US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday urged President Donald Trump&#39;s eldest son to testify to a congressional committee about alleged links between Trump&#39;s team and Russia in the 2016 presidential election campaign.

If he testified,&nbsp;Donald Trump Jr would be the first member of the Republican president&#39;s inner circle of relatives and White House aides to give testimony to congressional investigations into the Russia allegations.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, a Republican, planned to send a letter on Thursday to the younger Trump to ask him to appear before his committee in a public session, CNN reported.

Ryan, the top-ranking Republican in Congress, told a news conference he supported that.

&quot;I think any witness who&#39;s been asked to testify in Congress should do that,&quot; Ryan said.

Accusations that Moscow interfered in the election and colluded with the Trump campaign have dominated Trump&#39;s first months in office. Russia denies meddling in the campaign, and Trump says there was no collusion.

Trump Jr disclosed this week that he had met with a Russian lawyer last year who was said to be offering damaging information on Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump Jr eagerly agreed to meet the lawyer, who he was told by an intermediary was part of Moscow&#39;s official support for his father&#39;s campaign, according to emails the son released this week.

The emails were the most concrete evidence that Trump&#39;s campaign might have been willing to accept Russian help to win the election, a subject that has also prompted an investigation by a federal special counsel.

Trump said in Paris on Thursday that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, was a private attorney and not a Russian government lawyer, and that nothing of substance came of the meeting.

My son a wonderful young man: Donald Trump

&quot;My son is a wonderful young man. He took a meeting with a Russian lawyer, not a government lawyer but a Russian lawyer. It was a short meeting. It was a meeting that went very, very quickly, very fast,&quot; he said at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.

US intelligence agencies said earlier this year that Russia sought to help Trump win the 2016 election by hacking private emails from Democratic Party officials and disseminating false information online.

Trump said it was normal in US politics for campaign teams to look into allegations about their opponents, as his son agreed to do before the meeting in June 2016.

&quot;I&rsquo;ve only been in politics for two years, but I&rsquo;ve had many people call up,&nbsp;&#39;Oh gee, we have information on this factor or this person or frankly Hillary,&rsquo; &ndash; that&rsquo;s very standard in politics. Politics is not the nicest business in the world, but it&#39;s very standard,&quot; he said.

Watchdog groups filed a complaint against Donald Trump Jr,&nbsp;Trump&#39;s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former campaign chief Paul Manafort on Thursday with the federal agency that oversees elections, arguing the three violated the law by meeting with the Russian.

The complaint with the Federal Election Commission was signed by Common Cause, the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21 and two campaign lawyers involved with those groups.

The Russia allegations forced US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the election after media reports revealed he held undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak.

Sessions, who testified to Congress in June about his dealings with Russian officials, released a government form on Thursday dealing with contacts he has had with foreign nationals, including Russian government officials, but much of it was redacted.

Trump Jr disclosed this week that he had met with a Russian lawyer last year who was said to be offering damaging information on Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton

US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday urged President Donald Trump's eldest son to testify to a congressional committee about alleged links between Trump's team and Russia in the 2016 presidential election campaign. If he testified, Donald Trump Jr would be the first member of the Republican president's inner circle of relatives and White House aides to give testimony to congressional investigations into the Russia allegations. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, a Republican, planned to send a letter on Thursday to the younger Trump to ask him to appear before his committee in a public session, CNN reported. Ryan, the top-ranking Republican in Congress, told a news conference he supported that. "I think any witness who's been asked to testify in Congress should do that," Ryan said. Accusations that Moscow interfered in the election and colluded with the Trump campaign have dominated Trump's first months in office. Russia denies meddling in the campaign, and Trump says there was no collusion. Trump Jr disclosed this week that he had met with a Russian lawyer last year who was said to be offering damaging information on Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr eagerly agreed to meet the lawyer, who he was told by an intermediary was part of Moscow's official support for his father's campaign, according to emails the son released this week. The emails were the most concrete evidence that Trump's campaign might have been willing to accept Russian help to win the election, a subject that has also prompted an investigation by a federal special counsel. Trump said in Paris on Thursday that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, was a private attorney and not a Russian government lawyer, and that nothing of substance came of the meeting. My son a wonderful young man: Donald Trump "My son is a wonderful young man. He took a meeting with a Russian lawyer, not a government lawyer but a Russian lawyer. It was a short meeting. It was a meeting that went very, very quickly, very fast," he said at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. US intelligence agencies said earlier this year that Russia sought to help Trump win the 2016 election by hacking private emails from Democratic Party officials and disseminating false information online. Trump said it was normal in US politics for campaign teams to look into allegations about their opponents, as his son agreed to do before the meeting in June 2016. "I’ve only been in politics for two years, but I’ve had many people call up, 'Oh gee, we have information on this factor or this person or frankly Hillary,’ – that’s very standard in politics. Politics is not the nicest business in the world, but it's very standard," he said. Watchdog groups filed a complaint against Donald Trump Jr, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former campaign chief Paul Manafort on Thursday with the federal agency that oversees elections, arguing the three violated the law by meeting with the Russian. The complaint with the Federal Election Commission was signed by Common Cause, the Campaign Legal Center, Democracy 21 and two campaign lawyers involved with those groups. The Russia allegations forced US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the election after media reports revealed he held undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak. Sessions, who testified to Congress in June about his dealings with Russian officials, released a government form on Thursday dealing with contacts he has had with foreign nationals, including Russian government officials, but much of it was redacted.

US House Speaker Paul Ryan urges Trump son to testify in Congress

A Democratic congressman on Wednesday became the first US lawmaker to formally file an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump, but the effort is likely to stall in the Republican-controlled Congress.

Democrat Brad Sherman of California followed through on a threat he made last month to seek to remove the president from office, filing a four-page resolution aimed at &quot;impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanours.&quot;

Sherman in a statement said Trump&#39;s apparent effort to quash a probe into his campaign&#39;s ties to Russia and an investigation of a senior aide amounted to obstruction of justice.

&quot;Recent disclosures by Donald Trump Jr. indicate that Trump&#39;s campaign was eager to receive assistance from Russia,&quot; Sherman said.&nbsp;

&quot;It now seems likely that the president had something to hide when he tried to curtail the investigation of (now-fired) National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the wider Russian probe,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

&quot;I believe his conversations with, and subsequent firing of, FBI Director James Comey constitute obstruction of justice.&quot;

The White House reacted with disdain when a reporter asked for reaction to Sherman&#39;s move.

&quot;I think that is utterly and completely ridiculous and a political game at its worst,&quot; White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Sherman said his effort used language similar to that of the first article of impeachment issued against Richard Nixon, which passed the House Judiciary Committee on July 27, 1974. Nixon resigned from office 13 days later.

So far a single lawmaker, Democrat Al Green, has signed on to the resolution.

While a number of Republicans have rebuked Trump or expressed concern for various stumbles, there is no signal from either the House of Representatives or the Senate that their Republican leaders are prepared to begin impeachment proceedings.

Democrat Brad Sherman of California filed the resolution that aims to ?'impeach' Donald Trump for 'high crimes and misdemeanours'?

A Democratic congressman on Wednesday became the first US lawmaker to formally file an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump, but the effort is likely to stall in the Republican-controlled Congress. Democrat Brad Sherman of California followed through on a threat he made last month to seek to remove the president from office, filing a four-page resolution aimed at "impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanours." Sherman in a statement said Trump's apparent effort to quash a probe into his campaign's ties to Russia and an investigation of a senior aide amounted to obstruction of justice. "Recent disclosures by Donald Trump Jr. indicate that Trump's campaign was eager to receive assistance from Russia," Sherman said. "It now seems likely that the president had something to hide when he tried to curtail the investigation of (now-fired) National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the wider Russian probe," he added. "I believe his conversations with, and subsequent firing of, FBI Director James Comey constitute obstruction of justice." The White House reacted with disdain when a reporter asked for reaction to Sherman's move. "I think that is utterly and completely ridiculous and a political game at its worst," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. Sherman said his effort used language similar to that of the first article of impeachment issued against Richard Nixon, which passed the House Judiciary Committee on July 27, 1974. Nixon resigned from office 13 days later. So far a single lawmaker, Democrat Al Green, has signed on to the resolution. While a number of Republicans have rebuked Trump or expressed concern for various stumbles, there is no signal from either the House of Representatives or the Senate that their Republican leaders are prepared to begin impeachment proceedings.

Democrat files first impeachment article against US President Donald Trump

A free speech group sued US President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account, arguing the practice violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York and joined by seven individual Twitter users, claims Trump blocked a number of accounts whose owners replied to his tweets with comments that criticised, mocked or disagreed with the president.

Trump&#39;s blocking of the accounts amounted to an unconstitutional effort to suppress dissent, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York.

Because Trump frequently turns to Twitter to make policy statements, his account qualifies as a public forum from which the government cannot exclude people on the basis of their views, according to the lawsuit. Twitter users are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump&#39;s tweets were considered &quot;official statements by the president of the United States.&quot;

The suit names Spicer and Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, as defendants in addition to Trump. It asks for the blocking to be deemed unconstitutional and seeks an injunction to require the president to unblock users.

The complaint follows a letter from the Knight Institute to Trump last month warning it would sue if users were not unblocked.

&quot;Everyone being able to see the president&#39;s tweets feels vital to democracy,&quot; Joseph Papp, one of the seven Twitter users involved in the suit, said in a statement. Papp, an author, said he had been a registered Republican for 10 years and did not join the suit for political reasons, but that he &quot;felt a deep sense of unease&quot; when he was blocked.

Trump&#39;s Twitter use has drawn intense interest for his unvarnished commentary about his agenda and attacks on critics. His tweets often lead to tens of thousands of retweets and comments and can shape the news.

The Knight Institute&#39;s arguments may have merit, independent free speech and internet law scholars say, in part because Trump&#39;s tweets are used to announce policy decisions or can influence legislation. Previous cases involving politicians blocking users on Facebook may bolster its case.

The federal suit was filed in the Southern District of New York.

A free-speech group sued US President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account

A free speech group sued US President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account, arguing the practice violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York and joined by seven individual Twitter users, claims Trump blocked a number of accounts whose owners replied to his tweets with comments that criticised, mocked or disagreed with the president. Trump's blocking of the accounts amounted to an unconstitutional effort to suppress dissent, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York. Because Trump frequently turns to Twitter to make policy statements, his account qualifies as a public forum from which the government cannot exclude people on the basis of their views, according to the lawsuit. Twitter users are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump's tweets were considered "official statements by the president of the United States." The suit names Spicer and Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, as defendants in addition to Trump. It asks for the blocking to be deemed unconstitutional and seeks an injunction to require the president to unblock users. The complaint follows a letter from the Knight Institute to Trump last month warning it would sue if users were not unblocked. "Everyone being able to see the president's tweets feels vital to democracy," Joseph Papp, one of the seven Twitter users involved in the suit, said in a statement. Papp, an author, said he had been a registered Republican for 10 years and did not join the suit for political reasons, but that he "felt a deep sense of unease" when he was blocked. Trump's Twitter use has drawn intense interest for his unvarnished commentary about his agenda and attacks on critics. His tweets often lead to tens of thousands of retweets and comments and can shape the news. The Knight Institute's arguments may have merit, independent free speech and internet law scholars say, in part because Trump's tweets are used to announce policy decisions or can influence legislation. Previous cases involving politicians blocking users on Facebook may bolster its case. The federal suit was filed in the Southern District of New York.

Trump violates 'First Amendment of the US Constitution'

Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;has hired a lawyer to represent him in Russia-related investigations, his office and the lawyer said on Monday, as Republicans voiced concern about a meeting between the US&nbsp;president&#39;s son and a Russian.

Trump Jr&nbsp;hired New York lawyer Alan Futerfas, who specializes in criminal defence.

Futerfas would not say when he was retained or whether he played any part in the statements Trump Jr&nbsp;made over the weekend about a meeting with a Russian lawyer.

Trump Jr&nbsp;met the Russian, Natalia Veselnitskaya, in June 2016, during the presidential election campaign, at Trump Tower in New York.

He has said he agreed to meet Veselnitskaya, described by the New York Times as having links to the Kremlin, after being promised damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trump&#39;s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Trump&#39;s then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also attended, the Times said. It called the encounter the first confirmed private meeting of members of Donald Trump&#39;s inner circle with a Russian national during the campaign.

Congressional committees and a federal special counsel, Robert Mueller, are investigating whether Russia interfered in the election and colluded with the Trump campaign.

Moscow denies interfering, and Trump, who became president on January&nbsp;20, says there was no collusion.

Futerfas told Reuters: &ldquo;I look forward to assisting Donald Jr&nbsp;and, quite frankly, there is nothing to all of the media buzz about the June 9th, 2016 meeting. That will be proven to be the case.&rdquo;

A Republican member of the US&nbsp;Senate Intelligence Committee, Susan Collins, called on Trump Jr. to testify before the panel, which is looking into accusations of Russian meddling in the election.

&quot;Our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting,&quot; Senator Susan Collins told reporters at the US&nbsp;Capitol.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the panel &quot;absolutely&quot; wants to speak to Trump Jr. about the meeting. Warner said he and the Republican committee chairman, Richard Burr, will decide later whether to ask Trump Jr. to testify in public or in a classified setting.

&quot;Rest assured, Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;will be someone that we&#39;ll want to talk to,&quot; Warner told reporters outside his Senate office.

Allegations of the Trump campaign&#39;s ties to Russia have cast a shadow over the Republican president&#39;s first months in office.

&nbsp;

White House defends meeting

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said there was nothing inappropriate about the meeting with lawyer Veselnitskaya. &quot;Don Junior took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up,&quot; Sanders told reporters.

But Republican Senator Pat Toomey said it was not appropriate for presidential campaigns to solicit or accept negative information about a rival from a Russian.

&quot;It encourages countries to come in and undermine our democratic process. And these countries have great capabilities to do that sort of thing,&quot; he told MSNBC. &nbsp;

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that the Kremlin did not know the identity of the Russian lawyer.

&quot;No, we don&#39;t know who it is and, certainly, we cannot track down all movements of all Russian lawyers both within Russia and abroad,&quot; Peskov said.

A publicist who arranged the meeting with the lawyer last year said he did so at the request of singer and businessman Emin Agalarov, a Moscow-based client of his. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

US President Donald Trump's eldest son admitted to meeting a Russian lawyer to get damaging information on Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump Jr has hired a lawyer to represent him in Russia-related investigations, his office and the lawyer said on Monday, as Republicans voiced concern about a meeting between the US president's son and a Russian. Trump Jr hired New York lawyer Alan Futerfas, who specializes in criminal defence. Futerfas would not say when he was retained or whether he played any part in the statements Trump Jr made over the weekend about a meeting with a Russian lawyer. Trump Jr met the Russian, Natalia Veselnitskaya, in June 2016, during the presidential election campaign, at Trump Tower in New York. He has said he agreed to meet Veselnitskaya, described by the New York Times as having links to the Kremlin, after being promised damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Trump's then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also attended, the Times said. It called the encounter the first confirmed private meeting of members of Donald Trump's inner circle with a Russian national during the campaign. Congressional committees and a federal special counsel, Robert Mueller, are investigating whether Russia interfered in the election and colluded with the Trump campaign. Moscow denies interfering, and Trump, who became president on January 20, says there was no collusion. Futerfas told Reuters: “I look forward to assisting Donald Jr and, quite frankly, there is nothing to all of the media buzz about the June 9th, 2016 meeting. That will be proven to be the case.” A Republican member of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, Susan Collins, called on Trump Jr. to testify before the panel, which is looking into accusations of Russian meddling in the election. "Our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting," Senator Susan Collins told reporters at the US Capitol. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the panel "absolutely" wants to speak to Trump Jr. about the meeting. Warner said he and the Republican committee chairman, Richard Burr, will decide later whether to ask Trump Jr. to testify in public or in a classified setting. "Rest assured, Donald Trump Jr will be someone that we'll want to talk to," Warner told reporters outside his Senate office. Allegations of the Trump campaign's ties to Russia have cast a shadow over the Republican president's first months in office. White House defends meeting White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said there was nothing inappropriate about the meeting with lawyer Veselnitskaya. "Don Junior took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up," Sanders told reporters. But Republican Senator Pat Toomey said it was not appropriate for presidential campaigns to solicit or accept negative information about a rival from a Russian. "It encourages countries to come in and undermine our democratic process. And these countries have great capabilities to do that sort of thing," he told MSNBC. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that the Kremlin did not know the identity of the Russian lawyer. "No, we don't know who it is and, certainly, we cannot track down all movements of all Russian lawyers both within Russia and abroad," Peskov said. A publicist who arranged the meeting with the lawyer last year said he did so at the request of singer and businessman Emin Agalarov, a Moscow-based client of his.

Trump Jr hires lawyer for Russia probes, admits meeting Russian to get dirt on Clinton

President Donald Trump called his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., a &quot;high-quality person&quot; on Tuesday after disclosures about the latter&#39;s meeting last year with a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer who might have information incriminating Trump&#39;s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

&quot;My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency,&quot; Trump said in a brief statement read to reporters by White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.

Sanders told reporters that all other questions on the matter should be referred to either his son&#39;s lawyer or the president&#39;s outside counsel.

Earlier on Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. posted on Twitter a chain of emails between himself and Rob Goldstone, a publicist who helped to arrange the June 9, 2016, meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, who says she is a private lawyer and denies having Kremlin ties.

&quot;If it&#39;s what you say I love it especially later in the summer,&quot; Trump Jr. replied in the email exchange after Goldstone said the information offered was &quot;part of Russia and its government&#39;s support for Mr. Trump.&quot;

The disclosures could provide ammunition for U.S. investigators probing whether there was collusion between the Kremlin and Trump&rsquo;s Republican presidential campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow sought to hurt Clinton and help Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Sanders said Trump was &quot;frustrated&quot; by the focus on Russia.

&quot;The president is, I would say, frustrated with the process of the fact that this continues to be an issue, and he would love for us to be focused on things like ... the economy, on healthcare, on tax reform, on infrastructure,&quot; Sanders said.

Asked about the fact that the words &quot;perjury&quot; and &quot;treason&quot; were now being used in the public conversation about the Trump campaign&#39;s contacts with Russians, Sanders said, &quot;I think those new words are ridiculous.&quot;

Donald Trump Jr. posted on Twitter a chain of emails between himself and Rob Goldstone, a publicist who helped to arrange the June 9, 2016, meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya

President Donald Trump called his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., a "high-quality person" on Tuesday after disclosures about the latter's meeting last year with a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer who might have information incriminating Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. "My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency," Trump said in a brief statement read to reporters by White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Sanders told reporters that all other questions on the matter should be referred to either his son's lawyer or the president's outside counsel. Earlier on Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. posted on Twitter a chain of emails between himself and Rob Goldstone, a publicist who helped to arrange the June 9, 2016, meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya, who says she is a private lawyer and denies having Kremlin ties. "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Trump Jr. replied in the email exchange after Goldstone said the information offered was "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." The disclosures could provide ammunition for U.S. investigators probing whether there was collusion between the Kremlin and Trump’s Republican presidential campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow sought to hurt Clinton and help Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Sanders said Trump was "frustrated" by the focus on Russia. "The president is, I would say, frustrated with the process of the fact that this continues to be an issue, and he would love for us to be focused on things like ... the economy, on healthcare, on tax reform, on infrastructure," Sanders said. Asked about the fact that the words "perjury" and "treason" were now being used in the public conversation about the Trump campaign's contacts with Russians, Sanders said, "I think those new words are ridiculous."

