<p>The widow of a US&nbsp;Army sergeant killed in Niger this month said on Monday that President Donald Trump &quot;made me cry even worse&quot; in a condolence telephone call when he said that her husband &quot;knew what he signed up for.&quot;</p>

<p>In an interview with ABC&#39;s &quot;Good Morning America,&quot; Myeshia Johnson, widow of Sergeant La David T&nbsp;Johnson, also said she has been told little about how her husband was killed and has not been allowed to see his body.</p>

<p>Johnson&#39;s comments, her first to the media about the condolence call from Trump, were likely to fuel a controversy that has swirled for days around the president&#39;s handling of the call to the widow.</p>

<p>La David Johnson was one of four US&nbsp;Army soldiers killed on October 4 in an attack in the West African nation. Last week, a member of the US&nbsp;House of Representatives, Frederica Wilson, said she had listened to the call from Trump and that he had upset the family by saying Johnson &quot;knew what he signed up for.&quot;</p>

<p>That drew a&nbsp;sharp rebuke from the president, who dubbed Wilson &quot;whacky&quot; and denied her account of the call. &quot;I didn&#39;t say what that congresswoman said,&quot; Trump told reporters last week. &quot;I had a very nice conversation with the woman, with the wife who ... sounded like a lovely woman.&quot;</p>

<p>In Monday&#39;s interview, Myeshia Johnson said, &quot;The president said that he (her husband) knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyway ...And it made me cry because I was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he couldn&rsquo;t remember my husband&rsquo;s name.&quot;</p>

<p>In a Twitter post on Monday soon after the interview aired, Trump said, &quot;I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!&quot;</p>

<p>Johnson said that when Trump called, she and other family members were in a limousine riding to an airport where her husband&#39;s body was shipped. Wilson was also in the car.</p>

<p>Johnson said she did not say anything during the call, adding that afterward, she was &quot;very upset and hurt. It made me cry even worse.&quot;</p>

<p>Asked what she might now say to Trump, Johnson said she had &quot;nothing to say to him.&quot;</p>

<p>The widow also said that the military has told her little about what happened in Niger, and that she is upset that she has not been allowed to see her husband&#39;s body.</p>

<p>&quot;I don&#39;t know what&#39;s in that box,&quot; said of her husband&#39;s coffin. &quot;It could be empty for all I know.&quot;</p>

<p>The attack earlier this month, which U.S. officials suspect was carried out by a local affiliate of Islamic State, has thrown a spotlight on the U.S. counter-terrorism mission in Niger, which has about 800 U.S. troops.</p>


Myeshia Johnson, widow of Sergeant La David T?Johnson, also said she has been told little about how her husband was killed and has not been allowed to see his body.

The widow of a US Army sergeant killed in Niger this month said on Monday that President Donald Trump "made me cry even worse" in a condolence telephone call when he said that her husband "knew what he signed up for." In an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America," Myeshia Johnson, widow of Sergeant La David T Johnson, also said she has been told little about how her husband was killed and has not been allowed to see his body. Johnson's comments, her first to the media about the condolence call from Trump, were likely to fuel a controversy that has swirled for days around the president's handling of the call to the widow. La David Johnson was one of four US Army soldiers killed on October 4 in an attack in the West African nation. Last week, a member of the US House of Representatives, Frederica Wilson, said she had listened to the call from Trump and that he had upset the family by saying Johnson "knew what he signed up for." That drew a sharp rebuke from the president, who dubbed Wilson "whacky" and denied her account of the call. "I didn't say what that congresswoman said," Trump told reporters last week. "I had a very nice conversation with the woman, with the wife who ... sounded like a lovely woman." In Monday's interview, Myeshia Johnson said, "The president said that he (her husband) knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyway ...And it made me cry because I was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he couldn’t remember my husband’s name." In a Twitter post on Monday soon after the interview aired, Trump said, "I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!" Johnson said that when Trump called, she and other family members were in a limousine riding to an airport where her husband's body was shipped. Wilson was also in the car. Johnson said she did not say anything during the call, adding that afterward, she was "very upset and hurt. It made me cry even worse." Asked what she might now say to Trump, Johnson said she had "nothing to say to him." The widow also said that the military has told her little about what happened in Niger, and that she is upset that she has not been allowed to see her husband's body. "I don't know what's in that box," said of her husband's coffin. "It could be empty for all I know." The attack earlier this month, which U.S. officials suspect was carried out by a local affiliate of Islamic State, has thrown a spotlight on the U.S. counter-terrorism mission in Niger, which has about 800 U.S. troops.

Widow of slain US soldier says Trump call 'made me cry even worse'

<p>The last two of eight prototypes for President Donald Trump&#39;s proposed border wall took shape Thursday at a construction site in San Diego.</p>

<p>The prototypes form a tightly packed row of imposing concrete and metal panels, including one with sharp metal edges on top. Another has a surface resembling an expensive brick driveway.</p>

<p>Companies have until October 26 to finish the models but Border Patrol spokesman Theron Francisco said the last two came into profile, with crews installing a corrugated metal surface on the eighth model on a dirt lot just a few steps from homes in Tijuana, Mexico.</p>

<p>As the crews worked, three men and two women, one carrying a large red purse, jumped a short rusted fence from Tijuana into the construction site and were immediately stopped by agents on horseback.</p>

<p>Francisco said there have been four or five other illegal crossing attempts at the site since work began September 26.</p>

<p>The models, which cost the government up to $500,000 each, were spaced 30 feet (9.1 meters) apart. Slopes, thickness and curves vary. One has two shades of blue with white trim. The others are gray, tan or brown, in sync with the desert.</p>

<p>Bidding guidelines call for the prototypes to stand between 18 and 30 feet (5.5 and 9.1 meters) high and be able to withstand at least an hour of punishment from a sledgehammer, pickaxe, torch, chisel or battery-operated tools.</p>

<p>Features also should prevent the use of climbing aids such as grappling hooks, and the segments must be &quot;aesthetically pleasing&quot; when viewed from the US side.</p>

<p>The administration has not said how many winners it will pick or whether Trump will weigh in himself. There is currently 654 miles (1,052 kilometers) of single- layer fence on the 1,954-mile (3,143-kilometer) border, plus 51 miles (82 kilometers) of double- and triple-layer fence.</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m sure they will engage in a lot of tests against these structures to see how they function with different challenges,&quot; US Rep Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday after touring the construction site.</p>

<p>Trump has asked Congress for USD 1.6 billion to replace 14 miles of wall (22.4 kilometers) in San Diego and build 60 miles (96 kilometers) in Texas&#39; Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings.</p>

<p>Here&#39;s a rundown of companies building prototypes, their headquarters and value of their contract. Two are making one concrete prototype and another using other materials.&nbsp;</p>


The models, which cost the government up to $500,000 each, were spaced 30 feet (9.1 meters) apart

The last two of eight prototypes for President Donald Trump's proposed border wall took shape Thursday at a construction site in San Diego. The prototypes form a tightly packed row of imposing concrete and metal panels, including one with sharp metal edges on top. Another has a surface resembling an expensive brick driveway. Companies have until October 26 to finish the models but Border Patrol spokesman Theron Francisco said the last two came into profile, with crews installing a corrugated metal surface on the eighth model on a dirt lot just a few steps from homes in Tijuana, Mexico. As the crews worked, three men and two women, one carrying a large red purse, jumped a short rusted fence from Tijuana into the construction site and were immediately stopped by agents on horseback. Francisco said there have been four or five other illegal crossing attempts at the site since work began September 26. The models, which cost the government up to $500,000 each, were spaced 30 feet (9.1 meters) apart. Slopes, thickness and curves vary. One has two shades of blue with white trim. The others are gray, tan or brown, in sync with the desert. Bidding guidelines call for the prototypes to stand between 18 and 30 feet (5.5 and 9.1 meters) high and be able to withstand at least an hour of punishment from a sledgehammer, pickaxe, torch, chisel or battery-operated tools. Features also should prevent the use of climbing aids such as grappling hooks, and the segments must be "aesthetically pleasing" when viewed from the US side. The administration has not said how many winners it will pick or whether Trump will weigh in himself. There is currently 654 miles (1,052 kilometers) of single- layer fence on the 1,954-mile (3,143-kilometer) border, plus 51 miles (82 kilometers) of double- and triple-layer fence. "I'm sure they will engage in a lot of tests against these structures to see how they function with different challenges," US Rep Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday after touring the construction site. Trump has asked Congress for USD 1.6 billion to replace 14 miles of wall (22.4 kilometers) in San Diego and build 60 miles (96 kilometers) in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. Here's a rundown of companies building prototypes, their headquarters and value of their contract. Two are making one concrete prototype and another using other materials.

Trump's border wall models take shape in San Diego

<p>The United States should assume<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-warns-threats-a-big-miscalculation-in-letter-to-australia-lawmakers-22635" target="_blank"> Kim Jong-Un</a>&#39;s regime is &quot;on the cusp&quot; of getting a nuclear missile capable of striking US targets and work to prevent this, the head of the CIA said Thursday.</p>

<p>CIA director Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump is determined to prevent <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nuclear-war-may-break-out-at-any-time-warns-north-korea-22539" target="_blank">North Korea</a> from making the breakthrough &quot;whether it happens on Tuesday or a month from Tuesday.&quot;</p>

<p>Both Pompeo and US National Security Adviser HR McMaster said Trump would still prefer to use sanctions and diplomacy to force Kim to come to the table to discuss disarmament.</p>

<p>But, speaking to a Washington policy forum, both also warned that the use of US military force remains an option to prevent Pyongyang from acquiring a long-range nuclear missile.</p>

<p>&quot;They are close enough now in their capabilities that from a US policy perspective we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving that objective,&quot; Pompeo said.</p>

<p>Pompeo said US intelligence had kept close tabs on the North Korean program in the past, but that its missile expertise is now growing too quickly to be sure when it will succeed.</p>

<p>&quot;But when you&#39;re now talking about months our capacity to understand that at a detailed level is in some sense irrelevant,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;The president&#39;s made it very clear,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>&quot;He&#39;s prepared to ensure that Kim Jong-Un doesn&#39;t have the capacity to hold America at risk. By military force if necessary.&quot;</p>

<p>This week, North Korea&#39;s deputy UN ambassador declared that Pyongyang would not put its nuclear arsenal nor ballistic missile program on the table unless Washington drops its &quot;hostile&quot; stance.</p>

<p>And Kim&#39;s regime has made no secret of its efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting US mainland cities or bases in the Pacific, conducting regular tests.<br />
<br />
McMaster told the conference, organised by the Federation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), that the regime would not be allowed to develop arms that would threaten the United States.</p>

<p>&quot;We are not out of time but we are running out of time,&quot; Trump&#39;s top security adviser said.</p>

<p>&quot;The president has been very clear. He&#39;s not going to accept this regime threatening the United States with nuclear weapons,&quot; he warned.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;There are those that say, &#39;accept and deter&#39;. Well, &#39;accept and deter&#39; is unacceptable.&quot;</p>


CIA director Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump is determined to prevent North Korea from making the breakthrough 'whether it happens on Tuesday or a month from Tuesday.'

The United States should assume Kim Jong-Un's regime is "on the cusp" of getting a nuclear missile capable of striking US targets and work to prevent this, the head of the CIA said Thursday. CIA director Mike Pompeo said President Donald Trump is determined to prevent North Korea from making the breakthrough "whether it happens on Tuesday or a month from Tuesday." Both Pompeo and US National Security Adviser HR McMaster said Trump would still prefer to use sanctions and diplomacy to force Kim to come to the table to discuss disarmament. But, speaking to a Washington policy forum, both also warned that the use of US military force remains an option to prevent Pyongyang from acquiring a long-range nuclear missile. "They are close enough now in their capabilities that from a US policy perspective we ought to behave as if we are on the cusp of them achieving that objective," Pompeo said. Pompeo said US intelligence had kept close tabs on the North Korean program in the past, but that its missile expertise is now growing too quickly to be sure when it will succeed. "But when you're now talking about months our capacity to understand that at a detailed level is in some sense irrelevant," he said. "The president's made it very clear," he added. "He's prepared to ensure that Kim Jong-Un doesn't have the capacity to hold America at risk. By military force if necessary." This week, North Korea's deputy UN ambassador declared that Pyongyang would not put its nuclear arsenal nor ballistic missile program on the table unless Washington drops its "hostile" stance. And Kim's regime has made no secret of its efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting US mainland cities or bases in the Pacific, conducting regular tests. McMaster told the conference, organised by the Federation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), that the regime would not be allowed to develop arms that would threaten the United States. "We are not out of time but we are running out of time," Trump's top security adviser said. "The president has been very clear. He's not going to accept this regime threatening the United States with nuclear weapons," he warned. "There are those that say, 'accept and deter'. Well, 'accept and deter' is unacceptable."

North Korea 'on the cusp of' nuke that could hit US: CIA chief

<p>US President Donald Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka&nbsp;extended Diwali wishes to the people around the world on Twitter.</p>

<p>&nbsp;The advisor to the US President wrote on Twitter:&nbsp;Wishing Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains around the world a joyful Diwali. Saal Mubarak to all!</p>

<p>She also added that she is looking forward to her visit to India for Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Wishing Hindus, Sikhs &amp; Jains around the world a joyful <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Diwali?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Diwali</a>. Saal Mubarak to all! Looking forward to my visit to India for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GES2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GES2017</a>. <a href="https://t.co/O1tmiFzECc">pic.twitter.com/O1tmiFzECc</a></p>
&mdash; Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/IvankaTrump/status/920731344220680194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>GES will be held in Hyderabad on November 28-30.</p>

<p>The theme of the 2017 summit is &quot;Women First, Prosperity for All.&quot;</p>

<p>The summit will highlight the crucial role played by women in fostering global growth and prosperity.</p>

<p>Earlier, US president <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/watch-inside-president-trumps-diwali-celebrations-at-the-white-house-22571" target="_blank">Donald Trump also wished&nbsp;&quot;Happy Diwali&quot; to the people of India through a Facebook post</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In his post, the US President wrote that he greatly valued his &quot;very strong relationship&quot; with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.</p>

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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Ivanka Trump wrote: Wishing Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains around the world a joyful Diwali. Saal Mubarak to all!

US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka extended Diwali wishes to the people around the world on Twitter. The advisor to the US President wrote on Twitter: Wishing Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains around the world a joyful Diwali. Saal Mubarak to all! She also added that she is looking forward to her visit to India for Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017. Wishing Hindus, Sikhs & Jains around the world a joyful #Diwali. Saal Mubarak to all! Looking forward to my visit to India for #GES2017. pic.twitter.com/O1tmiFzECc — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 18, 2017 × GES will be held in Hyderabad on November 28-30. The theme of the 2017 summit is "Women First, Prosperity for All." The summit will highlight the crucial role played by women in fostering global growth and prosperity. Earlier, US president Donald Trump also wished "Happy Diwali" to the people of India through a Facebook post. In his post, the US President wrote that he greatly valued his "very strong relationship" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ×

Ivanka Trump tweets Diwali greetings, says looking forward to India visit

<p>US President Donald Trump lit a diya&nbsp;in the Oval Office surrounded by members of the Indian American community.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He remembered &quot;the People of India, the home of the Hindu faith, who have built the world&rsquo;s largest democracy.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>He reaffirmed &quot;that Indian-Americans and Hindu-Americans are truly cherished, treasured and beloved members of our great American FAMILY.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;And he said that he &quot;greatly&quot;&nbsp;valued &quot;my very strong relationship with Prime Minister Modi.&quot;</p>

<p>America&#39;s ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was also present at the celebrations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Trump posted a video of the lighting of the diya on Facebook, saying:</p>

<p>&quot;Our Indian-American neighbors and friends have made incredible contributions to our country &ndash; and to the world. You have made extraordinary contributions to art, science, medicine, business and education. America is especially thankful for its many Indian-American citizens who serve BRAVELY in our armed forces and as first responders in communities throughout our great land.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>Watch </em><em>video</em><em> below:&nbsp;</em></p>

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In a Facebook post, Trump remembered 'the People of India, the home of the Hindu faith, who have built the world?s largest democracy'

US President Donald Trump lit a diya in the Oval Office surrounded by members of the Indian American community. He remembered "the People of India, the home of the Hindu faith, who have built the world’s largest democracy." He reaffirmed "that Indian-Americans and Hindu-Americans are truly cherished, treasured and beloved members of our great American FAMILY." And he said that he "greatly" valued "my very strong relationship with Prime Minister Modi." America's ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was also present at the celebrations. Trump posted a video of the lighting of the diya on Facebook, saying: "Our Indian-American neighbors and friends have made incredible contributions to our country – and to the world. You have made extraordinary contributions to art, science, medicine, business and education. America is especially thankful for its many Indian-American citizens who serve BRAVELY in our armed forces and as first responders in communities throughout our great land." Watch video below: ×

Trump lights Diwali diya in Oval Office, says 'greatly value very strong relationship' with Modi

<p>A US federal judge on Tuesday barred the White House from implementing yet <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-venezuela-chad-among-8-countries-on-new-us-travel-ban-20577" target="_blank">another version of President Donald Trump&#39;s controversial executive order on immigration</a>, hours before it was due to go into full effect.</p>

<p>The decision by US District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii, which the White House signaled it would appeal, marks the latest blow to Trump&#39;s long-running efforts to<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-appeals-court-refuses-to-reinstate-trumps-travel-ban-on-six-muslim-countries-16047" target="_blank"> restrict entry of travelers from targeted countries into the United States</a>.</p>

<p>Watson said the third rendition of the travel ban, covering people from six mainly Muslim countries, as well as North Korea and some officials from Venezuela, could not be justified under the law.</p>

<p>In his decision, Watson wrote the ban &quot;suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor, it lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specific countries would be &#39;detrimental to the interests of the United States.&#39;&quot;</p>

<p>The ruling means the Trump administration could again ask the Supreme Court to decide whether his immigration orders are legal.</p>

<p><strong>Legal saga</strong></p>

<p>The newest order was announced last month to replace an expiring 90-day temporary ban on travelers from the Muslim-majority nations of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.</p>

<p>The September decree removed Sudan from the list but added Chad and North Korea for full bans and Venezuela for a ban limited to certain classes of officials.</p>

<p>The White House justified the measure as needed to protect US national security, but critics said it appeared virtually the same as the original order of January 27.</p>

<p>Courts shot that version down saying it targeted Muslims, violating the US constitutional protections for religious freedom.</p>

<p>A second version was only slightly adjusted and was quickly tied up in similar legal wrangling.</p>

<p>In June, the Supreme Court accepted to review the case but let the 90-day ban go mostly into effect in the meantime.</p>

<p>When the ban expired, the court said there was nothing to rule on.</p>

<p>Trump went forward with a new version with no expiry date, tacking on North Korea and Venezuela to the list of targeted countries and implying the updated measure did not simply target Muslim countries.</p>

<p>But Watson, who also issued freezes on the first two attempts, said the order does not improve US security since individuals who pose risks can already be denied entry under existing law.</p>

<p>The order &quot;plainly discriminates based on nationality&quot; in a manner antithetical to US laws &quot;and the founding principles of this nation,&quot; he wrote.</p>

<p>Watson placed a freeze on the ban on travelers from the six countries but allowed it to be implemented on North Korea, which sent only a handful of people to the United States last year, and Venezuela, where US sanctions have also already made travel to the United States difficult for many officials.</p>

<p><strong>&#39;Dangerously flawed&#39;&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>The White House quickly rejected his argument, calling it &quot;dangerously flawed&quot; and promising to fight the action.</p>

<p>&quot;The entry restrictions in the proclamation apply to countries based on their inability or unwillingness to share critical information necessary to safely vet applications, as well as a threat assessment related to terrorism, instability and other grave national security concerns,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>&quot;We are therefore confident that the judiciary will ultimately uphold the president&#39;s lawful and necessary action and swiftly restore its vital protections for the safety of the American people.&quot;</p>

<p>One of the most controversial changes in the latest version of the White House order was the addition of Chad, whose forces are working with US troops in the battle against Boko Haram extremists.</p>

<p>But the administration appeared to be preparing to back away from this widely-criticized position.</p>

<p>State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert announced that in recent weeks the Chad government had shown a &quot;clear willingness to work closely with us on these issues.&quot;</p>

<p>She did not give any timeline, but said the US &quot;is committed to working with Chad to address the deficiencies, toward the goal of improving vetting capabilities and lifting visa restrictions.&quot;</p>


The White House signalled it would appeal

A US federal judge on Tuesday barred the White House from implementing yet another version of President Donald Trump's controversial executive order on immigration, hours before it was due to go into full effect. The decision by US District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii, which the White House signaled it would appeal, marks the latest blow to Trump's long-running efforts to restrict entry of travelers from targeted countries into the United States. Watson said the third rendition of the travel ban, covering people from six mainly Muslim countries, as well as North Korea and some officials from Venezuela, could not be justified under the law. In his decision, Watson wrote the ban "suffers from precisely the same maladies as its predecessor, it lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specific countries would be 'detrimental to the interests of the United States.'" The ruling means the Trump administration could again ask the Supreme Court to decide whether his immigration orders are legal. Legal saga The newest order was announced last month to replace an expiring 90-day temporary ban on travelers from the Muslim-majority nations of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The September decree removed Sudan from the list but added Chad and North Korea for full bans and Venezuela for a ban limited to certain classes of officials. The White House justified the measure as needed to protect US national security, but critics said it appeared virtually the same as the original order of January 27. Courts shot that version down saying it targeted Muslims, violating the US constitutional protections for religious freedom. A second version was only slightly adjusted and was quickly tied up in similar legal wrangling. In June, the Supreme Court accepted to review the case but let the 90-day ban go mostly into effect in the meantime. When the ban expired, the court said there was nothing to rule on. Trump went forward with a new version with no expiry date, tacking on North Korea and Venezuela to the list of targeted countries and implying the updated measure did not simply target Muslim countries. But Watson, who also issued freezes on the first two attempts, said the order does not improve US security since individuals who pose risks can already be denied entry under existing law. The order "plainly discriminates based on nationality" in a manner antithetical to US laws "and the founding principles of this nation," he wrote. Watson placed a freeze on the ban on travelers from the six countries but allowed it to be implemented on North Korea, which sent only a handful of people to the United States last year, and Venezuela, where US sanctions have also already made travel to the United States difficult for many officials. 'Dangerously flawed' The White House quickly rejected his argument, calling it "dangerously flawed" and promising to fight the action. "The entry restrictions in the proclamation apply to countries based on their inability or unwillingness to share critical information necessary to safely vet applications, as well as a threat assessment related to terrorism, instability and other grave national security concerns," it said. "We are therefore confident that the judiciary will ultimately uphold the president's lawful and necessary action and swiftly restore its vital protections for the safety of the American people." One of the most controversial changes in the latest version of the White House order was the addition of Chad, whose forces are working with US troops in the battle against Boko Haram extremists. But the administration appeared to be preparing to back away from this widely-criticized position. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert announced that in recent weeks the Chad government had shown a "clear willingness to work closely with us on these issues." She did not give any timeline, but said the US "is committed to working with Chad to address the deficiencies, toward the goal of improving vetting capabilities and lifting visa restrictions."

