his life, taking 90 to 100 hours a week. Melaku-Bello, who tucks his hair up Rasta-style in a red and white toque above his untrimmed sideburns and graying beard, has reliable support from only two other activists, Neil Cousins and Craig Thompson, who rotate shifts with him. On the pedestrian mall in front of the White House, activists for various causes come and go but the peace vigil remains, unique because it is manned day and night, a right Melaku-Bello says has been won through court fights. Healthy debate Melaku-Bello's passion is undiminished. "How dare they call this a democracy when it's not government for the people by the people but by an oligarchy government controlled by the few," he says, complaining that the wealthy are able to buy political influence in the United States. His devotion earns praise even from those who disagree with him, such as passerby Eric Meek, 47, an Ohio school teacher who describes himself as "more right wing." "I think that's what makes our country great," Meek says, "if two people who have different philosophies can talk in a sensible way" and listen to each other. Melaku-Bello says he will keep talking, and listening, as long as he physically can. "Maybe loving all the civilians of the planet, some people would call it madness," he says. "So how long will I do it? Maybe till my last breath."

Longtime White House protester has passion for peace

Donald Trump -- making his first trip to California as president -- warned Tuesday there would be &quot;bedlam&quot; without the controversial wall he wants to build on the border with Mexico, as he inspected several prototype barriers.

The trip to the &quot;Golden State&quot; -- the most populous in the country and a Democratic stronghold -- was largely upstaged by his own announcement that he had sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

On the other side of the border, a small group of anti-Trump protesters vented their frustration, and announced plans to boycott US businesses over the frontier.

&quot;For the people who say &#39;no wall&#39; -- if you didn&#39;t have walls over here, you wouldn&#39;t even have a country,&quot; Trump said near the border in San Diego.

Trump repeated his insistence that law enforcement personnel should be able to see through the structure so that they could monitor criminal cartels that might be &quot;two foot away&quot; on the Mexican side.

&quot;Without a wall there would be bedlam, I imagine,&quot; he added.

Trump inspected eight 30-foot high (nine-meter) models made of concrete and steel, erected side-by-side at Otay Mesa, an area in southern San Diego along the border with Tijuana, Mexico.

Each prototype cost more than $300,000 and, according to some estimates, the complete wall could carry a $20 billion price tag.

Environmental catastrophe

Congress has yet to approve the funding amid skepticism and Democratic opposition, but an administration official said the wall would save far more money than it cost.

&quot;Congress must fund the BORDER WALL,&quot; Trump tweeted after leaving the border.

California has been at the forefront of resistance to the Republican leader&#39;s anti-immigration agenda and at odds with his stance on a number of other issues, from gun control to marijuana and the environment.

Trump skewered California&#39;s Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, saying he&#39;d done &quot;a terrible job&quot; of running a state where the taxes were &quot;way out of whack&quot; and criminals were allowed to roam free in sanctuary cities.

He said he had seen estimates that the &quot;intolerably high&quot; illegal immigration costs came to $100 billion a year in terms of drugs, crime, education and social services.&nbsp;

The hulking prototypes can be seen from across the border in Tijuana, where residents are not overly impressed with the real estate tycoon, who launched his presidential campaign calling Mexicans &quot;criminals&quot; and &quot;rapists.&quot;

Ahead of the visit, a few dozen people gathered for a pro-Trump rally on the US side near the prototypes, while a similar number of the president&#39;s detractors came to the San Ysidro border post.

&quot;This is an environmental catastrophe, on top of a misallocation of government resources that could be used for health care or social services,&quot; Cody Petterson, president of the San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action, said of the wall.

Demonstrators draped themselves in US flags and waved placards emblazoned with slogans such as &quot;Humpty Trumpty will fall off his wall,&quot; &quot;Resist unstable idiot,&quot; and &quot;No hate in the Golden State.&quot;

You can get over it

Among Trump&#39;s supporters, Kira Innis, 31, said she was backing Trump &quot;because he doesn&#39;t give a good gosh darn about somebody&#39;s color, he cares about putting more green in their pocket.&quot;

On the Mexican side, federal police had to persuade around 50 demonstrators not to burn a yellow-haired pinata in Trump&#39;s likeness.

Pointing to one of the prototypes towering behind the corrugated metal border fence, Eladio Sanchez, 30, admitted that it might slow him down, but noted: &quot;You can get over it anyway.&quot;&nbsp;

The border with Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) and about a third of it already has some type of barrier or wall.

Trump&#39;s insistence that Mexico pay for the wall has soured relations and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto recently canceled plans to visit Washington amid continuing disagreement.

&quot;I have a great relationship with the president of Mexico, a great guy,&quot; Trump said, adding that &quot;we&#39;re trying to work things out.&quot;

Before leaving San Diego, a military port, the president congratulated troops at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station on the coalition&#39;s taking back &quot;almost 100 per cent&quot; of the Islamic State group&#39;s captured territory in Syria and Iraq.

&quot;They never got hit like this. We took off the gloves. In one year we did more damage to ISIS than other administrations, a certain other administration, did in many years,&quot; he said.

He didn&#39;t name which of his predecessors he was referring to, although the Islamist insurgency&#39;s most significant advances were made after 2013, during Barack Obama&#39;s second term.

Trump is expected to wrap up his visit with an evening of fundraising in Beverly Hills to raise money for his 2020 re-election campaign.