Trump calls son 'high-quality person', 'applauds' his 'transparency'

US President Donald Trump backtracked on his push for a cyber security unit with Russia, tweeting that he did not think it could happen, hours after his proposal was harshly criticised by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted.

Trump said on Twitter early on Sunday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on forming &#39;an impenetrable Cyber Security unit&#39; to address issues like the risk of cyber meddling in elections.

The idea appeared to be a political non-starter. It was immediately scorned by several of Trump&#39;s fellow Republicans, who questioned why the United States would work with Russia after Moscow&#39;s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election.

&#39;It&#39;s not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it&#39;s pretty close,&#39;Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC&#39;s &#39;Meet the Press&#39; program.

Ash Carter, who was US defense secretary until the end of former Democratic President Barack Obama&#39;s administration, told CNN flatly &quot;This is like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary.&quot;

Trump&#39;s advisers, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, had recently sought to explain Trump&#39;s cyber push.

Mnuchin said that Trump and Putin had agreed to create &#39;a cyber unit to make sure that there was absolutely no interference whatsoever, that they would work on cyber security together&#39;.&nbsp;

But Trump returned to Twitter to play down the idea, which arose at his talks with Putin at a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Hamburg, Germany.

&#39;The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn&#39;t mean I think it can happen. It can&#39;t,&#39;Trump said on Twitter. 
&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn&#39;t mean I think it can happen. It can&#39;t-but a ceasefire can,&amp; did!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884211874518192128">July 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

He then noted that an agreement with Russia for a ceasefire in Syria &#39;can &amp; did&#39; happen.

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona acknowledged Trump&#39;s desire to move forward with Russia, but added &#39;there has to be a price to pay&#39;.&nbsp;

&#39;There has been no penalty&#39;, McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CBS&#39; &#39;Face the Nation&#39; program according to a CBS transcript. &#39;Vladimir Putin ... got away with literally trying to change the outcome ... of our election&#39;.&nbsp;

Trump argued for a rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials, as are congressional committees including both the House of Representatives and Senate intelligence panels.

Those probes are focused almost exclusively on Moscow&rsquo;s actions, lawmakers and intelligence officials say, and no evidence has surfaced publicly implicating other countries despite Trump&#39;s suggestion that others could have been involved.

Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Russia.

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN&#39;s &#39;State of the Union&#39; program that Russia could not be a credible partner in a cyber security unit.

&#39;If that&rsquo;s our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow,&#39; Schiff added.

Separately, US government officials said a recent hack into business systems of US nuclear power and other energy companies was carried out by Russian government hackers, the Washington Post reported.

&#39;Time to move forward &#39; with Russia&nbsp; 
 
Trump said he &#39;strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it.&#39; He added &#39;We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia&#39;.

In Trump&#39;s first attempt at ending the six-year Syrian civil war, the United States, Russia and Jordan reached a ceasefire and &quot;de-escalation agreement&quot; for southwestern Syria. The ceasefire was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said.

Any joint US-Russia cyber initiative would have been a different matter. Depending on how much it veered into military or espionage operations, it could have faced major legal hurdles.

Language in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits the Pentagon, which includes the National Security Agency and the US military&#39;s Cyber Command, from using any funds for bilateral military cooperation with Russia.

Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, also noted restrictions on sharing information with Russia that would clearly prohibit offering Moscow a sense of US cyber capabilities. Russia would be similarly adverse to revealing its capabilities to the United States, he noted. &#39;It just will not happen,&#39; McFaul added.

Trumps proposal was harshly criticised by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted

US President Donald Trump backtracked on his push for a cyber security unit with Russia, tweeting that he did not think it could happen, hours after his proposal was harshly criticised by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted. Trump said on Twitter early on Sunday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on forming 'an impenetrable Cyber Security unit' to address issues like the risk of cyber meddling in elections. The idea appeared to be a political non-starter. It was immediately scorned by several of Trump's fellow Republicans, who questioned why the United States would work with Russia after Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 US election. 'It's not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it's pretty close,'Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC's 'Meet the Press' program. Ash Carter, who was US defense secretary until the end of former Democratic President Barack Obama's administration, told CNN flatly "This is like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary." Trump's advisers, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, had recently sought to explain Trump's cyber push. Mnuchin said that Trump and Putin had agreed to create 'a cyber unit to make sure that there was absolutely no interference whatsoever, that they would work on cyber security together'. But Trump returned to Twitter to play down the idea, which arose at his talks with Putin at a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Hamburg, Germany. 'The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't,'Trump said on Twitter. The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't-but a ceasefire can,& did! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017 × He then noted that an agreement with Russia for a ceasefire in Syria 'can & did' happen. Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona acknowledged Trump's desire to move forward with Russia, but added 'there has to be a price to pay'. 'There has been no penalty', McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CBS' 'Face the Nation' program according to a CBS transcript. 'Vladimir Putin ... got away with literally trying to change the outcome ... of our election'. Trump argued for a rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials, as are congressional committees including both the House of Representatives and Senate intelligence panels. Those probes are focused almost exclusively on Moscow’s actions, lawmakers and intelligence officials say, and no evidence has surfaced publicly implicating other countries despite Trump's suggestion that others could have been involved. Moscow has denied any interference, and Trump says his campaign did not collude with Russia. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN's 'State of the Union' program that Russia could not be a credible partner in a cyber security unit. 'If that’s our best election defense, we might as well just mail our ballot boxes to Moscow,' Schiff added. Separately, US government officials said a recent hack into business systems of US nuclear power and other energy companies was carried out by Russian government hackers, the Washington Post reported. 'Time to move forward ' with Russia Trump said he 'strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it.' He added 'We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia'. In Trump's first attempt at ending the six-year Syrian civil war, the United States, Russia and Jordan reached a ceasefire and "de-escalation agreement" for southwestern Syria. The ceasefire was holding hours after it took effect on Sunday, a monitor and two rebel officials said. Any joint US-Russia cyber initiative would have been a different matter. Depending on how much it veered into military or espionage operations, it could have faced major legal hurdles. Language in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits the Pentagon, which includes the National Security Agency and the US military's Cyber Command, from using any funds for bilateral military cooperation with Russia. Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, also noted restrictions on sharing information with Russia that would clearly prohibit offering Moscow a sense of US cyber capabilities. Russia would be similarly adverse to revealing its capabilities to the United States, he noted. 'It just will not happen,' McFaul added.

Trump backtracks on cyber unit proposal with Russia after harsh criticism

President Donald Trump&#39;s son Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;agreed to meet with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 campaign after being promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reported on Sunday (July 9), citing three advisers to the White House, Reuters reports.

Trump&#39;s then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, two weeks after Trump won the Republican nomination, the Times reported.

The Times quoted a statement from Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;in which he acknowledged meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

&quot;After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms&nbsp;Clinton,&quot; the Times quoted Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;as saying. Clinton was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.

The Times said Veselnitskaya then turned the conversation to the adoption of Russian children and a 2012 US&nbsp;law, known as the Magnitsky Act, blacklisting Russians linked to alleged human-rights abuses.

Vladimir Putin banned Americans from adopting&nbsp;Russian children because he was reportedly so outraged by Obama&#39;s passing of the Magnitsky Act. Putin also banned the former federal prosecutor,&nbsp;Indian-origin Preet Bharara, notorious for convicting Russian arms and drug dealers. Donald Trump originally asked Bharara to serve as a US attorney, then fired him in March.

&nbsp;

Changing his version

Donald Trump Jr altered his version of the story Sunday night,&nbsp;after The New York Times, citing three White House advisors and two other people with knowledge of the meeting, stated that the purpose of the meeting was for damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

Trump Jr claimed the information Veselnitskaya provided&nbsp;&quot;made no sense&quot; and was not &quot;meaningful&quot;.

Whether or not she produced any damaging information is not known, but she was expected to.

His full statement is here:

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JUST IN: Donald Trump Jr. responds to reports that he met with Kremlin-linked lawyer during campaign <a href="https://t.co/5mqRX38Wio">pic.twitter.com/5mqRX38Wio</a>
&mdash; NBC News (@NBCNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/884164341649600512">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Three days after the meeting between Veselnitskaya&nbsp;and the Trump campaign, Julian Assange at WikiLeaks, the man the NSA, FBI and CIA claim with &quot;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/06/vladimir-putin-us-election-interference-report-donald-trump" target="_blank">high confidence</a>&quot; received hacked Clinton emails from&nbsp;Russian military intelligence, announced, &quot;We have upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton...We have emails pending publication, that is correct.&quot;

Assange maintains he did not receive any material from the Russians.

The meeting between the Trump campaign and&nbsp;Veselnitskaya&nbsp;was not <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/07/trump-campaign-leaders-met-kremlin-linked-lawyer-report.html">disclosed </a>until Jared Kushner filed an updated request for national-security clearance, after it became known that in his earlier report he failed to disclose other contacts with Russian officials. Kushner claimed it was an error. The punishment for submitting a false report, or concealing information, can be imprisonment.&nbsp;

President Trump was &quot;not aware of and did not attend&quot; the meeting reported by the Times, Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump&#39;s legal team, said in an emailed statement.

Here is a video of Donald Trump Jr on July 24, 2016, denying that Russia helped the Trump campaign by hacking the Democrats and releasing the emails.

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FLASHBACK: Don Jr. July 24, 2016. On the Clinton campaign&#39;s claims that the Russians were helping Trump: &quot;It&#39;s disgusitng. It&#39;s so phony.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BSut2RwbOs">pic.twitter.com/BSut2RwbOs</a>
&mdash; Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/884206457843068928">July 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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(With agency inputs)

Whether she provided the damaging information is unknown, but WikiLeaks' Assange announced he possessed Clinton's hacked emails three days later

President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr agreed to meet with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 campaign after being promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reported on Sunday (July 9), citing three advisers to the White House, Reuters reports. Trump's then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, two weeks after Trump won the Republican nomination, the Times reported. The Times quoted a statement from Donald Trump Jr in which he acknowledged meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. "After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms Clinton," the Times quoted Donald Trump Jr as saying. Clinton was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. The Times said Veselnitskaya then turned the conversation to the adoption of Russian children and a 2012 US law, known as the Magnitsky Act, blacklisting Russians linked to alleged human-rights abuses. Vladimir Putin banned Americans from adopting Russian children because he was reportedly so outraged by Obama's passing of the Magnitsky Act. Putin also banned the former federal prosecutor, Indian-origin Preet Bharara, notorious for convicting Russian arms and drug dealers. Donald Trump originally asked Bharara to serve as a US attorney, then fired him in March. Changing his version Donald Trump Jr altered his version of the story Sunday night, after The New York Times, citing three White House advisors and two other people with knowledge of the meeting, stated that the purpose of the meeting was for damaging information on Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr claimed the information Veselnitskaya provided "made no sense" and was not "meaningful". Whether or not she produced any damaging information is not known, but she was expected to. His full statement is here: JUST IN: Donald Trump Jr. responds to reports that he met with Kremlin-linked lawyer during campaign pic.twitter.com/5mqRX38Wio — NBC News (@NBCNews) July 9, 2017 × Three days after the meeting between Veselnitskaya and the Trump campaign, Julian Assange at WikiLeaks, the man the NSA, FBI and CIA claim with "high confidence" received hacked Clinton emails from Russian military intelligence, announced, "We have upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton...We have emails pending publication, that is correct." Assange maintains he did not receive any material from the Russians. The meeting between the Trump campaign and Veselnitskaya was not disclosed until Jared Kushner filed an updated request for national-security clearance, after it became known that in his earlier report he failed to disclose other contacts with Russian officials. Kushner claimed it was an error. The punishment for submitting a false report, or concealing information, can be imprisonment. President Trump was "not aware of and did not attend" the meeting reported by the Times, Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's legal team, said in an emailed statement. Here is a video of Donald Trump Jr on July 24, 2016, denying that Russia helped the Trump campaign by hacking the Democrats and releasing the emails. FLASHBACK: Don Jr. July 24, 2016. On the Clinton campaign's claims that the Russians were helping Trump: "It's disgusitng. It's so phony." pic.twitter.com/BSut2RwbOs — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 10, 2017 × (With agency inputs)

Trump Jr met Kremlin-linked lawyer who promised damaging info on Clinton during election

Trump was out of sync with the leaders of Western countries at the G20, but showed a close fondness for Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

Trump was the only leader of the world&#39;s major economies to reverse&nbsp;his country&#39;s pledge to&nbsp;achieve&nbsp;the climate goals set out in the Paris climate accord, which the 19 other countries called &quot;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/world/europe/group-of-20-climate-change-agreement.html" target="_blank">irreversible</a>&quot;.

Trump and Putin said they look forward to working together on cybersecurity, even though multiple US intelligence agencies say Russia launched a broad cyber campaign against the United States&nbsp;to interfere&nbsp;with the 2016 election, with the specific aim to get Trump elected.

Trump emerged from the G20 saying he &quot;accepted&quot; Putin&#39;s claim that Russia did not interfere in the election.&nbsp;

The US president tweeted today (June 9) that Putin &quot;vehemently denied&quot; interfering in the presidential election.

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I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I&#39;ve already given my opinion.....
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884012097805406208">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884013689736769536">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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Putin &amp; I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, &amp; many other negative things, will be guarded..
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884016887692234753">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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...and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA &amp; FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don&#39;t....
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884018776391503872">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

This comes even though on June 26, 2017, he posted a Tweet in which he appears to accept that there was in fact Russian meddling in the US election. However, he blamed Obama, not Russia, for it.

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The real story is that President Obama did NOTHING after being informed in August about Russian meddling. With 4 months looking at Russia...
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/879323238425395200">June 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s position also appeared in contrast to that of Haley&#39;s position who said on Sunday that &quot;everybody knows&quot; Russia meddled in the 2016 elections and now they were trying to &quot;save &nbsp;face&quot;.

Defending Trump, Haley said Trump confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin on the election meddling at the G20

&quot;What I understand is that President Trump let them know that, look, we know you did this (meddled in US elections), and cut it out. And President Putin is never going to admit that they did it. And so they have to come back and they have to defend themselves,&quot; Nikki Haley told CNN.

&quot;This is Russia trying to save face. And they can&#39;t. They can&#39;t. Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they&#39;re not just meddling in the United States&#39; election. They&#39;re doing this across multiple continents, and they&#39;re doing this in a way that they&#39;re trying to cause chaos within the countries,&quot; she said.

This comes just as the Washington Post reported that&nbsp;Russian government hackers have penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks.

Trump also made a peace deal with Russia regarding Syria which, as the Daily Beast summarises:&nbsp;Will leave dictator Bashar al-Assad in power, who, this April, Trump said &quot;needed to go&quot; because of his alleged chemical weapons attacks on his own people. The deal will permits the idea of &quot;safe zones&quot; proposed by Russia and its backers, and it depends on cooperation from Moscow, including the use of Russian troops to patrol parts of the country.

Basic Russia-Trump background coming in to G20

Highly anticipated was Trump&#39;s first meeting as president with Vladimit Putin. Media outlets have&nbsp;stated it is their first meeting together, but more precisely it is definitely the first time Trump has met Putin as US president;&nbsp;it is not exactly&nbsp;clear that they have never met.&nbsp;

Donald Trump has given many different accounts of his&nbsp;relationship with Putin, saying &quot;I have never met Putin&quot; on one occassion and &quot;I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve ever met him&quot; on another. He has claimed adamently he &quot;has no relationship with Putin&quot;, and, in 2013, when asked if he has a relationship with Putin said &quot;I do have a relationship&quot;.&nbsp;On&nbsp;one occassion he&nbsp;said &quot;I was in Moscow recently, and I spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin&quot;.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3VjpE3Z1-bw" width="560"></iframe>

There are currently several ongoing investiations into Donald Trump and his administration&#39;s links to Russia.

The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/CATCH-UP-Where-we-are-and-whats-next-for-all-the-Trump-Russia-investigations/articleshow/59084422.cms" target="_blank">Justice Department</a> has appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counselor to&nbsp;lead the DOJ investigation into &quot;any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.&quot;

Mueller is also leading a&nbsp;criminal investigation to see if&nbsp;obstruction of justice, witness intimidation or perjury&nbsp;were committed by anyone involved in his other investigation, including President Trump.

The Senate And House Intelligence Committee is also investigating Trump&#39;s administration&#39;s connection to Russia.

So is the Senate Judiciary and also the House Oversight and Government Reform Committees are also investigating Trump and Russia.

Trump split with US intel by accepting Putin's claim Russia didn't interfere in the US election, then pledged to work with Russia on cybersecurity

Trump was out of sync with the leaders of Western countries at the G20, but showed a close fondness for Vladimir Putin. Trump was the only leader of the world's major economies to reverse his country's pledge to achieve the climate goals set out in the Paris climate accord, which the 19 other countries called "irreversible". Trump and Putin said they look forward to working together on cybersecurity, even though multiple US intelligence agencies say Russia launched a broad cyber campaign against the United States to interfere with the 2016 election, with the specific aim to get Trump elected. Trump emerged from the G20 saying he "accepted" Putin's claim that Russia did not interfere in the election. The US president tweeted today (June 9) that Putin "vehemently denied" interfering in the presidential election. I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × ...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × ...and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × This comes even though on June 26, 2017, he posted a Tweet in which he appears to accept that there was in fact Russian meddling in the US election. However, he blamed Obama, not Russia, for it. The real story is that President Obama did NOTHING after being informed in August about Russian meddling. With 4 months looking at Russia... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2017 × Trump's position also appeared in contrast to that of Haley's position who said on Sunday that "everybody knows" Russia meddled in the 2016 elections and now they were trying to "save face". Defending Trump, Haley said Trump confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin on the election meddling at the G20 "What I understand is that President Trump let them know that, look, we know you did this (meddled in US elections), and cut it out. And President Putin is never going to admit that they did it. And so they have to come back and they have to defend themselves," Nikki Haley told CNN. "This is Russia trying to save face. And they can't. They can't. Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they're not just meddling in the United States' election. They're doing this across multiple continents, and they're doing this in a way that they're trying to cause chaos within the countries," she said. This comes just as the Washington Post reported that Russian government hackers have penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks. Trump also made a peace deal with Russia regarding Syria which, as the Daily Beast summarises: Will leave dictator Bashar al-Assad in power, who, this April, Trump said "needed to go" because of his alleged chemical weapons attacks on his own people. The deal will permits the idea of "safe zones" proposed by Russia and its backers, and it depends on cooperation from Moscow, including the use of Russian troops to patrol parts of the country. Basic Russia-Trump background coming in to G20 Highly anticipated was Trump's first meeting as president with Vladimit Putin. Media outlets have stated it is their first meeting together, but more precisely it is definitely the first time Trump has met Putin as US president; it is not exactly clear that they have never met. Donald Trump has given many different accounts of his relationship with Putin, saying "I have never met Putin" on one occassion and "I don't think I've ever met him" on another. He has claimed adamently he "has no relationship with Putin", and, in 2013, when asked if he has a relationship with Putin said "I do have a relationship". On one occassion he said "I was in Moscow recently, and I spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin". There are currently several ongoing investiations into Donald Trump and his administration's links to Russia. The Justice Department has appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counselor to lead the DOJ investigation into "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump." Mueller is also leading a criminal investigation to see if obstruction of justice, witness intimidation or perjury were committed by anyone involved in his other investigation, including President Trump. The Senate And House Intelligence Committee is also investigating Trump's administration's connection to Russia. So is the Senate Judiciary and also the House Oversight and Government Reform Committees are also investigating Trump and Russia.