US judge blocks latest -- the third -- version of Trump travel ban

<p>US President Donald Trump celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office of the White House along with senior Indian-American members of the administration, including Nikki Haley, Seema Verma and community leaders.</p>

<p>Cabinet ranking Haley is US Ambassador to the UN and Seema Verma is the administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.</p>

<p>Ajit Pai, Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission and Raj Shah his Principal Deputy Press Secretary were among those from his administration.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka also joined the President in the Diwali celebrations.</p>

<p>Last year&nbsp;Ivanka, who is now a presidential advisor, had visited Hindu temples in Virginia and Florida as part of Diwali.</p>

<p>Trump, then&nbsp;the Republican presidential nominee, had addressed the Indian-American community from a public meeting in New Jersey wherein he lit the traditional <em>diya&nbsp;</em>(lamp).</p>

<p>The tradition of Diwali celebrations was first started by former President George Bush.</p>

<p>During his term, it was celebrated mostly in the India Treaty Room of the adjacent executive office building, which is part of the White House Complex.</p>

<p>President Bush never personally participated in the White House Diwali celebrations.</p>

<p>In the first year of his presidency, his successor Barack Obama&nbsp;lit the ceremonial <em>diya </em>in the East Rook of the White House. Thereafter he made it a point to celebrate the festival of lights in one way or the other.</p>


The tradition of Diwali celebrations was first started by former President George Bush

US President Donald Trump celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office of the White House along with senior Indian-American members of the administration, including Nikki Haley, Seema Verma and community leaders. Cabinet ranking Haley is US Ambassador to the UN and Seema Verma is the administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Ajit Pai, Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission and Raj Shah his Principal Deputy Press Secretary were among those from his administration. Trump's daughter Ivanka also joined the President in the Diwali celebrations. Last year Ivanka, who is now a presidential advisor, had visited Hindu temples in Virginia and Florida as part of Diwali. Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, had addressed the Indian-American community from a public meeting in New Jersey wherein he lit the traditional diya (lamp). The tradition of Diwali celebrations was first started by former President George Bush. During his term, it was celebrated mostly in the India Treaty Room of the adjacent executive office building, which is part of the White House Complex. President Bush never personally participated in the White House Diwali celebrations. In the first year of his presidency, his successor Barack Obama lit the ceremonial diya in the East Rook of the White House. Thereafter he made it a point to celebrate the festival of lights in one way or the other.

Trump celebrates Diwali in Oval office

<p>US President Donald Trump has asked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run against him in the 2020 presidential elections. Trump registered a shocking win over Clinton who was the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential elections.</p>

<p>Hillary Clinton in recent months have been attributing external factors for her defeat, whereas Trump claims that she was a weak candidate.</p>

<p>&quot;I hope Hillary runs. Is she going to run? I hope. Hillary, please run again. Go ahead,&quot; Trump told reporters at an impromptu news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House.</p>

<p>Trump said there a number of reasons for the defeat of Clinton in the presidential elections.</p>

<p>&quot;There are a lot of reasons she didn&#39;t win, including the fact that she was not good at what she did,&quot; Trump said.</p>

<p>He also slammed Clinton for defending NFL players who kneel during national anthem.</p>

<p>&quot;I think that her statement, in itself, is very disrespectful to our country,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;It is very disrespectful to our country when they take a knee during the national anthem, number one. Number two, the people of our country are very angry at the NFL. All you have to do is look at their ratings and look at their stadiums. You see empty seats where you never saw them before. A lot of people are very angry at it,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;It is highly disrespectful, they shouldn&#39;t do it, Trump said in response to a question.</p>

<p>Trump also said that Clinton blaming Russia for her defeat is an excuse.</p>

<p>&quot;The whole Russian thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election, and it turns out to be just one excuse. I mean, today, Hillary blamed Nigel Farage. That one came out of nowhere,&quot; he charged.</p>

<p>The Democrats, he argued, have a big advantage in the electoral college and they should never lose an election.</p>

<p>&quot;They should always be able to win in the Electoral College, but they were unable to do it. So there has been absolutely no collusion. It&#39;s been stated that they have no collusion. They ought to get to the end of it, because I think the American public is sick of it,&quot; Trump said.</p>


Hillary Clinton in recent months have been attributing external factors for her defeat, whereas Trump claims that she was a weak candidate

US President Donald Trump has asked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run against him in the 2020 presidential elections. Trump registered a shocking win over Clinton who was the Democratic candidate in the 2016 presidential elections. Hillary Clinton in recent months have been attributing external factors for her defeat, whereas Trump claims that she was a weak candidate. "I hope Hillary runs. Is she going to run? I hope. Hillary, please run again. Go ahead," Trump told reporters at an impromptu news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House. Trump said there a number of reasons for the defeat of Clinton in the presidential elections. "There are a lot of reasons she didn't win, including the fact that she was not good at what she did," Trump said. He also slammed Clinton for defending NFL players who kneel during national anthem. "I think that her statement, in itself, is very disrespectful to our country," he said. "It is very disrespectful to our country when they take a knee during the national anthem, number one. Number two, the people of our country are very angry at the NFL. All you have to do is look at their ratings and look at their stadiums. You see empty seats where you never saw them before. A lot of people are very angry at it," he said. "It is highly disrespectful, they shouldn't do it, Trump said in response to a question. Trump also said that Clinton blaming Russia for her defeat is an excuse. "The whole Russian thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election, and it turns out to be just one excuse. I mean, today, Hillary blamed Nigel Farage. That one came out of nowhere," he charged. The Democrats, he argued, have a big advantage in the electoral college and they should never lose an election. "They should always be able to win in the Electoral College, but they were unable to do it. So there has been absolutely no collusion. It's been stated that they have no collusion. They ought to get to the end of it, because I think the American public is sick of it," Trump said.

Trump asks Hillary Clinton to run against him in 2020 presidential elections

<p>In the beginning, there were cave fights: over food, shelter and objects. Then came civilisation, the &quot;Age of Reason&quot;, the realisation that man&nbsp;was far superior to other living creatures in one unique way. He was endowed with the powerful tool of intellect, a brain more sophisticated than anything technology can ever beat.</p>

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<p>When man began to share spaces, towns and cities were born. When man began to argue, politics came into being and when prophets were born around the earth, mankind&rsquo;s other peculiar endowment - religion was born. Crimes were committed, wars have shattered the world. But somehow and over at least this past century, milk went with water, wine with salt, as long as there was mutual respect, it was a matter of personal choice. That freedom of choice, it seems, is a thing of history today. Now, it&rsquo;s black versus white, Islam versus Christianity versus Hinduism versus Judaism. It&rsquo;s Democrat versus Republican, BJP versus Congress. But what&rsquo;s different about today? That it&rsquo;s either my way or the highway. You are either with us or against us. Choices are yesterday&rsquo;s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today&rsquo;s world.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
White versus black, Caucasian versus Asian. American civil rights leader Martin Luther King ominously described it as the &quot;starless midnight of racism.&quot; Be it in the USA or Japan, in Europe or Africa, in India or China and for all the superior abilities man is endowed with, racial discrimination has run like a bad genetic strain through all societies in the world.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>America:</strong></p>

<p>White supremacy has led to horrific crime in the history of North America, yet somewhere down the line, reasoning and rationale did gain the upper hand. Take one of the world&rsquo;s most famous civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr. His belief was Christianity, his tactics drawn from everywhere. King persisted with civil disobedience till African-Americans and other minorities were granted equal rights in the country. He overturned segregation laws in Georgia and helped organise protests both in Alabama and Washington, where he delivered his most famous speech of all.</p>

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<h5>Martin Luther King&rsquo;s civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi.</h5>
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<p>&quot;And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream,&quot; the legendary rights activist declared. &quot;It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Martin Luther King&rsquo;s repeated civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma had once remarked that South Africa, where he had lived in his earlier years, would be a &quot;howling wilderness without the Africans&quot;. The Ku-Klux-Klan hasn&rsquo;t gone away, neither have the Nazis in Europe. There were and are descendant groups of both around the world. Tough laws temper their outbursts, the hate they preach is mostly restricted to their paranoid but small folds.</p>

<p>But statistics show that white supremacy in the United States has been on the rise. And not coincidentally, since 2016, making it seem as though divisive statements by President Donald J. Trump, first on campaign trail&nbsp;acted as a reassurance. It began to seem as though under Trump, racists will be able to speak their minds freely and have nothing to fear. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Residents of a town in Alabama woke up to flyers in November 2016, the day after the United States elected their new president. &quot;Join the only group that has ever stood for the white man&quot;, it read. &quot;Black radicals have reverted back to savages&quot;, read another.</p>

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<p>On the same day, swastikas and pro-Nazi graffiti appeared in Philadelphia. Sprayed inside a boys&rsquo; bathroom in a Minnesota school were the following messages: Go back to Africa, whites only, White America and Trump train, &quot;make America great again&quot;. Between November 2016&nbsp;when the United States voted for a new president&nbsp;and August 2017, there have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians &ndash; in short, anyone who is not Caucasian.</p>

<p>It would be absurd to lay the resurgence of racism at President Trump&rsquo;s doorstep alone. The US President&rsquo;s argument that democracies must allow all including racists to be heard, is a valid point. It&rsquo;s a successful tactic, the same employed by African-American jazz musician Daryl Davis to neutralise many white supremacists&nbsp;by engaging or befriending them. But here&rsquo;s a thought could Trump&rsquo;s incendiary talk have polarised American society by acting as a magnet to what already lay simmering beneath the genteel surface of the political correctness that has dominated public speech and opinion over the past several decades?</p>

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<h5>Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas were not implemented.</h5>
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<p>It seemed that way some weeks ago when white supremacists took to the streets in Charlottesville and violence erupted. Significantly, they felt no need to disguise themselves. The masks were off and so were the white hoods. Alec Kerrigan and &ldquo;Reverend&rdquo; James Logsdon were enthusiastic participants in Charlottesville. Both spoke to WION&rsquo;s Andy Roesgen and unsurprisingly, hatred of immigrants from India seems to be the &quot;new normal&quot;.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;The problem with races such as Indians entering the country is that they don&rsquo;t integrate at large&quot;, Kerrigan told WION. They build their own communities and don&#39;t trust their neighbours and they give less to charity. Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas&nbsp;(given to Indian software engineers) were not implemented. In other words, bringing in highly-skilled immigrants from other countries is bad for the highly-skilled natives.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Racism watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center told WION that &nbsp;Reverend James Logsdon&#39;s &quot;Creativity Movement&quot; is neither holy nor creative. It&rsquo;s nothing but a hate group. Here&#39;s what Logsdon told WION.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;Indian immigration is not similar to any other racial group, not Mexicans or Arabic Muslims because Indians don&#39;t come here and commit crimes, they don&#39;t come here and rape or kill like you see with Mexicans and the worse elements. You have a lot of highly educated Indians in the medical field in America who do benefit our society. But you also have a lot of them who come with degrees that are falsified, education documents that are falsified, they get IT jobs and they&#39;re trained by other people who have been here longer to do the jobs properly, essentially getting into the country by lying and taking American jobs.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
But why was Logsdon in Charlottesville during the riots? After all, that demonstration had nothing to do with Indian software engineers and all to do with protecting America&rsquo;s white architectural heritage, statues of erstwhile supremacists.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;No, I personally don&rsquo;t care about old statues,&quot; argued Logsdon. &quot;But I understand what they were fighting for. Imagine for the sake of argument, that political correctness affected all of the people in India and affected the caste system. And they decided that the Hindu system was racist and oppressive and the people pushing political correctness decided that all the statues that honoured their gods and their system were to be forcibly torn down. How would Indians feel about that? This is the type of thing that&#39;s happening in America today. They&#39;re trying to destroy any semblance of our culture and our history. No matter how you feel about being good or bad, our history is our history. You should not tear those things down, just to make them feel better in their safe spaces.&quot;</p>

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<p><strong>Europe:</strong><br />
&nbsp;<br />
It&rsquo;s the geographical venue of one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind, the Holocaust under Germany&rsquo;s Nazis saw 6 million men, women and children murdered. They were not armed separatists, nor criminal mafia. Their biggest crime is that they were born Jewish, not within Europe&rsquo;s Christian majority. Germany learned its lessons and remains deeply repentant. And yet, rightwing movements are on the rise. There were more than 900 terror attacks by Islamist terror groups in Europe between 2001 and 2017. But that&rsquo;s not the only reason. There&rsquo;s also a certain, God-given superiority that colonising forefathers from France, the UK and the Netherlands vested in themselves.</p>

<p>To racist British citizens, all South Asian migrants are &quot;Pakis&quot;, to some xenophobic French, northern Africans are &quot;dirty Arabs&quot;, to Dutch supremacists, foreign migrants are &quot;scum&quot;. The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France&nbsp;rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. When nations grow more powerful than others off stolen wealth, their citizens feel endowed with divinity. But the recession, unemployment and fiery rhetoric from those who rule or aim to rule, are natural catalysts for polarisation.</p>

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<p><strong>Asia:</strong><br />
<br />
But is racism restricted to countries where the majority population is white? Not at all. Let&rsquo;s take a look at South East Asia. Indians have been in Malaysia since medieval times. People of Indian origin constitute 86 per cent of Malaysia&rsquo;s total population of 31.19 million. Here, it&rsquo;s brown versus brown. It&rsquo;s been largely peaceful. And yet, growing radicalisation of the country&rsquo;s Islamic majority through an alien brand of Wahabi Islam has resulted in growing polarisation. Temples built hundreds of years ago on private land have been demolished. There&rsquo;s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. Sanjeev Ramakrishnan and his NGO Mywatch, fight against such discrimination.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;There is very clear discrimination in education when the maximum number of seats are given to Malays and next to Chinese. Indians hardly get any seats. Major courses like medicine and law are not given to Indians. I ask why they don&rsquo;t go on merit? I am a Malaysian and by race I am Indian. But if I bid for a government contract, I must have a Malay partner with a 51 per cent stake in the business. They should surely not award contracts based on race&quot;</p>

<p>Ramakrishnan says this is true of every walk of life in Malaysia. People of different races live peacefully in Malaysia but the people who rule are us are trying to create a divide. Recently in a school, cups for drinking water were separated for Muslims and non-Muslims. We are fighting for the right to live as Malaysian. We are not refugees here, we are not immigrants here. My grandfather came from India but my father was born in Malaysia. So, I think I am rightfully Malaysian. A lot of Indian don&rsquo;t have citizenship even if they are born here. But more Pakistani and Bangladeshi are now coming to Malaysia and are being given citizenship. Politicians in parliament have said, &quot;if you don&rsquo;t like Malaysia get out, go back to India.&quot;</p>

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<h5>Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India&rsquo;s capital New Delhi.</h5>
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<p>We are obsessed with fair skin, a hangover of the British Raj when it all started. The belief that the white man, his white skin, must be superior in many ways. It&rsquo;s strange because, in Hindu mythology, gods like Krishna and Shiva are painted blue. This blue is meant to indicate skin so black that it appears blue. To be dark-skinned in ancient India, was to be beautiful and god-like. But that&rsquo;s far from the case in modern India. When it comes to brides and bridegrooms, fair skins come at a premium. That&rsquo;s now begun to take on dismaying proportions. Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India&rsquo;s capital New Delhi.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Polarisation</strong>: A pandemic, a frightening phenomenon. Whether we blame it on President Donald Trump, or, on the rise of the rightwing in Europe; whether we blame it on Saudi Arabian influence in the far east, or, on growing affluence and arrogance in India, there is no doubt that communities and races are huddling together, displaying absolute intolerance for the mere existence of any other than their own kind. Racism is not the only manifestation. There&rsquo;s that other powerful catalyst of hate i.e. Religion.</p>

<p><em>This is the first of WION&#39;s three-part series &quot;Poles Apart&quot;.</em></p>


Growing affluence and heightened arrogance is the reason why human race is in distress

In the beginning, there were cave fights: over food, shelter and objects. Then came civilisation, the "Age of Reason", the realisation that man was far superior to other living creatures in one unique way. He was endowed with the powerful tool of intellect, a brain more sophisticated than anything technology can ever beat. Choices are yesterday’s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today’s world. × When man began to share spaces, towns and cities were born. When man began to argue, politics came into being and when prophets were born around the earth, mankind’s other peculiar endowment - religion was born. Crimes were committed, wars have shattered the world. But somehow and over at least this past century, milk went with water, wine with salt, as long as there was mutual respect, it was a matter of personal choice. That freedom of choice, it seems, is a thing of history today. Now, it’s black versus white, Islam versus Christianity versus Hinduism versus Judaism. It’s Democrat versus Republican, BJP versus Congress. But what’s different about today? That it’s either my way or the highway. You are either with us or against us. Choices are yesterday’s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today’s world. White versus black, Caucasian versus Asian. American civil rights leader Martin Luther King ominously described it as the "starless midnight of racism." Be it in the USA or Japan, in Europe or Africa, in India or China and for all the superior abilities man is endowed with, racial discrimination has run like a bad genetic strain through all societies in the world. America: White supremacy has led to horrific crime in the history of North America, yet somewhere down the line, reasoning and rationale did gain the upper hand. Take one of the world’s most famous civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr. His belief was Christianity, his tactics drawn from everywhere. King persisted with civil disobedience till African-Americans and other minorities were granted equal rights in the country. He overturned segregation laws in Georgia and helped organise protests both in Alabama and Washington, where he delivered his most famous speech of all. Martin Luther King’s civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. × "And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream," the legendary rights activist declared. "It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal." Martin Luther King’s repeated civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma had once remarked that South Africa, where he had lived in his earlier years, would be a "howling wilderness without the Africans". The Ku-Klux-Klan hasn’t gone away, neither have the Nazis in Europe. There were and are descendant groups of both around the world. Tough laws temper their outbursts, the hate they preach is mostly restricted to their paranoid but small folds. But statistics show that white supremacy in the United States has been on the rise. And not coincidentally, since 2016, making it seem as though divisive statements by President Donald J. Trump, first on campaign trail acted as a reassurance. It began to seem as though under Trump, racists will be able to speak their minds freely and have nothing to fear. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Residents of a town in Alabama woke up to flyers in November 2016, the day after the United States elected their new president. "Join the only group that has ever stood for the white man", it read. "Black radicals have reverted back to savages", read another. There have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians × On the same day, swastikas and pro-Nazi graffiti appeared in Philadelphia. Sprayed inside a boys’ bathroom in a Minnesota school were the following messages: Go back to Africa, whites only, White America and Trump train, "make America great again". Between November 2016 when the United States voted for a new president and August 2017, there have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians – in short, anyone who is not Caucasian. It would be absurd to lay the resurgence of racism at President Trump’s doorstep alone. The US President’s argument that democracies must allow all including racists to be heard, is a valid point. It’s a successful tactic, the same employed by African-American jazz musician Daryl Davis to neutralise many white supremacists by engaging or befriending them. But here’s a thought could Trump’s incendiary talk have polarised American society by acting as a magnet to what already lay simmering beneath the genteel surface of the political correctness that has dominated public speech and opinion over the past several decades? Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas were not implemented. × It seemed that way some weeks ago when white supremacists took to the streets in Charlottesville and violence erupted. Significantly, they felt no need to disguise themselves. The masks were off and so were the white hoods. Alec Kerrigan and “Reverend” James Logsdon were enthusiastic participants in Charlottesville. Both spoke to WION’s Andy Roesgen and unsurprisingly, hatred of immigrants from India seems to be the "new normal". "The problem with races such as Indians entering the country is that they don’t integrate at large", Kerrigan told WION. They build their own communities and don't trust their neighbours and they give less to charity. Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas (given to Indian software engineers) were not implemented. In other words, bringing in highly-skilled immigrants from other countries is bad for the highly-skilled natives. Racism watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center told WION that Reverend James Logsdon's "Creativity Movement" is neither holy nor creative. It’s nothing but a hate group. Here's what Logsdon told WION. "Indian immigration is not similar to any other racial group, not Mexicans or Arabic Muslims because Indians don't come here and commit crimes, they don't come here and rape or kill like you see with Mexicans and the worse elements. You have a lot of highly educated Indians in the medical field in America who do benefit our society. But you also have a lot of them who come with degrees that are falsified, education documents that are falsified, they get IT jobs and they're trained by other people who have been here longer to do the jobs properly, essentially getting into the country by lying and taking American jobs." But why was Logsdon in Charlottesville during the riots? After all, that demonstration had nothing to do with Indian software engineers and all to do with protecting America’s white architectural heritage, statues of erstwhile supremacists. "No, I personally don’t care about old statues," argued Logsdon. "But I understand what they were fighting for. Imagine for the sake of argument, that political correctness affected all of the people in India and affected the caste system. And they decided that the Hindu system was racist and oppressive and the people pushing political correctness decided that all the statues that honoured their gods and their system were to be forcibly torn down. How would Indians feel about that? This is the type of thing that's happening in America today. They're trying to destroy any semblance of our culture and our history. No matter how you feel about being good or bad, our history is our history. You should not tear those things down, just to make them feel better in their safe spaces." The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. × Europe: It’s the geographical venue of one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind, the Holocaust under Germany’s Nazis saw 6 million men, women and children murdered. They were not armed separatists, nor criminal mafia. Their biggest crime is that they were born Jewish, not within Europe’s Christian majority. Germany learned its lessons and remains deeply repentant. And yet, rightwing movements are on the rise. There were more than 900 terror attacks by Islamist terror groups in Europe between 2001 and 2017. But that’s not the only reason. There’s also a certain, God-given superiority that colonising forefathers from France, the UK and the Netherlands vested in themselves. To racist British citizens, all South Asian migrants are "Pakis", to some xenophobic French, northern Africans are "dirty Arabs", to Dutch supremacists, foreign migrants are "scum". The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. When nations grow more powerful than others off stolen wealth, their citizens feel endowed with divinity. But the recession, unemployment and fiery rhetoric from those who rule or aim to rule, are natural catalysts for polarisation. There’s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. × Asia: But is racism restricted to countries where the majority population is white? Not at all. Let’s take a look at South East Asia. Indians have been in Malaysia since medieval times. People of Indian origin constitute 86 per cent of Malaysia’s total population of 31.19 million. Here, it’s brown versus brown. It’s been largely peaceful. And yet, growing radicalisation of the country’s Islamic majority through an alien brand of Wahabi Islam has resulted in growing polarisation. Temples built hundreds of years ago on private land have been demolished. There’s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. Sanjeev Ramakrishnan and his NGO Mywatch, fight against such discrimination. "There is very clear discrimination in education when the maximum number of seats are given to Malays and next to Chinese. Indians hardly get any seats. Major courses like medicine and law are not given to Indians. I ask why they don’t go on merit? I am a Malaysian and by race I am Indian. But if I bid for a government contract, I must have a Malay partner with a 51 per cent stake in the business. They should surely not award contracts based on race" Ramakrishnan says this is true of every walk of life in Malaysia. People of different races live peacefully in Malaysia but the people who rule are us are trying to create a divide. Recently in a school, cups for drinking water were separated for Muslims and non-Muslims. We are fighting for the right to live as Malaysian. We are not refugees here, we are not immigrants here. My grandfather came from India but my father was born in Malaysia. So, I think I am rightfully Malaysian. A lot of Indian don’t have citizenship even if they are born here. But more Pakistani and Bangladeshi are now coming to Malaysia and are being given citizenship. Politicians in parliament have said, "if you don’t like Malaysia get out, go back to India." Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India’s capital New Delhi. × We are obsessed with fair skin, a hangover of the British Raj when it all started. The belief that the white man, his white skin, must be superior in many ways. It’s strange because, in Hindu mythology, gods like Krishna and Shiva are painted blue. This blue is meant to indicate skin so black that it appears blue. To be dark-skinned in ancient India, was to be beautiful and god-like. But that’s far from the case in modern India. When it comes to brides and bridegrooms, fair skins come at a premium. That’s now begun to take on dismaying proportions. Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India’s capital New Delhi. Polarisation: A pandemic, a frightening phenomenon. Whether we blame it on President Donald Trump, or, on the rise of the rightwing in Europe; whether we blame it on Saudi Arabian influence in the far east, or, on growing affluence and arrogance in India, there is no doubt that communities and races are huddling together, displaying absolute intolerance for the mere existence of any other than their own kind. Racism is not the only manifestation. There’s that other powerful catalyst of hate i.e. Religion. This is the first of WION's three-part series "Poles Apart".