The trip to California-- the most populous in the country and a Democratic stronghold -- was largely upstaged by his own announcement that he had sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

Donald Trump -- making his first trip to California as president -- warned Tuesday there would be "bedlam" without the controversial wall he wants to build on the border with Mexico, as he inspected several prototype barriers. The trip to the "Golden State" -- the most populous in the country and a Democratic stronghold -- was largely upstaged by his own announcement that he had sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. On the other side of the border, a small group of anti-Trump protesters vented their frustration, and announced plans to boycott US businesses over the frontier. "For the people who say 'no wall' -- if you didn't have walls over here, you wouldn't even have a country," Trump said near the border in San Diego. Trump repeated his insistence that law enforcement personnel should be able to see through the structure so that they could monitor criminal cartels that might be "two foot away" on the Mexican side. "Without a wall there would be bedlam, I imagine," he added. Trump inspected eight 30-foot high (nine-meter) models made of concrete and steel, erected side-by-side at Otay Mesa, an area in southern San Diego along the border with Tijuana, Mexico. Each prototype cost more than $300,000 and, according to some estimates, the complete wall could carry a $20 billion price tag. Environmental catastrophe Congress has yet to approve the funding amid skepticism and Democratic opposition, but an administration official said the wall would save far more money than it cost. "Congress must fund the BORDER WALL," Trump tweeted after leaving the border. California has been at the forefront of resistance to the Republican leader's anti-immigration agenda and at odds with his stance on a number of other issues, from gun control to marijuana and the environment. Trump skewered California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, saying he'd done "a terrible job" of running a state where the taxes were "way out of whack" and criminals were allowed to roam free in sanctuary cities. He said he had seen estimates that the "intolerably high" illegal immigration costs came to $100 billion a year in terms of drugs, crime, education and social services. The hulking prototypes can be seen from across the border in Tijuana, where residents are not overly impressed with the real estate tycoon, who launched his presidential campaign calling Mexicans "criminals" and "rapists." Ahead of the visit, a few dozen people gathered for a pro-Trump rally on the US side near the prototypes, while a similar number of the president's detractors came to the San Ysidro border post. "This is an environmental catastrophe, on top of a misallocation of government resources that could be used for health care or social services," Cody Petterson, president of the San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action, said of the wall. Demonstrators draped themselves in US flags and waved placards emblazoned with slogans such as "Humpty Trumpty will fall off his wall," "Resist unstable idiot," and "No hate in the Golden State." You can get over it Among Trump's supporters, Kira Innis, 31, said she was backing Trump "because he doesn't give a good gosh darn about somebody's color, he cares about putting more green in their pocket." On the Mexican side, federal police had to persuade around 50 demonstrators not to burn a yellow-haired pinata in Trump's likeness. Pointing to one of the prototypes towering behind the corrugated metal border fence, Eladio Sanchez, 30, admitted that it might slow him down, but noted: "You can get over it anyway." The border with Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) and about a third of it already has some type of barrier or wall. Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for the wall has soured relations and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto recently canceled plans to visit Washington amid continuing disagreement. "I have a great relationship with the president of Mexico, a great guy," Trump said, adding that "we're trying to work things out." Before leaving San Diego, a military port, the president congratulated troops at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station on the coalition's taking back "almost 100 per cent" of the Islamic State group's captured territory in Syria and Iraq. "They never got hit like this. We took off the gloves. In one year we did more damage to ISIS than other administrations, a certain other administration, did in many years," he said. He didn't name which of his predecessors he was referring to, although the Islamist insurgency's most significant advances were made after 2013, during Barack Obama's second term. Trump is expected to wrap up his visit with an evening of fundraising in Beverly Hills to raise money for his 2020 re-election campaign.

Trump, in California, warns of 'bedlam' without border wall

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants the US military to create a new &quot;space force,&quot; adding to the Pentagon&#39;s current ground, navy and air forces.

Trump told troops at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego that the new group would be able to encapsulate the &quot;tremendous amount&quot; of work the military and government are doing in space-related defense.

&quot;My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea,&quot; Trump said.

&quot;We may even have a space force... We have the air force, we&#39;ll have the space force, we&#39;ll have the army, the navy.&nbsp;

&quot;Maybe we&#39;ll have to do that. That could happen,&quot; he said.

Since taking office, Trump has frequently touted his support for the US military and placed high-ranking generals in top White House and cabinet posts.

Last year some legislators pushed a bill in Congress that included a provision to establish a new branch of the military dubbed the Space Corps.

But the military itself has resisted, saying it does not need to create another force and its attendant bureaucracy.

&quot;At a time when we are trying to integrate the department&#39;s joint warfighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations,&quot; Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congressman Michael Turner in a letter last July.

It would be &quot;premature to add additional organizational and administrative tail to the department at a time I am trying to reduce overhead,&quot; he added.

The idea was finally dropped from the Pentagon&#39;s funding bill by the end of last year, but it retains some support in Congress, where advocates say the US is facing significant strategic vulnerabilities in the face of Russian and Chinese pushes into space warfare.

Republican Representative Mike Rogers told a February 28 conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that a separate space corps could be carved out from the air force within &quot;three to five years&quot;.

He said China and Russia have become &quot;near peers&quot; to the US in space capabilities, and the US is not pushing hard enough to stay ahead.

&quot;That&#39;s unacceptable that we have allowed that to happen, particularly in a day and age when it is essential to have those space capabilities to fight and win wars,&quot; he said.

'My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea,' Trump said

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants the US military to create a new "space force," adding to the Pentagon's current ground, navy and air forces. Trump told troops at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego that the new group would be able to encapsulate the "tremendous amount" of work the military and government are doing in space-related defense. "My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea," Trump said. "We may even have a space force... We have the air force, we'll have the space force, we'll have the army, the navy. "Maybe we'll have to do that. That could happen," he said. Since taking office, Trump has frequently touted his support for the US military and placed high-ranking generals in top White House and cabinet posts. Last year some legislators pushed a bill in Congress that included a provision to establish a new branch of the military dubbed the Space Corps. But the military itself has resisted, saying it does not need to create another force and its attendant bureaucracy. "At a time when we are trying to integrate the department's joint warfighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congressman Michael Turner in a letter last July. It would be "premature to add additional organizational and administrative tail to the department at a time I am trying to reduce overhead," he added. The idea was finally dropped from the Pentagon's funding bill by the end of last year, but it retains some support in Congress, where advocates say the US is facing significant strategic vulnerabilities in the face of Russian and Chinese pushes into space warfare. Republican Representative Mike Rogers told a February 28 conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that a separate space corps could be carved out from the air force within "three to five years". He said China and Russia have become "near peers" to the US in space capabilities, and the US is not pushing hard enough to stay ahead. "That's unacceptable that we have allowed that to happen, particularly in a day and age when it is essential to have those space capabilities to fight and win wars," he said.

Trump pushes for new 'space force'

United States President Donald Trump has on Tuesday backed the British Government&#39;s theory which holds Russia responsible for the poison attack that left a former Russian double agent and his daughter comatose on a park bench last week.

&quot;It sounds to me like it would be Russia, based on all the evidence they have. It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact,&quot; CNN reported Trump as telling reporters outside the White House.