Trump abandons Western countries at G20, sidles up to Putin

For a moment Saturday the United States was represented by another Trump on the world stage, when the president&#39;s daughter Ivanka took a seat among a table of G20 leaders in Germany.

The 35-year-old former fashion model sat down next to Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Hamburg, diplomats and the White House confirmed.

The incident&nbsp;fuelled allegations of nepotism against the US leader, who has put family members in top White House positions.

A White House official told AFP that Ivanka had been at the back of the room but &quot;briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out.&quot;

The official emphasised that &quot;when other leaders stepped out, their seats were also briefly filled by others.&quot;&nbsp;

Merkel also sought to play down the case, saying that it is &quot;in line with what other delegations do&quot;.&nbsp;

But Trump&#39;s already vociferous detractors were enraged.

Historian Anne Applebaum took to Twitter to denounce what she described &quot;an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite&quot; being seen as &quot;the best person to represent American national interests.&quot;

Ivanka&#39;s participation came to light when a Russian official, Svetlana Lukash tweeted a picture of Ivanka at the main table of the summit in Hamburg, surrounded by world leaders.

&quot;And replaces Pres Trump at the G20 table as he leaves for bilateral meetings&quot; she said.

&quot;It&#39;s nothing unusual for an advisor to sit up front,&quot; said one diplomat on condition of anonymity, &quot;we have had it before.&quot;

&nbsp;&#39;She&#39;s a champion&#39;&nbsp;

Earlier in the day Trump had waxed lyrical about his daughter before a bevy of world leaders, gathered to boost a fund designed to encourage female entrepreneurs.

&quot;I&#39;m very proud of my daughter, Ivanka -- always have been, from day one -- I had to tell you that, from day one,&quot; Trump said before Canada&#39;s Justin Trudeau and Australia&#39;s Malcom Turnbull.&nbsp;

&quot;She&#39;s always been great,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;A champion.&nbsp;She&#39;s a champion.&quot;

Trump then prompted some nervous laughter when he mused about whether he had made her life more difficult.&nbsp;

&quot;If she weren&#39;t my daughter, it would be so much easier for her. Might be the only bad thing she has going, if you want to know the truth.&quot;

Ivanka was given the official title of &quot;First Daughter and Advisor to the President&quot; early in the adminstration, amid outcry that an unofficial role exempted her from ethics rules.

Her husband -- Trump&#39;s son-in-law -- is assistant to the president and senior advisor, a top White House role. Neither of the two take a salary.

Just a few weeks ago Ivanka professed to want to avoid getting involved in politics.

While unusual, it is not unheard of for presidential kin to play a role in policy making. Bill Clinton&#39;s wife Hillary worked on health care reform and Rosalynn Carter sat in on cabinet meetings.

Ivanka sat down next to? Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Hamburg

For a moment Saturday the United States was represented by another Trump on the world stage, when the president's daughter Ivanka took a seat among a table of G20 leaders in Germany. The 35-year-old former fashion model sat down next to Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel and Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Hamburg, diplomats and the White House confirmed. The incident fuelled allegations of nepotism against the US leader, who has put family members in top White House positions. A White House official told AFP that Ivanka had been at the back of the room but "briefly joined the main table when the president had to step out." The official emphasised that "when other leaders stepped out, their seats were also briefly filled by others." Merkel also sought to play down the case, saying that it is "in line with what other delegations do". But Trump's already vociferous detractors were enraged. Historian Anne Applebaum took to Twitter to denounce what she described "an unelected, unqualified, unprepared New York socialite" being seen as "the best person to represent American national interests." Ivanka's participation came to light when a Russian official, Svetlana Lukash tweeted a picture of Ivanka at the main table of the summit in Hamburg, surrounded by world leaders. "And replaces Pres Trump at the G20 table as he leaves for bilateral meetings" she said. "It's nothing unusual for an advisor to sit up front," said one diplomat on condition of anonymity, "we have had it before." 'She's a champion' Earlier in the day Trump had waxed lyrical about his daughter before a bevy of world leaders, gathered to boost a fund designed to encourage female entrepreneurs. "I'm very proud of my daughter, Ivanka -- always have been, from day one -- I had to tell you that, from day one," Trump said before Canada's Justin Trudeau and Australia's Malcom Turnbull. "She's always been great," he said. "A champion. She's a champion." Trump then prompted some nervous laughter when he mused about whether he had made her life more difficult. "If she weren't my daughter, it would be so much easier for her. Might be the only bad thing she has going, if you want to know the truth." Ivanka was given the official title of "First Daughter and Advisor to the President" early in the adminstration, amid outcry that an unofficial role exempted her from ethics rules. Her husband -- Trump's son-in-law -- is assistant to the president and senior advisor, a top White House role. Neither of the two take a salary. Just a few weeks ago Ivanka professed to want to avoid getting involved in politics. While unusual, it is not unheard of for presidential kin to play a role in policy making. Bill Clinton's wife Hillary worked on health care reform and Rosalynn Carter sat in on cabinet meetings.

Ivanka sits in for President Trump at G20

G-20 leaders including US President Donald Trump have reached a compromise on the wording of a final summit statement on trade but remain at odds on climate change, according to an EU source Saturday.

On trade they will commit to fighting protectionism but will also allow &quot;legitimate&quot; measures to protect their markets, the source said on the final day of the talks in Germany.

The outcome represents a compromise with Trump who wants to do more to protect domestic companies from foreign competition through his &quot;America First&quot; policy.

However on climate change negotiators remain at loggerheads following Trump&#39;s decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 Paris climate accord, the source said.

The sticking point in the communique is about fossil fuels -- blamed for global warming -- with the US side wanting to be able to continue to export and promote their use.

&quot;The idea now is to find a good balance of language -- it will be discussed this morning,&quot; the source said on condition of anonymity.

On trade they will commit to fighting protectionism but will also allow 'legitimate' measures to protect their markets, the source said

G-20 leaders including US President Donald Trump have reached a compromise on the wording of a final summit statement on trade but remain at odds on climate change, according to an EU source Saturday. On trade they will commit to fighting protectionism but will also allow "legitimate" measures to protect their markets, the source said on the final day of the talks in Germany. The outcome represents a compromise with Trump who wants to do more to protect domestic companies from foreign competition through his "America First" policy. However on climate change negotiators remain at loggerheads following Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 Paris climate accord, the source said. The sticking point in the communique is about fossil fuels -- blamed for global warming -- with the US side wanting to be able to continue to export and promote their use. "The idea now is to find a good balance of language -- it will be discussed this morning," the source said on condition of anonymity.

G-20 leaders compromise on trade, at odds on climate: EU source

US President Donald Trump said Friday he still wants Mexico to pay for a planned border wall, as he met his Mexican counterpart for the first time as head of state.

Asked at the start of the meeting with Enrique Pena Nieto on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, if he still wanted Mexico to cough up the cash, Trump declared: &quot;Absolutely&quot;.

But Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, who took part in the meeting, said the wall issue -- as agreed -- did not come up in the actual talks, and that he and Pena Nieto did not even hear Trump&#39;s comment.

&quot;It wasn&rsquo;t part of our conversation (with Trump),&quot; he told Mexico&rsquo;s Radio Formula.

&quot;We didn&#39;t touch on that subject in our conversation, which lasted about half an hour -- partly because we have a well-known, significant difference of opinion on that,&quot; he said.

&quot;Both sides had a prior agreement that the issue would not be on the agenda. If he made that comment, he must have made it very quietly, because I didn&#39;t hear it.&quot;

Building a wall between Mexico and the United States to stop illegal immigration and the inflow of drugs -- and Mexico paying for it -- was a signature campaign pledge of Trump&#39;s in last year&#39;s election.

The Trump administration has yet to make serious headway on getting it built or even on who will foot the hefty bill for the 3,200-kilometre (2,000-mile) barrier.

Under pressure from Democrats, the US Congress has so far refused to commit funding, agreeing only to finance maintenance on existing parts of a border fence.

The real battle will play out starting in October when 2018 budget negotiations begin in earnest.

Last month Trump suggested covering the wall with solar panels and to use the energy to cover some of the construction costs.

&quot;And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money. And that&#39;s good. Right?&quot;, Trump told a crowd in Texas on June 22. &quot;Pretty good imagination, right? My idea!&quot;

US-Mexico relations

US-Mexican relations have meanwhile nosedived since Trump entered the White House in January.

In January, Pena Nieto cancelled a trip to Washington in response to Trump&#39;s insistence on the issue, plunging the countries&#39; relations into their biggest crisis in decades.

In addition Trump has angered Mexico with attacks on Mexican immigrants as &quot;criminals, drug dealers and rapists&quot; and his insistence on holding tough new trade negotiations with its southern neighbour.

Since the cancellation of the trip, the two leaders have since spoken by phone, and a series of high-level meetings between the two countries have eased the tension.

Trump first met Pena Nieto in August 2016 when he was still a presidential candidate.

In their Hamburg encounter Friday, before the comment about the wall, both presidents delivered statements with Trump hailing the &quot;successful day&quot; at the G20 so far.

&quot;We&#39;re negotiating NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and some other things with Mexico and we&#39;ll see how it all turns out, but I think we&#39;ve made very good progress,&quot; Trump said.

Pena Nieto, through a translator, said that the meeting will help the two countries continue a &quot;flowing dialogue&quot;, in particular &quot;for the security of both nations, especially for our borders.&quot;

The Mexican president noted that &quot;migration&quot; is an issue that has &quot;occupied&quot; both administrations. He added that it was a &quot;co-responsibility to deal with organised crime issues.&quot;

Trump made the comments in response to a question he was asked at the start of the meeting. Nieto was sitting next to him

US President Donald Trump said Friday he still wants Mexico to pay for a planned border wall, as he met his Mexican counterpart for the first time as head of state. Asked at the start of the meeting with Enrique Pena Nieto on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, if he still wanted Mexico to cough up the cash, Trump declared: "Absolutely". But Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, who took part in the meeting, said the wall issue -- as agreed -- did not come up in the actual talks, and that he and Pena Nieto did not even hear Trump's comment. "It wasn’t part of our conversation (with Trump)," he told Mexico’s Radio Formula. "We didn't touch on that subject in our conversation, which lasted about half an hour -- partly because we have a well-known, significant difference of opinion on that," he said. "Both sides had a prior agreement that the issue would not be on the agenda. If he made that comment, he must have made it very quietly, because I didn't hear it." Building a wall between Mexico and the United States to stop illegal immigration and the inflow of drugs -- and Mexico paying for it -- was a signature campaign pledge of Trump's in last year's election. The Trump administration has yet to make serious headway on getting it built or even on who will foot the hefty bill for the 3,200-kilometre (2,000-mile) barrier. Under pressure from Democrats, the US Congress has so far refused to commit funding, agreeing only to finance maintenance on existing parts of a border fence. The real battle will play out starting in October when 2018 budget negotiations begin in earnest. Last month Trump suggested covering the wall with solar panels and to use the energy to cover some of the construction costs. "And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money. And that's good. Right?", Trump told a crowd in Texas on June 22. "Pretty good imagination, right? My idea!" US-Mexico relations US-Mexican relations have meanwhile nosedived since Trump entered the White House in January. In January, Pena Nieto cancelled a trip to Washington in response to Trump's insistence on the issue, plunging the countries' relations into their biggest crisis in decades. In addition Trump has angered Mexico with attacks on Mexican immigrants as "criminals, drug dealers and rapists" and his insistence on holding tough new trade negotiations with its southern neighbour. Since the cancellation of the trip, the two leaders have since spoken by phone, and a series of high-level meetings between the two countries have eased the tension. Trump first met Pena Nieto in August 2016 when he was still a presidential candidate. In their Hamburg encounter Friday, before the comment about the wall, both presidents delivered statements with Trump hailing the "successful day" at the G20 so far. "We're negotiating NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and some other things with Mexico and we'll see how it all turns out, but I think we've made very good progress," Trump said. Pena Nieto, through a translator, said that the meeting will help the two countries continue a "flowing dialogue", in particular "for the security of both nations, especially for our borders." The Mexican president noted that "migration" is an issue that has "occupied" both administrations. He added that it was a "co-responsibility to deal with organised crime issues."

G20: Trump says he 'absolutely' wants Mexico to pay for border wall in meeting with President Nieto

As part of its ambitious plan to meet its Paris climate accord targets, France pledged today to end sales of petrol and diesl vehicles by 2040, its new Ecology Minister Nicolas Hulot said today according to an&nbsp;AFP report.

&quot;We are announcing an end to the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040,&quot; Hulot said, calling it a &quot;veritable revolution&quot;. Hulot, a long-time environemental campaigner fresh into politics in his major post&nbsp;under Macron&#39;s new government, has called for France to be &quot;carbon neutral&quot; by 2050.

Hulot said that weaning France off conventional cars was a matter of &quot;public health&quot;; Majot French cities like&nbsp;Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and others&nbsp;have a chronic smog problem.&nbsp;Hulot&#39;s&nbsp;appointment was seen by many as a testament to Macron&#39;s commitment to environmentalism.

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French Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition Nicolas Hulot delivers a speech to present his plan on climate on July 6, 2017 in Paris. (AFP)
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&nbsp;

A prepared French&nbsp;industry

France is the largest manufacturer of electric cars sold in Europe, with the Renault Zoe outselling by a large margin other models in 2016. &nbsp;Hulot said that French carmakers Peugeot-Citroen and Renault were well equipped to make the change, but conceded that obtaining the goal would be &quot;tough&quot;.

This announcement comes a day after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/geelys-volvo-to-go-all-electric-with-new-models-from-2019-17618" target="_blank">Volvo </a>announced it is phasing out its petrol-only cars beginning in 2019. All new Volvos will be either electric or hybrids. &nbsp;

Still, in 2016&nbsp;hybrid and electric cars accounted for only 3.6 per cent of new cars registered in Western Europe, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers&#39; Association.

But, undeterred,&nbsp;last month&nbsp;the 39-year-old Macron hit back at US President Donald Trump&#39;s announcement that he would pull out of the 2015 Paris accord with a video vowing to &quot;make our planet great again&quot;,&nbsp;a play on Trump&#39;s campaign pledge to &quot;make America great again&quot;.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jhdGrcHR2UA" width="560"></iframe>

Nicolas Hulot himself as also been involved and even starred in&nbsp;viral videos about fighting climate change, like this 2015 one, released before COP 21 in France&nbsp;and seen over two million times.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yKLWW_j4a_E" width="560"></iframe>

(With agency inputs)

New Ecology Minister Nicolas Hulot made the announcement today as part of France's bold plan to meet its Paris climate accord targets

As part of its ambitious plan to meet its Paris climate accord targets, France pledged today to end sales of petrol and diesl vehicles by 2040, its new Ecology Minister Nicolas Hulot said today according to an AFP report. "We are announcing an end to the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040," Hulot said, calling it a "veritable revolution". Hulot, a long-time environemental campaigner fresh into politics in his major post under Macron's new government, has called for France to be "carbon neutral" by 2050. Hulot said that weaning France off conventional cars was a matter of "public health"; Majot French cities like Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and others have a chronic smog problem. Hulot's appointment was seen by many as a testament to Macron's commitment to environmentalism. French Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition Nicolas Hulot delivers a speech to present his plan on climate on July 6, 2017 in Paris. (AFP) × A prepared French industry France is the largest manufacturer of electric cars sold in Europe, with the Renault Zoe outselling by a large margin other models in 2016. Hulot said that French carmakers Peugeot-Citroen and Renault were well equipped to make the change, but conceded that obtaining the goal would be "tough". This announcement comes a day after Volvo announced it is phasing out its petrol-only cars beginning in 2019. All new Volvos will be either electric or hybrids. Still, in 2016 hybrid and electric cars accounted for only 3.6 per cent of new cars registered in Western Europe, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. But, undeterred, last month the 39-year-old Macron hit back at US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would pull out of the 2015 Paris accord with a video vowing to "make our planet great again", a play on Trump's campaign pledge to "make America great again". Nicolas Hulot himself as also been involved and even starred in viral videos about fighting climate change, like this 2015 one, released before COP 21 in France and seen over two million times. (With agency inputs)

France to end sales of petrol, diesel vehicles by 2040

Russia and China joined diplomatic forces on Tuesday and called on North Korea, South Korea and the United States to sign up to a Chinese de-escalation plan designed to defuse tensions around Pyongyang&#39;s missile programme.

The plan would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile programme and the United States and South Korea simultaneously call a moratorium on large-scale missile exercises, both moves aimed at paving the way for multilateral talks.

The initiative was set out in a joint statement from the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries issued shortly after President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held wide-ranging talks in the Kremlin.

&quot;The situation in the region affects the national interests of both countries,&quot; the joint statement said. &quot;Russia and China will work in close coordination to advance a solution to the complex problem of the Korean Peninsula in every possible way.&quot;

North Korea said on Tuesday it had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, which flew a trajectory that experts said could allow a weapon to hit the US&nbsp;state of Alaska.

Russia and China both share a land border with North Korea and have been involved in past efforts to try to calm tensions between Pyongyang and the West.

Moscow and Beijing used the same joint declaration to call on Washington to immediately halt deployment of its THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, a move Washington says is necessitated by the North Korean missile threat.

The statement said Washington was using North Korea as a pretext to expand its military infrastructure in Asia and risked upsetting the strategic balance of power in the area.