'The colour of hatred'

<p>Propaganda fliers presumed to be&nbsp;from&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;and calling US&nbsp;President Donald Trump a &quot;mad dog&quot; have&nbsp;turned&nbsp;up&nbsp;across central&nbsp;Seoul, including near the presidential Blue House, according to posts on social media and people who found them.</p>

<p>&quot;Death to old lunatic Trump!&quot; reads one poster, with a&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korean soldier with rifle in hand, crushing what looks to be Trump&#39;s head with his tongue dangling out of his mouth. Near the soldier&#39;s head is the line: &quot;Complete obliteration.&quot;</p>

<p>Another poster shows Trump with the body of a dog being decapitated by an axe. Blood is shown splattered on the axe in the poster, which states: &quot;Let&#39;s behead mad dog Trump for the future of a peaceful and warless world and mankind!&quot;</p>

<p>Both were in colour.</p>

<p>It is not difficult to find&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korean propaganda posters in South&nbsp;Korea, usually flown by balloon over the highly fortified demilitarized zone. Military images and anti-US threats are common in North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;propaganda as Pyongyang demands the United States cease what it says is its preparations for an invasion.</p>

<p>But the new series of fliers posted recently on Twitter and other social media target Trump specifically.</p>

<p>Trump last month, in a speech to the United Nations, threatened to &quot;totally destroy&quot;&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;if needed to defend itself and allies and called the&nbsp;North&#39;s leader Kim Jong Un a &quot;rocket man&quot; on a suicide mission.</p>

<p>&quot;I am pretty sure it came&nbsp;from&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;by balloon, since the prevailing winds during October have been&nbsp;from&nbsp;north&nbsp;to south and we&#39;ve been getting reports of others finding them throughout Seoul,&quot; said Chad O&#39;Carroll, managing director of NK News, a&nbsp;Seoul-based news subscription service, who found the&nbsp;leaflets&nbsp;while jogging in central&nbsp;Seoul.</p>

<p>In an apparent jab at Trump&#39;s UN&nbsp;speech, one of the propaganda posters featured Trump standing behind a podium with a rocket in his mouth painted with the words &quot;totally destroy&nbsp;North Korea&quot;.</p>

<p>Again, Trump is depicted as a dog with a human face and labelled as &quot;mad dog Trump&quot;.</p>

<p>Men in suits with surprised looks on their faces are shown in the poster saying &quot;He&#39;s gone completely insane&quot; and &quot;If we let him be, there will be war&quot;.</p>

<p>Reclusive&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of UN&nbsp;sanctions, and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;North&nbsp;regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.</p>


Propaganda fliers presumed to be?from?North?Korea?and calling US?President Donald Trump a "mad dog" have?turned?up?across central?Seoul, including near the presidential Blue House

Propaganda fliers presumed to be from North Korea and calling US President Donald Trump a "mad dog" have turned up across central Seoul, including near the presidential Blue House, according to posts on social media and people who found them. "Death to old lunatic Trump!" reads one poster, with a North Korean soldier with rifle in hand, crushing what looks to be Trump's head with his tongue dangling out of his mouth. Near the soldier's head is the line: "Complete obliteration." Another poster shows Trump with the body of a dog being decapitated by an axe. Blood is shown splattered on the axe in the poster, which states: "Let's behead mad dog Trump for the future of a peaceful and warless world and mankind!" Both were in colour. It is not difficult to find North Korean propaganda posters in South Korea, usually flown by balloon over the highly fortified demilitarized zone. Military images and anti-US threats are common in North Korea propaganda as Pyongyang demands the United States cease what it says is its preparations for an invasion. But the new series of fliers posted recently on Twitter and other social media target Trump specifically. Trump last month, in a speech to the United Nations, threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if needed to defend itself and allies and called the North's leader Kim Jong Un a "rocket man" on a suicide mission. "I am pretty sure it came from North Korea by balloon, since the prevailing winds during October have been from north to south and we've been getting reports of others finding them throughout Seoul," said Chad O'Carroll, managing director of NK News, a Seoul-based news subscription service, who found the leaflets while jogging in central Seoul. In an apparent jab at Trump's UN speech, one of the propaganda posters featured Trump standing behind a podium with a rocket in his mouth painted with the words "totally destroy North Korea". Again, Trump is depicted as a dog with a human face and labelled as "mad dog Trump". Men in suits with surprised looks on their faces are shown in the poster saying "He's gone completely insane" and "If we let him be, there will be war". Reclusive North Korea, which has carried out a series of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of UN sanctions, and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.

'Mad dog' anti-Trump leaflets, suspected floated in from North Korea, turn up in Seoul

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/hillary-clintons-childhood-and-how-it-shaped-her-politics-8189" target="_blank">Hillary Clinton&nbsp;</a>Monday&nbsp;accused<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/wikileaks-releases-20000-emails-of-democratic-party-officials-working-against-bernie-sanders-3076" target="_blank"> WikiLeaks</a> of working with Russia to deflect attention away from an infamous tape of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-faces-uphill-battle-in-second-us-presidential-debate-with-clinton-7288" target="_blank">Donald Trump </a>bragging about groping women in the run-up to the US presidential election.</p>

<p>The former secretary of state&#39;s devastating election loss to Trump remains raw and she again lashed out at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his alleged role in damaging her candidacy.</p>

<p>&quot;Assange has become a kind of nihilistic opportunist who does the bidding of a dictator,&quot; she said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin.</p>

<p>&quot;WikiLeaks is unfortunately now practically a fully-owned subsidiary of Russian intelligence.&quot;</p>

<p>The US intelligence community concluded Putin ordered an influence campaign to discredit Clinton and had a &quot;clear preference&quot; for Trump in last year&#39;s poll.</p>

<p>Clinton used the bombshell Trump tape as an example of how WikiLeaks allegedly tried to deflect attention away from a bad news story, resurrecting the incident in the wake of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein&#39;s fall from grace over his treatment of women.</p>

<p>In the 2005 videotape, which surfaced in October last year, Trump brags about being able to get away with<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sexual-harassment-charges-against-donald-trump-what-south-asian-women-think-8245" target="_blank"> groping women</a>.</p>

<p>&quot;When you&#39;re a star, they let you do it,&quot; he said. &quot;Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything,&quot; Trump added.</p>

<p>Trump said the comments were &quot;locker-room banter&quot;. Several women subsequently accused him of sexual misconduct, which he denounced as lies.</p>

<p>Within hours of the tape emerging, WikiLeaks published more than 2,000 hacked emails from the personal account of Clinton&#39;s campaign chair John Podesta, which she said blunted its impact.</p>

<p>&quot;WikiLeaks, which in the world in which we find ourselves promised hidden information, promised some kind of secret that might be of influence, was a very clever, diabolical response to the Hollywood Access tape,&quot; she said, referring to the Trump recording.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;And I&#39;ve no doubt in my mind that there was some communication if not coordination to drop those the first time in response to the Hollywood Access tape.&quot;</p>

<p>Clinton claimed WikiLeaks&#39; actions were motivated by Assange&#39;s personal dislike of her.</p>

<p>&quot;I had a lot of history with him because I was secretary of state when WikiLeaks published a lot of very sensitive information from our State Department and our Defence Department,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>&quot;If he&#39;s such a martyr of free speech, why doesn&#39;t WikilLaks ever publish anything coming out of Russia? You don&#39;t see damaging, negative information coming out about the Kremlin on Wikileaks,&quot; Clinton added.</p>

<p>Australian Assange, who has spent five years inside the Ecuador embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges, has denied Russia was the source behind the leaked documents.</p>


'WikiLeaks is unfortunately now practically a fully-owned subsidiary of Russian intelligence,' said Clinton

Hillary Clinton Monday accused WikiLeaks of working with Russia to deflect attention away from an infamous tape of Donald Trump bragging about groping women in the run-up to the US presidential election. The former secretary of state's devastating election loss to Trump remains raw and she again lashed out at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his alleged role in damaging her candidacy. "Assange has become a kind of nihilistic opportunist who does the bidding of a dictator," she said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, referring to Russian president Vladimir Putin. "WikiLeaks is unfortunately now practically a fully-owned subsidiary of Russian intelligence." The US intelligence community concluded Putin ordered an influence campaign to discredit Clinton and had a "clear preference" for Trump in last year's poll. Clinton used the bombshell Trump tape as an example of how WikiLeaks allegedly tried to deflect attention away from a bad news story, resurrecting the incident in the wake of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's fall from grace over his treatment of women. In the 2005 videotape, which surfaced in October last year, Trump brags about being able to get away with groping women. "When you're a star, they let you do it," he said. "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything," Trump added. Trump said the comments were "locker-room banter". Several women subsequently accused him of sexual misconduct, which he denounced as lies. Within hours of the tape emerging, WikiLeaks published more than 2,000 hacked emails from the personal account of Clinton's campaign chair John Podesta, which she said blunted its impact. "WikiLeaks, which in the world in which we find ourselves promised hidden information, promised some kind of secret that might be of influence, was a very clever, diabolical response to the Hollywood Access tape," she said, referring to the Trump recording. "And I've no doubt in my mind that there was some communication if not coordination to drop those the first time in response to the Hollywood Access tape." Clinton claimed WikiLeaks' actions were motivated by Assange's personal dislike of her. "I had a lot of history with him because I was secretary of state when WikiLeaks published a lot of very sensitive information from our State Department and our Defence Department," she said. "If he's such a martyr of free speech, why doesn't WikilLaks ever publish anything coming out of Russia? You don't see damaging, negative information coming out about the Kremlin on Wikileaks," Clinton added. Australian Assange, who has spent five years inside the Ecuador embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden on sexual assault charges, has denied Russia was the source behind the leaked documents.

Clinton says WikiLeaks worked with Russia to deflect attention from infamous Trump tape

<p>The&nbsp;European Union vowed on Monday (October 16) to defend 2015 nuclear&nbsp;deal between&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;and world powers and urged US&nbsp;lawmakers not to reimpose sanctions after President Donald Trump chose not to certify Tehran&#39;s compliance with the accord.</p>

<p>Germany and France led a chorus of warnings to the United States, normally the&nbsp;EU&#39;s closest foreign policy ally, that any weakening of the agreement to prevent&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;obtaining nuclear weapons could have serious consequences for peace.</p>

<p>EU&nbsp;foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired the final phase of the 2015 negotiations, held closed-door talks on how the 28-nation bloc should proceed and ministers were also set to discuss how to tackle&nbsp;Iran&#39;s ballistic missile programme.</p>

<p>But while several&nbsp;EU&nbsp;governments, including the Netherlands and Britain, said&nbsp;Iran&#39;s ballistic missiles and Tehran&#39;s interventions in Syria and Yemen were a concern, ministers said the immediate focus had to be saving the 2015&nbsp;deal.</p>

<p>Negotiated after 12 years of talks that&nbsp;EU&nbsp;diplomats helped to initiate and carry through, the accord with&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;is the most significant diplomatic success for the bloc in several decades.</p>

<p>At their meeting in Luxembourg, the&nbsp;EU&#39;s foreign ministers are also due to approve a new round of economic sanctions on&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;after Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear test last month. Many governments still hold out hope of repeating the&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;deal&nbsp;with&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea.</p>


Germany and France led a chorus of warnings to the United States, normally the?EU's closest foreign policy ally, that any weakening of the agreement to prevent?Iran?obtaining nuclear weapons could have serious consequences for peace

The European Union vowed on Monday (October 16) to defend 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and urged US lawmakers not to reimpose sanctions after President Donald Trump chose not to certify Tehran's compliance with the accord. Germany and France led a chorus of warnings to the United States, normally the EU's closest foreign policy ally, that any weakening of the agreement to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons could have serious consequences for peace. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who chaired the final phase of the 2015 negotiations, held closed-door talks on how the 28-nation bloc should proceed and ministers were also set to discuss how to tackle Iran's ballistic missile programme. But while several EU governments, including the Netherlands and Britain, said Iran's ballistic missiles and Tehran's interventions in Syria and Yemen were a concern, ministers said the immediate focus had to be saving the 2015 deal. Negotiated after 12 years of talks that EU diplomats helped to initiate and carry through, the accord with Iran is the most significant diplomatic success for the bloc in several decades. At their meeting in Luxembourg, the EU's foreign ministers are also due to approve a new round of economic sanctions on North Korea after Pyongyang's nuclear test last month. Many governments still hold out hope of repeating the Iran deal with North Korea.

EU vows to save Iran nuclear deal

<p>President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an order to make it easier for Americans to buy bare-bones health insurance plans, using his presidential powers to undermine Obamacare after fellow Republicans in Congress failed to repeal the 2010 law.</p>

<p>Trump issued the executive order aimed at letting small businesses band together across state lines to buy cheaper, less regulated health plans for their employees with fewer benefits. Such new insurance options, however, may not be available until 2019, and the order could face legal challenges from Democratic state attorneys general.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-set-to-sign-order-circumventing-obamacare-rules-22360">It was Trump&#39;s most concrete step to undo Obamacare</a> since he took office in January promising to dismantle Democratic former President Barack Obama&#39;s signature domestic policy achievement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of &quot;using a wrecking ball to single-handedly rip apart our healthcare system.&quot;</p>

<p>Republicans call Obamacare, which extended health insurance to 20 million people, a government intrusion into Americans&#39;&nbsp;healthcare, and have been promising for seven years to scrap it.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s order aims to give people more access to cheaper plans, which do not cover essential health benefits such as maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs, and mental health and addiction treatment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Obamacare, known formally as the Affordable Care Act, requires most small business and individual health plans to cover those benefits.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&quot;Destroying everything&quot;</strong></p>

<p>&quot;The cost of the Obamacare has been so outrageous, it is absolutely destroying everything in its wake,&quot; Trump said at a White House signing ceremony.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s order was aimed at making it easier for small businesses to join together as associations across state lines.</p>

<p>Unlike large employers that can create their own health plans because their workforces are big enough to spread risk - mitigating the effect of individuals with serious illnesses - small employers have few options to offer reasonably priced health coverage.</p>

<p>Allowing small employers to band together in associations is meant to give them options similar to larger companies. The White House also said the associations would give employers more leverage to negotiate with insurance companies in purchasing health insurance plans for employees.</p>

<p>Some of the business groups that the order is aimed at, including franchise organisations and retailers - which generally have large number of hourly employees - said they are interested and want to be part of the rule-making process at the Department of Labor, but cautioned that there are many details to tackle.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not something we&#39;ll be able to open a suitcase tomorrow and be in business with. There are a lot of issues to be worked out and to consider,&rdquo; said Neil Trautwein, vice president of health care policy at the National Retail Federation.</p>

<p>A spokesman for the National Federation of Independent Business, the largest small-business association in the country, said it would be watching to see &quot;how the regulatory architecture develops&quot; and make a determination in the future.</p>

<p>Small businesses have been among the biggest critics of Obamacare.</p>

<p>The order also sought to change an Obama-era limit on the time span that people can use short-term health insurance plans, which are cheaper but cover few medical benefits. Those plans are currently limited to three months.</p>

<p>Joseph Antos, a healthcare expert at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, said he did not believe the order would have much of an impact because employers from regions with lower healthcare costs, like Iowa, would not want to join up with those from regions with higher costs.</p>

<p>Experts also questioned whether Trump has the legal authority to expand association health plans.</p>

<p>Democratic state attorneys general have said they will sue if Trump tries to destroy Obamacare. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Trump&#39;s executive order is just another step towards imploding the Affordable Care Act.</p>

<p>&quot;It should come as no surprise that California is prepared to fight in court to protect affordable healthcare for its people,&quot; Becerra said.</p>

<p><b>The downfalls of the executive order</b></p>

<p>The association health plans could attract young, healthy people and leave a sicker, more expensive patient pool in the individual insurance markets created under Obamacare, driving up premiums.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The American Hospital Association said Trump&#39;s order &quot;could destabilise the individual and small group markets, leaving millions of Americans who need comprehensive coverage to manage chronic and other pre-existing conditions, as well as protection against unforeseen illness and injury, without affordable options.&quot;</p>

<p>Small health insurers and state insurance regulators also criticised Trump&#39;s move.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hospital stocks edged lower in Thursday trading, with HCA Healthcare down 1.7 per cent and Tenet Healthcare down 4.4 per cent. Medicaid insurers also fell with Centene off 2.5 per cent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Trump has taken a number of other steps to weaken or undermine Obamacare. He has not committed to making billions of dollars of payments to insurers guaranteed under Obamacare, prompting many to exit the individual market or hike premiums for 2018.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The administration also halved the open enrollment period, which begins November 1, slashed the Obamacare advertising and outreach budget, and allowed broad religious and moral exemptions to the law&#39;s mandate that employers provide coverage for women&#39;s birth control.</p>


Trump issued the executive order aimed at letting small businesses band together across state lines to buy cheaper, less regulated health plans for their employees with fewer benefits

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an order to make it easier for Americans to buy bare-bones health insurance plans, using his presidential powers to undermine Obamacare after fellow Republicans in Congress failed to repeal the 2010 law. Trump issued the executive order aimed at letting small businesses band together across state lines to buy cheaper, less regulated health plans for their employees with fewer benefits. Such new insurance options, however, may not be available until 2019, and the order could face legal challenges from Democratic state attorneys general. It was Trump's most concrete step to undo Obamacare since he took office in January promising to dismantle Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of "using a wrecking ball to single-handedly rip apart our healthcare system." Republicans call Obamacare, which extended health insurance to 20 million people, a government intrusion into Americans' healthcare, and have been promising for seven years to scrap it. Trump's order aims to give people more access to cheaper plans, which do not cover essential health benefits such as maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs, and mental health and addiction treatment. Obamacare, known formally as the Affordable Care Act, requires most small business and individual health plans to cover those benefits. "Destroying everything" "The cost of the Obamacare has been so outrageous, it is absolutely destroying everything in its wake," Trump said at a White House signing ceremony. Trump's order was aimed at making it easier for small businesses to join together as associations across state lines. Unlike large employers that can create their own health plans because their workforces are big enough to spread risk - mitigating the effect of individuals with serious illnesses - small employers have few options to offer reasonably priced health coverage. Allowing small employers to band together in associations is meant to give them options similar to larger companies. The White House also said the associations would give employers more leverage to negotiate with insurance companies in purchasing health insurance plans for employees. Some of the business groups that the order is aimed at, including franchise organisations and retailers - which generally have large number of hourly employees - said they are interested and want to be part of the rule-making process at the Department of Labor, but cautioned that there are many details to tackle. “It’s not something we'll be able to open a suitcase tomorrow and be in business with. There are a lot of issues to be worked out and to consider,” said Neil Trautwein, vice president of health care policy at the National Retail Federation. A spokesman for the National Federation of Independent Business, the largest small-business association in the country, said it would be watching to see "how the regulatory architecture develops" and make a determination in the future. Small businesses have been among the biggest critics of Obamacare. The order also sought to change an Obama-era limit on the time span that people can use short-term health insurance plans, which are cheaper but cover few medical benefits. Those plans are currently limited to three months. Joseph Antos, a healthcare expert at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, said he did not believe the order would have much of an impact because employers from regions with lower healthcare costs, like Iowa, would not want to join up with those from regions with higher costs. Experts also questioned whether Trump has the legal authority to expand association health plans. Democratic state attorneys general have said they will sue if Trump tries to destroy Obamacare. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Trump's executive order is just another step towards imploding the Affordable Care Act. "It should come as no surprise that California is prepared to fight in court to protect affordable healthcare for its people," Becerra said. The downfalls of the executive order The association health plans could attract young, healthy people and leave a sicker, more expensive patient pool in the individual insurance markets created under Obamacare, driving up premiums. The American Hospital Association said Trump's order "could destabilise the individual and small group markets, leaving millions of Americans who need comprehensive coverage to manage chronic and other pre-existing conditions, as well as protection against unforeseen illness and injury, without affordable options." Small health insurers and state insurance regulators also criticised Trump's move. Hospital stocks edged lower in Thursday trading, with HCA Healthcare down 1.7 per cent and Tenet Healthcare down 4.4 per cent. Medicaid insurers also fell with Centene off 2.5 per cent. Trump has taken a number of other steps to weaken or undermine Obamacare. He has not committed to making billions of dollars of payments to insurers guaranteed under Obamacare, prompting many to exit the individual market or hike premiums for 2018. The administration also halved the open enrollment period, which begins November 1, slashed the Obamacare advertising and outreach budget, and allowed broad religious and moral exemptions to the law's mandate that employers provide coverage for women's birth control.