Trump further underscored that &quot;As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be.&quot;

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday stated that it was &quot;highly likely&quot; Russia was to blame for the attack.

In a strongly worded statement to the House of Commons May said the &quot;military grade&quot; nerve agent used in the attack had been identified as Novichok, a substance developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s.

In a move that is likely to plunge the UK-Russia ties to a new low, the British Prime Minister has demanded a response from the Russian government by the end of Tuesday, making it clear &quot;Should there be no credible response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom.&quot;

Dismissing May&#39;s comments Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, told CNN, &quot;This is a circus show in the British Parliament. The conclusion is obvious.&quot;

Retired military intelligence officer Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33, were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury city centre on March 4.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday stated that it was 'highly likely' Russia was to blame for the attack

United States President Donald Trump has on Tuesday backed the British Government's theory which holds Russia responsible for the poison attack that left a former Russian double agent and his daughter comatose on a park bench last week. "It sounds to me like it would be Russia, based on all the evidence they have. It sounds to me like they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact," CNN reported Trump as telling reporters outside the White House. Trump further underscored that "As soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them, we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be." British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday stated that it was "highly likely" Russia was to blame for the attack. In a strongly worded statement to the House of Commons May said the "military grade" nerve agent used in the attack had been identified as Novichok, a substance developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. In a move that is likely to plunge the UK-Russia ties to a new low, the British Prime Minister has demanded a response from the Russian government by the end of Tuesday, making it clear "Should there be no credible response, we will conclude that this action amounts to an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom." Dismissing May's comments Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, told CNN, "This is a circus show in the British Parliament. The conclusion is obvious." Retired military intelligence officer Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33, were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury city centre on March 4.

Ex-spy poisoning: Trump backs UK

Eladio Sanchez is unimpressed by the eight border wall prototypes looming over his house in Tijuana, Mexico, almost within spitting distance of where US President Donald Trump will visit Tuesday (Mar 13).

At age 30, he has already snuck over the border several times and doesn&#39;t expect Trump&#39;s wall will have much effect on undocumented migrants like him.

Pointing to the only prototype with an angular barrier at the top - a concrete structure built by Texas Sterling Construction Company - Sanchez says that one might slow him down a little more than the others.

But, he told AFP, &quot;you can get over it anyway.&quot;

&quot;It&#39;s just a little more complicated. But people are always looking for a way to get over - out of necessity, not because we want to.&quot;

In Tijuana, Trump&#39;s visit to the prototypes looks like just the latest slap in the face from a man who launched his presidential campaign calling Mexican immigrants &quot;criminals&quot; and &quot;rapists&quot; and has since driven US-Mexican relations to their lowest point in recent memory.

It&#39;s as if &quot;he wants to come just to tell us he&#39;s here, that he&#39;s going to do what he promised with the wall,&quot; says Sanchez, who lives in a small gray house in a poor neighborhood that juts up against the border, across from Otay Mesa, on the outskirts of San Diego.

&quot;WE WILL NEVER PAY&quot;

Sanchez has watched the barrier between the United States and Mexico grow over the years, blocking his view of the mountains more every time.

It started with a fence built during the Bill Clinton administration, then was beefed up with barbed wire.

&quot;They just keep adding more, making it taller,&quot; he said from his rooftop.

From there, he has an unimpeded view of the hulking prototypes, which stand about 9m&nbsp;tall and cost $300,000 to $500,000 each.

If Trump gets his way, whichever prototype or prototypes win will snake across much of the nearly 3,200km&nbsp;border.

The cost is estimated at up to $20 billion. Trump&#39;s insistence that Mexico will foot the bill is a source of national outrage.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto reportedly cancelled plans for a visit to Washington recently over the issue - the second time he has done so.

&quot;He firmly repeated what all Mexicans have always said: We will never pay for a wall on the border,&quot; said Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray.

&quot;POWERFUL ENERGY&quot;

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, many of them Mexicans or other Latinos.

&quot;They are the proof that it&#39;s possible to get through. More Mexicans are getting through all the time,&quot; says Sergio Tamai, the founder of immigrant advocacy group Angels Without Borders.

Tamai runs a shelter for migrants in the border city of Mexicali, which sits across from Calexico, California.

The Migrant Hotel, as it&#39;s known, is not far from the rusted metal border fence that separates the two cities. On the Mexican side, the fence is covered in colourful graffiti, including the words &quot;penetrate me&quot; in giant letters.

Migrants, says Tamai, will always find a way.

&quot;The desert. The mountains. Human traffickers. You can&#39;t take away that desire to cross to the other side. That desire to build a better life for your family is such a strong, powerful energy.&quot;

&quot;ALL ALONE&quot;

For many Mexicans who have been deported from the United States, things have gone from bad to worse under Trump.

&quot;Everything is more difficult with Trump. He&#39;s really racist,&quot; says Carmelo Alfaro, 56, sitting on a mattress on the floor in the Migrant Hotel.

He was deported recently after working for 15 years as a gardener in San Francisco.

He now plans to move back &quot;all alone&quot; to his native state of Jalisco, in the west and says he is resigned to living the rest of his life without his three US-born children. He and his wife decided they would be better off in the United States.

Salvador Moreno, the elderly deportee who cleans the hotel, is more optimistic.

A native of the western state of Michoacan, he was deported from California two years ago and has since tried to go back twice. Both times he was arrested by the US border patrol.

&quot;It&#39;s harder for us now,&quot; he says.

But, he added, &quot;God willing, I&#39;ll go back.&quot;

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, many of them Mexicans or other Latinos.