&quot;The deployment ... of THAAD will cause serious harm to the strategic security interests of regional states, including Russia and China,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;Russia and China oppose the deployment of such systems and call on the relevant countries to immediately halt and cancel the process of deployment.&quot;

The plan would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile programme and the US & South Korea simultaneously stop large-scale missile exercises

Russia and China joined diplomatic forces on Tuesday and called on North Korea, South Korea and the United States to sign up to a Chinese de-escalation plan designed to defuse tensions around Pyongyang's missile programme. The plan would see North Korea suspend its ballistic missile programme and the United States and South Korea simultaneously call a moratorium on large-scale missile exercises, both moves aimed at paving the way for multilateral talks. The initiative was set out in a joint statement from the Russian and Chinese foreign ministries issued shortly after President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held wide-ranging talks in the Kremlin. "The situation in the region affects the national interests of both countries," the joint statement said. "Russia and China will work in close coordination to advance a solution to the complex problem of the Korean Peninsula in every possible way." North Korea said on Tuesday it had successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time, which flew a trajectory that experts said could allow a weapon to hit the US state of Alaska. Russia and China both share a land border with North Korea and have been involved in past efforts to try to calm tensions between Pyongyang and the West. Moscow and Beijing used the same joint declaration to call on Washington to immediately halt deployment of its THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, a move Washington says is necessitated by the North Korean missile threat. The statement said Washington was using North Korea as a pretext to expand its military infrastructure in Asia and risked upsetting the strategic balance of power in the area. "The deployment ... of THAAD will cause serious harm to the strategic security interests of regional states, including Russia and China," the statement said. "Russia and China oppose the deployment of such systems and call on the relevant countries to immediately halt and cancel the process of deployment."

Russia and China tell N Korea, US and S Korea to embrace de-escalation plan

The volatile politics of the South China Sea continue to make waves.

China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have been fighting over this azure stretch of the Pacific for more than a century, but tensions have increased markedly in recent years as China, claiming the South China Sea as its own, has built on some 250 islands there.

Now the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a US think tank, has warned that China was building new military facilities on the disputed Spratly archipelago, off the coast of Phillipines, Malaysia and Vietnam.

On June 29 the organisation reported on its website that new satellite images show that missile shelters, communications facilities and other infrastructure are &ldquo;near completion&rdquo;, including those on Mischief Reef, which has been a symbol of China&rsquo;s assertiveness in the South China Sea since the country occupied it in 1995.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, along with an arbitration tribunal, were already challenging China&rsquo;s presence in the South China Sea.

The AMTI report could increase tensions with the United States, which insists that this trade route remain under international control.

Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were supposed to discuss the situation during their first meeting at Mar-a-Lago on April 5 2017. But the launch of 59 Tomahawks in Syria and growing tensions on the Korean peninsula completely overshadowed the maritime issue.

Freedom of navigation

On May 24, the US triggered a confrontation cycle in the South China Sea by sending the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey to pass through the contested waters, sailing close to Mischief Reef.

It was the first military maritime exercise in eight months and the first of Trump&rsquo;s presidency.

American patrols in the South China Sea had been a regular practice under the Obama administration since 2015.

The South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) is a US military program, open to regional allies (including Australia, Japan and the Philippines), in which the US leads maritime exercises in the area.

FONOPS is aimed at reiterating the inalienable principle of freedom of navigation in international waters laid out in the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

China disputes this application of the UN declaration and perceives FONOPS as essentially a unilateral American endeavour. The State Department asserts that the US can and will exercise its freedom of navigation on worldwide, without interference by any other country.

Warships, it has affirmed, should enjoy the same freedom as any other vessel, meaning free access to both exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and territorial seas without permission from the relevant coastal state.

China, which has also been in bilateral talks on the South China Sea with the Phillipines since early this year, has a different interpretation. For Beijing, military vessels cannot enter a coastal state&rsquo;s territorial seas without official permission.

It also claims that military ships in EEZ territorial waters are unlawful and suspicious, and only non-military vessels enjoy the right to passage.

The clash of unilaterality is clear here. For the US, ensuring the freedom of navigation throughout Asia-Pacific region is a national prerogative and a matter of vital importance.

As such, China &ndash; specifically, its military activities on some of the disputed South China Sea islands &ndash; is clearly its main obstacle. A confrontation appears unavoidable, but thus far interactions have cleverly been kept on a safe track because no US allies in Asia have joined the FONOPS exercises.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative&rsquo;s assertion that &ldquo;Beijing can now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time&rdquo; may unsettle that balance.

Trump&rsquo;s interest in the South China Sea

FONOPS, too, is often seen as a challenge to China&rsquo;s claims in the South China Sea.

In fact, the freedom of navigation-focused operations are not explicitly aimed at questioning Chinese sovereignty in the South China Sea. But the US has a clear interest in preserving its role as a regional hegemon, and FONOPS could be seen as a provocation of Beijing and its divergent maritime stance.

During his first months in office, President Trump was accused of neglecting the South China Sea dispute and undervaluing the maritime routes encompassed in the Chinese Nine-Dash line. As the New York Times has reported, the Pentagon has on two occasions turned down requests by the US Pacific Command to conduct operations in the disputed waters, in February and April.

This has worried some US allies in the region, and may have encouraged others to start developing a more independent foreign policy.

Trump&rsquo;s cabinet has given every sign that it will continue the South China Sea policy developed under the Obama administration. On February 4 2017, Secretary of State James Mattis reiterated the importance of the South China Sea on the American agenda. Several months later, Admiral Harry Harris assured that the FONOPS in the South China Sea were planned as usual.

Timing has thus far been key in the waltz between Washington and Beijing. The US needs China&rsquo;s support in facing a growing number of global challenges, from terrorism to North Korea.

And with Trump already pushing China on trade, evidently his weapon of choice for addressing the nations&rsquo; multifaceted bilateral relationship, the administration may have thought it strategic to avoiding outright pressure on Beijing regarding the South China Sea.

FONOPS is part of this geopolitical balancing act. Relaunching operations in the region in May allowed the US to reassure Asian allies about its continued presence and gave China the chance to criticise the US for jeopardising regional peace, thus bringing that FONOPS cycle to a close.

Now, with the new US-reported satellite images of Chinese military development released, the ball is again in Washington&rsquo;s court.

The volatile politics of the South China Sea continue to make waves.

The volatile politics of the South China Sea continue to make waves. China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have been fighting over this azure stretch of the Pacific for more than a century, but tensions have increased markedly in recent years as China, claiming the South China Sea as its own, has built on some 250 islands there. Now the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), a US think tank, has warned that China was building new military facilities on the disputed Spratly archipelago, off the coast of Phillipines, Malaysia and Vietnam. On June 29 the organisation reported on its website that new satellite images show that missile shelters, communications facilities and other infrastructure are “near completion”, including those on Mischief Reef, which has been a symbol of China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea since the country occupied it in 1995. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, along with an arbitration tribunal, were already challenging China’s presence in the South China Sea. The AMTI report could increase tensions with the United States, which insists that this trade route remain under international control. Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were supposed to discuss the situation during their first meeting at Mar-a-Lago on April 5 2017. But the launch of 59 Tomahawks in Syria and growing tensions on the Korean peninsula completely overshadowed the maritime issue. Freedom of navigation On May 24, the US triggered a confrontation cycle in the South China Sea by sending the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey to pass through the contested waters, sailing close to Mischief Reef. It was the first military maritime exercise in eight months and the first of Trump’s presidency. American patrols in the South China Sea had been a regular practice under the Obama administration since 2015. The South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) is a US military program, open to regional allies (including Australia, Japan and the Philippines), in which the US leads maritime exercises in the area. FONOPS is aimed at reiterating the inalienable principle of freedom of navigation in international waters laid out in the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). China disputes this application of the UN declaration and perceives FONOPS as essentially a unilateral American endeavour. The State Department asserts that the US can and will exercise its freedom of navigation on worldwide, without interference by any other country. Warships, it has affirmed, should enjoy the same freedom as any other vessel, meaning free access to both exclusive economic zones (EEZ) and territorial seas without permission from the relevant coastal state. China, which has also been in bilateral talks on the South China Sea with the Phillipines since early this year, has a different interpretation. For Beijing, military vessels cannot enter a coastal state’s territorial seas without official permission. It also claims that military ships in EEZ territorial waters are unlawful and suspicious, and only non-military vessels enjoy the right to passage. The clash of unilaterality is clear here. For the US, ensuring the freedom of navigation throughout Asia-Pacific region is a national prerogative and a matter of vital importance. As such, China – specifically, its military activities on some of the disputed South China Sea islands – is clearly its main obstacle. A confrontation appears unavoidable, but thus far interactions have cleverly been kept on a safe track because no US allies in Asia have joined the FONOPS exercises. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative’s assertion that “Beijing can now deploy military assets, including combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers, to the Spratly Islands at any time” may unsettle that balance. Trump’s interest in the South China Sea FONOPS, too, is often seen as a challenge to China’s claims in the South China Sea. In fact, the freedom of navigation-focused operations are not explicitly aimed at questioning Chinese sovereignty in the South China Sea. But the US has a clear interest in preserving its role as a regional hegemon, and FONOPS could be seen as a provocation of Beijing and its divergent maritime stance. During his first months in office, President Trump was accused of neglecting the South China Sea dispute and undervaluing the maritime routes encompassed in the Chinese Nine-Dash line. As the New York Times has reported, the Pentagon has on two occasions turned down requests by the US Pacific Command to conduct operations in the disputed waters, in February and April. This has worried some US allies in the region, and may have encouraged others to start developing a more independent foreign policy. Trump’s cabinet has given every sign that it will continue the South China Sea policy developed under the Obama administration. On February 4 2017, Secretary of State James Mattis reiterated the importance of the South China Sea on the American agenda. Several months later, Admiral Harry Harris assured that the FONOPS in the South China Sea were planned as usual. Timing has thus far been key in the waltz between Washington and Beijing. The US needs China’s support in facing a growing number of global challenges, from terrorism to North Korea. And with Trump already pushing China on trade, evidently his weapon of choice for addressing the nations’ multifaceted bilateral relationship, the administration may have thought it strategic to avoiding outright pressure on Beijing regarding the South China Sea. FONOPS is part of this geopolitical balancing act. Relaunching operations in the region in May allowed the US to reassure Asian allies about its continued presence and gave China the chance to criticise the US for jeopardising regional peace, thus bringing that FONOPS cycle to a close. Now, with the new US-reported satellite images of Chinese military development released, the ball is again in Washington’s court.

From Chinese missile shelters to US warships, the South China Sea conflict is heating up

A man has been charged with plotting to assassinate President Emmanuel Macron at France&#39;s Bastille Day military parade which the French leader is set to attend with US President Donald Trump, a judicial source said Monday.

The 23-year-old is a suspected far-right extremist who told investigators he wanted to kill Macron at the July 14 national day parade in Paris, a source close to the investigation said.

He said he also wanted to attack &quot;Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals,&quot; the source added.

Police arrested the man at his home on Wednesday in the northwest Paris suburb of Argenteuil after being alerted by users of an internet chatroom where the suspect allegedly said he wanted to buy a firearm.

Three kitchen knives were found in his vehicle and analysis of his computer found that he had conducted internet searches as part of his plot, the source said.

Macron, France&#39;s youngest president at 39, invited Trump as his guest of honour for the July 14 parade which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 -- the start of the French Revolution and a turning point in world history.

The two men have radically different political views and interests, but Macron appears intent on trying to build a relationship with the US president and has warned against efforts to isolate him at a meeting of G20 nations this weekend.

The July 14 assassination plot recalls the plot of &quot;The Day of the Jackal&quot;, a book by spy writer Frederick Forsyth in which a hitman attempts to kill former French president Charles de Gaulle, the target of numerous real-life plots.

On Bastille Day in 2002, president Jacques Chirac was the target of an assassination attempt on Paris&#39;s Champs-Elysees avenue.

&nbsp;

Terror on Champs-Elysees

Macron has frequently greeted crowds and discussed with protesters, but France remains in a state of emergency after a string of attacks since 2015.

The July 14 parade takes place on the Champs-Elysees, which has been the site of two recent attacks targeting police. Late last month a man drove a car laden with weapons and gas canisters into a police van on the world-famous avenue.

In April, a known extremist shot dead a policeman on the Champs-Elysees just days before the first round of the presidential election.

The man arrested outside Paris last week was charged on Saturday with plotting to commit a terrorist act, the judicial source said.

He had already been convicted in 2016 for condoning terrorism and sentenced to three years in prison, of which 18 months were suspended. He had applauded neo-Nazi mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage in 2011 in Norway.

France has been under a state of emergency that has been repeatedly renewed since jihadist attacks in Paris in November 2015 in which 130 people were killed.

The 23-year-old is a suspected far-right extremist who also wanted to kill 'Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals', a source said

A man has been charged with plotting to assassinate President Emmanuel Macron at France's Bastille Day military parade which the French leader is set to attend with US President Donald Trump, a judicial source said Monday. The 23-year-old is a suspected far-right extremist who told investigators he wanted to kill Macron at the July 14 national day parade in Paris, a source close to the investigation said. He said he also wanted to attack "Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals," the source added. Police arrested the man at his home on Wednesday in the northwest Paris suburb of Argenteuil after being alerted by users of an internet chatroom where the suspect allegedly said he wanted to buy a firearm. Three kitchen knives were found in his vehicle and analysis of his computer found that he had conducted internet searches as part of his plot, the source said. Macron, France's youngest president at 39, invited Trump as his guest of honour for the July 14 parade which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 -- the start of the French Revolution and a turning point in world history. The two men have radically different political views and interests, but Macron appears intent on trying to build a relationship with the US president and has warned against efforts to isolate him at a meeting of G20 nations this weekend. The July 14 assassination plot recalls the plot of "The Day of the Jackal", a book by spy writer Frederick Forsyth in which a hitman attempts to kill former French president Charles de Gaulle, the target of numerous real-life plots. On Bastille Day in 2002, president Jacques Chirac was the target of an assassination attempt on Paris's Champs-Elysees avenue. Terror on Champs-Elysees Macron has frequently greeted crowds and discussed with protesters, but France remains in a state of emergency after a string of attacks since 2015. The July 14 parade takes place on the Champs-Elysees, which has been the site of two recent attacks targeting police. Late last month a man drove a car laden with weapons and gas canisters into a police van on the world-famous avenue. In April, a known extremist shot dead a policeman on the Champs-Elysees just days before the first round of the presidential election. The man arrested outside Paris last week was charged on Saturday with plotting to commit a terrorist act, the judicial source said. He had already been convicted in 2016 for condoning terrorism and sentenced to three years in prison, of which 18 months were suspended. He had applauded neo-Nazi mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage in 2011 in Norway. France has been under a state of emergency that has been repeatedly renewed since jihadist attacks in Paris in November 2015 in which 130 people were killed.

Man charged for threatening to assassinate French President Macron

Visa applicants from six Muslim-majority countries must have a close family relationship to a US&nbsp;individual or formal ties to a US&nbsp;entity to be admitted to the United States under guidance distributed by the US&nbsp;State Department on Wednesday.

The guidance defined a close familial relationship as being a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling, including step siblings and other step family relations, according to a copy of a cable distributed to all US&nbsp;diplomatic posts and seen by Reuters.

The cable, first reported by the Associated Press, said close family &quot;does not include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-laws and sisters-in-law, fianc&eacute;s, and any other &#39;extended&#39; family members.&quot;

It also specified that any relationship with a US&nbsp;entity &quot;must be formal, documented, and formed in the ordinary course, rather than for the purpose of evading the EO&quot; a reference to US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s March 6 executive order temporarily barring most US&nbsp;travel by citizens of six nations.

The cable provides advice to US&nbsp;consular officers on how to interpret Monday&#39;s Supreme Court ruling that allowed parts of the executive order, which had been blocked by the courts, to be implemented while the highest US&nbsp;court considers the matter.

<a href="http://time.com/4806735/donald-trump-twitter-travel-ban/" target="_blank">Time </a>reports that&nbsp;when Trump was running for the presidency, he called for a &quot;Muslim ban&quot;, a phrase that came back to haunt him when the courts determined that the executive order was &quot;rooted in religious animus and intended to bar Muslims from this country&quot;.

At various times, Trump&#39;s administration has denied the&nbsp;executive order was a &quot;travel ban&quot;, with White House spokesman <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/317144-spicer-trump-executive-order-not-a-travel-ban" target="_blank">Sean Spicer </a>saying in late January:&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s not a Muslim ban. It&#39;s not a travel ban. It&#39;s a vetting system to keep America safe.&quot;

But the president himself has also specifically framed it as a&nbsp;&quot;travel ban&quot;.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/871143765473406976">June 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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(With inputs from agencies)

Family 'does not include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-laws and sisters-in-law, fianc?s' and others

Visa applicants from six Muslim-majority countries must have a close family relationship to a US individual or formal ties to a US entity to be admitted to the United States under guidance distributed by the US State Department on Wednesday. The guidance defined a close familial relationship as being a parent, spouse, child, adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling, including step siblings and other step family relations, according to a copy of a cable distributed to all US diplomatic posts and seen by Reuters. The cable, first reported by the Associated Press, said close family "does not include grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-laws and sisters-in-law, fiancés, and any other 'extended' family members." It also specified that any relationship with a US entity "must be formal, documented, and formed in the ordinary course, rather than for the purpose of evading the EO" a reference to US President Donald Trump's March 6 executive order temporarily barring most US travel by citizens of six nations. The cable provides advice to US consular officers on how to interpret Monday's Supreme Court ruling that allowed parts of the executive order, which had been blocked by the courts, to be implemented while the highest US court considers the matter. Time reports that when Trump was running for the presidency, he called for a "Muslim ban", a phrase that came back to haunt him when the courts determined that the executive order was "rooted in religious animus and intended to bar Muslims from this country". At various times, Trump's administration has denied the executive order was a "travel ban", with White House spokesman Sean Spicer saying in late January: "It's not a Muslim ban. It's not a travel ban. It's a vetting system to keep America safe." But the president himself has also specifically framed it as a "travel ban". We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017 × (With inputs from agencies)

US sets criteria for visa applicants from six Muslim nations

Facing a potentially disastrous defeat by members of his own party, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday delayed a vote on healthcare legislation that has been a top Republican priority as he scrambled to win more support.

President Donald Trump summoned all 52 Republican senators to the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to proceed after party leaders failed to win over a small band of Republican holdouts.

&quot;We&#39;re going to talk and we&#39;re going to see what we can do. We&#39;re getting very close,&quot; Trump told senators as the meeting began.

McConnell had been pushing for a vote ahead of the July 4 recess that starts at the end of the week. The legislation would repeal major elements of Obamacare and shrink the Medicaid government healthcare program for the poor, which was expanded under Democratic former President Barack Obama&#39;s signature domestic legislative achievement.