Frustrated by Congress, Trump signs order to weaken Obamacare

<p>The United States announced on Thursday<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-officially-withdraws-from-punishing-paris-climate-pact-16340"> that it is withdrawing from the United Nations Scientific </a>and Cultural Organization UNESCO, accusing the body of &quot;anti-Israel bias.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;The United States would be withdrawing from&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-believes-the-climate-is-changing-says-un-ambassador-nikki-haley-16401">UN&#39;s cultural and educational agency, effective</a> December 31,&quot; State Department said in a statement.</p>

<p>&quot;This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,&quot; the State Department said.</p>

<p>&quot;The United States would seek to &quot;remain engaged ...as a non-member observer state in order to contribute US views, perspectives and expertise,&quot; the statement added.</p>

<p>State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington would establish an &quot;observer mission&quot; to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">??OFFICIAL: UNESCO Director-General expresses profound regret at US decision to withdraw from UNESCO. <a href="https://t.co/KoOMd3Kl9H">https://t.co/KoOMd3Kl9H</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mj1BZXIOAF">https://t.co/Mj1BZXIOAF</a></p>
&mdash; UNESCO (@UNESCO) <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO/status/918472569329766400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The UNESCO chief&nbsp;expressed &#39;profound regret&rsquo; over US&#39; withdrawal.</p>

<p>&quot;I deeply regret the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO,&quot; Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO said.</p>

<p>&quot;In 2011, when payment of membership contributions was suspended at the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference, I said I was convinced UNESCO had never mattered as much for the United States, or the United States for UNESCO,&quot; UNESCO Director-General said in a statement.</p>

<p>&quot;Despite the withholding of funding, since 2011, we have deepened the partnership between the United States and UNESCO, which has never been so meaningful,&quot; Bokova said.</p>

<p>Paris-based UNESCO, which began work in 1946, is known for designating World Heritage sites such as the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park.</p>

<p>The United States had cancelled its substantial budget contribution to 58-member UNESCO in 2011 in protest at a decision to grant the Palestinians full membership.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington would establish an "observer mission" to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency.

The United States announced on Thursday that it is withdrawing from the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO, accusing the body of "anti-Israel bias." "The United States would be withdrawing from UN's cultural and educational agency, effective December 31," State Department said in a statement. "This decision was not taken lightly, and reflects US concerns with mounting arrears at UNESCO, the need for fundamental reform in the organization, and continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO," the State Department said. "The United States would seek to "remain engaged ...as a non-member observer state in order to contribute US views, perspectives and expertise," the statement added. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington would establish an "observer mission" to replace its representation at the Paris-based agency. ??OFFICIAL: UNESCO Director-General expresses profound regret at US decision to withdraw from UNESCO. https://t.co/KoOMd3Kl9H https://t.co/Mj1BZXIOAF — UNESCO (@UNESCO) October 12, 2017 × The UNESCO chief expressed 'profound regret’ over US' withdrawal. "I deeply regret the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from UNESCO," Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO said. "In 2011, when payment of membership contributions was suspended at the 36th session of the UNESCO General Conference, I said I was convinced UNESCO had never mattered as much for the United States, or the United States for UNESCO," UNESCO Director-General said in a statement. "Despite the withholding of funding, since 2011, we have deepened the partnership between the United States and UNESCO, which has never been so meaningful," Bokova said. Paris-based UNESCO, which began work in 1946, is known for designating World Heritage sites such as the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria and the Grand Canyon National Park. The United States had cancelled its substantial budget contribution to 58-member UNESCO in 2011 in protest at a decision to grant the Palestinians full membership.

US withdraws from UNESCO over 'anti-Israel bias'

<p>By September 20, 2017, weather experts were already forecasting that Hurricane Maria, characterised as a category 4 storm, had potential to cause major catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico,&nbsp;a United States territory. President Donald J. Trump also initially acknowledged the measured severity of the storm through his <i>Presidential tweet-communications</i> that seem to by-pass, if not, displace traditional White House communication practices. Trump tweeted, &ldquo;Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you &ndash; will be there to help&rdquo;. This was Trump assuring Puerto Ricans,&nbsp;who are also U.S. citizens, that the federal government would be ready to assist immediately post-Hurricane Maria.</p>

<p>When Trump delivered this direct communication to U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico, most would have assumed, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, that his confident posture stemmed &ndash; not from his usual campaign-style bravado &ndash; but rather from knowing the needs of the island-residents and physical damage to the island. Thus, the popular assumption was that the president stood ready to send Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Health &amp; Human Services (DHHS) officials and workers as emergency first-responders to the overseas U.S. territory.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Yet, in reality for Puerto Ricans, and the international community, the President&rsquo;s rhetoric amounted to more symbolic gestures and less concrete political action. Instead of reacting promptly to these citizens&rsquo; urgent demands, Trump chose to distract the American people and the national media. He, thus, wasted precious time that should have been used to deal with Puerto Rico&rsquo;s increasing humanitarian crisis.</p>

<p>Trump, finally, reacted to the devastation facing Puerto Rico, largely, because of media pressures and as there were critical comments on how slow the federal response was in comparison to other recent American crises in Texas and Florida. Strong criticism came from Puerto Rico Governor Rossell&oacute; and, more recently, from San Juan Mayor Carmen Yul&iacute;n Cruz. Thus, when U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico needed presidential moral and substantive leadership, Trump made the wrong choices, which he continues to downplay, or blame others for and not his failed leadership.</p>

<p>Trump had the chance to show real leadership by immediately sending the necessary resources, including the assistance of the military to Puerto Rico where U.S. citizens are lacking sufficient food, water and electricity.</p>

<p>Puerto Rico is now a major humanitarian crisis: at least 16 deaths have been reported, and some experts estimate that over $30 billion in physical &amp; economic damages will accrue. The federal government&rsquo;s slow response under Trump&rsquo;s callous attitude &ndash; despite his tweets &ndash; reflects something fundamental: Trump&rsquo;s increasingly wrongheaded choices since assuming office January 2017.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>The U.S. federal government&rsquo;s full economic control of Puerto Rico is the main contributor to the current post-hurricane humanitarian crisis.</h5>
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<p>First, his decision not to waive&nbsp;the Jones Act/Merchant Marine Law of 1920 (this law means that &ldquo;any foreign registry vessel that enters Puerto Rico must pay punitive tariffs, fees and taxes, which are passed on to the Puerto Rican consumer&rdquo;) as he previously did following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, and second, his failure to visit Puerto Rico within a few hours/days after the hurricane reveals his fundamental disconnect with the gloomy realities developing on the island.</p>

<p>Trump lost an opportunity to enhance his credibility, as well as, that of his divided Republican Party, among Puerto Ricans and Latinos more generally. Although it would not have made a difference considering at least 60 per cent&nbsp;of Latinos have historically supported Democrats. Trump only reversed his decision on the Jones Act (a waiver that will only be in effect for 10 days) because of mounting pressure from Puerto Rican officials, Democratic Congress members, and national media.</p>

<p>Trump&rsquo;s lack of empathy for his fellow U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico is consistent with his failed Presidency that is only several months in and already showing signs of rapid decline with another cabinet member resigning even as I write.</p>

<p>Indeed, Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizens under the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 and have historically served honourably in the U.S. military. Nevertheless, the U.S. federal government has restricted not only individual political rights but also the island&rsquo;s economic liberalism and overall development. For example, even President Obama, a supposed progressive liberal democrat, chose to protect bondholder interests over the rights of ordinary U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico.</p>

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<h5>Having U.S. citizenship does not automatically mean Puerto Ricans enjoy full political &amp; social rights and privileges as others do on the mainland.&nbsp;</h5>
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<p>The U.S. federal government&rsquo;s full economic control of Puerto Rico is the main contributor to the current post-hurricane humanitarian crisis. In a recent <i>New York Times</i> opinion editorial, Nelson A. Denis shows how much of the current crisis is due to Puerto Rico&#39;s &#39;captive market&#39; of the heavy weight of U.S. colonial policies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In fact, Puerto Ricans have historically migrated to the mainland U.S., searching for financial and socio-economic stability because of these policies; travelling for more jobs, and educational opportunities to places like New York, Illinois, and Florida, for example. Yet, when you couple these factors with events due to climate chaos like recent Hurricanes Irma and Maria that hit Puerto Rico (Maria has been called the most powerful hurricane in 80 years), you basically get climate refugees. However, having U.S. citizenship does not automatically mean Puerto Ricans enjoy full political &amp; social rights and privileges as others do on the mainland.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, I take President Trump&rsquo;s slow response to the Puerto Rico humanitarian crisis seriously as should others. I was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, which is located a few miles south of San Juan and raised in New York City and Trenton, New Jersey. &nbsp;My perspective is not unique, but&nbsp;I share it solely to highlight the fact that, since at least the mid-2000s, Puerto Rico&rsquo;s population has declined from 3.7 million to 3.4 million partly due to having access to mainland economic markets through a limited statutory form of U.S. citizenship on the island.</p>

<p>Puerto Rico&rsquo;s long-standing colonial territorial status, deceivingly called Free Associated State or Commonwealth, means the U.S. Congress not only maintains complete sovereign rule over the territory, including having the final word on the political status question but also controls over 80 per cent of the island&rsquo;s economy. The Jones Act, as already mentioned, reinforces the colonial ties between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which diminishes any form, or level of individual citizenship.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Moving forward, we need real Presidential leadership because it is sometimes a matter of life and death, and not about ratings, popularity, or reality television, Mr Trump.</h5>
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<p>Trump&#39;s divisive politics is obviously not new; it was evident even prior to the surprising November 2016 presidential election outcome.&nbsp;What is quite outrageous is the extent of Trump&#39;s bluster and wrongheaded choices now as the president.&nbsp;His explicit promotion of white nationalist ideology and disregard for the U.S. Constitution should raise real concerns among moderate, and even right of centered Republicans, let along the rest of Americans.&nbsp;As a candidate, Trump was tolerated by the conservative and GOP establishment who were hoping to regain the White House, while keeping out of national power another Clinton.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Last, let&#39;s look at Puerto Rico&rsquo;s humanitarian crisis from a slightly different perspective, and think more clearly about Trump&#39;s wrongheaded choices.&nbsp;Puerto Rico has a current population of approximately 3.4 million, which means there are more U.S. citizens living on the island than there are in at least 17 mainland states: Iowa (3.1), Utah (3.0), Arkansas (2.9), Kansas (2.9), Mississippi (2.9), Nevada (2.0), New Mexico (2.0), Nebraska (1.9), West Virginia (1.8), Idaho (1.6), Hawaii (1.4), Maine (1.3), Rhode Island (1.0), Montana (1.0), Delaware (0.9), South Dakota (0.8), and Alaska (0.7).&nbsp;</p>

<p>If any of these states were to experience the similar level of devastation as is seen in Puerto Rico, I doubt Trump and the federal government would have taken so long to provide the necessary assistance, resources, and funding. Beyond tweeting, Trump as the president and a businessman should have known the complexity surrounding Puerto Rico&rsquo;s pre- and post-Hurricane Maria humanitarian crisis: &quot;This is an ISLAND, surrounded by water. Big water. Ocean water.&quot;</p>

<p>This is about making the right choices for U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico, and elsewhere. Moving forward, we need real Presidential leadership because it is sometimes a matter of life and death, and not about ratings, popularity, or reality television, Mr Trump.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/north_america/donald-trump-puerto-rico-crisis-hurricane-maria-latest-news-94045/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article</a>&nbsp;has been originally published in Fair Observer.</p>


The US president failed to take preventive measures to control grievous damages in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

By September 20, 2017, weather experts were already forecasting that Hurricane Maria, characterised as a category 4 storm, had potential to cause major catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico, a United States territory. President Donald J. Trump also initially acknowledged the measured severity of the storm through his Presidential tweet-communications that seem to by-pass, if not, displace traditional White House communication practices. Trump tweeted, “Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you – will be there to help”. This was Trump assuring Puerto Ricans, who are also U.S. citizens, that the federal government would be ready to assist immediately post-Hurricane Maria. When Trump delivered this direct communication to U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico, most would have assumed, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, that his confident posture stemmed – not from his usual campaign-style bravado – but rather from knowing the needs of the island-residents and physical damage to the island. Thus, the popular assumption was that the president stood ready to send Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) officials and workers as emergency first-responders to the overseas U.S. territory. Trump, finally, reacted to the devastation facing Puerto Rico, largely, because of media pressures. × Yet, in reality for Puerto Ricans, and the international community, the President’s rhetoric amounted to more symbolic gestures and less concrete political action. Instead of reacting promptly to these citizens’ urgent demands, Trump chose to distract the American people and the national media. He, thus, wasted precious time that should have been used to deal with Puerto Rico’s increasing humanitarian crisis. Trump, finally, reacted to the devastation facing Puerto Rico, largely, because of media pressures and as there were critical comments on how slow the federal response was in comparison to other recent American crises in Texas and Florida. Strong criticism came from Puerto Rico Governor Rosselló and, more recently, from San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz. Thus, when U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico needed presidential moral and substantive leadership, Trump made the wrong choices, which he continues to downplay, or blame others for and not his failed leadership. Trump had the chance to show real leadership by immediately sending the necessary resources, including the assistance of the military to Puerto Rico where U.S. citizens are lacking sufficient food, water and electricity. Puerto Rico is now a major humanitarian crisis: at least 16 deaths have been reported, and some experts estimate that over $30 billion in physical & economic damages will accrue. The federal government’s slow response under Trump’s callous attitude – despite his tweets – reflects something fundamental: Trump’s increasingly wrongheaded choices since assuming office January 2017. The U.S. federal government’s full economic control of Puerto Rico is the main contributor to the current post-hurricane humanitarian crisis. × First, his decision not to waive the Jones Act/Merchant Marine Law of 1920 (this law means that “any foreign registry vessel that enters Puerto Rico must pay punitive tariffs, fees and taxes, which are passed on to the Puerto Rican consumer”) as he previously did following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in Texas and Florida, and second, his failure to visit Puerto Rico within a few hours/days after the hurricane reveals his fundamental disconnect with the gloomy realities developing on the island. Trump lost an opportunity to enhance his credibility, as well as, that of his divided Republican Party, among Puerto Ricans and Latinos more generally. Although it would not have made a difference considering at least 60 per cent of Latinos have historically supported Democrats. Trump only reversed his decision on the Jones Act (a waiver that will only be in effect for 10 days) because of mounting pressure from Puerto Rican officials, Democratic Congress members, and national media. Trump’s lack of empathy for his fellow U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico is consistent with his failed Presidency that is only several months in and already showing signs of rapid decline with another cabinet member resigning even as I write. Indeed, Puerto Ricans have U.S. citizens under the Jones-Shafroth Act of 1917 and have historically served honourably in the U.S. military. Nevertheless, the U.S. federal government has restricted not only individual political rights but also the island’s economic liberalism and overall development. For example, even President Obama, a supposed progressive liberal democrat, chose to protect bondholder interests over the rights of ordinary U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico. Having U.S. citizenship does not automatically mean Puerto Ricans enjoy full political & social rights and privileges as others do on the mainland. × The U.S. federal government’s full economic control of Puerto Rico is the main contributor to the current post-hurricane humanitarian crisis. In a recent New York Times opinion editorial, Nelson A. Denis shows how much of the current crisis is due to Puerto Rico's 'captive market' of the heavy weight of U.S. colonial policies. In fact, Puerto Ricans have historically migrated to the mainland U.S., searching for financial and socio-economic stability because of these policies; travelling for more jobs, and educational opportunities to places like New York, Illinois, and Florida, for example. Yet, when you couple these factors with events due to climate chaos like recent Hurricanes Irma and Maria that hit Puerto Rico (Maria has been called the most powerful hurricane in 80 years), you basically get climate refugees. However, having U.S. citizenship does not automatically mean Puerto Ricans enjoy full political & social rights and privileges as others do on the mainland. As a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico, I take President Trump’s slow response to the Puerto Rico humanitarian crisis seriously as should others. I was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, which is located a few miles south of San Juan and raised in New York City and Trenton, New Jersey. My perspective is not unique, but I share it solely to highlight the fact that, since at least the mid-2000s, Puerto Rico’s population has declined from 3.7 million to 3.4 million partly due to having access to mainland economic markets through a limited statutory form of U.S. citizenship on the island. Puerto Rico’s long-standing colonial territorial status, deceivingly called Free Associated State or Commonwealth, means the U.S. Congress not only maintains complete sovereign rule over the territory, including having the final word on the political status question but also controls over 80 per cent of the island’s economy. The Jones Act, as already mentioned, reinforces the colonial ties between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which diminishes any form, or level of individual citizenship. Moving forward, we need real Presidential leadership because it is sometimes a matter of life and death, and not about ratings, popularity, or reality television, Mr Trump. × Trump's divisive politics is obviously not new; it was evident even prior to the surprising November 2016 presidential election outcome. What is quite outrageous is the extent of Trump's bluster and wrongheaded choices now as the president. His explicit promotion of white nationalist ideology and disregard for the U.S. Constitution should raise real concerns among moderate, and even right of centered Republicans, let along the rest of Americans. As a candidate, Trump was tolerated by the conservative and GOP establishment who were hoping to regain the White House, while keeping out of national power another Clinton. Last, let's look at Puerto Rico’s humanitarian crisis from a slightly different perspective, and think more clearly about Trump's wrongheaded choices. Puerto Rico has a current population of approximately 3.4 million, which means there are more U.S. citizens living on the island than there are in at least 17 mainland states: Iowa (3.1), Utah (3.0), Arkansas (2.9), Kansas (2.9), Mississippi (2.9), Nevada (2.0), New Mexico (2.0), Nebraska (1.9), West Virginia (1.8), Idaho (1.6), Hawaii (1.4), Maine (1.3), Rhode Island (1.0), Montana (1.0), Delaware (0.9), South Dakota (0.8), and Alaska (0.7). If any of these states were to experience the similar level of devastation as is seen in Puerto Rico, I doubt Trump and the federal government would have taken so long to provide the necessary assistance, resources, and funding. Beyond tweeting, Trump as the president and a businessman should have known the complexity surrounding Puerto Rico’s pre- and post-Hurricane Maria humanitarian crisis: "This is an ISLAND, surrounded by water. Big water. Ocean water." This is about making the right choices for U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico, and elsewhere. Moving forward, we need real Presidential leadership because it is sometimes a matter of life and death, and not about ratings, popularity, or reality television, Mr Trump. This article has been originally published in Fair Observer.