Eladio Sanchez is unimpressed by the eight border wall prototypes looming over his house in Tijuana, Mexico, almost within spitting distance of where US President Donald Trump will visit Tuesday (Mar 13). At age 30, he has already snuck over the border several times and doesn't expect Trump's wall will have much effect on undocumented migrants like him. Pointing to the only prototype with an angular barrier at the top - a concrete structure built by Texas Sterling Construction Company - Sanchez says that one might slow him down a little more than the others. But, he told AFP, "you can get over it anyway." "It's just a little more complicated. But people are always looking for a way to get over - out of necessity, not because we want to." In Tijuana, Trump's visit to the prototypes looks like just the latest slap in the face from a man who launched his presidential campaign calling Mexican immigrants "criminals" and "rapists" and has since driven US-Mexican relations to their lowest point in recent memory. It's as if "he wants to come just to tell us he's here, that he's going to do what he promised with the wall," says Sanchez, who lives in a small gray house in a poor neighborhood that juts up against the border, across from Otay Mesa, on the outskirts of San Diego. "WE WILL NEVER PAY" Sanchez has watched the barrier between the United States and Mexico grow over the years, blocking his view of the mountains more every time. It started with a fence built during the Bill Clinton administration, then was beefed up with barbed wire. "They just keep adding more, making it taller," he said from his rooftop. From there, he has an unimpeded view of the hulking prototypes, which stand about 9m tall and cost $300,000 to $500,000 each. If Trump gets his way, whichever prototype or prototypes win will snake across much of the nearly 3,200km border. The cost is estimated at up to $20 billion. Trump's insistence that Mexico will foot the bill is a source of national outrage. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto reportedly cancelled plans for a visit to Washington recently over the issue - the second time he has done so. "He firmly repeated what all Mexicans have always said: We will never pay for a wall on the border," said Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray. "POWERFUL ENERGY" An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, many of them Mexicans or other Latinos. "They are the proof that it's possible to get through. More Mexicans are getting through all the time," says Sergio Tamai, the founder of immigrant advocacy group Angels Without Borders. Tamai runs a shelter for migrants in the border city of Mexicali, which sits across from Calexico, California. The Migrant Hotel, as it's known, is not far from the rusted metal border fence that separates the two cities. On the Mexican side, the fence is covered in colourful graffiti, including the words "penetrate me" in giant letters. Migrants, says Tamai, will always find a way. "The desert. The mountains. Human traffickers. You can't take away that desire to cross to the other side. That desire to build a better life for your family is such a strong, powerful energy." "ALL ALONE" For many Mexicans who have been deported from the United States, things have gone from bad to worse under Trump. "Everything is more difficult with Trump. He's really racist," says Carmelo Alfaro, 56, sitting on a mattress on the floor in the Migrant Hotel. He was deported recently after working for 15 years as a gardener in San Francisco. He now plans to move back "all alone" to his native state of Jalisco, in the west and says he is resigned to living the rest of his life without his three US-born children. He and his wife decided they would be better off in the United States. Salvador Moreno, the elderly deportee who cleans the hotel, is more optimistic. A native of the western state of Michoacan, he was deported from California two years ago and has since tried to go back twice. Both times he was arrested by the US border patrol. "It's harder for us now," he says. But, he added, "God willing, I'll go back."

Undaunted by Trump's wall, migrants vow to go over it

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/hillary-clinton-arrives-on-three-day-private-visit-to-india-35487" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton who visited India for a&nbsp;three-day private visit</a> to Madhya Pradesh said that&nbsp; United States did not &ldquo;deserve&rdquo; Donald Trump&rsquo;s presidency and these are &ldquo;perilous times.&rdquo;

Clinton said this while addressing an audience during the weekend in Mumbai.

She said that the Republican president has &ldquo;quite an affinity for dictators&rdquo; and Trump &ldquo;really likes their authoritarian posturing and behavior.&rdquo;&nbsp;

She also added that she thinks it&rsquo;s &ldquo;more than that&rdquo; with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia.

Clinton also targetted people who supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential elections.

While speaking at a media event in Mumbai she had said those who supported Trump did so because they did not like black people getting rights, women getting jobs or Indian-American succeeding more than them.

Clinton was recently in India on a business tour.

&nbsp;

While speaking at a media event in Mumbai she had said those who supported Trump did so because they did not like black people getting rights, women getting jobs or Indian-American succeeding more than them

Hillary Clinton who visited India for a three-day private visit to Madhya Pradesh said that United States did not “deserve” Donald Trump’s presidency and these are “perilous times.” Clinton said this while addressing an audience during the weekend in Mumbai. She said that the Republican president has “quite an affinity for dictators” and Trump “really likes their authoritarian posturing and behavior.” She also added that she thinks it’s “more than that” with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia. Clinton also targetted people who supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential elections. While speaking at a media event in Mumbai she had said those who supported Trump did so because they did not like black people getting rights, women getting jobs or Indian-American succeeding more than them. Clinton was recently in India on a business tour.

United States did not 'deserve' Donald Trump's presidency: Hillary Clinton

The United States President Donald Trump will hold talks with Saudi Arabia&#39;s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on March 20 at the White House.&nbsp;

&quot;The president looks forward to discussing ways to strengthen ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia and to advance our common security and economic priorities,&quot; White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders said.&nbsp;

This would be the first White House visit of the Crown Prince. &nbsp;

His US trip is part of his maiden foreign tour. France and Britain are the other two countries he will visit.&nbsp;

This would be the first White House visit of the Crown Prince

The United States President Donald Trump will hold talks with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on March 20 at the White House. "The president looks forward to discussing ways to strengthen ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia and to advance our common security and economic priorities," White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders said. This would be the first White House visit of the Crown Prince. His US trip is part of his maiden foreign tour. France and Britain are the other two countries he will visit.

Donald Trump to host Saudi Crown Prince at White House

Last week Twitterati witnessed US President Donald Trump and SpaceX chief Elon Musk engage in a war of words over tariff issue.&nbsp;

Musk&#39;s tweet came in response to Trump&#39;s post that talked about America&#39;s &quot;very good&quot; relationship with China.&nbsp;

&quot;China has been asked to develop a plan for the year of a One Billion Dollar reduction in their massive Trade Deficit with the United States. Our relationship with China has been a very good one, and we look forward to seeing what ideas they come back with. We must act soon!&quot; Trump tweeted on March 7.

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China has been asked to develop a plan for the year of a One Billion Dollar reduction in their massive Trade Deficit with the United States. Our relationship with China has been a very good one, and we look forward to seeing what ideas they come back with. We must act soon!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/971402791930552322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A day later, Musk tweeted out saying, &quot;Do you think the US &amp; China should have equal &amp; fair rules for cars? Meaning, same import duties, ownership constraints and other factors.&quot;

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Do you think the US &amp; China should have equal &amp; fair rules for cars? Meaning, same import duties, ownership constraints &amp; other factors.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/971810418128691200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Musk went on to talk about import duty on cars in the United States and China. He reasoned that an American car going to China pays a 25 per cent import duty, while a Chinese car coming the other way pays just 2.5 per cent, &quot;It&#39;s like competing in an Olympic race wearing lead shoes,&quot; Musk tweeted.