McConnell, whose party has a razor-thin majority in the 100-member Senate, told reporters that Republican leaders were still working to get the 50 votes needed to pass the bill. Vice President Mike Pence could provide the crucial vote needed to break a tie.

McConnell said the White House was anxious to help write legislation that could pass the Senate.

&quot;We&#39;re going to press on,&quot; McConnell said after he announced the delay in the vote, saying that leaders would keep working to make senators feel &quot;comfortable&quot; with the bill. &quot;We&#39;re optimistic we&#39;re going to get to a result that is better than the status quo.&quot;

While the House of Representatives narrowly passed a measure last month to replace Obamacare, the Senate version faces concerns from both moderate and conservative Republicans, as well as united Democratic opposition.

Moderate Republicans worried that millions of people would lose their insurance. Conservatives said the bill does not do enough to erase Obamacare.

Republican Opposition Grows

The bill&#39;s prospects were not helped by a Congressional Budget Office analysis on Monday saying the measure would cause 22 million Americans to lose insurance over the next decade, although it would reduce the federal deficit by $321 billion over that period.

The report prompted Senator Susan Collins, a key Republican moderate, to say she could not support the bill as it stands. At least four conservative Republican senators said they were still opposed after the CBO analysis.

Three more Republicans, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, said after the delay was announced that they opposed the current draft of the legislation.

Portman and Capito cited the bill&#39;s Medicaid provisions and how that would impact efforts to combat the opioid epidemic that has taken a heavy toll in both their states.

&quot;I think giving time to digest is a good thing,&quot; said Senator Bob Corker after the delay was announced. &quot;I think that some of the issues that people have raised, that are heartfelt issues, to their own families, we exacerbated by the way the bill is constructed, and I think there&rsquo;s a way to overcome that.&rdquo;

U.S. stock prices fell on Tuesday, as the decision to postpone the vote added to investor worries on whether the Trump administration can deliver on its promises of tax reform and deregulation, as well as changes to the health sector. Those expected changes have all driven a rally in U.S. stocks this year.

&ldquo;The market likes certainty and now there&rsquo;s uncertainty. What is this going to look like when this gets out of the next iteration?&quot; said Peter Costa, president of trading firm Empire Executions Inc.

The Fight is Not Over

Passing the measure would hand Trump a legislative win as he seeks to shift attention after weeks of questions over Russia&#39;s role in last year&#39;s U.S. presidential election.

Trump told senators at the White House that it would be &quot;great&quot; to pass the legislation. But &quot;if we don&#39;t get it done it&#39;s just going to be something that we&#39;re not going to like and that&#39;s OK and I&#39;ll understand that very well,&quot; he said.

McConnell has promised since 2010 that Republicans, who view Obamacare as a costly government intrusion, would destroy the law &quot;root and branch&quot; if they controlled Congress and the White House. Their electoral victories in 2014 and 2016 were directly tied to that promise, they say.

Republicans worry that failure to deliver will tell voters that they are unable to govern effectively in the run-up to next year&#39;s congressional elections.

If the Senate passes a healthcare bill, it will either have to be approved by the House or the two chambers would reconcile the differences in their bills in a conference committee. Otherwise, the House could pass a new version and bounce it back to the Senate.

Lawmakers are expected to leave town by Friday for their July 4 holiday break, which runs all next week. The Senate returns to work on July 10, the House on July 11. Lawmakers then have three weeks in session before their month-long August recess.

Democrats remained united in opposition, blasting the Senate bill as a tax break for the wealthy.

&quot;We know the fight is not over, that is for sure. We&#39;re not resting on any laurels,&quot; Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.

 
&nbsp;

President Donald Trump summoned all 52 Republican senators to the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to proceed

Facing a potentially disastrous defeat by members of his own party, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday delayed a vote on healthcare legislation that has been a top Republican priority as he scrambled to win more support. President Donald Trump summoned all 52 Republican senators to the White House on Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to proceed after party leaders failed to win over a small band of Republican holdouts. "We're going to talk and we're going to see what we can do. We're getting very close," Trump told senators as the meeting began. McConnell had been pushing for a vote ahead of the July 4 recess that starts at the end of the week. The legislation would repeal major elements of Obamacare and shrink the Medicaid government healthcare program for the poor, which was expanded under Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislative achievement. McConnell, whose party has a razor-thin majority in the 100-member Senate, told reporters that Republican leaders were still working to get the 50 votes needed to pass the bill. Vice President Mike Pence could provide the crucial vote needed to break a tie. McConnell said the White House was anxious to help write legislation that could pass the Senate. "We're going to press on," McConnell said after he announced the delay in the vote, saying that leaders would keep working to make senators feel "comfortable" with the bill. "We're optimistic we're going to get to a result that is better than the status quo." While the House of Representatives narrowly passed a measure last month to replace Obamacare, the Senate version faces concerns from both moderate and conservative Republicans, as well as united Democratic opposition. Moderate Republicans worried that millions of people would lose their insurance. Conservatives said the bill does not do enough to erase Obamacare. Republican Opposition Grows The bill's prospects were not helped by a Congressional Budget Office analysis on Monday saying the measure would cause 22 million Americans to lose insurance over the next decade, although it would reduce the federal deficit by $321 billion over that period. The report prompted Senator Susan Collins, a key Republican moderate, to say she could not support the bill as it stands. At least four conservative Republican senators said they were still opposed after the CBO analysis. Three more Republicans, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, said after the delay was announced that they opposed the current draft of the legislation. Portman and Capito cited the bill's Medicaid provisions and how that would impact efforts to combat the opioid epidemic that has taken a heavy toll in both their states. "I think giving time to digest is a good thing," said Senator Bob Corker after the delay was announced. "I think that some of the issues that people have raised, that are heartfelt issues, to their own families, we exacerbated by the way the bill is constructed, and I think there’s a way to overcome that.” U.S. stock prices fell on Tuesday, as the decision to postpone the vote added to investor worries on whether the Trump administration can deliver on its promises of tax reform and deregulation, as well as changes to the health sector. Those expected changes have all driven a rally in U.S. stocks this year. “The market likes certainty and now there’s uncertainty. What is this going to look like when this gets out of the next iteration?" said Peter Costa, president of trading firm Empire Executions Inc. The Fight is Not Over Passing the measure would hand Trump a legislative win as he seeks to shift attention after weeks of questions over Russia's role in last year's U.S. presidential election. Trump told senators at the White House that it would be "great" to pass the legislation. But "if we don't get it done it's just going to be something that we're not going to like and that's OK and I'll understand that very well," he said. McConnell has promised since 2010 that Republicans, who view Obamacare as a costly government intrusion, would destroy the law "root and branch" if they controlled Congress and the White House. Their electoral victories in 2014 and 2016 were directly tied to that promise, they say. Republicans worry that failure to deliver will tell voters that they are unable to govern effectively in the run-up to next year's congressional elections. If the Senate passes a healthcare bill, it will either have to be approved by the House or the two chambers would reconcile the differences in their bills in a conference committee. Otherwise, the House could pass a new version and bounce it back to the Senate. Lawmakers are expected to leave town by Friday for their July 4 holiday break, which runs all next week. The Senate returns to work on July 10, the House on July 11. Lawmakers then have three weeks in session before their month-long August recess. Democrats remained united in opposition, blasting the Senate bill as a tax break for the wealthy. "We know the fight is not over, that is for sure. We're not resting on any laurels," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters.

US Senate Republicans delay vote on healthcare bill

The US has cleared the sale of predator Guardian drones to India, PTI reported.&nbsp;

At their joint statement, delivered from the White House on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi had pledged to deepen defence and security cooperation.

The US and India look forward to working together on advanced defence equipment and technology at a level commensurate with that of America&#39;s closest allies and partners, said a statement issued after the India US Summit at the White House.

&quot;President Trump and Prime Minister Modi pledged to deepen defence and security cooperation, building on the United States&#39; recognition of India as a Major Defence Partner,&quot; the statement added.

The drone deal -- India will reportedly buy 22 drones for between $2 to 3 billion -- was being seen as a key test of the India-US relationship.&nbsp;

India&#39;s defence partnership with the US had flourished under former US President Barack Obama, but was seen to be flagging under President Trump.&nbsp;

According to General Atomics, PTI reported, the Predator Guardian UAV, a variant of the Predator B, can be used for wide-area, long- endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

PTI added that the drone It can stay in the air for up to 27 hours and can fly at maximum altitude of 50,000 feet.

The Indian Navy had asked for the drone last year.

The drone is said to have cutting-edge technologies that do not currently exist in the Indian Navy&#39;s arsenal.&nbsp;

The US has cleared the sale of predator Guardian drones to India, PTI reported. At their joint statement, delivered from the White House on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Modi had pledged to deepen defence and security cooperation. The US and India look forward to working together on advanced defence equipment and technology at a level commensurate with that of America's closest allies and partners, said a statement issued after the India US Summit at the White House. "President Trump and Prime Minister Modi pledged to deepen defence and security cooperation, building on the United States' recognition of India as a Major Defence Partner," the statement added. The drone deal -- India will reportedly buy 22 drones for between $2 to 3 billion -- was being seen as a key test of the India-US relationship. India's defence partnership with the US had flourished under former US President Barack Obama, but was seen to be flagging under President Trump. According to General Atomics, PTI reported, the Predator Guardian UAV, a variant of the Predator B, can be used for wide-area, long- endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. PTI added that the drone It can stay in the air for up to 27 hours and can fly at maximum altitude of 50,000 feet. The Indian Navy had asked for the drone last year. The drone is said to have cutting-edge technologies that do not currently exist in the Indian Navy's arsenal.

US clears sale of Guardian drones to India, purchase to cost as much as $3 bn

&quot;We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism,&quot; US President Donald Trump made his agenda clear while delivering the joint press statement&nbsp;at the&nbsp;White House&nbsp;in Washington DC&nbsp;today with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.&nbsp;Both the leaders affirmed their commitment to fighting terror in their societies.&nbsp;&nbsp;

PM Narendra Modi&nbsp;told the gathered media that&nbsp;terrorism and extremism&nbsp;were&nbsp;on top of the agenda&nbsp;for&nbsp;the meeting between him and&nbsp;US President&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and the two administrations.&nbsp;The two leaders made the statement in the Rose Garden on a sunny day with US First Lady Melania Trump present dressed in a yellow ensemble.&nbsp;

&quot;Fighting terror and destroying terror safe havens is our common goal. We will increase intelligence sharing on terror,&quot; PM Modi said in his address.&nbsp;

&quot;The protection of our&nbsp;societies&nbsp;is the topmost priority for me and President Trump. The common empowerment of the two biggest democracies in the world is our focus,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

On his part, President Trump&nbsp;stressed the common link of democracy between the American and Indian people.&nbsp;

&quot;Both the Indian and American Constitution&nbsp;begin with&nbsp;three&nbsp;beautiful&nbsp;words -&nbsp;&quot;We the people&quot;.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Regional crises also figured between the two leaders with the instability in Afghanistan and Indo-Pacific region being the prominent points of concern.&nbsp;

President Trump also lauded the tax overhaul to be&nbsp;undertaken&nbsp;by&nbsp;the Indian government&nbsp;and the&nbsp;economic&nbsp;growth rate of India.&nbsp;

&quot;In two weeks, you are going to begin one of the largest tax&nbsp;overhaul&nbsp;in&nbsp;your country&#39;s history. We are also doing this by the way,&quot; Trump said&nbsp;to Modi as a part of his address.&nbsp;

On the trade between the two countries, Trump said that it is important that the barriers be removed for the export of US goods to India.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;It is important that barriers be removed to the export of U.S. goods into your markets and that we reduce our trade deficit with your country,&quot; he said.

President Trump also highlighted India&#39;s contribution to the&nbsp;American economy&nbsp;by mentioning an Indian&nbsp;Airlines&nbsp;order for&nbsp;100&nbsp;aircraft that he said will generate &quot;many American jobs&quot;.&nbsp;

President Trump further welcomed further India&#39;s contribution to promoting democracy and security in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

Both leaders committed to continue close consultations and cooperation in support of Afghanistan&rsquo;s future.

Trump brought a touch of&nbsp;humour&nbsp;and informality&nbsp;to the normally dry official proceeding with several off-the-cuff remarks. &quot;PM Modi and I are world leaders in social media,&quot; Trump said to laughter, even as he explained&nbsp;that this gave &quot;citizens of our countries the opportunity&nbsp;to hear directly from the elected officials&quot;.&nbsp;

President Trump also informed the media that PM Modi had invited his daughter Ivanka Trump to lead the American delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit to be held in India. &quot;And I believe she has accepted,&quot; he&nbsp;added.&nbsp;

The full text of their speeches, published by the White House, is reproduced below:&nbsp;

PRESIDENT TRUMP: &nbsp;Thank you very much. &nbsp;Prime Minister Modi, thank you for being here with us today. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s a great honor to welcome the leader of the world&rsquo;s largest democracy to the White House.

I have always had a deep admiration for your country and for its people, and a profound appreciation for your rich culture, heritage and traditions. &nbsp;This summer, India will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its independence, and on behalf of the United States, I want to congratulate the Indian people on this magnificent milestone in the life of your very, very incredible nation.

During my campaign, I pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. &nbsp;And that is now exactly what you have -- a true friend. &nbsp;The friendship between the United States and India is built on shared values, including our shared commitment to democracy. &nbsp;Not many people know it, but both American and the Indian constitutions begin with the same three very beautiful words: &nbsp;We the people.

The Prime Minister and I both understand the crucial importance of those words, which helps to form the foundation of cooperation between our two countries. &nbsp;Relations between countries are strongest when they are devoted to the interests of the people we serve. &nbsp;And after our meetings today, I will say that the relationship between India and the United States has never been stronger, has never been better.

I&rsquo;m proud to announce to the media, to the American people, and to the Indian people, that Prime Minister Modi and I are world leaders in social media -- (laughter) -- we&rsquo;re believers -- giving the citizens of our countries the opportunity to hear directly from their elected officials, and for us to hear directly from them. &nbsp;I guess it&rsquo;s worked very well in both cases.

I am thrilled to salute you, Prime Minister Modi, and the Indian people for all that you are accomplishing together. &nbsp;Your accomplishments have been vast. &nbsp;India has the fastest growing economy in the world. &nbsp;We hope we&rsquo;re going to be catching you very soon in terms of percentage increase, I have to tell you that. &nbsp;We&rsquo;re working on it. &nbsp;

In just two weeks, you will begin to implement the largest tax overhaul in your country&rsquo;s history -- we&rsquo;re doing that also, by the way -- creating great new opportunities for your citizens. &nbsp;You have a big vision for improving infrastructure, and you are fighting government corruption, which is always a grave threat to democracy.

Together, our countries can help chart an optimistic path into the future, one that unleashes the power of new technology, new infrastructure, and the enthusiasm and excitement of very hardworking and very dynamic people.

I look forward to working with you, Mr. Prime Minister, to create jobs in our countries, to grow our economies, and to create a trading relationship that is fair and reciprocal. &nbsp;It is important that barriers be removed to the export of U.S. goods into your markets, and that we reduce our trade deficit with your country. &nbsp;

I was pleased to learn about an Indian Airlines recent order of 100 new American planes, one of the largest orders of its kind, which will support thousands and thousands of American jobs. &nbsp;We&rsquo;re also looking forward to exporting more American energy to India as your economy grows, including major long-term contracts to purchase American natural gas, which are right now being negotiated, and we will sign them. &nbsp;Trying to get the price up a little bit.

To further our economic partnership, I&rsquo;m excited to report that the Prime Minister has invited my daughter, Ivanka, to lead the U.S. delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India this fall. &nbsp;And I believe she has accepted. &nbsp;

Finally, the security partnership between the United States and India is incredibly important. &nbsp;Both our nations have been struck by the evils of terrorism, and we are both determined to destroy terrorist organizations and the radical ideology that drives them. &nbsp;We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism. &nbsp;Our militaries are working every day to enhance cooperation between our military forces. &nbsp;And next month, they will join together with the Japanese navy to take place in the largest maritime exercise ever conducted in the vast Indian Ocean.

I also thank the Indian people for their contributions to the effort in Afghanistan, and for joining us in applying new sanctions against the North Korean regime. &nbsp;The North Korean regime is causing tremendous problems and is something that has to be dealt with, and probably dealt with rapidly.

Working together, I truly believe our two countries can set an example for many other nations, make great strides in defeating common threats, and make great progress in unleashing amazing prosperity and growth.

Prime Minister Modi, thank you again for joining me today, and for visiting our country and our wonderful White House and Oval Office. &nbsp;I enjoyed our very productive conversation this afternoon, and look forward to its continuation tonight at dinner. &nbsp;The future of our partnership has never looked brighter. &nbsp;India and the United States will always be tied together in friendship and respect.

Prime Minister Modi, thank you very much. &nbsp;Thank you. &nbsp;Thank you. &nbsp;(Applause.) &nbsp;

PRIME MINISTER MODI: &nbsp;(As interpreted.) &nbsp;President Donald Trump and First Lady, Vice President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen of the media: &nbsp;Right from the opening tweet to the end of our talks, President Trump&#39;s welcome, which was filled with friendliness, his warm welcome to the White House by himself and the First Lady, I would like to thank both of you from the bottom of my heart for this warm welcome.

I would also like to give a special thanks to you, President Trump, for having spent so much time with me, for having spoken such kind words about me and my country. &nbsp;And I would like to tell you that I&#39;m eager to welcome your daughter to India for the Entrepreneurship Summit. &nbsp;

President Trump, I&#39;d once again like to thank you for the time that you have spent with me. &nbsp;I&#39;d like to give you special thanks for that.

My visit and our talks today will mark a very important page in the history of the collaboration and cooperation between our two nations. &nbsp;The talks between his Excellency, President Trump, and myself today have been extremely important from all points of view, for several reasons: &nbsp;Because they were based on mutual trust; because of the convergence and similarities they revealed in our values, and our priorities, and in our concerns and interests; because they focused on the highest levels of achievement in our cooperation, and mutual support, and partnership; because our two countries are global engines of growth; because the all-around or comprehensive economic growth and joint progress of both countries and both societies is the main objective for both the President and myself, and will remain so; because the top priority for both President Trump and myself is to protect our society from global challenges like terrorism; and because our aim is the strengthening of India and the USA -- two great democracies in the world -- friends.

Our robust strategic partnership is such that it touches upon almost all areas of human endeavor. &nbsp;In our conversation today, President Trump and I have discussed all dimensions of India-U.S. relations at length. &nbsp;Both nations are committed to a bilateral architecture that will take our strategic partnership to new heights.

In this relationship, in both countries, increased productivity, growth, job creation, and breakthrough technologies -- an engagement towards all these are, and will remain, strong drivers of our cooperation, and will give further momentum to our relationship.