What Trump's response was to Puerto Rico's humanitarian crisis

<p>If one has to abide by history, then this week a strange incident occurred in the University of Virginia, where a group of thousand white people (immigrants from 1600) took a tiki torch march demanding an end to immigration.</p>

<p>The University of Virginia founded in 1819 by the declaration of independence author Thomas Jefferson amongst many other things is well known for its historical foundations. Situated in a peaceful locality of 50,000 residents Charlottesville witnessed another incident of white supremacist rally, this time headed by self-promoting white supremacist Richard Spencer, also a graduate of the University of Virginia.</p>

<p>In a self-recorded film, he went on saying &ldquo;your head&#39;s gonna spin, how many times we are going to be back here. We&#39;re going to make Charlottesville the center of the universe.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Now that&#39;s challenging the entire physical cosmology, from a university which boasts about one of the best graduate programs in physics in the world.</p>

<p>On the other hand, White nationalists carrying torches marched in Charlottesville, Virginia governor declared a state of emergency after violent outbursts.</p>

<p>The mayor of the Charlottesville had to say this:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards. You&rsquo;re not welcome here! Go home! Meantime we&rsquo;re looking at all our legal options. Stay tuned.</p>
&mdash; Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSigner/status/916838439567482881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>After speaking to Indian parents of students studying in and around Virginia, the sentiment common amongst them was, they still trust the respective universities and were not afraid for their children. None has reported an incident of racism on campus.</p>

<p>One of the parents even narrated an interesting story where the University of Virginia tech cancelled the admission of a white student who went on saying on the common facebook page for the freshers that the Indians are taking too much space there. The interesting part is not the responsible action taken by the university, but it was taken without anyone reporting the incident.</p>

<p>They term the&nbsp;Saturday&nbsp;march as an isolated incident driven by few people who don&#39;t actually reflect the sentiments of the larger society.</p>

<p>At present, a hundred and thousand Indian students are studying under different courses in the USA. Even if one goes by the average course fee paid by these students, it amounts to 518 crores US dollars.</p>

<p>Although, the recent media reporting from the US term it as another example which exposes the deeply seeded divide which has always existed in America.</p>

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<h5>One has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities.</h5>
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<p>Around similar times, Trump administration releases hard-line immigration principles, threatening the deal on &#39;dreamers&#39;.</p>

<p>Many would like to draw parallel lines from both the incidents, yet one has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities, at least for now.</p>

<p>Many unite the right protesters wore white nationalist and Nazi paraphernalia, a militia arrived armed with heavy weaponry and some individuals wore Ku Klux Klan imagery. Former KKK leader David Duke attended.</p>

<p>The gathering is a reminder of an undercurrent which supposedly got Trump to be the president, the anti-semitic, anti-immigration, and racist slogans&nbsp;reflects not the hatred but maybe the insecurity of the whites which is seeded as KKK is a group founded in 1921: its members put on hoods and&nbsp;burned crosses at&nbsp;midnight&nbsp;at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson&rsquo;s sprawling plantation and the site of his grave.</p>

<p>So is this the other side of the pole, when we talk of Muslim radicalisation. Finally, what can summarise the uprising sentiments better, than George Orwell from Animal Farm?</p>

<p>All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


White nationalists protest in Virginia, demanding an end to immigration

If one has to abide by history, then this week a strange incident occurred in the University of Virginia, where a group of thousand white people (immigrants from 1600) took a tiki torch march demanding an end to immigration. The University of Virginia founded in 1819 by the declaration of independence author Thomas Jefferson amongst many other things is well known for its historical foundations. Situated in a peaceful locality of 50,000 residents Charlottesville witnessed another incident of white supremacist rally, this time headed by self-promoting white supremacist Richard Spencer, also a graduate of the University of Virginia. In a self-recorded film, he went on saying “your head's gonna spin, how many times we are going to be back here. We're going to make Charlottesville the center of the universe.” Now that's challenging the entire physical cosmology, from a university which boasts about one of the best graduate programs in physics in the world. On the other hand, White nationalists carrying torches marched in Charlottesville, Virginia governor declared a state of emergency after violent outbursts. The mayor of the Charlottesville had to say this: Another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards. You’re not welcome here! Go home! Meantime we’re looking at all our legal options. Stay tuned. — Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) October 8, 2017 × After speaking to Indian parents of students studying in and around Virginia, the sentiment common amongst them was, they still trust the respective universities and were not afraid for their children. None has reported an incident of racism on campus. One of the parents even narrated an interesting story where the University of Virginia tech cancelled the admission of a white student who went on saying on the common facebook page for the freshers that the Indians are taking too much space there. The interesting part is not the responsible action taken by the university, but it was taken without anyone reporting the incident. They term the Saturday march as an isolated incident driven by few people who don't actually reflect the sentiments of the larger society. At present, a hundred and thousand Indian students are studying under different courses in the USA. Even if one goes by the average course fee paid by these students, it amounts to 518 crores US dollars. Although, the recent media reporting from the US term it as another example which exposes the deeply seeded divide which has always existed in America. One has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities. × Around similar times, Trump administration releases hard-line immigration principles, threatening the deal on 'dreamers'. Many would like to draw parallel lines from both the incidents, yet one has to understand that the policies seem more like plugging loopholes in the administration rather than attacking various ethnicities, at least for now. Many unite the right protesters wore white nationalist and Nazi paraphernalia, a militia arrived armed with heavy weaponry and some individuals wore Ku Klux Klan imagery. Former KKK leader David Duke attended. The gathering is a reminder of an undercurrent which supposedly got Trump to be the president, the anti-semitic, anti-immigration, and racist slogans reflects not the hatred but maybe the insecurity of the whites which is seeded as KKK is a group founded in 1921: its members put on hoods and burned crosses at midnight at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s sprawling plantation and the site of his grave. So is this the other side of the pole, when we talk of Muslim radicalisation. Finally, what can summarise the uprising sentiments better, than George Orwell from Animal Farm? All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

One people one nation, end immigration

<p>Outside the Morgan County fair in McConnelsville, in a rural swath of Ohio that fervently backed US&nbsp;President Donald Trump in last year&#39;s election, ticket seller John Wilson quietly counts off a handful of disappointments with the man he helped elect.</p>

<p>The 70-year-old retired banker said he is unhappy with infighting and turnover in the White House. He does not like Trump&#39;s penchant for traveling to his personal golf resorts. He wishes the president would do more to fix the healthcare system, and he worries that Trump might back down from his promise to force illegal immigrants out of the country.</p>

<p>&quot;Every president makes mistakes,&quot; Wilson said. &quot;But if you add one on top of one, on top of another one, on top of another, there&#39;s just a limit.&quot;</p>

<p>Trump, who inspired millions of supporters last year in places like Morgan County, has been losing his grip on rural America.</p>

<p>According to the Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll, the Republican president&#39;s popularity is eroding in small towns and rural communities where 15 per cent of the country&#39;s population lives. The poll of more than 15,000 adults in &quot;non-metro&quot; areas shows that they are now as likely to disapprove of Trump as they are to approve of him.</p>

<p>In September, 47 per cent of people in non-metro areas approved of Trump while 47 per cent disapproved. That is down from Trump&#39;s first four weeks in office, when 55 percent said they approved of the president while 39 percent disapproved.</p>

<p>The poll found that Trump has lost support in rural areas among men, whites and people who never went to college. He lost support with rural Republicans and rural voters who supported him on Election Day.</p>

<p>And while Trump still gets relatively high marks in the poll for his handling of the economy and national security, rural Americans are increasingly unhappy with Trump&#39;s record on immigration, a central part of his presidential campaign.</p>

<p>Forty-seven percent of rural Americans said in September they approved of the president&#39;s handling of immigration, down from 56 percent during his first month in office.</p>

<p>Poll respondents who were interviewed by Reuters gave different reasons for their dissatisfaction with the president on immigration.</p>

<p>A few said they are tired of waiting for Trump to make good on his promise to build a wall along America&#39;s southern border, while others said they were uncomfortable with his administration&#39;s efforts to restrict travel into the United States.</p>

<p>&quot;There should be some sort of compromise between a free flow of people over the border and something that&#39;s more controlled,&quot; said Drew Carlson, 19, of Warrensburg, Missouri, who took the poll.</p>

<p>But Trump&#39;s &quot;constant fixation on deportation is a little bit unsettling to me.&quot;</p>

<p>The Trump administration would not comment about the Reuters/Ipsos poll. (For a graphic depicting poll results, see: http://tmsnrt.rs/2yuVIun)</p>

<p>To be sure, Trump is still much more popular in rural America than he is elsewhere.</p>

<p>Since he took office, &quot;I like him less, but I support him more,&quot; said Robert Cody, 87, a retired chemical engineer from Bartlesville, Oklahoma who took the poll.</p>

<p>Cody said that Trump may rankle some people with the way he talks and tweets, but it is a small price to pay for a president who will fight to strip away government regulations and strengthen the border.</p>

<p><strong>Dropping off the screen</strong></p>

<p>When Trump called the election a &quot;last shot&quot; for the struggling coal industry and when he called for protecting the nation&rsquo;s southern border with a &ldquo;big, fat, beautiful wall&quot;, he was speaking directly to rural America, said David Swenson, an economist at Iowa State University.</p>

<p>&quot;Feelings of resentment and deprivation have pervaded a lot of these places,&quot; Swenson said. &quot;And here comes a candidate (Trump) who&#39;s offering simplistic answers&quot; to issues that concern them.</p>

<p>Rural Americans responded by supporting Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by 26 percentage points during the election, an advantage that helped tip the balance in battleground states, such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where Trump won by less than 1 percentage point.</p>

<p>But after 10 months, many are still waiting to see concrete changes that could make life easier in rural America, said Karl Stauber, who runs a private economic development agency serving a patchwork of manufacturing communities in south central Virginia.</p>

<p>&quot;Rural people are more cynical about the federal government than people in general are,&quot; Stauber said. &quot;They&#39;ve heard so many promises, and they&#39;ve not seen much done.&quot;</p>

<p>Despite all the talk of bringing manufacturing jobs back, Stauber said he has not seen any companies which have relocated to his region, or anyone expand their workforce, due to new federal policies.</p>

<p>&quot;It just seems like we&#39;ve dropped off the screen,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the poll, Trump&#39;s overall popularity has dropped gradually, and for different reasons, this year.</p>

<p>Rural Americans were increasingly unhappy with Trump&#39;s handling of healthcare in March and April after he lobbied for a Republican plan to overhaul Obamacare and cut coverage for millions of Americans.</p>

<p>In May and June, they were more critical of Trump&#39;s ability to carry out US&nbsp;foreign policy, and they gave him lower marks for &quot;the way he treats people like me.&quot;</p>

<p>In August, they were increasingly unhappy with &quot;the effort he&#39;s making to unify the country&quot; after he blamed &quot;both sides&quot; for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which a suspected white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist demonstrators.</p>

<p>The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English across the United States. It asked people to rate the president&rsquo;s performance and the results were filtered for people who lived in zip codes that fell within counties designated as &quot;non-metro&quot; by the federal government.</p>

<p>The poll combined the results of &quot;non-metro&quot; respondents into nine, four-week periods. Each period included between 1,300 and 2,000 responses and had a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points.</p>


Rural Americans were increasingly unhappy with Trump's handling of immigration and healthcare

Outside the Morgan County fair in McConnelsville, in a rural swath of Ohio that fervently backed US President Donald Trump in last year's election, ticket seller John Wilson quietly counts off a handful of disappointments with the man he helped elect. The 70-year-old retired banker said he is unhappy with infighting and turnover in the White House. He does not like Trump's penchant for traveling to his personal golf resorts. He wishes the president would do more to fix the healthcare system, and he worries that Trump might back down from his promise to force illegal immigrants out of the country. "Every president makes mistakes," Wilson said. "But if you add one on top of one, on top of another one, on top of another, there's just a limit." Trump, who inspired millions of supporters last year in places like Morgan County, has been losing his grip on rural America. According to the Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll, the Republican president's popularity is eroding in small towns and rural communities where 15 per cent of the country's population lives. The poll of more than 15,000 adults in "non-metro" areas shows that they are now as likely to disapprove of Trump as they are to approve of him. In September, 47 per cent of people in non-metro areas approved of Trump while 47 per cent disapproved. That is down from Trump's first four weeks in office, when 55 percent said they approved of the president while 39 percent disapproved. The poll found that Trump has lost support in rural areas among men, whites and people who never went to college. He lost support with rural Republicans and rural voters who supported him on Election Day. And while Trump still gets relatively high marks in the poll for his handling of the economy and national security, rural Americans are increasingly unhappy with Trump's record on immigration, a central part of his presidential campaign. Forty-seven percent of rural Americans said in September they approved of the president's handling of immigration, down from 56 percent during his first month in office. Poll respondents who were interviewed by Reuters gave different reasons for their dissatisfaction with the president on immigration. A few said they are tired of waiting for Trump to make good on his promise to build a wall along America's southern border, while others said they were uncomfortable with his administration's efforts to restrict travel into the United States. "There should be some sort of compromise between a free flow of people over the border and something that's more controlled," said Drew Carlson, 19, of Warrensburg, Missouri, who took the poll. But Trump's "constant fixation on deportation is a little bit unsettling to me." The Trump administration would not comment about the Reuters/Ipsos poll. (For a graphic depicting poll results, see: http://tmsnrt.rs/2yuVIun) To be sure, Trump is still much more popular in rural America than he is elsewhere. Since he took office, "I like him less, but I support him more," said Robert Cody, 87, a retired chemical engineer from Bartlesville, Oklahoma who took the poll. Cody said that Trump may rankle some people with the way he talks and tweets, but it is a small price to pay for a president who will fight to strip away government regulations and strengthen the border. Dropping off the screen When Trump called the election a "last shot" for the struggling coal industry and when he called for protecting the nation’s southern border with a “big, fat, beautiful wall", he was speaking directly to rural America, said David Swenson, an economist at Iowa State University. "Feelings of resentment and deprivation have pervaded a lot of these places," Swenson said. "And here comes a candidate (Trump) who's offering simplistic answers" to issues that concern them. Rural Americans responded by supporting Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by 26 percentage points during the election, an advantage that helped tip the balance in battleground states, such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where Trump won by less than 1 percentage point. But after 10 months, many are still waiting to see concrete changes that could make life easier in rural America, said Karl Stauber, who runs a private economic development agency serving a patchwork of manufacturing communities in south central Virginia. "Rural people are more cynical about the federal government than people in general are," Stauber said. "They've heard so many promises, and they've not seen much done." Despite all the talk of bringing manufacturing jobs back, Stauber said he has not seen any companies which have relocated to his region, or anyone expand their workforce, due to new federal policies. "It just seems like we've dropped off the screen," he said. According to the poll, Trump's overall popularity has dropped gradually, and for different reasons, this year. Rural Americans were increasingly unhappy with Trump's handling of healthcare in March and April after he lobbied for a Republican plan to overhaul Obamacare and cut coverage for millions of Americans. In May and June, they were more critical of Trump's ability to carry out US foreign policy, and they gave him lower marks for "the way he treats people like me." In August, they were increasingly unhappy with "the effort he's making to unify the country" after he blamed "both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which a suspected white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of anti-racist demonstrators. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English across the United States. It asked people to rate the president’s performance and the results were filtered for people who lived in zip codes that fell within counties designated as "non-metro" by the federal government. The poll combined the results of "non-metro" respondents into nine, four-week periods. Each period included between 1,300 and 2,000 responses and had a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3 percentage points.

Trump's popularity slipping in rural America: Poll

<p>US President Donald Trump may travel to the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea when he visits South Korea next month, the South&#39;s Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday, citing a defence source.</p>

<p>The White House sent an advance team of working-level officials in late September to check candidate sites for Trump&#39;s &quot;special activity&quot; in South Korea, the source was quoted as saying.</p>

<p>Trump was expected to send a significant message to North Korea, either verbally or &quot;kinetically&quot;, during his first trip to the peninsula as US commander-in-chief, the source said.</p>

<p>The truce village of Panmunjom and the observation post, both inside the DMZ, were among locations Trump was considering visiting, the source said.</p>

<p>Yonhap did not elaborate and the White House did not comment.</p>

<p>Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have been engaged in an increasingly bellicose exchange of rhetoric, with Trump suggesting the military option was the only way to halt the North&#39;s missile and nuclear programmes.</p>

<p>A trip to the DMZ, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Barack Obama, and Vice President Mike Pence, would bring Trump within yards of North Korean soldiers, who stand eyeball to eyeball with their South Korean enemies, and likely be regarded by the North as highly provocative.</p>

<p>In recent weeks, North Korea has launched two missiles over Japan and conducted its sixth nuclear test, all in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, and maybe fast advancing toward its well-publicised goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland.</p>

<p>Trump repeatedly has made clear his distaste for dialogue with North Korea. Last week, he dismissed the idea of talks as a waste of time, a day after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington was maintaining open lines of communication with Kim Jong Un&#39;s government.</p>

<p>&quot;Our country has been unsuccessfully dealing with North Korea for 25 years, giving billions of dollars &amp; getting nothing.&nbsp;policy didn&#39;t work!&quot; the US president said in a Twitter post on Monday.</p>

<p>Reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States.</p>

<p>Trump is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines starting from November 3.</p>


US President Donald Trump may travel to the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea when he visits South Korea next month, the South's Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday

US President Donald Trump may travel to the heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea when he visits South Korea next month, the South's Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday, citing a defence source. The White House sent an advance team of working-level officials in late September to check candidate sites for Trump's "special activity" in South Korea, the source was quoted as saying. Trump was expected to send a significant message to North Korea, either verbally or "kinetically", during his first trip to the peninsula as US commander-in-chief, the source said. The truce village of Panmunjom and the observation post, both inside the DMZ, were among locations Trump was considering visiting, the source said. Yonhap did not elaborate and the White House did not comment. Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have been engaged in an increasingly bellicose exchange of rhetoric, with Trump suggesting the military option was the only way to halt the North's missile and nuclear programmes. A trip to the DMZ, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Barack Obama, and Vice President Mike Pence, would bring Trump within yards of North Korean soldiers, who stand eyeball to eyeball with their South Korean enemies, and likely be regarded by the North as highly provocative. In recent weeks, North Korea has launched two missiles over Japan and conducted its sixth nuclear test, all in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, and maybe fast advancing toward its well-publicised goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the US mainland. Trump repeatedly has made clear his distaste for dialogue with North Korea. Last week, he dismissed the idea of talks as a waste of time, a day after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington was maintaining open lines of communication with Kim Jong Un's government. "Our country has been unsuccessfully dealing with North Korea for 25 years, giving billions of dollars & getting nothing. policy didn't work!" the US president said in a Twitter post on Monday. Reclusive North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The North regularly threatens to destroy the South and its main ally, the United States. Trump is scheduled to visit Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines starting from November 3.

Trump may visit demilitarised zone between North and South Korea: Report

<p>US President Donald Trump has sent a list of hard-line immigration principles to the Congress, proposing a point-based system for awarding green cards, preventing immigrants from sponsoring their extended families and speeding up deportations.</p>

<p>Besides overhauling the country&#39;s green-card system,&nbsp;Trump administration&#39;s wish list also includes the funding of a controversial border wall along the US-Mexico border and a crackdown on unaccompanied minors entering the country.</p>

<p>The move to establish a merit-based immigration system could benefit high-skilled Indian immigrants especially those from the IT sector. However, the new policies would badly impact those thousands of Indian Americans who want to bring in their family members to the US particularly their aged parents.</p>

<p>The demands were denounced by Democratic leaders in Congress who had hoped to forge a deal with Trump to protect younger immigrants, known as &quot;dreamers&quot;, who were brought to the US illegally as children.</p>

<p>Trump last month announced plans to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, an Obama-era programme that had provided two-year work permits to the dreamers that Trump called &quot;unconstitutional&quot;.<br />
<br />
In his letter to the Congress last night, Trump demanded that these principles must be included as part of any legislation addressing the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.&quot;Without these reforms, illegal immigration and chain migration, which severely and unfairly burden American workers and taxpayers, will continue without end,&quot; he asserted.</p>

<p>Arguing for a merit-based immigration system, Trump told the Congress that the current immigration system does not serve the national interest as it prioritises extended family-based chain migration over skills-based immigration.&quot;Decades of low-skilled immigration has suppressed wages, fueled unemployment and strained federal resources,&quot; he rued.</p>

<p>The administration proposes establishing a merit-based immigration system that protects US workers and taxpayers, and ending chain migration, to promote financial success and assimilation for newcomers, he said.</p>

<p>Trump proposed?</p>

<p>Ending extended-family chain migration by limiting family-based green cards to spouses and minor children and replace it with a merit-based system that prioritises skills and economic contributions over family connections.</p>

<p>He called for establishing a new point-based system for awarding the green cards (lawful permanent residents) based on factors that allow individuals to successfully assimilate and support themselves financially; eliminate the diversity visa lottery and limit the number of refugees to prevent abuse of the US Refugee Admissions Programme.</p>

<p>Trump also proposed to increase the number of officials involved in enforcement, hiring an additional 10,000 Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers and 1,000 attorneys, 370 immigration judges and 300 federal prosecutors.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s list was criticised by Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.</p>

<p>&quot;The administration can&#39;t be serious about compromise or helping the Dreamers if they begin with a list that is anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans,? Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement?&nbsp; &quot;We told the president at our meeting that we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the DREAM Act, but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable. This proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise,&quot; they said.</p>

<p>&quot;The list includes the wall, which was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations. If the president was serious about protecting the Dreamers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so,? the statement said. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, however, said that Trump has put forth a series of proposals that will restore the rule of law to the immigration system, prioritise America&#39;s safety and security, and end the lawlessness.</p>

<p>&quot;These are reasonable proposals that will build on the early success of President Trump&#39;s leadership. This plan will work. If followed it will produce an immigration system with integrity and one in which we can take pride. Perhaps the best result will be that unlawful attempts to enter will continue their dramatic decline,? he said.</p>

<p>Leading civil rights group American Civil Liberties Union opposed the proposals.</p>

<p>&quot;Members of Congress of both parties who want to resolve the status of undocumented immigrant youth should recognise that these policies are a non-starter and get back to work on behalf of the vast majority of Americans who want to get something constructive done instead,? said Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy and campaigns at the American Civil Liberties Union.</p>

<p>Beth Werlin, executive director of American Immigration Council said the White House Immigration Principles and Policies are no more than the immigration restrictionists&#39; wish list.</p>

<p>&quot;They are a nonstarter. There is broad bipartisan support for a permanent solution for Dreamers without poison pills attached to it. We must not squander the potential of this generation of young people who will help write the next great chapter of American history,&quot; Werlin said.</p>


Besides overhauling the country's green-card system,?Trump administration's wish list also includes the funding of a controversial border wall along the US-Mexico border and a crackdown on unaccompanied minors entering the country

US President Donald Trump has sent a list of hard-line immigration principles to the Congress, proposing a point-based system for awarding green cards, preventing immigrants from sponsoring their extended families and speeding up deportations. Besides overhauling the country's green-card system, Trump administration's wish list also includes the funding of a controversial border wall along the US-Mexico border and a crackdown on unaccompanied minors entering the country. The move to establish a merit-based immigration system could benefit high-skilled Indian immigrants especially those from the IT sector. However, the new policies would badly impact those thousands of Indian Americans who want to bring in their family members to the US particularly their aged parents. The demands were denounced by Democratic leaders in Congress who had hoped to forge a deal with Trump to protect younger immigrants, known as "dreamers", who were brought to the US illegally as children. Trump last month announced plans to phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, an Obama-era programme that had provided two-year work permits to the dreamers that Trump called "unconstitutional". In his letter to the Congress last night, Trump demanded that these principles must be included as part of any legislation addressing the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients."Without these reforms, illegal immigration and chain migration, which severely and unfairly burden American workers and taxpayers, will continue without end," he asserted. Arguing for a merit-based immigration system, Trump told the Congress that the current immigration system does not serve the national interest as it prioritises extended family-based chain migration over skills-based immigration."Decades of low-skilled immigration has suppressed wages, fueled unemployment and strained federal resources," he rued. The administration proposes establishing a merit-based immigration system that protects US workers and taxpayers, and ending chain migration, to promote financial success and assimilation for newcomers, he said. Trump proposed? Ending extended-family chain migration by limiting family-based green cards to spouses and minor children and replace it with a merit-based system that prioritises skills and economic contributions over family connections. He called for establishing a new point-based system for awarding the green cards (lawful permanent residents) based on factors that allow individuals to successfully assimilate and support themselves financially; eliminate the diversity visa lottery and limit the number of refugees to prevent abuse of the US Refugee Admissions Programme. Trump also proposed to increase the number of officials involved in enforcement, hiring an additional 10,000 Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers and 1,000 attorneys, 370 immigration judges and 300 federal prosecutors. Trump's list was criticised by Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. "The administration can't be serious about compromise or helping the Dreamers if they begin with a list that is anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans,? Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement? "We told the president at our meeting that we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the DREAM Act, but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable. This proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise," they said. "The list includes the wall, which was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations. If the president was serious about protecting the Dreamers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so,? the statement said. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, however, said that Trump has put forth a series of proposals that will restore the rule of law to the immigration system, prioritise America's safety and security, and end the lawlessness. "These are reasonable proposals that will build on the early success of President Trump's leadership. This plan will work. If followed it will produce an immigration system with integrity and one in which we can take pride. Perhaps the best result will be that unlawful attempts to enter will continue their dramatic decline,? he said. Leading civil rights group American Civil Liberties Union opposed the proposals. "Members of Congress of both parties who want to resolve the status of undocumented immigrant youth should recognise that these policies are a non-starter and get back to work on behalf of the vast majority of Americans who want to get something constructive done instead,? said Lorella Praeli, director of immigration policy and campaigns at the American Civil Liberties Union. Beth Werlin, executive director of American Immigration Council said the White House Immigration Principles and Policies are no more than the immigration restrictionists' wish list. "They are a nonstarter. There is broad bipartisan support for a permanent solution for Dreamers without poison pills attached to it. We must not squander the potential of this generation of young people who will help write the next great chapter of American history," Werlin said.