&nbsp;

Musk's tweet came in response to Trump's post that talked about America's 'very good' relationship with China

Last week Twitterati witnessed US President Donald Trump and SpaceX chief Elon Musk engage in a war of words over tariff issue. Musk's tweet came in response to Trump's post that talked about America's "very good" relationship with China. "China has been asked to develop a plan for the year of a One Billion Dollar reduction in their massive Trade Deficit with the United States. Our relationship with China has been a very good one, and we look forward to seeing what ideas they come back with. We must act soon!" Trump tweeted on March 7. China has been asked to develop a plan for the year of a One Billion Dollar reduction in their massive Trade Deficit with the United States. Our relationship with China has been a very good one, and we look forward to seeing what ideas they come back with. We must act soon! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2018 × A day later, Musk tweeted out saying, "Do you think the US & China should have equal & fair rules for cars? Meaning, same import duties, ownership constraints and other factors." Do you think the US & China should have equal & fair rules for cars? Meaning, same import duties, ownership constraints & other factors. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 8, 2018 × Musk went on to talk about import duty on cars in the United States and China. He reasoned that an American car going to China pays a 25 per cent import duty, while a Chinese car coming the other way pays just 2.5 per cent, "It's like competing in an Olympic race wearing lead shoes," Musk tweeted.

Tariff tiff: Donald Trump, Elon Musk engage in war of words on Twitter

The adult-film actress who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump before he became US&nbsp;president offered on Monday to return $130,000 that Trump&#39;s personal lawyer paid her in what she said was hush money to remain silent about the alleged relationship.

Actress Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, has said the affair with Trump began in 2006 and lasted several months. Trump has denied he had an affair with Clifford.

Clifford proposed on Monday that she be allowed to discuss her alleged affair with the president freely after repaying the money.

&quot;This is an extremely fair offer,&quot; her attorney, Michael Avenatti, said in an interview. &quot;It accomplishes the goal of allowing the American people to decide who is telling the truth after hearing both sides.&quot;

The alleged affair has become the latest distraction for Trump as he tries to advance his trade agenda and prepares for a proposed meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It also threatens to erode the president&#39;s support among evangelical voters.&nbsp;

Michael Cohen, a private lawyer for Trump, has said he paid Clifford $130,000 of his own money during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Cohen did not explain why he made the payment or say whether Trump was aware of it.

Regardless of whether Cohen accepts Clifford&#39;s offer, the money is the subject of a complaint by the watchdog group Common Cause to the Federal Election Commission. The group claims it is an illegal campaign contribution because of the size and purpose of the payment.

Avenatti in a letter to Cohen, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said the actress would wire the funds to an account of Trump&#39;s choosing by Friday. Avenatti set a deadline of Tuesday for Cohen to respond.

Under the proposal, Clifford after returning the money would be allowed to speak &quot;openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and attempts to silence her.&quot;

She also would be able to &quot;use and publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the president that she may have in her possession, all without fear of retribution and/or legal liability for damages,&quot; the Avenatti letter said.

The letter also asked that the president&#39;s lawyers agree that neither Trump nor the shell company Cohen used to pay Clifford would attempt to block the broadcast of an interview Clifford taped with CBS News&#39;&nbsp;&quot;60 Minutes&quot; program last week.

And it would require the agreement be signed by all parties, including the president, who did not put his name to the previous nondisclosure deal.

Cohen, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, nor did Cohen&#39;s attorney. The White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The offer from Avenatti came after White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a briefing last week that Trump had won an arbitration proceeding against Clifford.

The New York Times reported last week that the president`s lawyer had secretly obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent Clifford from speaking out about her alleged affair with Trump.

Clifford in turn sued Trump for the right to speak about the &quot;intimate relationship&quot; she claims they had, saying he never signed the agreement to keep her quiet.

Clifford could be subjected to a $1 million penalty if she broke the nondisclosure agreement she signed. Avenatti told CNN over the weekend that at least 10 people had offered to pay the penalty if she would discuss the alleged affair.

&nbsp;

Actress Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, has said the affair with Trump began in 2006 and lasted several months

The adult-film actress who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump before he became US president offered on Monday to return $130,000 that Trump's personal lawyer paid her in what she said was hush money to remain silent about the alleged relationship. Actress Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, has said the affair with Trump began in 2006 and lasted several months. Trump has denied he had an affair with Clifford. Clifford proposed on Monday that she be allowed to discuss her alleged affair with the president freely after repaying the money. "This is an extremely fair offer," her attorney, Michael Avenatti, said in an interview. "It accomplishes the goal of allowing the American people to decide who is telling the truth after hearing both sides." The alleged affair has become the latest distraction for Trump as he tries to advance his trade agenda and prepares for a proposed meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It also threatens to erode the president's support among evangelical voters. Michael Cohen, a private lawyer for Trump, has said he paid Clifford $130,000 of his own money during the 2016 presidential election campaign. Cohen did not explain why he made the payment or say whether Trump was aware of it. Regardless of whether Cohen accepts Clifford's offer, the money is the subject of a complaint by the watchdog group Common Cause to the Federal Election Commission. The group claims it is an illegal campaign contribution because of the size and purpose of the payment. Avenatti in a letter to Cohen, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said the actress would wire the funds to an account of Trump's choosing by Friday. Avenatti set a deadline of Tuesday for Cohen to respond. Under the proposal, Clifford after returning the money would be allowed to speak "openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and attempts to silence her." She also would be able to "use and publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the president that she may have in her possession, all without fear of retribution and/or legal liability for damages," the Avenatti letter said. The letter also asked that the president's lawyers agree that neither Trump nor the shell company Cohen used to pay Clifford would attempt to block the broadcast of an interview Clifford taped with CBS News' "60 Minutes" program last week. And it would require the agreement be signed by all parties, including the president, who did not put his name to the previous nondisclosure deal. Cohen, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, nor did Cohen's attorney. The White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The offer from Avenatti came after White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a briefing last week that Trump had won an arbitration proceeding against Clifford. The New York Times reported last week that the president`s lawyer had secretly obtained a temporary restraining order to prevent Clifford from speaking out about her alleged affair with Trump. Clifford in turn sued Trump for the right to speak about the "intimate relationship" she claims they had, saying he never signed the agreement to keep her quiet. Clifford could be subjected to a $1 million penalty if she broke the nondisclosure agreement she signed. Avenatti told CNN over the weekend that at least 10 people had offered to pay the penalty if she would discuss the alleged affair.