We consider the USA as our primary partner for India&#39;s social and economic transformation in all our flagship programs and schemes. &nbsp;I am sure that the convergence between my vision for a &quot;new India and President Trump&#39;s vision for &quot;making America great again&quot; will add new dimensions to our cooperation.

I am very clear about the fact that India&#39;s interests lie in a strong, and prosperous, and successful America. &nbsp;In the same way, India&#39;s development and its growing role at the international level are in the USA&#39;s interest. &nbsp;

One of our common priorities will be the development of trade, commerce, and investment links. &nbsp;And in this regard, in the technology, innovation, and knowledge-economy sectors, the expansion and deepening of cooperation is also among our priorities. &nbsp;Towards this end, we shall take steps to further strengthen our successful digital partnership. &nbsp;

Friends, we are not just partners by chance. &nbsp;We are also partners in dealing with current and future challenges that we may be faced with. &nbsp;Today, during our meeting, we discussed the serious challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalization, which are the major challenges facing the world today. &nbsp;And we have agreed to enhance our cooperation in fighting against these scourges. Fighting terrorism and doing away with the safe shelters, sanctuaries, and safe havens will be an important part of our cooperation.

With respect to our common concerns on terrorism, we will also enhance our sharing of intelligence, and exchange information to deepen and expand our policy coordination as far as possible. &nbsp;

We also spoke at length on regional issues. &nbsp;The increasing instability, due to terrorism, in Afghanistan is one of our common concerns. &nbsp;Both India and America have played an important role in rebuilding Afghanistan and ensuring its security. &nbsp;In order to attain our objectives for peace and stability in Afghanistan, we will maintain close consultation and communication with the U.S. to enhance coordination between our two nations.

In the Indo-Pacific region, in order to maintain peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, this is also another objective of our strategic cooperation in this area. &nbsp;The increasing possibilities for enhancing cooperation in order to protect our strategic interests will continue to determine the dimensions of our partnership. &nbsp;We will continue to work with the USA in this region.

With regard to security-related challenges, our enhanced and growing defense and security cooperation is extremely important. &nbsp;We have spoken at length on this subject as well. &nbsp;

The strengthening of India&rsquo;s defense capabilities, with the help of USA, is something that we truly appreciate. &nbsp;We have also decided to enhance maritime security cooperation between the two nations. &nbsp;President Trump and I have also spoken about strengthening bilateral defense technology and our trade and manufacturing partnership, which we believe will be mutually beneficial to us.

We also discussed international issues and our common strategic interests. &nbsp;In this context, we are extremely grateful for the continued support of the United States for India&rsquo;s membership of international institutions and regimes. &nbsp;We truly appreciate the support, because this is also in the interest of both our nations.

President Trump, I thank you for your feelings of friendship towards India and myself. &nbsp;I deeply appreciate your strong commitment to the enhancement of our bilateral relations. &nbsp;I am sure that under your leadership, our mutually beneficial strategic partnership will gain new strength, new positivity, and will reach new heights, and that your vast and successful experience in the business world will lend an aggressive and forward-looking agenda to our relations. &nbsp;

In this journey of India-America relations, I think I would like to thank you for providing great leadership. &nbsp;Be assured that in this joint journey of our two nations towards development, growth and prosperity, I will remain a driven, determined, and decisive partner.&nbsp;

Excellency, my visit today and the extensive talks I have held with you have been very successful, very fruitful. &nbsp;And before leaving this mic, I would like to invite you to India, along with your family. And I hope that you will give me the opportunity to welcome you and host you in India. &nbsp;

And at the end, once again, I&rsquo;d like to thank you for the warm welcome extended by you and the First Lady to myself and my delegation, from the bottom of my heart. &nbsp;Thank you. &nbsp;(Applause.) &nbsp;&nbsp;

PRESIDENT TRUMP: &nbsp;Thank you very much, everybody. &nbsp;I appreciate it. &nbsp;Thank you.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also asserted that fighting terror was a priority for both India and US

"We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism," US President Donald Trump made his agenda clear while delivering the joint press statement at the White House in Washington DC today with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both the leaders affirmed their commitment to fighting terror in their societies. PM Narendra Modi told the gathered media that terrorism and extremism were on top of the agenda for the meeting between him and US President Trump and the two administrations. The two leaders made the statement in the Rose Garden on a sunny day with US First Lady Melania Trump present dressed in a yellow ensemble. "Fighting terror and destroying terror safe havens is our common goal. We will increase intelligence sharing on terror," PM Modi said in his address. "The protection of our societies is the topmost priority for me and President Trump. The common empowerment of the two biggest democracies in the world is our focus," he added. On his part, President Trump stressed the common link of democracy between the American and Indian people. "Both the Indian and American Constitution begin with three beautiful words - "We the people". Regional crises also figured between the two leaders with the instability in Afghanistan and Indo-Pacific region being the prominent points of concern. President Trump also lauded the tax overhaul to be undertaken by the Indian government and the economic growth rate of India. "In two weeks, you are going to begin one of the largest tax overhaul in your country's history. We are also doing this by the way," Trump said to Modi as a part of his address. On the trade between the two countries, Trump said that it is important that the barriers be removed for the export of US goods to India. "It is important that barriers be removed to the export of U.S. goods into your markets and that we reduce our trade deficit with your country," he said. President Trump also highlighted India's contribution to the American economy by mentioning an Indian Airlines order for 100 aircraft that he said will generate "many American jobs". President Trump further welcomed further India's contribution to promoting democracy and security in Afghanistan. Both leaders committed to continue close consultations and cooperation in support of Afghanistan’s future. Trump brought a touch of humour and informality to the normally dry official proceeding with several off-the-cuff remarks. "PM Modi and I are world leaders in social media," Trump said to laughter, even as he explained that this gave "citizens of our countries the opportunity to hear directly from the elected officials". President Trump also informed the media that PM Modi had invited his daughter Ivanka Trump to lead the American delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit to be held in India. "And I believe she has accepted," he added. The full text of their speeches, published by the White House, is reproduced below: PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. Prime Minister Modi, thank you for being here with us today. It’s a great honor to welcome the leader of the world’s largest democracy to the White House. I have always had a deep admiration for your country and for its people, and a profound appreciation for your rich culture, heritage and traditions. This summer, India will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its independence, and on behalf of the United States, I want to congratulate the Indian people on this magnificent milestone in the life of your very, very incredible nation. During my campaign, I pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. And that is now exactly what you have -- a true friend. The friendship between the United States and India is built on shared values, including our shared commitment to democracy. Not many people know it, but both American and the Indian constitutions begin with the same three very beautiful words: We the people. The Prime Minister and I both understand the crucial importance of those words, which helps to form the foundation of cooperation between our two countries. Relations between countries are strongest when they are devoted to the interests of the people we serve. And after our meetings today, I will say that the relationship between India and the United States has never been stronger, has never been better. I’m proud to announce to the media, to the American people, and to the Indian people, that Prime Minister Modi and I are world leaders in social media -- (laughter) -- we’re believers -- giving the citizens of our countries the opportunity to hear directly from their elected officials, and for us to hear directly from them. I guess it’s worked very well in both cases. I am thrilled to salute you, Prime Minister Modi, and the Indian people for all that you are accomplishing together. Your accomplishments have been vast. India has the fastest growing economy in the world. We hope we’re going to be catching you very soon in terms of percentage increase, I have to tell you that. We’re working on it. In just two weeks, you will begin to implement the largest tax overhaul in your country’s history -- we’re doing that also, by the way -- creating great new opportunities for your citizens. You have a big vision for improving infrastructure, and you are fighting government corruption, which is always a grave threat to democracy. Together, our countries can help chart an optimistic path into the future, one that unleashes the power of new technology, new infrastructure, and the enthusiasm and excitement of very hardworking and very dynamic people. I look forward to working with you, Mr. Prime Minister, to create jobs in our countries, to grow our economies, and to create a trading relationship that is fair and reciprocal. It is important that barriers be removed to the export of U.S. goods into your markets, and that we reduce our trade deficit with your country. I was pleased to learn about an Indian Airlines recent order of 100 new American planes, one of the largest orders of its kind, which will support thousands and thousands of American jobs. We’re also looking forward to exporting more American energy to India as your economy grows, including major long-term contracts to purchase American natural gas, which are right now being negotiated, and we will sign them. Trying to get the price up a little bit. To further our economic partnership, I’m excited to report that the Prime Minister has invited my daughter, Ivanka, to lead the U.S. delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in India this fall. And I believe she has accepted. Finally, the security partnership between the United States and India is incredibly important. Both our nations have been struck by the evils of terrorism, and we are both determined to destroy terrorist organizations and the radical ideology that drives them. We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism. Our militaries are working every day to enhance cooperation between our military forces. And next month, they will join together with the Japanese navy to take place in the largest maritime exercise ever conducted in the vast Indian Ocean. I also thank the Indian people for their contributions to the effort in Afghanistan, and for joining us in applying new sanctions against the North Korean regime. The North Korean regime is causing tremendous problems and is something that has to be dealt with, and probably dealt with rapidly. Working together, I truly believe our two countries can set an example for many other nations, make great strides in defeating common threats, and make great progress in unleashing amazing prosperity and growth. Prime Minister Modi, thank you again for joining me today, and for visiting our country and our wonderful White House and Oval Office. I enjoyed our very productive conversation this afternoon, and look forward to its continuation tonight at dinner. The future of our partnership has never looked brighter. India and the United States will always be tied together in friendship and respect. Prime Minister Modi, thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) PRIME MINISTER MODI: (As interpreted.) President Donald Trump and First Lady, Vice President, ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen of the media: Right from the opening tweet to the end of our talks, President Trump's welcome, which was filled with friendliness, his warm welcome to the White House by himself and the First Lady, I would like to thank both of you from the bottom of my heart for this warm welcome. I would also like to give a special thanks to you, President Trump, for having spent so much time with me, for having spoken such kind words about me and my country. And I would like to tell you that I'm eager to welcome your daughter to India for the Entrepreneurship Summit. President Trump, I'd once again like to thank you for the time that you have spent with me. I'd like to give you special thanks for that. My visit and our talks today will mark a very important page in the history of the collaboration and cooperation between our two nations. The talks between his Excellency, President Trump, and myself today have been extremely important from all points of view, for several reasons: Because they were based on mutual trust; because of the convergence and similarities they revealed in our values, and our priorities, and in our concerns and interests; because they focused on the highest levels of achievement in our cooperation, and mutual support, and partnership; because our two countries are global engines of growth; because the all-around or comprehensive economic growth and joint progress of both countries and both societies is the main objective for both the President and myself, and will remain so; because the top priority for both President Trump and myself is to protect our society from global challenges like terrorism; and because our aim is the strengthening of India and the USA -- two great democracies in the world -- friends. Our robust strategic partnership is such that it touches upon almost all areas of human endeavor. In our conversation today, President Trump and I have discussed all dimensions of India-U.S. relations at length. Both nations are committed to a bilateral architecture that will take our strategic partnership to new heights. In this relationship, in both countries, increased productivity, growth, job creation, and breakthrough technologies -- an engagement towards all these are, and will remain, strong drivers of our cooperation, and will give further momentum to our relationship. We consider the USA as our primary partner for India's social and economic transformation in all our flagship programs and schemes. I am sure that the convergence between my vision for a "new India and President Trump's vision for "making America great again" will add new dimensions to our cooperation. I am very clear about the fact that India's interests lie in a strong, and prosperous, and successful America. In the same way, India's development and its growing role at the international level are in the USA's interest. One of our common priorities will be the development of trade, commerce, and investment links. And in this regard, in the technology, innovation, and knowledge-economy sectors, the expansion and deepening of cooperation is also among our priorities. Towards this end, we shall take steps to further strengthen our successful digital partnership. Friends, we are not just partners by chance. We are also partners in dealing with current and future challenges that we may be faced with. Today, during our meeting, we discussed the serious challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalization, which are the major challenges facing the world today. And we have agreed to enhance our cooperation in fighting against these scourges. Fighting terrorism and doing away with the safe shelters, sanctuaries, and safe havens will be an important part of our cooperation. With respect to our common concerns on terrorism, we will also enhance our sharing of intelligence, and exchange information to deepen and expand our policy coordination as far as possible. We also spoke at length on regional issues. The increasing instability, due to terrorism, in Afghanistan is one of our common concerns. Both India and America have played an important role in rebuilding Afghanistan and ensuring its security. In order to attain our objectives for peace and stability in Afghanistan, we will maintain close consultation and communication with the U.S. to enhance coordination between our two nations. In the Indo-Pacific region, in order to maintain peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, this is also another objective of our strategic cooperation in this area. The increasing possibilities for enhancing cooperation in order to protect our strategic interests will continue to determine the dimensions of our partnership. We will continue to work with the USA in this region. With regard to security-related challenges, our enhanced and growing defense and security cooperation is extremely important. We have spoken at length on this subject as well. The strengthening of India’s defense capabilities, with the help of USA, is something that we truly appreciate. We have also decided to enhance maritime security cooperation between the two nations. President Trump and I have also spoken about strengthening bilateral defense technology and our trade and manufacturing partnership, which we believe will be mutually beneficial to us. We also discussed international issues and our common strategic interests. In this context, we are extremely grateful for the continued support of the United States for India’s membership of international institutions and regimes. We truly appreciate the support, because this is also in the interest of both our nations. President Trump, I thank you for your feelings of friendship towards India and myself. I deeply appreciate your strong commitment to the enhancement of our bilateral relations. I am sure that under your leadership, our mutually beneficial strategic partnership will gain new strength, new positivity, and will reach new heights, and that your vast and successful experience in the business world will lend an aggressive and forward-looking agenda to our relations. In this journey of India-America relations, I think I would like to thank you for providing great leadership. Be assured that in this joint journey of our two nations towards development, growth and prosperity, I will remain a driven, determined, and decisive partner. Excellency, my visit today and the extensive talks I have held with you have been very successful, very fruitful. And before leaving this mic, I would like to invite you to India, along with your family. And I hope that you will give me the opportunity to welcome you and host you in India. And at the end, once again, I’d like to thank you for the warm welcome extended by you and the First Lady to myself and my delegation, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. (Applause.) PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much, everybody. I appreciate it. Thank you.

India-US joint statement: 'We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism,' says US President Trump

The White House said Monday that Syria appears to be planning another chemical weapons attack.&nbsp;

It also warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he would pay &quot;a heavy price&quot; if it carried out such an attack.&nbsp;

Reuters reported that a statement from the White House said preparations by Syria were similar to those undertaken before an April 4 chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians and prompted President Donald Trump to order a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base.

After the chemical attack, Trump had ordered the firing of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat air base in Syria from where he said the attack had been launched.&nbsp;

At the time, US officials had described the strike as a &quot;one-off&quot;.&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s interventions in Syria however up the risk of armed conflict with Russia and Iran, Assad&#39;s two main backers.&nbsp;

Since the April strike, the US has hit&nbsp;Iranian-backed militia in Syria a number of times and also shot down a drone threatening US-led coalition forces.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, it also shot down a Syrian jet. 
&nbsp;

A statement from the White House said preparations by Syria were similar to those undertaken before an April 4 chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians

The White House said Monday that Syria appears to be planning another chemical weapons attack. It also warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he would pay "a heavy price" if it carried out such an attack. Reuters reported that a statement from the White House said preparations by Syria were similar to those undertaken before an April 4 chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians and prompted President Donald Trump to order a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base. After the chemical attack, Trump had ordered the firing of 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat air base in Syria from where he said the attack had been launched. At the time, US officials had described the strike as a "one-off". Trump's interventions in Syria however up the risk of armed conflict with Russia and Iran, Assad's two main backers. Since the April strike, the US has hit Iranian-backed militia in Syria a number of times and also shot down a drone threatening US-led coalition forces. Earlier this month, it also shot down a Syrian jet.

US says Syria appears to be planning another chemical weapons attack

India and the US have called on Pakistan to stop its soil from being used as a terror launchpad, Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar said at a Ministry of External Affairs media briefing after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Donald Trump.&nbsp;

Jaishankar said India and the US, in a joint statement, have called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice perpatrators of terror attacks like 26/11, Pathankot, and other cross-border attacks perpetrated by Pakistan-based terror groups.&nbsp;

Jaishankar added that the designation of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a &quot;global terrorist&quot; before the Modi-Trump meeting was &quot;a strong signal from the administration&quot;.&nbsp;

Watch video of the media briefing below:&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/do2MWlq1dmk" width="560"></iframe>

Jaishankar added that terrorism was identified as a key challenge in the Trump-Modi meeting.&nbsp;

And that discussions were also held on the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the United Nations Security Council.&nbsp;

The meeting between the two leaders, said Jaishankar, was cordial, focused and open.&nbsp;

There was a great degree of ease, he said.&nbsp;

Both leaders emphasised the importance of free and fair trade, Jaishankar added.&nbsp;

Jaishankar also added that President Trump had accepted Prime Minister Modi&#39;s invitation to visit India.&nbsp;

But he said he had no further details about the possible visit at the moment.&nbsp;

Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar said India and the US, in a joint statement, have called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice perpatrators of terror attacks like 26/11 & Pathankot

India and the US have called on Pakistan to stop its soil from being used as a terror launchpad, Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar said at a Ministry of External Affairs media briefing after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Donald Trump. Jaishankar said India and the US, in a joint statement, have called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice perpatrators of terror attacks like 26/11, Pathankot, and other cross-border attacks perpetrated by Pakistan-based terror groups. Jaishankar added that the designation of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist" before the Modi-Trump meeting was "a strong signal from the administration". Watch video of the media briefing below: Jaishankar added that terrorism was identified as a key challenge in the Trump-Modi meeting. And that discussions were also held on the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the United Nations Security Council. The meeting between the two leaders, said Jaishankar, was cordial, focused and open. There was a great degree of ease, he said. Both leaders emphasised the importance of free and fair trade, Jaishankar added. Jaishankar also added that President Trump had accepted Prime Minister Modi's invitation to visit India. But he said he had no further details about the possible visit at the moment.

India & US have called on Pakistan to stop its soil from being used as terror launchpad: MEA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted President Donald Trump a folio containing an original commemorative postal stamp issued by India to mark the death centenary of Abraham Lincoln and presented hand-woven shawls from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to the First Lady.

The Trumps took PM Modi&nbsp;for a tour of the White House, including the residential quarters.

Trump also showed Modi a copy of Lincoln&#39;s famous Gettysburg address and the desk on which he wrote it.

The First Lady, who was present for large parts of the day during the Modi visit, also hosted a pre-dinner reception in honour of the visiting Indian Prime Minister.

The reception was the first major social event Melania Trump hosted for a visiting dignitary since permanently moving to the White House from New York this summer with her young son Barron.

&quot;It was obvious that they (the President and First Lady) went out of their way to enable a right atmosphere for the discussions,&quot; India&#39;s Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna said.