Trump sends hard-line immigration plan to Congress

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-resumes-premium-processing-of-all-h-1b-visa-categories-20984" target="_blank">US President Donald Trump</a> today said he has &quot;total confidence&quot; in his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after the latter denied having offered to resign from his cabinet and dismissed as &quot;petty nonsense&quot; a media report that he had called the president a &quot;moron&quot;.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pakistan-pursuing-zero-tolerance-on-terror-pak-foreign-minister-to-tillerson-21015" target="_blank">The NBC News had reported that Tillerson came close to resigning this summer </a>but was requested to stay on the job until the end of the year. The White House and the State Department denied the story.</p>

<p>&quot;Total confidence in Rex. I have total confidence,&quot; Trump told reporters travelling with him in Las Vegas.</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m very honoured by his comments. It was fake news. It was a totally phoney story,&quot; Trump said as he slammed media reports about writing a story which was inaccurate.</p>

<p>&quot;It was made up. It was made up by NBC. They just made it up,&quot; he alleged and in another tweet, the president sought an apology from NBC news.</p>

<p>Heather Nauert, the State Department Spokesperson, said Tillerson never used that word.</p>

<p>&quot;The Secretary does not use that type of language. That Secretary (Tillerson) did not use that type of language to speak about the President of the United States. He does not use that language to speak about anyone,&quot; she told reporters at her daily news conference.</p>

<p>Earlier, Tillerson in an impromptu statement to the press said that he never offered to resign. He described such reports as erroneous.</p>

<p>&quot;I have never considered leaving this post,&quot; he said. Later he spoke with Trump over the phone.</p>

<p>News reports said that Vice President Mike Pence convinced him not to resign. His office denied this.</p>

<p>&quot;The Vice President can confirm that...The Secretary of State made clear, at no time did he and the Secretary ever discuss the prospect of the Secretary&#39;s resignation from the administration. Any reporting to the contrary is categorically false,&quot; his office said.</p>

<p>Tillerson, Nauert said, is clear, direct, and pulls no punches. He is not a politician who seeks the spotlight, and many in foreign policy and media circles simply don&#39;t understand that she added.</p>

<p>&quot;The Secretary has never considered resigning from his post. And for those who want him to do so, go ahead and keep pushing, because that will only strengthen his resolve,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>NBC News, however, stood by its story. NBC News spoke with a dozen current and former senior administration officials for this article, as well as others who are close to the president, it said.</p>

<p>Tillerson, who was in Texas for his son&#39;s wedding in late July when Trump addressed the Boy Scouts, had threatened not to return to Washington, according to three people with direct knowledge of the threats, the news channel said.</p>

<p>His discussions with retired Gen. John Kelly, who would soon be named Trump&#39;s second chief of staff, and Defence Secretary James Mattis, helped initially to reassure him, four people with direct knowledge of the exchanges said, according to NBC.&nbsp;</p>


US President Donald Trump today said he has 'total confidence' in his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after the latter denied having offered to resign from his cabinet and dismissed as 'petty nonsense' a media report that he had called the president a 'moron'

US President Donald Trump today said he has "total confidence" in his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after the latter denied having offered to resign from his cabinet and dismissed as "petty nonsense" a media report that he had called the president a "moron". The NBC News had reported that Tillerson came close to resigning this summer but was requested to stay on the job until the end of the year. The White House and the State Department denied the story. "Total confidence in Rex. I have total confidence," Trump told reporters travelling with him in Las Vegas. "I'm very honoured by his comments. It was fake news. It was a totally phoney story," Trump said as he slammed media reports about writing a story which was inaccurate. "It was made up. It was made up by NBC. They just made it up," he alleged and in another tweet, the president sought an apology from NBC news. Heather Nauert, the State Department Spokesperson, said Tillerson never used that word. "The Secretary does not use that type of language. That Secretary (Tillerson) did not use that type of language to speak about the President of the United States. He does not use that language to speak about anyone," she told reporters at her daily news conference. Earlier, Tillerson in an impromptu statement to the press said that he never offered to resign. He described such reports as erroneous. "I have never considered leaving this post," he said. Later he spoke with Trump over the phone. News reports said that Vice President Mike Pence convinced him not to resign. His office denied this. "The Vice President can confirm that...The Secretary of State made clear, at no time did he and the Secretary ever discuss the prospect of the Secretary's resignation from the administration. Any reporting to the contrary is categorically false," his office said. Tillerson, Nauert said, is clear, direct, and pulls no punches. He is not a politician who seeks the spotlight, and many in foreign policy and media circles simply don't understand that she added. "The Secretary has never considered resigning from his post. And for those who want him to do so, go ahead and keep pushing, because that will only strengthen his resolve," she said. NBC News, however, stood by its story. NBC News spoke with a dozen current and former senior administration officials for this article, as well as others who are close to the president, it said. Tillerson, who was in Texas for his son's wedding in late July when Trump addressed the Boy Scouts, had threatened not to return to Washington, according to three people with direct knowledge of the threats, the news channel said. His discussions with retired Gen. John Kelly, who would soon be named Trump's second chief of staff, and Defence Secretary James Mattis, helped initially to reassure him, four people with direct knowledge of the exchanges said, according to NBC.

I have total confidence in Tillerson, says Trump over resignation row

<p>Reliance&nbsp;Industries&nbsp;Ltd has&nbsp;purchased&nbsp;crude oil cargoes from the United States for the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time, drawn by the lower price for US&nbsp;oil versus global benchmarks, three trade&nbsp;sources&nbsp;said on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Reliance, the owner of the world&rsquo;s biggest refining complex at Jamnagar, is joining state-run refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp in importing US&nbsp;crude. The&nbsp;purchase&nbsp;illustrates the vast reach of US&nbsp;oil exports since the government rescinded a decades-long ban at the end of 2015.</p>

<p>For this&nbsp;purchase,&nbsp;Reliance&nbsp;bought 1 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland and a similar-sized cargo of Eagle Ford&nbsp;crude, both of which are expected to arrive in November, the&nbsp;sources&nbsp;said.</p>

<p>US&nbsp;producer Occidental Petroleum Corp sold the WTI Midland cargo, they said.</p>

<p>Reliance&nbsp;did not respond to Reuters&#39; email seeking comments.</p>

<p>There was also no reply to an emailed request for comment from Occidental sent outside of US&nbsp;business hours.</p>

<p>Opportunities for Indian refiners to import more US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;increased after the discount for West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for US&nbsp;crude, to global benchmark Brent stretched to its widest since 2015 during September.</p>

<p>State-run Indian refiners have bought a total 7.85 million barrels of oil from the United States so far.</p>

<p>India&#39;s imports of US&nbsp;oil follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s visit to Washington in June when President Donald Trump said his country looked forward to exporting more energy products to India.</p>

<p>On Monday, Indian Oil, the country&#39;s top refiner, received its parcel of the US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;at the eastern port of Paradip, the company said in a statement.</p>

<p>Including the US&nbsp;as a source for&nbsp;crude&nbsp;imports for refiners will go a long way in mitigating the risk arising from geopolitical disruptions, Sanjay Sudhir, the joint secretary for international cooperation at the oil ministry, said in the Indian Oil statement.</p>

<p>US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;oil shipments to India have the potential to boost bilateral trade by up to $2 billion, the US&nbsp;embassy in India said in a statement on Monday.</p>


Reliance?bought 1 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate Midland and a similar-sized cargo of Eagle Ford?crude, both of which are expected to arrive in November

Reliance Industries Ltd has purchased crude oil cargoes from the United States for the first time, drawn by the lower price for US oil versus global benchmarks, three trade sources said on Tuesday. Reliance, the owner of the world’s biggest refining complex at Jamnagar, is joining state-run refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp in importing US crude. The purchase illustrates the vast reach of US oil exports since the government rescinded a decades-long ban at the end of 2015. For this purchase, Reliance bought 1 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland and a similar-sized cargo of Eagle Ford crude, both of which are expected to arrive in November, the sources said. US producer Occidental Petroleum Corp sold the WTI Midland cargo, they said. Reliance did not respond to Reuters' email seeking comments. There was also no reply to an emailed request for comment from Occidental sent outside of US business hours. Opportunities for Indian refiners to import more US crude increased after the discount for West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for US crude, to global benchmark Brent stretched to its widest since 2015 during September. State-run Indian refiners have bought a total 7.85 million barrels of oil from the United States so far. India's imports of US oil follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington in June when President Donald Trump said his country looked forward to exporting more energy products to India. On Monday, Indian Oil, the country's top refiner, received its parcel of the US crude at the eastern port of Paradip, the company said in a statement. Including the US as a source for crude imports for refiners will go a long way in mitigating the risk arising from geopolitical disruptions, Sanjay Sudhir, the joint secretary for international cooperation at the oil ministry, said in the Indian Oil statement. US crude oil shipments to India have the potential to boost bilateral trade by up to $2 billion, the US embassy in India said in a statement on Monday.

Reliance, state-run oil cos buy US crude for first time

<p>US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed the prospect of talks with North Korea as a waste of time a day after his own secretary of state said the United States was maintaining open lines of communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.</p>

<p>&quot;I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim and seeming to contradict the top US&nbsp;diplomat.</p>

<p>Trump, who has traded insults and threats with Kim in recent weeks amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang&rsquo;s nuclear and missile programs, later tweeted that his White House predecessors, Bill Clinton, George W&nbsp;Bush and Barack Obama, had all &quot;failed&quot; on North Korea by &quot;Being nice to Rocket Man,&rdquo;</p>

<p>&ldquo;So why would it work now?&quot; he asked.</p>

<p>Kim succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, as North Korean leader in 2011, during Obama&#39;s administration. Previous presidents negotiated with Pyongyang but ultimately failed to prevent it from pressing ahead with its internationally condemned weapons programs.</p>

<p>Tillerson disclosed on Saturday that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue.</p>

<p>&quot;Save your energy Rex, we&#39;ll do what has to be done!&quot; Trump said.</p>

<p>Tillerson said during a trip to China that the United States had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, the first such disclosure from the Trump administration, and that it was probing North Korea to see whether it was interested in dialogue.</p>

<p>Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.</p>

<p>&quot;We are probing, so stay tuned,&quot; Tillerson told a small group of reporters. &quot;We ask: &#39;Would you like to talk?&#39;&quot; He said the United States had &quot;a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>Aides downplay communication channels</strong></p>

<p>A senior Trump administration official, asked for clarification about Trump&#39;s Sunday morning tweets, played down the significance of the communication channels.</p>

<p>&quot;At a time when North Korea is continuing its provocations, the president does not think now is the time to negotiate with them,&quot; the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.</p>

<p>The official also said that to the extent that diplomatic channels exist between Washington and Pyongyang, they are aimed at securing the return of Americans detained by North Korea.</p>

<p>RC&nbsp;Hammond, an adviser to Tillerson, denied that his boss had been undercut by Trump&rsquo;s tweets and rejected any suggestion that the secretary of state should resign.</p>

<p>&quot;Let&#39;s resign the idea of resignation. The President just made it clear to the Kim regime the diplomatic offer on the table is cooling,&quot; Hammond said on Twitter.</p>

<p>He also downplayed any contacts.</p>

<p>&quot;Channels have been open for months. They&#39;ve been unused and cooling for months,&quot; Hammond wrote.</p>

<p>State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert made a similar point on Sunday. &quot;Diplomatic channels are open for #KimJongUn for now. They won&#39;t be open forever,&quot; she wrote on Twitter.</p>

<p>U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, wrote on Twitter: &quot;If Tillerson is wasting his time, it&rsquo;s only because his boss fails to understand the catastrophic consequences of war on Korean Peninsula.&quot;</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s rhetoric on North Korea has run the gamut, from personal attacks on Kim to veiled military threats, from a denial of any interest in talks to an insistence that he would prefer a diplomatic solution.</p>

<p>After announcing new US&nbsp;sanctions on North Korea last month, he acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking: &quot;Why not?&quot;. But he has also frequently declared that he had military options at its disposal, although US&nbsp;officials and outside experts have long said a U.S. strike on North Korea would risk massive casualties.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Trump wrote on Twitter that he 'is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man'

US President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed the prospect of talks with North Korea as a waste of time a day after his own secretary of state said the United States was maintaining open lines of communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. "I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Kim and seeming to contradict the top US diplomat. Trump, who has traded insults and threats with Kim in recent weeks amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, later tweeted that his White House predecessors, Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama, had all "failed" on North Korea by "Being nice to Rocket Man,” “So why would it work now?" he asked. Kim succeeded his father, Kim Jong Il, as North Korean leader in 2011, during Obama's administration. Previous presidents negotiated with Pyongyang but ultimately failed to prevent it from pressing ahead with its internationally condemned weapons programs. Tillerson disclosed on Saturday that the United States was directly communicating with North Korea on its nuclear and missile programs but that Pyongyang had shown no interest in dialogue. "Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!" Trump said. Tillerson said during a trip to China that the United States had multiple direct channels of communication with Pyongyang, the first such disclosure from the Trump administration, and that it was probing North Korea to see whether it was interested in dialogue. Tillerson expressed hope for reducing tensions with North Korea, which is fast advancing toward its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. "We are probing, so stay tuned," Tillerson told a small group of reporters. "We ask: 'Would you like to talk?'" He said the United States had "a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang." Aides downplay communication channels A senior Trump administration official, asked for clarification about Trump's Sunday morning tweets, played down the significance of the communication channels. "At a time when North Korea is continuing its provocations, the president does not think now is the time to negotiate with them," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official also said that to the extent that diplomatic channels exist between Washington and Pyongyang, they are aimed at securing the return of Americans detained by North Korea. RC Hammond, an adviser to Tillerson, denied that his boss had been undercut by Trump’s tweets and rejected any suggestion that the secretary of state should resign. "Let's resign the idea of resignation. The President just made it clear to the Kim regime the diplomatic offer on the table is cooling," Hammond said on Twitter. He also downplayed any contacts. "Channels have been open for months. They've been unused and cooling for months," Hammond wrote. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert made a similar point on Sunday. "Diplomatic channels are open for #KimJongUn for now. They won't be open forever," she wrote on Twitter. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, wrote on Twitter: "If Tillerson is wasting his time, it’s only because his boss fails to understand the catastrophic consequences of war on Korean Peninsula." Trump's rhetoric on North Korea has run the gamut, from personal attacks on Kim to veiled military threats, from a denial of any interest in talks to an insistence that he would prefer a diplomatic solution. After announcing new US sanctions on North Korea last month, he acknowledged diplomacy was still possible, asking: "Why not?". But he has also frequently declared that he had military options at its disposal, although US officials and outside experts have long said a U.S. strike on North Korea would risk massive casualties.

Trump contradicts Tillerson, dismisses talks with North Korea as 'waste of time'

<p>China is making progress in enforcing sanctions imposed on North Korea, a US State Department official said on Thursday, and urged skeptical members of Congress not to rush to enact new ones before giving Beijing&#39;s efforts a chance to take effect.</p>

<p>&quot;We are working closely with China to execute this strategy and are clear-eyed in viewing the progress, growing, if uneven, that China has made on this front,&quot; State Department Assistant Secretary Susan Thornton told a Senate hearing just before leaving for China with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.</p>

<p>&quot;We do see Chinese policy shifting,&quot; she said, as members of the Senate Banking Committee advocated for tougher action to clamp down on Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear and missile development.</p>

<p>Tensions have been rising on the Korean Peninsula as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump exchange war-like threats and insults.</p>

<p>On Thursday, South Korea said it expects more provocative acts by North Korea next month to coincide with the founding of its communist party.</p>

<p>Several committee members want harsher measures, including secondary sanctions targeting Chinese banks and companies doing business with North Korea, and measures to bar oil imports.</p>

<p>Thornton and the other witness, Treasury Department Under Secretary Sigal Mandelker, said Congress should not do anything that could interfere with efforts to find a diplomatic solution.</p>

<p>&quot;When our hands are tied in different ways, it keeps us from being agile in the way that you would want us to be agile,&quot; Mandelker said.</p>

<p>Trump ordered new sanctions against North Korea last week, including on its shipping and trade networks, showing he was giving more time for economic pressures to address the crisis after repeated warnings about possible military action.</p>

<p>&quot;We are able and have the authority to target any company that&#39;s continuing to trade with North Korea in any industry,&quot; Mandelker said, when asked about the prospect of cutting off Chinese oil exports to North Korea.</p>

<p>Several committee members noted that North Korea&#39;s economy has grown in recent months, and said China must do more.</p>

<p>&quot;The consensus in Washington is that China is a partner in this issue. I do not think that that is the case,&quot; Republican Senator Tom Cotton said.</p>

<p>China&#39;s Commerce Ministry Thursday said that, following the latest UN sanctions passed on Sept. 12, North Korean firms in China and joint ventures in China and overseas would be shut down by January.</p>

<p>China says it will strictly and fully enforce UN resolutions against North Korea, but has also repeatedly called for more efforts to be made to get talks restarted and for there to be a diplomatic solution, warning war would bring disaster.</p>

<p>On Friday, the official China Daily said in an editorial the latest sanctions needed time before they would begin to bite.</p>

<p>&quot;But to ensure that the worst-case outcome does not materialise, while further coordinating their stances on the implementation of the UN sanctions to make sure they work, Beijing and Washington also need to discuss what else they can do to resolve the peninsula crisis peacefully,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>( Also Read :<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/absurd-us-on-north-koreas-allegations-of-trump-declaring-war-20652" target="_blank"> &#39;Absurd&#39;: </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/absurd-us-on-north-koreas-allegations-of-trump-declaring-war-20652" target="_blank">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/absurd-us-on-north-koreas-allegations-of-trump-declaring-war-20652" target="_blank"> on North Korea&#39;s allegations of Trump declaring war</a>)&nbsp;</p>


China is making progress in enforcing sanctions imposed on North Korea, a US State Department official said on Thursday, and urged skeptical members of Congress not to rush to enact new ones before giving Beijing's efforts a chance to take effect

China is making progress in enforcing sanctions imposed on North Korea, a US State Department official said on Thursday, and urged skeptical members of Congress not to rush to enact new ones before giving Beijing's efforts a chance to take effect. "We are working closely with China to execute this strategy and are clear-eyed in viewing the progress, growing, if uneven, that China has made on this front," State Department Assistant Secretary Susan Thornton told a Senate hearing just before leaving for China with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. "We do see Chinese policy shifting," she said, as members of the Senate Banking Committee advocated for tougher action to clamp down on Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development. Tensions have been rising on the Korean Peninsula as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump exchange war-like threats and insults. On Thursday, South Korea said it expects more provocative acts by North Korea next month to coincide with the founding of its communist party. Several committee members want harsher measures, including secondary sanctions targeting Chinese banks and companies doing business with North Korea, and measures to bar oil imports. Thornton and the other witness, Treasury Department Under Secretary Sigal Mandelker, said Congress should not do anything that could interfere with efforts to find a diplomatic solution. "When our hands are tied in different ways, it keeps us from being agile in the way that you would want us to be agile," Mandelker said. Trump ordered new sanctions against North Korea last week, including on its shipping and trade networks, showing he was giving more time for economic pressures to address the crisis after repeated warnings about possible military action. "We are able and have the authority to target any company that's continuing to trade with North Korea in any industry," Mandelker said, when asked about the prospect of cutting off Chinese oil exports to North Korea. Several committee members noted that North Korea's economy has grown in recent months, and said China must do more. "The consensus in Washington is that China is a partner in this issue. I do not think that that is the case," Republican Senator Tom Cotton said. China's Commerce Ministry Thursday said that, following the latest UN sanctions passed on Sept. 12, North Korean firms in China and joint ventures in China and overseas would be shut down by January. China says it will strictly and fully enforce UN resolutions against North Korea, but has also repeatedly called for more efforts to be made to get talks restarted and for there to be a diplomatic solution, warning war would bring disaster. On Friday, the official China Daily said in an editorial the latest sanctions needed time before they would begin to bite. "But to ensure that the worst-case outcome does not materialise, while further coordinating their stances on the implementation of the UN sanctions to make sure they work, Beijing and Washington also need to discuss what else they can do to resolve the peninsula crisis peacefully," it said. ( Also Read : 'Absurd': US on North Korea's allegations of Trump declaring war)

China support for North Korea clampdown growing: US official

<p>The White House has launched an internal probe of the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kushner-used-personal-email-for-wh-business-20613"> use of private email for official business</a> by senior aides to President Donald Trump, news outlet Politico reported Thursday.</p>

<p>The administration is scouring the White House server for emails to and from private email accounts of these aides, Politico said, quoting four people familiar with the probe.</p>

<p>Politico said at least five current and former White House officials used private email to conduct government business: Trump&#39;s son in law and adviser Jared&nbsp;Kushner, daughter Ivanka, economic adviser Gary Cohn, former strategic adviser Steve Bannon and former chief of staff Reince Priebus.</p>

<p>Politico said the probe began this week after it reported private email use by&nbsp;Kushner.</p>

<p>The internal probe could take weeks or even months, it said.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s White House legal staff is reviewing the accounts to see if any of the messages sent relate to the Russia probes being carried out by two congressional panels and special counsel Robert Mueller, Politico quoted one of its sources as saying.</p>

<p>As a candidate, Trump routinely attacked his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, telling supporters &quot;she has to go to jail&quot; over the affair.</p>

<p>Politico reported Monday that&nbsp;Kushner&nbsp;used a personal account to send messages to senior White House officials and outside advisers about media coverage, planning events, and other issues.</p>

<p>There is no suggestion the emails contained highly sensitive information or were classified, it added, but they could fall foul of the Presidential Records Act, which requires all documents related to the president&#39;s personal and political activities to be archived.</p>

<p>Kushner&#39;s numerous responsibilities within the Trump administration include trying to broker peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</p>

<p>In addition to the email controversy,&nbsp;Kushner&nbsp;is facing scrutiny over the Trump campaign&#39;s alleged collusion with Russia to interfere in the 2016 US election, which is the subject of the probes in Congress and by Mueller.</p>


The administration is scouring the White House server for emails to and from private email accounts of these aides, Politico said, quoting four people familiar with the probe

The White House has launched an internal probe of the use of private email for official business by senior aides to President Donald Trump, news outlet Politico reported Thursday. The administration is scouring the White House server for emails to and from private email accounts of these aides, Politico said, quoting four people familiar with the probe. Politico said at least five current and former White House officials used private email to conduct government business: Trump's son in law and adviser Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka, economic adviser Gary Cohn, former strategic adviser Steve Bannon and former chief of staff Reince Priebus. Politico said the probe began this week after it reported private email use by Kushner. The internal probe could take weeks or even months, it said. Trump's White House legal staff is reviewing the accounts to see if any of the messages sent relate to the Russia probes being carried out by two congressional panels and special counsel Robert Mueller, Politico quoted one of its sources as saying. As a candidate, Trump routinely attacked his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, telling supporters "she has to go to jail" over the affair. Politico reported Monday that Kushner used a personal account to send messages to senior White House officials and outside advisers about media coverage, planning events, and other issues. There is no suggestion the emails contained highly sensitive information or were classified, it added, but they could fall foul of the Presidential Records Act, which requires all documents related to the president's personal and political activities to be archived. Kushner's numerous responsibilities within the Trump administration include trying to broker peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition to the email controversy, Kushner is facing scrutiny over the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with Russia to interfere in the 2016 US election, which is the subject of the probes in Congress and by Mueller.