Pornstar offers to repay $130,000 in dispute over alleged Trump affair

US President Donald Trump has blocked Singapore-based Broadcom&#39;s bid to acquire smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm. Trump cited national security concerns for behind move.

Trump&#39;s order banned Broadcom&#39;s proposed mega-acquisition, stating that such a deal &quot;threatens to impair the national security of the United States&quot;. Trump administration stated that there is &#39;credible evidence&#39; to suggest that the deal may turn detrimental to America&#39;s national security.

Trump ordered Broadcom and Qualcomm to &quot;immediately and permanently abandon the proposed takeover.&quot;

Broadcom had previously assured that it would complete its move to the United States by early April, ahead of a planned Qualcomm shareholder vote on the $117 billion deal -- meaning any national security concerns were moot.

&quot;Broadcom&#39;s proposal to acquire Qualcomm has always been premised on the completion of Broadcom&#39;s previously announced plan to redomicile,&quot; the company noted in a statement.

&quot;In short, US national security concerns are not a risk to closing, as Broadcom never plans to acquire Qualcomm before it completes redomiciliation.&quot;

According to a letter issued by the Treasury Department over the weekend, Broadcom had violated a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) order on three separate occasions. The company failed to give advance notice before taking actions such as filing takeover-related securities filings in the United States.

An investigation carried out by the CFIUS on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) &quot;confirmed&quot; national security concerns earlier identified by US officials. CFIUS noted that a Broadcom-Qualcomm merger could weaken Qualcomm`s leadership in the field.&nbsp;

Ever since the proposed deal emerged in November last year, Qualcomm rejected multiple Broadcom bids. The microprocessor-making giant postponed the deal until April 5 and later sought a national security review of Broadcom&#39;s deal.

(With inputs from AFP)&nbsp;

Trump ordered Broadcom and Qualcomm to 'immediately and permanently abandon the proposed takeover'

US President Donald Trump has blocked Singapore-based Broadcom's bid to acquire smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm. Trump cited national security concerns for behind move. Trump's order banned Broadcom's proposed mega-acquisition, stating that such a deal "threatens to impair the national security of the United States". Trump administration stated that there is 'credible evidence' to suggest that the deal may turn detrimental to America's national security. Trump ordered Broadcom and Qualcomm to "immediately and permanently abandon the proposed takeover." Broadcom had previously assured that it would complete its move to the United States by early April, ahead of a planned Qualcomm shareholder vote on the $117 billion deal -- meaning any national security concerns were moot. "Broadcom's proposal to acquire Qualcomm has always been premised on the completion of Broadcom's previously announced plan to redomicile," the company noted in a statement. "In short, US national security concerns are not a risk to closing, as Broadcom never plans to acquire Qualcomm before it completes redomiciliation." According to a letter issued by the Treasury Department over the weekend, Broadcom had violated a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) order on three separate occasions. The company failed to give advance notice before taking actions such as filing takeover-related securities filings in the United States. An investigation carried out by the CFIUS on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) "confirmed" national security concerns earlier identified by US officials. CFIUS noted that a Broadcom-Qualcomm merger could weaken Qualcomm`s leadership in the field. Ever since the proposed deal emerged in November last year, Qualcomm rejected multiple Broadcom bids. The microprocessor-making giant postponed the deal until April 5 and later sought a national security review of Broadcom's deal. (With inputs from AFP)

Donald Trump turns down Broadcom's bid to acquire Qualcomm

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-compulsory-linking-of-aadhaar-with-bank-accounts-mobiles-extended-indefinitely-35673" target="_blank">Supreme Court: Compulsory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts, mobiles extended indefinitely</a>

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended indefinitely till the judgement is pronounced the compulsory linking of Aadhaar numbers with bank accounts and mobile phones.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-ousts-secretary-of-state-tillerson-cia-director-mike-pompeo-to-take-over-from-him-35689" target="_blank">Trump ousts Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, CIA director Mike Pompeo to take over from him</a>

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that that CIA Director was taking over from Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.&nbsp;Trump added that Gina Haspel would lead the CIA.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nine-crpf-jawans-killed-in-a-maoist-attack-in-chhattisgarhs-sukma-district-35669" target="_blank">Nine CRPF jawans killed in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nine-crpf-jawans-killed-in-a-maoist-attack-in-chhattisgarhs-sukma-district-35669" target="_blank">Maoist</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/nine-crpf-jawans-killed-in-a-maoist-attack-in-chhattisgarhs-sukma-district-35669" target="_blank"> attack in Chhattisgarh&#39;s Sukma district</a>

At least nine CRPF personnel were killed and three others injured when Maoists blew up an anti-landmine vehicle in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, said a senior police official.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-president-bidya-devi-bhandari-re-elected-to-second-term-in-office-35685" target="_blank">Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari re-elected to </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-president-bidya-devi-bhandari-re-elected-to-second-term-in-office-35685" target="_blank">second</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-president-bidya-devi-bhandari-re-elected-to-second-term-in-office-35685" target="_blank"> term in office</a>

Nepal&#39;s first woman president Bidya Devi Bhandari was today re-elected for a second term in office.&nbsp;Incumbent President Bhandari defeated Nepali Congress leader Kumari Laxmi Rai with an overwhelming majority in the presidential election.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/japan-considers-seeking-summit-between-pm-abe-and-north-korea-leader-source-35690" target="_blank">Japan considers seeking summit between PM Abe and North Korea leader: Source</a>

Japan is considering seeking a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, a government source who was briefed on the matter said on Tuesday.&#39;

&nbsp;

Supreme Court: Compulsory linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts, mobiles extended indefinitely The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended indefinitely till the judgement is pronounced the compulsory linking of Aadhaar numbers with bank accounts and mobile phones. Trump ousts Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, CIA director Mike Pompeo to take over from him US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that that CIA Director was taking over from Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. Trump added that Gina Haspel would lead the CIA. Nine CRPF jawans killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district At least nine CRPF personnel were killed and three others injured when Maoists blew up an anti-landmine vehicle in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, said a senior police official. Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari re-elected to second term in office Nepal's first woman president Bidya Devi Bhandari was today re-elected for a second term in office. Incumbent President Bhandari defeated Nepali Congress leader Kumari Laxmi Rai with an overwhelming majority in the presidential election. Japan considers seeking summit between PM Abe and North Korea leader: Source Japan is considering seeking a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, a government source who was briefed on the matter said on Tuesday.'