Modi presented Trump a folio containing an original commemorative postal stamp that had been issued by India 52 years ago in 1965 to mark the death centenary of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America.

Apart from honouring the memory of the former American President, the issue of this stamp also symbolised the closeness of the ideals for which Lincoln stood and those which drove Mahatma Gandhi, sources said.

&quot;Both leaders believed in the basic goodness of the common man, and in emancipation of the downtrodden. And both leaders led from the front, with indomitable courage against the forces of reaction and outmoded beliefs,&quot; they said.

The Prime Minister also presented to the President a wooden chest with an intricate inlay pattern,&nbsp;a specialty of Hoshiarpur in Punjab.

For the First Lady, the Prime Minister had a hamper containing a traditional, handcrafted Himachali silver bracelet, tea and honey from Kangra valley, and hand-woven shawls from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.&nbsp;

(PTI)

Modi presented Trump a folio containing an original commemorative postal stamp marking Lincoln's death anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted President Donald Trump a folio containing an original commemorative postal stamp issued by India to mark the death centenary of Abraham Lincoln and presented hand-woven shawls from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to the First Lady. The Trumps took PM Modi for a tour of the White House, including the residential quarters. Trump also showed Modi a copy of Lincoln's famous Gettysburg address and the desk on which he wrote it. The First Lady, who was present for large parts of the day during the Modi visit, also hosted a pre-dinner reception in honour of the visiting Indian Prime Minister. The reception was the first major social event Melania Trump hosted for a visiting dignitary since permanently moving to the White House from New York this summer with her young son Barron. "It was obvious that they (the President and First Lady) went out of their way to enable a right atmosphere for the discussions," India's Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna said. Modi presented Trump a folio containing an original commemorative postal stamp that had been issued by India 52 years ago in 1965 to mark the death centenary of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America. Apart from honouring the memory of the former American President, the issue of this stamp also symbolised the closeness of the ideals for which Lincoln stood and those which drove Mahatma Gandhi, sources said. "Both leaders believed in the basic goodness of the common man, and in emancipation of the downtrodden. And both leaders led from the front, with indomitable courage against the forces of reaction and outmoded beliefs," they said. The Prime Minister also presented to the President a wooden chest with an intricate inlay pattern, a specialty of Hoshiarpur in Punjab. For the First Lady, the Prime Minister had a hamper containing a traditional, handcrafted Himachali silver bracelet, tea and honey from Kangra valley, and hand-woven shawls from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. (PTI)

Silver bracelet, Kangra tea, Lincoln stamp - PM Modi's gifts for President Trump, Melania

In a break from tradition, US President Donald Trump did not host&nbsp;Eid celebrations at the White House this year.

The White House has traditionally hosted an Eid al-Fitr feast every year since Bill Clinton&#39;s presidency.

President Trump said in a statement, &quot;On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Muslims in the United States joined those around the world during the holy month of Ramzan to focus on acts of faith and charity. During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill. With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honor these values. Eid Mubarak.&quot;

In a brief statement, Rex Tillerson sent his &quot;best wishes to all Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr&quot;.

In May, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson turned down a request from the State Department&#39;s Office of Religion and Global Affairs to host an Eid al-Fitr reception, Reuters reported quoting two US officials.

An April 6 memo seen by Reuters, the state department recommended that Tillerson hold an Eid al-Fitr reception.

Republican and Democratic secretaries of state have almost always hosted either an iftar dinner to break the day&#39;s fast during Ramzan or a reception marking the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the month, at the State Department. The event is usually attended by members of Congress, Muslim civil society and community leaders, diplomats from Muslim countries and senior US officials usually attend the State Department Ramzan&nbsp;event.

The first presidential Iftar dinner was hosted by Thomas Jefferson in 1805 for a Tunisian envoy.

It became an annual tradition ever since then first lady Hillary Clinton revived the idea of hosting the dinner in 1996.

President Donald Trump&#39;s administration is accused of having an unfriendly attitude toward Islam, especially after his travel ban on citizens of six Muslim-majority countries forbidding Muslim citizens from entering the country. The ban has been stayed by US courts.

The Trump administration maintains that while it strongly opposes Islamist militants, it has no quarrel with Islam. As evidence, his aides have drawn attention to Trump&#39;s May visit to Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam where he addressed the leaders of more than 50 Muslim countries.

The White House has traditionally hosted an Eid al-Fitr feast every year since Bill Clinton's presidency.

In a break from tradition, US President Donald Trump did not host Eid celebrations at the White House this year. The White House has traditionally hosted an Eid al-Fitr feast every year since Bill Clinton's presidency. President Trump said in a statement, "On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr. Muslims in the United States joined those around the world during the holy month of Ramzan to focus on acts of faith and charity. During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill. With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honor these values. Eid Mubarak." In a brief statement, Rex Tillerson sent his "best wishes to all Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr". In May, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson turned down a request from the State Department's Office of Religion and Global Affairs to host an Eid al-Fitr reception, Reuters reported quoting two US officials. An April 6 memo seen by Reuters, the state department recommended that Tillerson hold an Eid al-Fitr reception. Republican and Democratic secretaries of state have almost always hosted either an iftar dinner to break the day's fast during Ramzan or a reception marking the Eid al-Fitr holiday at the end of the month, at the State Department. The event is usually attended by members of Congress, Muslim civil society and community leaders, diplomats from Muslim countries and senior US officials usually attend the State Department Ramzan event. The first presidential Iftar dinner was hosted by Thomas Jefferson in 1805 for a Tunisian envoy. It became an annual tradition ever since then first lady Hillary Clinton revived the idea of hosting the dinner in 1996. President Donald Trump's administration is accused of having an unfriendly attitude toward Islam, especially after his travel ban on citizens of six Muslim-majority countries forbidding Muslim citizens from entering the country. The ban has been stayed by US courts. The Trump administration maintains that while it strongly opposes Islamist militants, it has no quarrel with Islam. As evidence, his aides have drawn attention to Trump's May visit to Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam where he addressed the leaders of more than 50 Muslim countries.

Donald Trump breaks tradition, skips Eid celebrations at White House

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in US on Sunday for a two-day visit aimed at boosting bilateral ties, was given a warm welcome by officials from the Indian and the US embassies as soon as he touched down at the Joint Base Andrews Air Force base.

The Indian diaspora, who had gathered at Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC to welcome the Indian prime minister, chanted &quot;Modi-Modi&quot; and &quot;Bharat Mata ki jai&quot; upon his arrival.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> Indians gather at Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC to welcome PM Narendra Modi chant &quot;Modi- Modi&quot; and &quot;Bharat Mata ki jai&quot; <a href="https://t.co/wuKz0gv0fI">pic.twitter.com/wuKz0gv0fI</a>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> PM Narendra Modi meets people from Indian community at the Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC <a href="https://t.co/0wWvF1tD1e">pic.twitter.com/0wWvF1tD1e</a>
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US President Donald Trump followed suit on Twitter, stating that he looked forward to welcoming the Indian PM at the White House. &quot;Important strategic issues to discuss with a true friend&quot;, he added.

PM Modi thanked President Trump for the &quot;warm personal welcome&quot;&nbsp;and said he &quot;greatly looked forward to my meeting and discussions with you.&quot;

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Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS">@POTUS</a> for the warm personal welcome. Greatly look forward to my meeting and discussions with you <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a>. <a href="https://t.co/lOfxlLI7v0">https://t.co/lOfxlLI7v0</a>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/878811948703293440">June 25, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Old partnerships, new friendships,&quot; tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay.

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Old partnerships, new friendships - PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi">@narendramodi</a> arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC for 1st meeting with President Trump <a href="https://t.co/pjOj5pNsU1">pic.twitter.com/pjOj5pNsU1</a>
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The Indian prime minister will meet top business leaders and Indian diaspora in Washington today.

On Monday, PM Modi will hold talks with Trump on a range of issues including of visas for skilled workers, ways to deepen defence ties and bolster counter-militancy cooperation.

Officials were eager to downplay expectations of the visit, describing it as &quot;no frills&quot; -- in contrast to Modi&#39;s first US visit in 2014, when he basked in a rock star welcome at the Madison Square Garden arena in New York and addressed the United Nations, AFP reported.

&quot;If there&#39;s one thing we want (from the visit), it&#39;s chemistry,&quot;&nbsp;one senior Indian official told AFP. &quot;If the chemistry is good then frankly everything else gets sorted.&quot;

Some commentators have argued that Modi and Trump should have a natural affinity as political outsiders who have risen to power in part by castigating the traditional ruling elite on a nationalist platform.

One US official said the two leaders had a &quot;lot in common&quot; and noted Modi would be the first foreign dignitary to have a working dinner at the White House under the new administration.

&quot;We are really seeking to roll out the red carpet,&quot; said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

 
&nbsp;

The Indian diaspora, who had gathered at Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC to welcome the Indian prime minister, chanted 'Modi-Modi'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in US on Sunday for a two-day visit aimed at boosting bilateral ties, was given a warm welcome by officials from the Indian and the US embassies as soon as he touched down at the Joint Base Andrews Air Force base. The Indian diaspora, who had gathered at Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC to welcome the Indian prime minister, chanted "Modi-Modi" and "Bharat Mata ki jai" upon his arrival. #WATCH Indians gather at Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC to welcome PM Narendra Modi chant "Modi- Modi" and "Bharat Mata ki jai" pic.twitter.com/wuKz0gv0fI — ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2017 × #WATCH PM Narendra Modi meets people from Indian community at the Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC pic.twitter.com/0wWvF1tD1e — ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2017 × US President Donald Trump followed suit on Twitter, stating that he looked forward to welcoming the Indian PM at the White House. "Important strategic issues to discuss with a true friend", he added. PM Modi thanked President Trump for the "warm personal welcome" and said he "greatly looked forward to my meeting and discussions with you." Thank you @POTUS for the warm personal welcome. Greatly look forward to my meeting and discussions with you @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/lOfxlLI7v0 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 25, 2017 × "Old partnerships, new friendships," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay. Old partnerships, new friendships - PM @narendramodi arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC for 1st meeting with President Trump pic.twitter.com/pjOj5pNsU1 — Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) June 25, 2017 × USA: PM Modi reaches Hotel Willard InterContinental, Washington DC pic.twitter.com/tkTqnHAWYF — ANI (@ANI_news) June 25, 2017 × The Indian prime minister will meet top business leaders and Indian diaspora in Washington today. On Monday, PM Modi will hold talks with Trump on a range of issues including of visas for skilled workers, ways to deepen defence ties and bolster counter-militancy cooperation. Officials were eager to downplay expectations of the visit, describing it as "no frills" -- in contrast to Modi's first US visit in 2014, when he basked in a rock star welcome at the Madison Square Garden arena in New York and addressed the United Nations, AFP reported. "If there's one thing we want (from the visit), it's chemistry," one senior Indian official told AFP. "If the chemistry is good then frankly everything else gets sorted." Some commentators have argued that Modi and Trump should have a natural affinity as political outsiders who have risen to power in part by castigating the traditional ruling elite on a nationalist platform. One US official said the two leaders had a "lot in common" and noted Modi would be the first foreign dignitary to have a working dinner at the White House under the new administration. "We are really seeking to roll out the red carpet," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Modi in US: Cheering Indians greet Indian PM with 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'

Johnny Depp on Friday apologised for joking about the assasination of US President Donald Trump.

The famous &quot;Pirates of the Caribbean&quot; star had earlier pondered how long it had been since an actor had killed a US President.

His remarks outraged Trump supporters&nbsp;and the White House described Depp&#39;s remarks as &quot;sad&quot;. 
 
The actor made the remarks at the Glastonbury Music Festival for the screening of his upcoming 2004 film &quot;The Libertine&quot;.

&quot;President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it&#39;s sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead,&quot; the White House said in a statement.

&quot;I hope that some of Mr&nbsp;Depp&#39;s colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a Democratic elected official.&quot;

Depp on Friday said his remarks were not intended to be malicious.

&ldquo;I apologise for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump,&rdquo; Depp, 54, said in a statement. &ldquo;It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone&rdquo;.

At the screening of &quot;The Libertine&quot; when discussion turned to the topic of Trump,&nbsp;Depp said he thought the president &quot;needs help&quot;.

&quot;Can we bring Trump here?&quot; Depp asked the audience.

&quot;... When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?&quot;

Actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated US&nbsp;President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

&quot;Now I want to clarify, I&#39;m not an actor,&quot; Depp continued. &quot;I lie for a living. However, it&#39;s been a while, and maybe it&#39;s time.&quot;

The US Secret Service said it was aware of Depp&#39;s comments but made no other comment.

Some Republicans criticized Depp&#39;s comments as part of a grim trend.

&quot;I&#39;m sick of celebrities getting away with such disgusting comments,&quot; Ronna Romney McDaniel, the Republican National Committees chairwoman, wrote on Twitter.

Johnny Depp apologised for joking about assassinating US President Donald Trump

Johnny Depp on Friday apologised for joking about the assasination of US President Donald Trump. The famous "Pirates of the Caribbean" star had earlier pondered how long it had been since an actor had killed a US President. His remarks outraged Trump supporters and the White House described Depp's remarks as "sad". The actor made the remarks at the Glastonbury Music Festival for the screening of his upcoming 2004 film "The Libertine". "President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it's sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead," the White House said in a statement. "I hope that some of Mr Depp's colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a Democratic elected official." Depp on Friday said his remarks were not intended to be malicious. “I apologise for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump,” Depp, 54, said in a statement. “It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone”. At the screening of "The Libertine" when discussion turned to the topic of Trump, Depp said he thought the president "needs help". "Can we bring Trump here?" Depp asked the audience. "... When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?" Actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated US President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. "Now I want to clarify, I'm not an actor," Depp continued. "I lie for a living. However, it's been a while, and maybe it's time." The US Secret Service said it was aware of Depp's comments but made no other comment. Some Republicans criticized Depp's comments as part of a grim trend. "I'm sick of celebrities getting away with such disgusting comments," Ronna Romney McDaniel, the Republican National Committees chairwoman, wrote on Twitter.

Johnny Depp apologises for 'bad joke' on Trump

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Portugal on Saturday morning and will reach the United States the next day (June25).

He will meet US President Donald Trump on June 26.&nbsp;

The two leaders will meet on Monday at around 3:30 pm EST (1 am IST) for the first time. The meeting will last for about 5 hours. The two leaders will end their meeting with a White House dinner, the first by the Trump administration for a visiting foreign leader.

Modi will then visit the Netherlands on June 27.

Speaking before his departure, Modi said that the aim of the US visit is to &quot;build a forward looking vision&quot; for the Indo-US bilateral partnership and consolidate the strong relationship between the two countries.

&quot;My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations &amp; the world,&quot; he tweeted.

India and the United States came closer during the regime of President Barack Obama owing to a warm relationship shared between the two leaders.

The visit will aim to capitalise on that relationship to further strengthen the ties.

Already on the agenda is the big-ticket defence deal which will see US supplying 22 Predator drones to India. Sources close to the deal have signalled that the entire US administration is positive about the deal.

India is one of United States&#39; biggest defence markets.

On the issue of H-1B visas, the White House said there were no specific plans to raise the issue during Modi&rsquo;s visit as it was under review. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;On the (H-1B) visas issue, there&#39;s no plans for that to come up specifically,&quot; a senior administration official told reporters ahead of Modi-Trump meeting at the White House on Monday.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&quot;But if it&#39;s raised, I would just note that the administration has signed some executive orders related to work and immigration, and President Trump&#39;s executive order on H1-B visas, of course, directs the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Homeland Security to propose potential reforms to the H1B visa program,&quot; the official said. 
&nbsp; 
The official added that there have been no immediate changes in the existing visa policy. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;However there have been no immediate changes to visa application or issuance procedures, so we&#39;re not in a position to kind of prejudge what the outcome of the review might be. 
So there&#39;s really been no changes as such at this point, and no specific changes that target any specific country or sector as of yet.&rdquo;

Trump and Modi have spoken twice over the phone after the former assumed office in January 2017. This will be their first personal meeting.

The Indian Prime Minister will also meet prominent American CEOs and interact with the Indian diaspora in US.

White House dinner

US President Donald Trump would host him for a dinner at the White House on Monday.

&quot;The White House is very interested in making this a special visit. We&#39;re really seeking to roll out the red carpet. In fact, the two (leaders) will have dinner, a working dinner at the White House. This will be the first dinner for a foreign dignitary at the White House under this administration. So, we think that&#39;s very significant,&quot; a senior administration official told reporters.

Modi will travel to Portugal on Saturday where he will meet the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

&quot;Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions,&quot; Prime Minister Modi said about his upcoming meeting with Costa.

&quot;We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science &amp; technology, space collaboration and people to people ties,&quot; the Prime Minister added.

In the last leg of his visit, Modi will visit the Netherlands on June 27 where he will meet the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem- Alexander and meet Queen Maxima.

India and the Netherlands share a strong economic partnership. The Netherlands is India&#39;s 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally

&quot;The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs,&quot; the prime minister said.

&nbsp;

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reach the US on June 25 and will meet President Donald Trump the next day for five hours

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Portugal on Saturday morning and will reach the United States the next day (June25). He will meet US President Donald Trump on June 26. The two leaders will meet on Monday at around 3:30 pm EST (1 am IST) for the first time. The meeting will last for about 5 hours. The two leaders will end their meeting with a White House dinner, the first by the Trump administration for a visiting foreign leader. Modi will then visit the Netherlands on June 27. Speaking before his departure, Modi said that the aim of the US visit is to "build a forward looking vision" for the Indo-US bilateral partnership and consolidate the strong relationship between the two countries. "My USA visit is aimed at deepening ties between our nations. Strong India-USA ties benefit our nations & the world," he tweeted. India and the United States came closer during the regime of President Barack Obama owing to a warm relationship shared between the two leaders. The visit will aim to capitalise on that relationship to further strengthen the ties. Already on the agenda is the big-ticket defence deal which will see US supplying 22 Predator drones to India. Sources close to the deal have signalled that the entire US administration is positive about the deal. India is one of United States' biggest defence markets. On the issue of H-1B visas, the White House said there were no specific plans to raise the issue during Modi’s visit as it was under review. "On the (H-1B) visas issue, there's no plans for that to come up specifically," a senior administration official told reporters ahead of Modi-Trump meeting at the White House on Monday. "But if it's raised, I would just note that the administration has signed some executive orders related to work and immigration, and President Trump's executive order on H1-B visas, of course, directs the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Homeland Security to propose potential reforms to the H1B visa program," the official said. The official added that there have been no immediate changes in the existing visa policy. "However there have been no immediate changes to visa application or issuance procedures, so we're not in a position to kind of prejudge what the outcome of the review might be. So there's really been no changes as such at this point, and no specific changes that target any specific country or sector as of yet.” Trump and Modi have spoken twice over the phone after the former assumed office in January 2017. This will be their first personal meeting. The Indian Prime Minister will also meet prominent American CEOs and interact with the Indian diaspora in US. White House dinner US President Donald Trump would host him for a dinner at the White House on Monday. "The White House is very interested in making this a special visit. We're really seeking to roll out the red carpet. In fact, the two (leaders) will have dinner, a working dinner at the White House. This will be the first dinner for a foreign dignitary at the White House under this administration. So, we think that's very significant," a senior administration official told reporters. Modi will travel to Portugal on Saturday where he will meet the Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa. "Building on our recent discussions, we will review the progress of various joint initiatives and decisions," Prime Minister Modi said about his upcoming meeting with Costa. "We will also discuss ways to further enhance the bilateral engagement, especially in the areas of economic cooperation, science & technology, space collaboration and people to people ties," the Prime Minister added. In the last leg of his visit, Modi will visit the Netherlands on June 27 where he will meet the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and call on King Willem- Alexander and meet Queen Maxima. India and the Netherlands share a strong economic partnership. The Netherlands is India's 6th largest trading partner in the EU and 5th largest investment partner globally "The Dutch expertise in areas such as water and waste management, agriculture and food processing, renewable energy and ports and shipping, matches with our development needs," the prime minister said.