White House probing use of private email

<p>The US Senate on Thursday&nbsp;confirmed&nbsp;businessman, a veteran diplomat and former presidential candidate Jon&nbsp;Huntsman&nbsp;as&nbsp;ambassador&nbsp;to&nbsp;Russia, filling a crucial post as a probe of Moscow&#39;s influence on the American election widens.</p>

<p>The 57-year-old&nbsp;Huntsman, who served as governor of Utah, has worked in numerous US administrations, notably as&nbsp;ambassador&nbsp;to China under Democrat Barack Obama, before running unsuccessfully for president as a Republican in 2012.</p>

<p>Huntsman, who was&nbsp;confirmed&nbsp;by voice vote, said during his confirmation hearing that there is &quot;no question&quot;&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;interfered in the US presidential race and that Moscow continues to &quot;threaten stability&quot; in Europe.</p>


Jon Huntsman, who served as governor of Utah, has worked in numerous US administrations

The US Senate on Thursday confirmed businessman, a veteran diplomat and former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman as ambassador to Russia, filling a crucial post as a probe of Moscow's influence on the American election widens. The 57-year-old Huntsman, who served as governor of Utah, has worked in numerous US administrations, notably as ambassador to China under Democrat Barack Obama, before running unsuccessfully for president as a Republican in 2012. Huntsman, who was confirmed by voice vote, said during his confirmation hearing that there is "no question" Russia interfered in the US presidential race and that Moscow continues to "threaten stability" in Europe.

Jon Huntsman confirmed as US ambassador to Russia

<p>New York Fashion Week came to a glamorous end this year on 13th September with some of the hottest trends for&nbsp;spring/summer 2018.&nbsp;</p>

<p>From plus size models walking the ramp to various designers bringing in diversity in their shows, New York had a culturally rich fashion week&nbsp;of all times.</p>

<p>Some of the ramp styles that you would want to steal from this year&#39;s mega gala are the colour lilac in various hues and shades, the hands-free fanny pack that you can tie around the waist, comfortable yet stylish luxe garments that can be pulled off on the street and parties, sheer clothes, and glittery and dramatic shoes&nbsp;among some other hits.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While the fashion week ramp sizzled with glamour and style, the New York fashion circuit also saw an upgrade on the streets.&nbsp;</p>

<p>These are some of the most noteworthy street styles carried out by Instagram and YouTube celebrities during the event:</p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYyV5ZmlrZY/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Day 1 #nyfw2017 | All White everything ???? cape/vest is from @elliatt thank you @riviereagency for my day 1 outfit ????</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by heba jay ?? (@heba_jay) on <time datetime="2017-09-08T16:23:04+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 8, 2017 at 9:23am PDT</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY8cb4-gd0N/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">L O V E ?? S O C I E T Y @liketoknow.it http://liketk.it/2sGU5 #liketkit #ltkxnyfw #nyfw #nom #nomdotcom</a></p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY3q4gKA4r4/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Saw the @DanLiuDesign 2018 Spring Collection, it was beautiful ?? I&#39;m Wearing one of @danliudesign, Thanks To @RiviereAgency</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Shalom Blac ???? (@shalom_blac) on <time datetime="2017-09-10T18:02:39+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 10, 2017 at 11:02am PDT</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY3oZSPFiR1/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Day 2 - #NYFW ?? @federomerofoto Bag @henribendel | Shoes @flystoreoficial . . #ny #nyfwss18 #streetstyle #fashionweek #joiceoliveira #joistyle #oitd #ootn #outfit #ny #city #latepost #bendelgirl #bendelgirls #henribendel</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by JOICE OLIVEIRA (@joiceoliveira) on <time datetime="2017-09-10T17:40:55+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 10, 2017 at 10:40am PDT</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY39pwfHXL5/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Saw the amazing @danliudesign today for #NYFW, had the honor of getting dressed for his show and sat front row, and then finally got to meet him at the end. ?? Onto @leannemarshallofficial and @jarelzhang_official ??: @robbiebulilan Follow along my stories to see my night from @philippplein78 and @21savage and @future performing! Saw @nickiminaj too ?? ??????????????????????If you haven&#39;t already, vote for me today for #MaximsFinest! Link is in bio or you can click here to vote: www.maximsfinest.com/2017/kasey-ma ??</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Kasey Ma || theStyleWright (@thestylewright) on <time datetime="2017-09-10T20:46:40+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 10, 2017 at 1:46pm PDT</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY_I0NOH99f/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Back to school moment before the @coach fashion show ?? #nyfw</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Mary Leest (@maryleest) on <time datetime="2017-09-13T15:38:53+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 13, 2017 at 8:38am PDT</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY8lD__BiuN/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Last time I checked, I wasn&#39;t born to please anyone ??. Anyone else wish me? PC: @thestreetsensei // NYFW PHOTO DIARY (1 of 2) just hit the homepage. #nyfw</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Lynn Kim Do (@lynnkimdo) on <time datetime="2017-09-12T15:48:00+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 12, 2017 at 8:48am PDT</time></p>
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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY3YrM7BaKs/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">totally into this bag of skittles moment. candy anyone? ?? #womanist #nyfw @lisa.aiken @tamumcpherson</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Jan-Michael Quammie (@jan.quammie) on <time datetime="2017-09-10T15:23:33+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Sep 10, 2017 at 8:23am PDT</time></p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The ministry said the companies, including joint ventures with Chinese firms, have 120 days to close from the date the United Nations resolution was adopted

New York Fashion Week came to a glamorous end this year on 13th September with some of the hottest trends for spring/summer 2018. From plus size models walking the ramp to various designers bringing in diversity in their shows, New York had a culturally rich fashion week of all times. Some of the ramp styles that you would want to steal from this year's mega gala are the colour lilac in various hues and shades, the hands-free fanny pack that you can tie around the waist, comfortable yet stylish luxe garments that can be pulled off on the street and parties, sheer clothes, and glittery and dramatic shoes among some other hits. While the fashion week ramp sizzled with glamour and style, the New York fashion circuit also saw an upgrade on the streets. These are some of the most noteworthy street styles carried out by Instagram and YouTube celebrities during the event: Day 1 #nyfw2017 | All White everything ???? cape/vest is from @elliatt thank you @riviereagency for my day 1 outfit ???? A post shared by heba jay ?? (@heba_jay) on Sep 8, 2017 at 9:23am PDT × L O V E ?? S O C I E T Y @liketoknow.it http://liketk.it/2sGU5 #liketkit #ltkxnyfw #nyfw #nom #nomdotcom A post shared by Lauren Recchia (@northofmanhattan) on Sep 12, 2017 at 7:32am PDT × Saw the @DanLiuDesign 2018 Spring Collection, it was beautiful ?? I'm Wearing one of @danliudesign, Thanks To @RiviereAgency A post shared by Shalom Blac ???? (@shalom_blac) on Sep 10, 2017 at 11:02am PDT × Day 2 - #NYFW ?? @federomerofoto Bag @henribendel | Shoes @flystoreoficial . . #ny #nyfwss18 #streetstyle #fashionweek #joiceoliveira #joistyle #oitd #ootn #outfit #ny #city #latepost #bendelgirl #bendelgirls #henribendel A post shared by JOICE OLIVEIRA (@joiceoliveira) on Sep 10, 2017 at 10:40am PDT × Saw the amazing @danliudesign today for #NYFW, had the honor of getting dressed for his show and sat front row, and then finally got to meet him at the end. ?? Onto @leannemarshallofficial and @jarelzhang_official ??: @robbiebulilan Follow along my stories to see my night from @philippplein78 and @21savage and @future performing! Saw @nickiminaj too ?? ??????????????????????If you haven't already, vote for me today for #MaximsFinest! Link is in bio or you can click here to vote: www.maximsfinest.com/2017/kasey-ma ?? A post shared by Kasey Ma || theStyleWright (@thestylewright) on Sep 10, 2017 at 1:46pm PDT × Back to school moment before the @coach fashion show ?? #nyfw A post shared by Mary Leest (@maryleest) on Sep 13, 2017 at 8:38am PDT × Last time I checked, I wasn't born to please anyone ??. Anyone else wish me? PC: @thestreetsensei // NYFW PHOTO DIARY (1 of 2) just hit the homepage. #nyfw A post shared by Lynn Kim Do (@lynnkimdo) on Sep 12, 2017 at 8:48am PDT × totally into this bag of skittles moment. candy anyone? ?? #womanist #nyfw @lisa.aiken @tamumcpherson A post shared by Jan-Michael Quammie (@jan.quammie) on Sep 10, 2017 at 8:23am PDT ×

N. Korean firms in China ordered to close by January

<p>Donald&nbsp;Trump&#39;s son-in-law and top&nbsp;aide, Jared&nbsp;Kushner, has been&nbsp;registered&nbsp;to&nbsp;vote&nbsp;as a&nbsp;woman&nbsp;for eight years, US media reported.</p>

<p>Voter information records held by New York show the presidential adviser&nbsp;whose portfolio includes everything from seeking peace in the Middle East to reining in the opioid crisis in the United States was&nbsp;registered&nbsp;as &quot;female.&quot;</p>

<p>The screenshot, published by Wired, is not the first time the young statesman has fallen foul of bureaucracy.&nbsp;(Also Read: <a href="http://http://www.wionews.com/world/jared-kushner-sought-secret-communications-line-with-russia-report-16095">Jared Kushner sought secret communications line with Russia: Report</a>)</p>

<p>Kushner, who is married to&nbsp;Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka, also filled out paperwork for his White House security clearance wrongly and had to refile it repeatedly, CBS reported.</p>

<p>Prior to 2009,&nbsp;Kushner&#39;s New Jersey voter registration noted his gender as &quot;unknown,&quot; according to The Hill&nbsp;news site.</p>

<p>Kushner, the scion of a wealthy property-owning family, is one of a number of&nbsp;Trump&#39;s inner circle previously found to have been&nbsp;registered&nbsp;to&nbsp;vote&nbsp;in more than one state during last year&#39;s&nbsp;election, the Washington Post has reported.</p>

<p>Others include ex-White House press secretary Sean Spicer and ex-lead strategist Stephen Bannon.</p>

<p>Multiple registrations were pointed to by the president as a sign of purported widespread voter fraud in the 2016&nbsp;election.&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said millions of people illegally cast votes for Hillary Clinton but has never substantiated his claim.</p>

<p>Kushner&nbsp;-- a person of interest in the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the US&nbsp;election&nbsp;-- has also recently been accused of using private email accounts to conduct government business.</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s insurgent presidential campaign was galvanized by supporters&#39; demands that Clinton be jailed for her use of private email servers while Secretary of State.</p>


Voter information records held by New York show the presidential adviser whose portfolio includes everything from seeking peace in the Middle East to reining in the opioid crisis in the United States was?registered?as "female."

Donald Trump's son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner, has been registered to vote as a woman for eight years, US media reported. Voter information records held by New York show the presidential adviser whose portfolio includes everything from seeking peace in the Middle East to reining in the opioid crisis in the United States was registered as "female." The screenshot, published by Wired, is not the first time the young statesman has fallen foul of bureaucracy. (Also Read: Jared Kushner sought secret communications line with Russia: Report) Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, also filled out paperwork for his White House security clearance wrongly and had to refile it repeatedly, CBS reported. Prior to 2009, Kushner's New Jersey voter registration noted his gender as "unknown," according to The Hill news site. Kushner, the scion of a wealthy property-owning family, is one of a number of Trump's inner circle previously found to have been registered to vote in more than one state during last year's election, the Washington Post has reported. Others include ex-White House press secretary Sean Spicer and ex-lead strategist Stephen Bannon. Multiple registrations were pointed to by the president as a sign of purported widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election. Trump said millions of people illegally cast votes for Hillary Clinton but has never substantiated his claim. Kushner -- a person of interest in the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the US election -- has also recently been accused of using private email accounts to conduct government business. Trump's insurgent presidential campaign was galvanized by supporters' demands that Clinton be jailed for her use of private email servers while Secretary of State.

Trump aide and son-in-law Kushner registered to vote as a woman: Reports

<p>US President Donald Trump is continuing his public attacks on prominent black athletes. Late last week, he urged National Football League (NFL) team owners to fire players who knelt in protest during the playing of the national anthem before the game. &ldquo;Get that son of a bitch off the field,&rdquo; Trump <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/22/politics/donald-trump-alabama-nfl/index.html">told a partisan crowd</a> in the conservative state of Alabama.</p>

<figure>The next day, he disinvited National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Steph Curry from the White House.</figure>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/911572182060453893">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Trump&rsquo;s remarks rankled black athletes in the NBA and NFL. His disinvitation of Curry, who is black, sounded a racial dog-whistle to those who believe African-Americans do not belong in the White House.</p>

<p>Trump&rsquo;s subsequent Twitter statements about the NFL suggest deeply troubling assumptions about the proper place of black athletes in public spaces.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!</p>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/912280282224525312">September 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>The history of White House visits</strong></p>

<p>The invitation of athletes to the White House appears apolitical. Presidents have customarily extended invitations to everyone from Little League World Series to Super Bowl winners. However, tradition has also always been intertwined with America&rsquo;s racial politics.</p>

<p>Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series winners have regularly visited the White House since the 1920s before black athletes <a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/jackie-robinson-baseball/articles-and-essays/baseball-the-color-line-and-jackie-robinson/1940-to-1946/">broke the colour line</a> (they were excluded from playing in the league at the time).</p>

<p>The first NBA team to visit the White House was the Boston Celtics in 1963, invited by then-president John F. Kennedy. The 1960s Celtics represented white America in the face of an increasingly African-American league.</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tZ0xeBftQus" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>White House visits seem innocuous, but they are political spectacles, with handshakes, photos and memorabilia exchanges. When athletes meet the president, they are used as vehicles to promote specific policies.</p>

<p>In the waning years of the Cold War, Ronald Reagan used these visits to symbolise American power, vigour and confidence through athletic achievement. In 1988, for example, Reagan tossed a tight spiral to visiting NFL wide receiver Ricky Sanders. Cameras caught this moment and transformed the president into a game-winning quarterback.</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J6g8E2Mmn8w" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>Not all athletes appreciate being used as a tool for policy. Increasingly, they have rejected invitations to the White House to express their discontent. The boycotts by whole teams like Curry&rsquo;s Golden State Warriors, however, is a new kind of demonstration made even more powerful by the fame of their top players.</p>

<p>A few days after the NBA finals concluded, Curry <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/06/14/stephen-curry-says-he-wouldnt-visit-white-house-if-invited/">promised to avoid the White House</a>. His teammates have been effusive in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGrgOcH-cKM">their support</a> of his stance. Coach Steve Kerr <a href="https://www.thescore.com/news/1380850">said</a>, &ldquo;he [Trump] was going to break up with us before we could break up with him&rdquo;.</p>

<p>The team also released <a href="http://www.nba.com/warriors/news/statement-20170923/">a statement</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that <strong>w</strong>e&rsquo;ll constructively use our trip to the nation&rsquo;s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion &ndash; the values that we embrace as an organisation.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Trump&rsquo;s comments have had the unintended effect of galvanising support of the whole league behind the Warriors. NBA players have taken to Twitter to openly mock him. The NBA&rsquo;s biggest star, LeBron James, tweeted:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">U bum <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30">@StephenCurry30</a> already said he ain&#39;t going! So therefore ain&#39;t no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!</p>
&mdash; LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/911610455877021697">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Alluding to the investigation of the Trump campaign&rsquo;s ties with Russia, Robin Lopez tweeted:</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It&#39;s ok <a href="https://twitter.com/warriors">@warriors</a>, in a few months <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> probably won&#39;t be able to visit the White House either</p>
&mdash; Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) <a href="https://twitter.com/rolopez42/status/911702252993122304">September 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><strong>Teeming player protests</strong></p>

<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<figcaption>In the NFL, then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/opinion/colin-kaepernick-football-protests.html?mcubz=3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">decision</a> to kneel during the national anthem was a protest originally directed against police violence, not Trump (who was not president at the time).</figcaption>
</figure>

<p>But Trump&rsquo;s words have now shifted the debate onto him, added legitimacy to the demonstrations, and perhaps roused a force powerful enough to battle his own celebrity brand. Trump has taken on the NFL before <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/09/24/donald-trump-nfl-usfl/">and lost</a>.</p>

<p>The NFL players&rsquo; union and the NFL commissioner &ndash; two sides usually at loggerheads &ndash; expressed joint anger over Trump&rsquo;s intervention in the league&rsquo;s affairs. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lamented Trump&rsquo;s <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/352031-nfl-commissioner-trumps-divisive-comments-show-a-lack-of">&ldquo;lack of respect&rdquo;</a> for the league. And the head of the union, DeMaurice Smith, <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/nflpa-apos-never-back-down-145606076.html">defiantly thundered</a> that the NFL Players Association would:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&hellip; never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The national anthem protests, which initially divided the league and the public, have become ubiquitous. On Sunday afternoon, whole teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, <a href="http://www.espn.com.au/nfl/story/_/id/20801902/pittsburgh-steelers-remain-locker-room-national-anthem">remained in their locker rooms</a> in a forceful rejection of Trump&rsquo;s remarks. The Ravens and the Jaguars, playing in London, knelt for the American national anthem but <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/24/in-rebuke-to-trump-ravens-and-jaguars-take-a-knee-in-london-during-us-national-anthem.html">stood respectfully</a> for &ldquo;God Save the Queen&rdquo;.</p>

<p>The kneeling players have been joined by <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/jaguars-owner-shad-khan-unites-players-defiance-trump-143949834.html">team owners</a>, <a href="http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/rico-lavelle-national-anthem-nfl-video-1202569454/">performers</a> and <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/cheerleader-kneeled-national-anthem-protest-goes-viral-195354161.html">cheerleaders</a>. The protest even spread to the more conservative and white MLB, when the Oakland A&rsquo;s Bruce Maxwell became the first player to <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/a%E2%80%99s-bruce-maxwell-first-mlb-player-to-kneel-for-anthem/ar-AAsoEz1">kneel during the national anthem</a>.</p>

<p>Trump&rsquo;s ill-timed comments have given legitimacy to claims of his racial animus. Until he disavows them, we can expect to see more players signalling their disapproval of his presidency.</p>

<p><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84605/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />The growing protests are a healthy new development for American sports. For too long, athletes have been the tools of statesmen. Today, however, they have begun to realise their power to be activists and undermine the political plans of the US president.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" nofollow="" rel="">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-us-sports-stars-are-taking-a-knee-against-trump-84605" nofollow="" rel="">original article</a>.</p>


War of words going on between prominent US sportspersons and US President Donald Trump, as he continued his racial comments on public forum