WION Evening News Brief, March 13, 2018

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had replaced US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, and had tapped Gina Haspel to lead the CIA.

The resignation represents the biggest shakeup of the Trump Cabinet so far and had been expected since last October when reports surfaced about a falling out between Trump and Tillerson, 65, who left his position as chief executive of Exxon Mobil to join the administration.

US&nbsp;stock index futures pared their gains and the dollar also trimmed gains versus the yen while extending losses versus the euro amid the news.

Trump publicly undercut Tillerson&#39;s diplomatic initiatives numerous times, including on Monday when the former secretary of state&#39;s comments about Russia appeared to be at odds with those of the White House.

Tillerson also appeared out of the loop last week when Trump announced he would meet with North Korea&#39;s leader and become the first sitting U.S. president to do so.

&quot;Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!&quot; Trump said on Twitter.

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Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/973540316656623616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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'Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen,' Trump said on Twitter

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had replaced US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo, and had tapped Gina Haspel to lead the CIA. The resignation represents the biggest shakeup of the Trump Cabinet so far and had been expected since last October when reports surfaced about a falling out between Trump and Tillerson, 65, who left his position as chief executive of Exxon Mobil to join the administration. US stock index futures pared their gains and the dollar also trimmed gains versus the yen while extending losses versus the euro amid the news. Trump publicly undercut Tillerson's diplomatic initiatives numerous times, including on Monday when the former secretary of state's comments about Russia appeared to be at odds with those of the White House. Tillerson also appeared out of the loop last week when Trump announced he would meet with North Korea's leader and become the first sitting U.S. president to do so. "Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!" Trump said on Twitter. Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018 ×

Trump fires US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, CIA director Mike Pompeo to take over from him

President Donald Trump stood accused Monday of caving in to the US gun lobby one month after the Florida school shooting, as the White House pushed ahead with plans to arm teachers but backpedaled on curbing access to assault rifles.

Under pressure to act after a teenager killed 17 people with a semi-automatic rifle in Parkland, Trump had signaled support for raising from 18 to 21 the federal minimum age for purchasing the powerful weapons.

But a new policy statement focused on Trump&#39;s idea of arming teachers, &quot;making sure our schools are safe and secure, just like our airports, stadiums and government buildings.&quot;

As for federal age limits on gun purchases, it only said the government would form a special commission on school safety, with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in charge.

It made no mention of expanding the vetting of firearms buyers to sales online and at gun shows, another idea previously floated by the White House.

However, the policy statement did endorse minor legislation in Congress to improve federal and state databases used for background checks by licensed dealers.

Those moves fell close in line with the position of the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby that fights any gun ownership restrictions.

Trump himself admitted in an earlier tweet that he is not currently pushing age restrictions that could have prevented 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz from buying the powerful AR-15 assault rifle used on February 14 to kill 14 students and three adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

&quot;On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly),&quot; the president wrote.Trump&#39;s step backwards, after two extraordinary meetings in recent weeks with NRA executives, has critics accusing him of wilting after three of the worst mass shootings in US history scarred his first year in office.&nbsp;

&quot;President Trump has completely caved to the gun lobby,&quot; said Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein.

&quot;He backed off his openness toward an assault weapons ban, support for expanded background checks, barring those who exhibit &#39;red flags&#39;&nbsp;from buying guns and raising the age to buy assault weapons to 21.&quot;

Feinstein called the notion of arming teachers an &quot;utterly ridiculous idea that teachers strongly oppose.&quot;

The tepid steps lessened the hopes of gun control advocates that Trump would take a stand in the wake of the Parkland shooting.

Robert Spitzer, an expert on the gun rights debate and chair of the political science department at the State University of New York, College at Cortland, foresaw no meaningful reform in the White House announcement.

&quot;His initiative basically amounts to a big nothing,&quot; he said of Trump.Polls since Parkland shooting show the US public has turned strongly for tougher regulations.&nbsp;

Students from the high school have taken the lead in a national campaign to advance gun control, meeting Trump and other leading politicians, and helping force through a new law on age limits for purchasers in Florida.

But the NRA, which considers the US Constitution&#39;s Second Amendment a guarantee of broad gun ownership rights, has pressed the White House and Congress to hold off.

On Friday, it filed a lawsuit contesting Florida&#39;s new age limit law.

&quot;It totally eviscerates the right of law-abiding adults between the ages of 18 and 21 to keep and bear arms,&quot; the NRA said.

The Justice Department did announce a concrete move Saturday -- a plan to ban bump stocks.

But that comes more than five months after a man killed 58 people in Las Vegas using multiple AR-15 rifles equipped with the devices, which turn semi-automatic rifles into machine guns, and they are still on sale.