Indian PM Modi leaves for three-nation tour to 'deepen bilateral ties'

Four Arab states currently boycotting Qatar for allegedly supporting terorrism have sent the country a lot of 13 demands, according to one of the countres&#39; officials who spoke to Reuters.

The&nbsp;boycott, launched on June 5, entails each of the&nbsp;countries&nbsp;cutting economic, diplomatic and travel ties with Doha The four nations who made the list of demands include&nbsp;Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahain.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The list of demands

Reuters reports that the four nations demand that Qatar:

Close the TV station&nbsp;Al Jazeera.&nbsp;

Reduce&nbsp;their ties with Iran.

Close&nbsp;a Turkish military base in Qatar.&nbsp;

Declare that it is cutting off ties with terrorist, sectarian and ideological organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham.&nbsp;

Must also surrender anybody designated as a terorrist on its territory.

Must stop interfering in the four countries&#39; domestic and foreign affairs&nbsp;

Stop&nbsp;giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries

Pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies, he added

More, if Qatar does agree to meet this list of demands, the four countries will monitor compliance with monthly reports in the first year, then&nbsp;three-month reports in the following year, then annual reports in the next decade, said an official to Reuters without offering further clarification.

&nbsp;

Qatar&#39;s response

Qatar has denied that they are guilty of what the four Arab nations accuse them of: Funding terorrism, creating regional instability &nbsp;and warming up to revolutionary theocracy Iran.

Earlier this week the foreign minister said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they first lifted their measures. Reuters was not able to reach him for comment.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What if Qatar says no?

The countries give Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes &quot;void&quot;, the official said without elaborating. This suggests that the&nbsp;offer to end the dispute in return for meeting the thirteen demands may&nbsp;no longer be on the table.

&nbsp;

How are others responding?

Donald Trump has called Qatar a &quot;high level sponsor of terrorism&quot;, but also offered to mediate to help these parties resolve their differences. Days after Trump plainly said&nbsp;Qatar sponsors terrorism, the US sold them $12 billion in weapons.

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The US accuses Qatar of supporting terrorism and then turns around and sells F-15 fighters, and continues to use the Al Udeid Air Base. Clearly politics is all very well but nothing can halt the business of America. WION brings you this report (WION)
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Turkey has so far taken Qatar&#39;s side. It has launched ships carrying aid in the form of food to Qatar, and yesterday sent a small a small group soldiers and even armoured vehicles. Turkey&#39;s president Tayyip Erdogan met with Saudi Arabia&#39;s leaders in an effort to calm the regional tension.&nbsp;

The concessions are not just numerous but large, and if Qatar agrees their compliance will be monitored closely for ten years

Four Arab states currently boycotting Qatar for allegedly supporting terorrism have sent the country a lot of 13 demands, according to one of the countres' officials who spoke to Reuters. The boycott, launched on June 5, entails each of the countries cutting economic, diplomatic and travel ties with Doha The four nations who made the list of demands include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahain. The list of demands Reuters reports that the four nations demand that Qatar: Close the TV station Al Jazeera. Reduce their ties with Iran. Close a Turkish military base in Qatar. Declare that it is cutting off ties with terrorist, sectarian and ideological organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State, al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Jabhat Fateh al Sham. Must also surrender anybody designated as a terorrist on its territory. Must stop interfering in the four countries' domestic and foreign affairs Stop giving Qatari nationality to citizens of the four countries Pay reparations to these countries for any damage or costs incurred over the past few years because of Qatari policies, he added More, if Qatar does agree to meet this list of demands, the four countries will monitor compliance with monthly reports in the first year, then three-month reports in the following year, then annual reports in the next decade, said an official to Reuters without offering further clarification. Qatar's response Qatar has denied that they are guilty of what the four Arab nations accuse them of: Funding terorrism, creating regional instability and warming up to revolutionary theocracy Iran. Earlier this week the foreign minister said Qatar would not negotiate with the four states unless they first lifted their measures. Reuters was not able to reach him for comment. What if Qatar says no? The countries give Doha 10 days to comply, failing which the list becomes "void", the official said without elaborating. This suggests that the offer to end the dispute in return for meeting the thirteen demands may no longer be on the table. How are others responding? Donald Trump has called Qatar a "high level sponsor of terrorism", but also offered to mediate to help these parties resolve their differences. Days after Trump plainly said Qatar sponsors terrorism, the US sold them $12 billion in weapons. The US accuses Qatar of supporting terrorism and then turns around and sells F-15 fighters, and continues to use the Al Udeid Air Base. Clearly politics is all very well but nothing can halt the business of America. WION brings you this report (WION) × Turkey has so far taken Qatar's side. It has launched ships carrying aid in the form of food to Qatar, and yesterday sent a small a small group soldiers and even armoured vehicles. Turkey's president Tayyip Erdogan met with Saudi Arabia's leaders in an effort to calm the regional tension.

Arab states send Qatar 13 demands to end crisis, official says

US officials have said North Korea has test-fired another rocket.&nbsp;

The officials told Reuters they believed the test could be part of Pyongyang&#39;s programme to develop an inter-continental ballistic missile.&nbsp;

North Korea however did not publicise details of the test; it is usually quick to do so with successful ones.&nbsp;

One US official told Reuters the test may have taken place in the last 24 hours.&nbsp;

South Korea too did not have any details of the reported test, and declined to comment.&nbsp;

Pyongyang has tested a flurry of rockets in the recent past, sending tensions with the US -- which has been trying to discourage its missile programme -- ratcheting up.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump has warned that a &quot;major, major conflict&quot; with North Korea could arise because of its weapons programme. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

North Korea however did not publicise details of the test; it is usually quick to do so with successful ones

US officials have said North Korea has test-fired another rocket. The officials told Reuters they believed the test could be part of Pyongyang's programme to develop an inter-continental ballistic missile. North Korea however did not publicise details of the test; it is usually quick to do so with successful ones. One US official told Reuters the test may have taken place in the last 24 hours. South Korea too did not have any details of the reported test, and declined to comment. Pyongyang has tested a flurry of rockets in the recent past, sending tensions with the US -- which has been trying to discourage its missile programme -- ratcheting up. US President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea could arise because of its weapons programme.

North Korea test-fires another rocket: US officials

At least 40 people were arrested for protesting the Trump administration&#39;s anticipated cuts to Medicaid. Yesterday, US Senate leaders unveiled a draft of the legislation they want to replace the Afforcable Care Act, informally known as Obamacare.

It proposes to kill a tax on the wealthy that pays for it, and reduces aid to the poor, Reuters reports.

Dozens of disabled men and women were arrested after their pariticpation in a &quot;die-in&quot; protest outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel&#39;s Washington office, the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-43-protesters-arrested-in-die-in-at-1498161963-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">LA Times</a> reports. The demonstration was organised by the national disability group ADAPT in response to the GOP&#39;s healthcare plan which proposes to drastically cut Medicaid.

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A picture is worth a 1000 soulless words... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AHCA?src=hash">#AHCA</a> <a href="https://t.co/TjK04aboPE">pic.twitter.com/TjK04aboPE</a>
&mdash; Jeffrey Lieber (@JeffLieber) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffLieber/status/877976665065889792">June 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Here is footage of one&nbsp;woman forcibly&nbsp;removed from her wheelchair:

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A horrific metaphor for Trumpcare: this disabled woman literally being ripped from her wheelchair. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopTrumpcare?src=hash">#StopTrumpcare</a> <a href="https://t.co/F5kmz8rnCv">pic.twitter.com/F5kmz8rnCv</a>
&mdash; Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattmfm/status/877932005593300993">June 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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President Barack Obama, whose legacy is the&nbsp;Affordable Care Act, weighed in with a Facebook post that has gone viral. He began by appealing to the non-partisan nature of access to&nbsp;healthcare&nbsp;before explicitly calling the Republican&#39;s proposed plan: &quot;a&nbsp;massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else&quot;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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<h3>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/republicans-unveil-meaner-senate-health-bill-but-lack-votes-to-pass-it-17172" target="_blank">Republicans unveil &#39;meaner&#39; Senate health bill, but lack votes to pass it</a></h3>

&nbsp;

The draft is unlikely to succeed: Senator Rand Paul and three other conservative Republicans said they were &quot;not ready&quot; to vote for it. Democrats need only three Republicans to nix the measure in the Republican-led chamber.

The proposal, worked on in secret by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans, was welcomed by Donald Trump, Reuters reports.

&nbsp;

As the first draft of the ACA's replacement was released, President Barack Obama criticised it harshly

At least 40 people were arrested for protesting the Trump administration's anticipated cuts to Medicaid. Yesterday, US Senate leaders unveiled a draft of the legislation they want to replace the Afforcable Care Act, informally known as Obamacare. It proposes to kill a tax on the wealthy that pays for it, and reduces aid to the poor, Reuters reports. Dozens of disabled men and women were arrested after their pariticpation in a "die-in" protest outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel's Washington office, the LA Times reports. The demonstration was organised by the national disability group ADAPT in response to the GOP's healthcare plan which proposes to drastically cut Medicaid. A picture is worth a 1000 soulless words... #AHCA pic.twitter.com/TjK04aboPE — Jeffrey Lieber (@JeffLieber) June 22, 2017 × Here is footage of one woman forcibly removed from her wheelchair: A horrific metaphor for Trumpcare: this disabled woman literally being ripped from her wheelchair. #StopTrumpcare pic.twitter.com/F5kmz8rnCv — Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) June 22, 2017 × President Barack Obama, whose legacy is the Affordable Care Act, weighed in with a Facebook post that has gone viral. He began by appealing to the non-partisan nature of access to healthcare before explicitly calling the Republican's proposed plan: "a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else". Also read: Republicans unveil 'meaner' Senate health bill, but lack votes to pass it The draft is unlikely to succeed: Senator Rand Paul and three other conservative Republicans said they were "not ready" to vote for it. Democrats need only three Republicans to nix the measure in the Republican-led chamber. The proposal, worked on in secret by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republicans, was welcomed by Donald Trump, Reuters reports.

US healthcare Bill: 43 protesters arrested, dozens ripped from wheelchairs

US President Donald Trump offered support for emerging technologies including unmanned aerial vehicles and next generation wireless networks in a meeting with the chiefs of AT&amp;T and General Electric and other business leaders.

The White House brought together venture capitalists and executives from the telecommunications and drone, or unmanned aerial system, industries to discuss how the government can speed technologies to market.

The meeting, which lasted more than three hours including breakout sessions, is part of Trump&#39;s effort to tap industry experts on how to boost US competitiveness in various fields and create jobs.

On Monday, Trump met with the heads of 18 US &nbsp;technology companies including Apple, Amazon.com &nbsp;and Microsoft Corp seeking their help to make the government&#39;s computing systems more efficient. He will meet with energy industry leaders next week.

&quot;We want them to create new companies and lots of jobs,&quot; Trump told the executives &quot;We&#39;re going to give you the competitive advantage that you need.&quot;

In attendance were Chief executives of several drone companies including Kespry, AirMap, Airspace, Measure UAS, Trumbull Unmanned, and PrecisionHawk.

Drone makers argued that the administration should move faster to approve broader commercial use of drones and noted that the Transportation Department does not require automakers to win pre-approval of self-driving vehicle technologies.

Senior executives at Xcel Energy, Verizon Communications, and CenturyLink also took part. Venture capital firms included Revolution LLC, headed by AOL co-founder Steve Case, 500 Startups, Cayuga Ventures, Epic Ventures and Lightspeed Ventures.

Obama administration rules opened the skies to low-level small drones for education, research and routine commercial use. The Trump administration is considering whether to expand drone use for deliveries beyond the view of an operator. Security issues would need to be addressed.

The Federal Aviation Administration in March estimated that by 2021 the fleet of small hobbyist drones will more than triple and commercial drones will grow tenfold to about 442,000.

Last year, regulators cleared the way for next-generation 5G wireless networks, with expected speeds at least 10 times and maybe 100 times faster than today&#39;s 4G networks. Testing is under way and deployment is expected around 2020 but infrastructure hurdles remain.

Wireless signals need to be much faster and more responsive to allow advanced technologies such as virtual surgery or remote control of machinery. 5G networks could help to wirelessly connect devices such as thermostats or washing machines.

The White House brought together venture capitalists and executives from the telecommunications and drone industries to discuss how the government can speed technologies to market

US President Donald Trump offered support for emerging technologies including unmanned aerial vehicles and next generation wireless networks in a meeting with the chiefs of AT&T and General Electric and other business leaders. The White House brought together venture capitalists and executives from the telecommunications and drone, or unmanned aerial system, industries to discuss how the government can speed technologies to market. The meeting, which lasted more than three hours including breakout sessions, is part of Trump's effort to tap industry experts on how to boost US competitiveness in various fields and create jobs. On Monday, Trump met with the heads of 18 US technology companies including Apple, Amazon.com and Microsoft Corp seeking their help to make the government's computing systems more efficient. He will meet with energy industry leaders next week. "We want them to create new companies and lots of jobs," Trump told the executives "We're going to give you the competitive advantage that you need." In attendance were Chief executives of several drone companies including Kespry, AirMap, Airspace, Measure UAS, Trumbull Unmanned, and PrecisionHawk. Drone makers argued that the administration should move faster to approve broader commercial use of drones and noted that the Transportation Department does not require automakers to win pre-approval of self-driving vehicle technologies. Senior executives at Xcel Energy, Verizon Communications, and CenturyLink also took part. Venture capital firms included Revolution LLC, headed by AOL co-founder Steve Case, 500 Startups, Cayuga Ventures, Epic Ventures and Lightspeed Ventures. Obama administration rules opened the skies to low-level small drones for education, research and routine commercial use. The Trump administration is considering whether to expand drone use for deliveries beyond the view of an operator. Security issues would need to be addressed. The Federal Aviation Administration in March estimated that by 2021 the fleet of small hobbyist drones will more than triple and commercial drones will grow tenfold to about 442,000. Last year, regulators cleared the way for next-generation 5G wireless networks, with expected speeds at least 10 times and maybe 100 times faster than today's 4G networks. Testing is under way and deployment is expected around 2020 but infrastructure hurdles remain. Wireless signals need to be much faster and more responsive to allow advanced technologies such as virtual surgery or remote control of machinery. 5G networks could help to wirelessly connect devices such as thermostats or washing machines.

Trump meets wireless, drone executives on new technologies

North Korea capital Pyongyang&#39;s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun called US President Donald Trump a &quot;psychopath&quot;&nbsp;in an editorial.&nbsp;

&quot;South Korea must realise that following psychopath Trump...will only lead to disaster,&quot; an editorial carried by the paper said.

The paper added that Donald Trump was in a &quot;tough situation&quot;&nbsp;back home dealing with domestic political crisis and was thus trying to divert everyone&#39;s attention by toying with the idea of a preemptive strike on North Korea.

Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have rocketed since the death of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-student-otto-warmbier-dies-week-after-being-released-from-north-korean-jail-17029">Otto Warmbier,</a> who was released from&nbsp;North Korean detention last week. Warmbier was a 22-year-old student who had been held&nbsp;in a hard labour camp for 17 months&nbsp;for trying to steal&nbsp;a propoganda poster.

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Earlier in the day, the coroner&#39;s office said it had received Warmbier&#39;s body for an autopsy examination and was expecting to release preliminary findings later on Tuesday or on Wednesday. (Reuters)
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After Warmbier&#39;s death, President Trump called&nbsp;North Korea&nbsp;a &quot;brutal regime&quot;&nbsp;and said&nbsp;he would strive to &quot;prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency&quot;.

South Korean President Moon Jae-In echoed these words when he said in an interview with CBS Television&#39;s show, This Morning:&nbsp;&quot;I believe we must now have the perception that North Korea is an irrational regime. North Korea bears responsibility for the student&#39;s death.&quot;

Moon is scheduled to visit the White House next week. A centre-left politician&nbsp;sworn&nbsp;in last month, he favours engagement with the North, as opposed to his predecessor Park Geun-Hye.&nbsp;

Washington has also stepped up its muscle-flexing in the region, flying two B-1 bombers over the Korean peninsula Tuesday in a planned training mission with Japan and South Korea as its latest show of force.

The country's official newspaper also encouraged South Korea not to follow the US president, saying 'it would only lead to disaster'

North Korea capital Pyongyang's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun called US President Donald Trump a "psychopath" in an editorial. "South Korea must realise that following psychopath Trump...will only lead to disaster," an editorial carried by the paper said. The paper added that Donald Trump was in a "tough situation" back home dealing with domestic political crisis and was thus trying to divert everyone's attention by toying with the idea of a preemptive strike on North Korea. Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang have rocketed since the death of Otto Warmbier, who was released from North Korean detention last week. Warmbier was a 22-year-old student who had been held in a hard labour camp for 17 months for trying to steal a propoganda poster. Earlier in the day, the coroner's office said it had received Warmbier's body for an autopsy examination and was expecting to release preliminary findings later on Tuesday or on Wednesday. (Reuters) × After Warmbier's death, President Trump called North Korea a "brutal regime" and said he would strive to "prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency". South Korean President Moon Jae-In echoed these words when he said in an interview with CBS Television's show, This Morning: "I believe we must now have the perception that North Korea is an irrational regime. North Korea bears responsibility for the student's death." Moon is scheduled to visit the White House next week. A centre-left politician sworn in last month, he favours engagement with the North, as opposed to his predecessor Park Geun-Hye. Washington has also stepped up its muscle-flexing in the region, flying two B-1 bombers over the Korean peninsula Tuesday in a planned training mission with Japan and South Korea as its latest show of force.

North Korea calls President Trump a 'psychopath...dealing with political crisis back home'

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