US President Donald Trump is continuing his public attacks on prominent black athletes. Late last week, he urged National Football League (NFL) team owners to fire players who knelt in protest during the playing of the national anthem before the game. “Get that son of a bitch off the field,” Trump told a partisan crowd in the conservative state of Alabama. The next day, he disinvited National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Steph Curry from the White House. Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017 × Trump’s remarks rankled black athletes in the NBA and NFL. His disinvitation of Curry, who is black, sounded a racial dog-whistle to those who believe African-Americans do not belong in the White House. Trump’s subsequent Twitter statements about the NFL suggest deeply troubling assumptions about the proper place of black athletes in public spaces. The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 25, 2017 × The history of White House visits The invitation of athletes to the White House appears apolitical. Presidents have customarily extended invitations to everyone from Little League World Series to Super Bowl winners. However, tradition has also always been intertwined with America’s racial politics. Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series winners have regularly visited the White House since the 1920s before black athletes broke the colour line (they were excluded from playing in the league at the time). The first NBA team to visit the White House was the Boston Celtics in 1963, invited by then-president John F. Kennedy. The 1960s Celtics represented white America in the face of an increasingly African-American league. White House visits seem innocuous, but they are political spectacles, with handshakes, photos and memorabilia exchanges. When athletes meet the president, they are used as vehicles to promote specific policies. In the waning years of the Cold War, Ronald Reagan used these visits to symbolise American power, vigour and confidence through athletic achievement. In 1988, for example, Reagan tossed a tight spiral to visiting NFL wide receiver Ricky Sanders. Cameras caught this moment and transformed the president into a game-winning quarterback. Not all athletes appreciate being used as a tool for policy. Increasingly, they have rejected invitations to the White House to express their discontent. The boycotts by whole teams like Curry’s Golden State Warriors, however, is a new kind of demonstration made even more powerful by the fame of their top players. A few days after the NBA finals concluded, Curry promised to avoid the White House. His teammates have been effusive in their support of his stance. Coach Steve Kerr said, “he [Trump] was going to break up with us before we could break up with him”. The team also released a statement: In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion – the values that we embrace as an organisation. Trump’s comments have had the unintended effect of galvanising support of the whole league behind the Warriors. NBA players have taken to Twitter to openly mock him. The NBA’s biggest star, LeBron James, tweeted: U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up! — LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017 × Alluding to the investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia, Robin Lopez tweeted: It's ok @warriors, in a few months @realDonaldTrump probably won't be able to visit the White House either — Robin Lopez (@rolopez42) September 23, 2017 × Teeming player protests In the NFL, then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem was a protest originally directed against police violence, not Trump (who was not president at the time). But Trump’s words have now shifted the debate onto him, added legitimacy to the demonstrations, and perhaps roused a force powerful enough to battle his own celebrity brand. Trump has taken on the NFL before and lost. The NFL players’ union and the NFL commissioner – two sides usually at loggerheads – expressed joint anger over Trump’s intervention in the league’s affairs. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell lamented Trump’s “lack of respect” for the league. And the head of the union, DeMaurice Smith, defiantly thundered that the NFL Players Association would: … never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens. The national anthem protests, which initially divided the league and the public, have become ubiquitous. On Sunday afternoon, whole teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, remained in their locker rooms in a forceful rejection of Trump’s remarks. The Ravens and the Jaguars, playing in London, knelt for the American national anthem but stood respectfully for “God Save the Queen”. The kneeling players have been joined by team owners, performers and cheerleaders. The protest even spread to the more conservative and white MLB, when the Oakland A’s Bruce Maxwell became the first player to kneel during the national anthem. Trump’s ill-timed comments have given legitimacy to claims of his racial animus. Until he disavows them, we can expect to see more players signalling their disapproval of his presidency. The growing protests are a healthy new development for American sports. For too long, athletes have been the tools of statesmen. Today, however, they have begun to realise their power to be activists and undermine the political plans of the US president. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Why the US sports stars are not standing up during the national anthem

<p>Donald Trump&#39;s pick in the Alabama Republican Senate runoff crashed to defeat Tuesday against a populist former judge, likely sending shockwaves through establishment Washington and denting the president&#39;s influence over his restless political base.<br />
The result is an embarrassing setback for Trump that highlights the deep divisions within his party and raises questions about its future direction as the GOP heads toward mid-term elections in 2018.</p>

<p>It also signals that many in the grassroots conservative movement that helped propel Trump to the White House are still fighting against the party leadership and its grip on Washington politics during a turbulent period in which Republicans have struggled to deliver on key campaign promises like health care reform.</p>

<p>With 65 out of 67 counties reporting, former Alabama state chief justice Roy Moore led incumbent Luther Strange by 54.9 per cent to 45.1 per cent.</p>

<p>Strange was appointed to the US Senate earlier this year to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, whom Trump picked to be his attorney general.</p>

<p>Moore hailed his win as a &quot;conservative victory&quot; for his state.</p>

<p>&quot;Because of you, tonight, the establishment has been DEFEATED in Alabama!&quot; he posted on Twitter.</p>

<p>Moore now becomes the heavy favorite in Alabama&#39;s special election to be held in December against Democratic nominee Doug Jones.</p>

<p>Trump offered his own congratulations to Moore, urging him in a tweet to &quot;WIN in Dec!&quot;</p>

<p>While Trump may be shifting his support to outsider Moore, the race in Alabama, in the heart of the Deep South, was the latest political battleground over the direction that the Republican leadership is taking the party in Washington.</p>

<p>In a political twist, the race was the stage for a proxy war of sorts between Trump and his recently ousted White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who backed Moore.</p>

<p>Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has also stumped for Moore, while current Vice President Mike Pence made a futile election-eve campaign appearance with Strange.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Trump was hoping to win a loyalist in Strange, 64, who has openly backed Trump&#39;s agenda.</p>

<p>But Trump&#39;s conservative base has signaled for months that it is not beholden to Republican leaders in Washington, and they could even break with the president in the Alabama race.</p>

<p>Trump hedged his bets last Friday, suggesting in a campaign appearance in Alabama that he &quot;might have made a mistake&quot; in endorsing Strange over Moore.</p>

<p>&quot;If his opponent wins, I&#39;m going to be here campaigning like hell for him&quot; in the general election, Trump said.</p>

<p>Moore has threatened to upend the Republican Party should he win the race, and has branded his opponent an &quot;establishment lackey&quot; to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.</p>

<p>He is a fierce enemy of McConnell, accusing him of rejecting conservative efforts to pull the agenda further to the right.</p>

<p>A political action committee affiliated with McConnell pumped several million dollars into support for Strange, prompting scorn from Bannon.</p>

<p>&quot;You&#39;re going to see it state after state after state, people that follow the model of judge Moore, that do not need to raise money from the elites, from the crony capitalists, from the fat cats in Washington, DC, New York City, Silicon Valley,&quot; he told Moore supporters at a victory rally in Alabama.</p>

<p>Moore is the more Trump-like of the candidates: opinionated, unconcerned about whom he may offend and desperate to upend the elite system that rules the US capital.</p>

<p>&quot;For whatever reason, God has put me in this election at this time, and all the nation is watching&quot; the Alabama race, Moore said Monday night in his final campaign rally before the primary election.</p>

<p>Bannon, who campaigned with Moore on Monday, joined in the Washington bashing, accusing party elites of thinking Alabama voters are nothing but &quot;a pack of morons.&quot;<br />
Alabama has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in a quarter century, so Moore is expected to become Alabama&#39;s next senator.</p>

<p>The 70-year-old was twice suspended from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and fighting against orders to remove a 10 Commandments monument from the court house.</p>

<p>His defiance made him a local hero to many, and that anti-establishment streak was on display Monday, when Moore, wearing a cowboy hat and vest, pulled a small pistol from his pocket and brandished it briefly before the crowd to show his support for gun rights.</p>


The result is an embarrassing setback for Trump that highlights the deep divisions within his party and raises questions about its future direction as the GOP heads toward mid-term elections in 2018.

Donald Trump's pick in the Alabama Republican Senate runoff crashed to defeat Tuesday against a populist former judge, likely sending shockwaves through establishment Washington and denting the president's influence over his restless political base. The result is an embarrassing setback for Trump that highlights the deep divisions within his party and raises questions about its future direction as the GOP heads toward mid-term elections in 2018. It also signals that many in the grassroots conservative movement that helped propel Trump to the White House are still fighting against the party leadership and its grip on Washington politics during a turbulent period in which Republicans have struggled to deliver on key campaign promises like health care reform. With 65 out of 67 counties reporting, former Alabama state chief justice Roy Moore led incumbent Luther Strange by 54.9 per cent to 45.1 per cent. Strange was appointed to the US Senate earlier this year to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, whom Trump picked to be his attorney general. Moore hailed his win as a "conservative victory" for his state. "Because of you, tonight, the establishment has been DEFEATED in Alabama!" he posted on Twitter. Moore now becomes the heavy favorite in Alabama's special election to be held in December against Democratic nominee Doug Jones. Trump offered his own congratulations to Moore, urging him in a tweet to "WIN in Dec!" While Trump may be shifting his support to outsider Moore, the race in Alabama, in the heart of the Deep South, was the latest political battleground over the direction that the Republican leadership is taking the party in Washington. In a political twist, the race was the stage for a proxy war of sorts between Trump and his recently ousted White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who backed Moore. Former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has also stumped for Moore, while current Vice President Mike Pence made a futile election-eve campaign appearance with Strange. Trump was hoping to win a loyalist in Strange, 64, who has openly backed Trump's agenda. But Trump's conservative base has signaled for months that it is not beholden to Republican leaders in Washington, and they could even break with the president in the Alabama race. Trump hedged his bets last Friday, suggesting in a campaign appearance in Alabama that he "might have made a mistake" in endorsing Strange over Moore. "If his opponent wins, I'm going to be here campaigning like hell for him" in the general election, Trump said. Moore has threatened to upend the Republican Party should he win the race, and has branded his opponent an "establishment lackey" to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He is a fierce enemy of McConnell, accusing him of rejecting conservative efforts to pull the agenda further to the right. A political action committee affiliated with McConnell pumped several million dollars into support for Strange, prompting scorn from Bannon. "You're going to see it state after state after state, people that follow the model of judge Moore, that do not need to raise money from the elites, from the crony capitalists, from the fat cats in Washington, DC, New York City, Silicon Valley," he told Moore supporters at a victory rally in Alabama. Moore is the more Trump-like of the candidates: opinionated, unconcerned about whom he may offend and desperate to upend the elite system that rules the US capital. "For whatever reason, God has put me in this election at this time, and all the nation is watching" the Alabama race, Moore said Monday night in his final campaign rally before the primary election. Bannon, who campaigned with Moore on Monday, joined in the Washington bashing, accusing party elites of thinking Alabama voters are nothing but "a pack of morons." Alabama has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in a quarter century, so Moore is expected to become Alabama's next senator. The 70-year-old was twice suspended from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and fighting against orders to remove a 10 Commandments monument from the court house. His defiance made him a local hero to many, and that anti-establishment streak was on display Monday, when Moore, wearing a cowboy hat and vest, pulled a small pistol from his pocket and brandished it briefly before the crowd to show his support for gun rights.

Trump-backed Republican defeated in US Senate runoff

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-signs-order-to-build-wall-along-mexico-border-11693" target="_blank">President Donald Trump&#39;s border&nbsp;wall&nbsp;with&nbsp;Mexico</a>&nbsp;came a&nbsp;step closer to reality on September 26 as construction and testing of prototype structures that will influence the design of the divisive project began.</p>

<p>&quot;Today marks a significant milestone in the implementation of the President&#39;s executive order on border security and immigration improvement,&quot; said acting chief border patrol agent Roy Villareal at the construction site.</p>

<p>&quot;Construction of the eight&nbsp;wall&nbsp;prototypes began today here in San Diego,&quot; he said, adding that four of the structures will be made of concrete and four others will be comprised of other materials he didn&#39;t name.</p>

<p>Trump has insisted&nbsp;Mexico should pay for building the&nbsp;wall, which experts said could cost about $22 billion and take more than three years to complete. With<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-border-wall-decision-hacks-off-mexicans-11700" target="_blank">&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;refusing to pay,</a> Trump has said since taking office in January that the&nbsp;wall&nbsp;will initially need US funding but that he will find a way to make&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;ultimately pay for it.</p>

<p>Last month the Trump administration said it had selected four construction companies to build concrete prototypes for a&nbsp;wall, which will be&nbsp;30 feet (9 meters) tall and about 30 feet wide and will be tested in San Diego.</p>

<p>Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/tens-of-thousands-protest-against-trump-in-mexico-12325" target="_blank">Tens of thousands protest against Trump in Mexico</a>)</p>

<p>Villareal said the prototype phase is expected to last 30 days and that he expects protests at the site during that time.</p>

<p>&quot;We expect that there may be protesting and we are going to do everything to make sure that we provide that opportunity and we maintain civility and lawfulness along the border,&quot; he said.</p>


President Donald Trump's border?wall?with?Mexico?came on step closer to reality on September 26 as construction and testing of prototype structures that will influence the design of the divisive project began

President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico came a step closer to reality on September 26 as construction and testing of prototype structures that will influence the design of the divisive project began. "Today marks a significant milestone in the implementation of the President's executive order on border security and immigration improvement," said acting chief border patrol agent Roy Villareal at the construction site. "Construction of the eight wall prototypes began today here in San Diego," he said, adding that four of the structures will be made of concrete and four others will be comprised of other materials he didn't name. Trump has insisted Mexico should pay for building the wall, which experts said could cost about $22 billion and take more than three years to complete. With Mexico refusing to pay, Trump has said since taking office in January that the wall will initially need US funding but that he will find a way to make Mexico ultimately pay for it. Last month the Trump administration said it had selected four construction companies to build concrete prototypes for a wall, which will be 30 feet (9 meters) tall and about 30 feet wide and will be tested in San Diego. Also Read: Tens of thousands protest against Trump in Mexico) Villareal said the prototype phase is expected to last 30 days and that he expects protests at the site during that time. "We expect that there may be protesting and we are going to do everything to make sure that we provide that opportunity and we maintain civility and lawfulness along the border," he said.

Trump's Mexico border wall goes into prototype phase

<p>President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that any US&nbsp;military option would be &quot;devastating&quot; for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washington&#39;s first option to deal with the country&#39;s ballistic and nuclear weapons programme.<br />
<br />
&quot;We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option,&quot; Trump said at a White House news conference, referring to military force. &quot;But if we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea. That&#39;s called the military option. If we have to take it, we will.&quot;<br />
<br />
Bellicose statements by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent weeks have created fears that a miscalculation could lead to action with untold ramifications, particularly since Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3.</p>

<p>Despite the increased tension, the United States has not detected any change in North Korea&#39;s military posture reflecting an increased threat, the top US&nbsp;military officer said on Tuesday.</p>

<p>The assessment by Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US&nbsp;Joint Chiefs of Staff, about Pyongyang&#39;s military stance was in contrast to a South Korean lawmaker who said Pyongyang had boosted defences on its east coast.</p>

<p>&quot;While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven&#39;t seen a change in the posture of North Korean forces, and we watch that very closely,&quot; Dunford told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his reappointment to his post.</p>

<p>In terms of a sense of urgency, &quot;North Korea certainly poses the greatest threat today,&quot; Dunford testified.</p>

<p>A US&nbsp;official speaking on the condition of anonymity said satellite imagery had detected a small number of North Korean military aircraft moving to the North&#39;s east coast. However, the official said the activity did not change their assessment of Pyongyang&#39;s military posture.</p>

<p>North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused Trump of declaring war on the North and threatened that Pyongyang would shoot down US&nbsp;warplanes flying near the Korean Peninsula after American bombers flew close to it last Saturday. Ri was reacting to Trump`s Twitter comments that Kim and Ri &quot;won`t be around much longer&quot; if they acted on their threats towards the United States.</p>

<p>North Korea has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the US&nbsp;mainland, which Trump has said he will never allow. Dunford said Pyongyang will have a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile &quot;soon,&quot; and it was only a matter of a &quot;very short time&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;We clearly have postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict,&quot; the general said, adding that the United States has taken &quot;all proper measures to protect our allies&quot; including South Korean and Japan.</p>

<p>&quot;It would be an incredibly provocative thing for them to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific as they have suggested, and I think the North Korean people would have to realise how serious that would be, not only for the United States but for the international community,&quot; Dunford said.</p>

<p>South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol-uoo, briefed by the country&#39;s spy agency, said North Korea was bolstering its defences by moving aircraft to its east coast and taking other measures after the flight by US&nbsp;bombers. Lee said the United States appeared to have disclosed the flight route intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware.</p>

<p>US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew east of North Korea in a show of force after the heated exchange of rhetoric between Trump and Kim.</p>

<p>The United States has imposed sanctions on 26 people as part of its non-proliferation designations for North Korea and nine banks, including some with ties to China, the US&nbsp;Treasury Department&#39;s Office Of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions said on Tuesday.</p>

<p>The US&nbsp;sanctions target people in North Korea and some North Korean nationals in China, Russia, Libya and Dubai, according to a list posted on the agency&#39;s website.</p>

<p><strong>Capability to deter</strong><br />
<br />
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China from Thursday to Saturday for talks with senior officials that will include the crisis over North Korea and trade, the State Department said on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Evans Revere, a former senior diplomat who met with a North Korean delegation in Switzerland this month, said that Pyongyang had been reaching out to &quot;organizations and individuals&quot; to encourage talks with former U.S. officials to get a sense of the Trump administration`s thinking.</p>

<p>&quot;They`ve also been accepting invitations to attend dialogues hosted by others, including the Swiss and the Russians,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Revere said his best guess for why the North Koreans were doing this was because they were &quot;puzzled by the unconventional way that President Trump has been handling the North Korea issue&quot; and were eager to use &quot;informal and unofficial meetings to gain a better understanding of what is motivating Trump and his administration&quot;.</p>

<p>During a visit to India, US&nbsp;Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said diplomatic efforts continued.</p>

<p>Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean Peninsula would have no winner.</p>

<p>&quot;We hope the US and North Korean politicians have sufficient political judgement to realise that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns,&quot; Lu said.</p>

<p>South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged Kim Jong Un to resume military talks and reunions of families split by the 1950-53 Korean War to ease tension.</p>

<p>&quot;Like I&#39;ve said multiple times before, if North Korea stops its reckless choices, the table for talks and negotiations always remains open,&quot; Moon said.</p>

<p>In Moscow, Russia`s Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that it plans to hold talks with a representative of North Korea`s foreign ministry who is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday, the RIA news agency cited the North`s embassy to Russia as saying.</p>

<p>The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


President Trump said the use of force was not Washington's first option to deal with the country's ballistic and nuclear weapons programme

President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Tuesday that any US military option would be "devastating" for Pyongyang, but said the use of force was not Washington's first option to deal with the country's ballistic and nuclear weapons programme. "We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option," Trump said at a White House news conference, referring to military force. "But if we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that, devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will." Bellicose statements by Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent weeks have created fears that a miscalculation could lead to action with untold ramifications, particularly since Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3. Despite the increased tension, the United States has not detected any change in North Korea's military posture reflecting an increased threat, the top US military officer said on Tuesday. The assessment by Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, about Pyongyang's military stance was in contrast to a South Korean lawmaker who said Pyongyang had boosted defences on its east coast. "While the political space is clearly very charged right now, we haven't seen a change in the posture of North Korean forces, and we watch that very closely," Dunford told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his reappointment to his post. In terms of a sense of urgency, "North Korea certainly poses the greatest threat today," Dunford testified. A US official speaking on the condition of anonymity said satellite imagery had detected a small number of North Korean military aircraft moving to the North's east coast. However, the official said the activity did not change their assessment of Pyongyang's military posture. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Monday accused Trump of declaring war on the North and threatened that Pyongyang would shoot down US warplanes flying near the Korean Peninsula after American bombers flew close to it last Saturday. Ri was reacting to Trump`s Twitter comments that Kim and Ri "won`t be around much longer" if they acted on their threats towards the United States. North Korea has been working to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the US mainland, which Trump has said he will never allow. Dunford said Pyongyang will have a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile "soon," and it was only a matter of a "very short time". "We clearly have postured our forces to respond in the event of a provocation or a conflict," the general said, adding that the United States has taken "all proper measures to protect our allies" including South Korean and Japan. "It would be an incredibly provocative thing for them to conduct a nuclear test in the Pacific as they have suggested, and I think the North Korean people would have to realise how serious that would be, not only for the United States but for the international community," Dunford said. South Korean lawmaker Lee Cheol-uoo, briefed by the country's spy agency, said North Korea was bolstering its defences by moving aircraft to its east coast and taking other measures after the flight by US bombers. Lee said the United States appeared to have disclosed the flight route intentionally because North Korea seemed to be unaware. US Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers, escorted by fighter jets, flew east of North Korea in a show of force after the heated exchange of rhetoric between Trump and Kim. The United States has imposed sanctions on 26 people as part of its non-proliferation designations for North Korea and nine banks, including some with ties to China, the US Treasury Department's Office Of Foreign Assets Control Sanctions said on Tuesday. The US sanctions target people in North Korea and some North Korean nationals in China, Russia, Libya and Dubai, according to a list posted on the agency's website. Capability to deter US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit China from Thursday to Saturday for talks with senior officials that will include the crisis over North Korea and trade, the State Department said on Tuesday. Evans Revere, a former senior diplomat who met with a North Korean delegation in Switzerland this month, said that Pyongyang had been reaching out to "organizations and individuals" to encourage talks with former U.S. officials to get a sense of the Trump administration`s thinking. "They`ve also been accepting invitations to attend dialogues hosted by others, including the Swiss and the Russians," he said. Revere said his best guess for why the North Koreans were doing this was because they were "puzzled by the unconventional way that President Trump has been handling the North Korea issue" and were eager to use "informal and unofficial meetings to gain a better understanding of what is motivating Trump and his administration". During a visit to India, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said diplomatic efforts continued. Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said war on the Korean Peninsula would have no winner. "We hope the US and North Korean politicians have sufficient political judgement to realise that resorting to military force will never be a viable way to resolve the peninsula issue and their own concerns," Lu said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged Kim Jong Un to resume military talks and reunions of families split by the 1950-53 Korean War to ease tension. "Like I've said multiple times before, if North Korea stops its reckless choices, the table for talks and negotiations always remains open," Moon said. In Moscow, Russia`s Foreign Ministry said it was working behind the scenes to find a political solution and that it plans to hold talks with a representative of North Korea`s foreign ministry who is due to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday, the RIA news agency cited the North`s embassy to Russia as saying. The United States and South Korea are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce and not a peace treaty.

Military option for North Korea not preferred, but would be 'devastating': President Trump

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