Spitzer was not optimistic of any solid action on gun control, given that the Republican-controlled Congress faces a tough election battle in November.&nbsp;

&quot;The NRA did not want to see Congress enacting any legislation,&quot; he said. &quot;If there are 100 mass shootings next week, the Congress is not going to move on any significant new gun law.&quot;

Trump had signaled support for raising from 18 to 21 the federal minimum age for purchasing the powerful weapons

President Donald Trump stood accused Monday of caving in to the US gun lobby one month after the Florida school shooting, as the White House pushed ahead with plans to arm teachers but backpedaled on curbing access to assault rifles. Under pressure to act after a teenager killed 17 people with a semi-automatic rifle in Parkland, Trump had signaled support for raising from 18 to 21 the federal minimum age for purchasing the powerful weapons. But a new policy statement focused on Trump's idea of arming teachers, "making sure our schools are safe and secure, just like our airports, stadiums and government buildings." As for federal age limits on gun purchases, it only said the government would form a special commission on school safety, with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in charge. It made no mention of expanding the vetting of firearms buyers to sales online and at gun shows, another idea previously floated by the White House. However, the policy statement did endorse minor legislation in Congress to improve federal and state databases used for background checks by licensed dealers. Those moves fell close in line with the position of the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby that fights any gun ownership restrictions. Trump himself admitted in an earlier tweet that he is not currently pushing age restrictions that could have prevented 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz from buying the powerful AR-15 assault rifle used on February 14 to kill 14 students and three adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. "On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly)," the president wrote.Trump's step backwards, after two extraordinary meetings in recent weeks with NRA executives, has critics accusing him of wilting after three of the worst mass shootings in US history scarred his first year in office. "President Trump has completely caved to the gun lobby," said Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein. "He backed off his openness toward an assault weapons ban, support for expanded background checks, barring those who exhibit 'red flags' from buying guns and raising the age to buy assault weapons to 21." Feinstein called the notion of arming teachers an "utterly ridiculous idea that teachers strongly oppose." The tepid steps lessened the hopes of gun control advocates that Trump would take a stand in the wake of the Parkland shooting. Robert Spitzer, an expert on the gun rights debate and chair of the political science department at the State University of New York, College at Cortland, foresaw no meaningful reform in the White House announcement. "His initiative basically amounts to a big nothing," he said of Trump.Polls since Parkland shooting show the US public has turned strongly for tougher regulations. Students from the high school have taken the lead in a national campaign to advance gun control, meeting Trump and other leading politicians, and helping force through a new law on age limits for purchasers in Florida. But the NRA, which considers the US Constitution's Second Amendment a guarantee of broad gun ownership rights, has pressed the White House and Congress to hold off. On Friday, it filed a lawsuit contesting Florida's new age limit law. "It totally eviscerates the right of law-abiding adults between the ages of 18 and 21 to keep and bear arms," the NRA said. The Justice Department did announce a concrete move Saturday -- a plan to ban bump stocks. But that comes more than five months after a man killed 58 people in Las Vegas using multiple AR-15 rifles equipped with the devices, which turn semi-automatic rifles into machine guns, and they are still on sale. Spitzer was not optimistic of any solid action on gun control, given that the Republican-controlled Congress faces a tough election battle in November. "The NRA did not want to see Congress enacting any legislation," he said. "If there are 100 mass shootings next week, the Congress is not going to move on any significant new gun law."

Trump accused of backpedaling on gun control

President Donald Trump on Monday said US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will talk to EU representatives about lowering their tariffs and other barriers to US products.

Trump announced the talks on Twitter as a burgeoning trade row over new US tariffs on steel and aluminium heated up over the weekend.

&quot;Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross will be speaking with representatives of the European Union about eliminating the large Tariffs and Barriers they use against the USA Not fair to our farmers and manufacturers,&quot; Trump tweeted.&nbsp;

At a campaign rally Saturday, Trump threatened to &quot;tax&quot; German cars if the EU does not lower its barriers to US goods.

The EU&#39;s top trade official, Cecilia Malmstroem, responded Monday by charging that trade was being used &quot;as a weapon to threaten and intimidate us.&quot;

&quot;But we are not afraid, we will stand up to the bullies,&quot; she said.

Top US and EU trade officials meeting in Brussels Saturday failed to overcome their differences, but Malmstroem said talks would continue this week.&nbsp;

At a campaign rally Saturday, Trump threatened to "tax" German cars if the EU does not lower its barriers to US goods

President Donald Trump on Monday said US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will talk to EU representatives about lowering their tariffs and other barriers to US products. Trump announced the talks on Twitter as a burgeoning trade row over new US tariffs on steel and aluminium heated up over the weekend. "Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross will be speaking with representatives of the European Union about eliminating the large Tariffs and Barriers they use against the USA Not fair to our farmers and manufacturers," Trump tweeted. At a campaign rally Saturday, Trump threatened to "tax" German cars if the EU does not lower its barriers to US goods. The EU's top trade official, Cecilia Malmstroem, responded Monday by charging that trade was being used "as a weapon to threaten and intimidate us." "But we are not afraid, we will stand up to the bullies," she said. Top US and EU trade officials meeting in Brussels Saturday failed to overcome their differences, but Malmstroem said talks would continue this week.

Wilbur Ross, EU to discuss tariffs, trade barriers: Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump put responsibility for raising the age limits on gun purchases to the courts and US states on Monday, saying he would wait for judicial rulings before acting.

&quot;On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly),&quot; he wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;

The proposal to raise the minimum age for buying guns from 18 to 21 was not part of a modest set of gun safety proposals announced on Sunday night by Trump administration officials, which included training teachers to carry guns in schools and improving background checks.

Trump has said he believes armed teachers would deter school shootings and better protect students when they happen. The idea, already in place in some states, is backed by the National Rifle Association gun lobby.

The Republican president, who championed gun rights during his 2016 campaign, vowed to take action to prevent school shootings after a gunman killed 17 students and faculty at a high school in Parkland, Florida, on February 14.

The modest fixes proposed by the White House stepped back from some of the more sweeping changes Trump had considered after the latest school shooting.

"On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly)," he wrote on Twitter.

US President Donald Trump put responsibility for raising the age limits on gun purchases to the courts and US states on Monday, saying he would wait for judicial rulings before acting. "On 18 to 21 Age Limits, watching court cases and rulings before acting. States are making this decision. Things are moving rapidly on this, but not much political support (to put it mildly)," he wrote on Twitter. The proposal to raise the minimum age for buying guns from 18 to 21 was not part of a modest set of gun safety proposals announced on Sunday night by Trump administration officials, which included training teachers to carry guns in schools and improving background checks. Trump has said he believes armed teachers would deter school shootings and better protect students when they happen. The idea, already in place in some states, is backed by the National Rifle Association gun lobby. The Republican president, who championed gun rights during his 2016 campaign, vowed to take action to prevent school shootings after a gunman killed 17 students and faculty at a high school in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. The modest fixes proposed by the White House stepped back from some of the more sweeping changes Trump had considered after the latest school shooting.

Trump says watching courts before acting on gun age limits

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