Myanmar's new president promised to amend the country's army-written constitution in an inaugural speech Friday, challenging a charter that bans Aung San Suu Kyi from top office and gives the military major powers.

Win Myint, a 66-year-old former political prisoner and staunch ally of Suu Kyi, was elected president on Wednesday after his predecessor suddenly resigned.

Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who championed Myanmar's emergence from junta rule by sweeping 2015 elections, is constitutionally barred from the presidency because she was married to a foreigner.

To circumvent that snag, her party created a new position for her called state counsellor - allowing Suu Kyi to rule "above" the president.

That makes it vital for her to have a reliable proxy in office, especially as she manages the delicate power-sharing arrangement with the military, which ruled the country for almost half a century and remains enormously influential.

In his first address to parliament, the famously straight-talking Win Myint said he would focus on the rule of law, national reconciliation and "amending the constitution to build a democratic federal union".

The three issues are touchstones of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

But talk of amendments to Myanmar's 2008 constitution is likely to raise hackles among Myanmar's still-powerful generals.

The army has ceded some power to the civilian administration but retains 25 per cent of parliamentary seats and total control of security affairs under the charter.

Win Myint also said he would work to "protect human rights", a thorny subject in a country accused of ethnic cleansing by the UN against its Rohingya Muslim population.

A violent military crackdown has forced some 700,000 Rohingya - a long-persecuted stateless minority - over the border into Bangladesh since August.

The army insists the campaign was a legitimate response to Rohingya militant attacks against border-guard police posts.

Win Myint is part of Suu Kyi's inner circle - the pair campaigned together during the 1988 democracy protests against the then-junta, a movement that was violently suppressed.

For his role Win Myint, alongside many others, was taken, political prisoner.

Suu Kyi is still widely regarded as a pro-democracy heroine in Myanmar even though her reputation lies in tatters globally for failing to speak up on behalf of the country's Rohingya Muslims.

Win Myint, a 66-year-old former political prisoner, was elected president on Wednesday after his predecessor suddenly resigned

Myanmar's new president promised to amend the country's army-written constitution in an inaugural speech Friday, challenging a charter that bans Aung San Suu Kyi from top office and gives the military major powers. Win Myint, a 66-year-old former political prisoner and staunch ally of Suu Kyi, was elected president on Wednesday after his predecessor suddenly resigned. Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who championed Myanmar's emergence from junta rule by sweeping 2015 elections, is constitutionally barred from the presidency because she was married to a foreigner. To circumvent that snag, her party created a new position for her called state counsellor - allowing Suu Kyi to rule "above" the president. That makes it vital for her to have a reliable proxy in office, especially as she manages the delicate power-sharing arrangement with the military, which ruled the country for almost half a century and remains enormously influential. In his first address to parliament, the famously straight-talking Win Myint said he would focus on the rule of law, national reconciliation and "amending the constitution to build a democratic federal union". The three issues are touchstones of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party. But talk of amendments to Myanmar's 2008 constitution is likely to raise hackles among Myanmar's still-powerful generals. The army has ceded some power to the civilian administration but retains 25 per cent of parliamentary seats and total control of security affairs under the charter. Win Myint also said he would work to "protect human rights", a thorny subject in a country accused of ethnic cleansing by the UN against its Rohingya Muslim population. A violent military crackdown has forced some 700,000 Rohingya - a long-persecuted stateless minority - over the border into Bangladesh since August. The army insists the campaign was a legitimate response to Rohingya militant attacks against border-guard police posts. Win Myint is part of Suu Kyi's inner circle - the pair campaigned together during the 1988 democracy protests against the then-junta, a movement that was violently suppressed. For his role Win Myint, alongside many others, was taken, political prisoner. Suu Kyi is still widely regarded as a pro-democracy heroine in Myanmar even though her reputation lies in tatters globally for failing to speak up on behalf of the country's Rohingya Muslims.

Myanmar president pledges to amend army-scripted constitution

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024.&nbsp

President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on "domestic policy issues"&nbspand strengthening the country's "defence capabilities".

Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow.

"The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I've said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to," Putin said during the meeting.&nbsp

"There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together," he said.&nbsp

President Vladimir Putin added&nbspthat Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide.&nbsp

"We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country's defence capacity," he said during a meeting with other candidates.

"We will not allow for any sort of arms race," he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of "invincible" nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month.

He presented Russia's military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.

The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016.

Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia.

On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country.

"We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances.

"I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed."

Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term.

Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see "new fruits"&nbspand opportunities.

"It is a critical time for both&nbspChina&nbspand Russian for development and rejuvenation," she said.&nbsp

Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the&nbspChina-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase.

In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia's power overseas with full force, reports said.

Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow's foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity.

Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which&nbspstill dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024. President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on "domestic policy issues"&nbspand strengthening the country's "defence capabilities". Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow. "The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I've said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to," Putin said during the meeting. "There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together," he said. President Vladimir Putin added&nbspthat Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide. "We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country's defence capacity," he said during a meeting with other candidates. "We will not allow for any sort of arms race," he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of "invincible" nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month. He presented Russia's military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons. The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016. Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia. On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country. "We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances. "I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed." Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term. Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see "new fruits"&nbspand opportunities. "It is a critical time for both&nbspChina&nbspand Russian for development and rejuvenation," she said. Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the&nbspChina-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase. In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia's power overseas with full force, reports said. Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow's foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity. Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which&nbspstill dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the authors and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Putin's focus to be on domestic policy & strengthening Russia's defence

Former President Barack Obama talked about his future plans for his post-presidency life at a conference Sunday in Japan, addressing how he might shape "a million" new, young leaders in his mold.

The wide-ranging discussion repeatedly touched on the Obama Foundation's efforts to engage the digital space to help young people in the US and across the world get connected.

"If I could do that effectively, then - you know - I would create a hundred or a thousand or a million young Barack Obamas or Michelle Obamas. Or, the next group of people who could take that baton in that relay race that is human progress," Obama told a non-profit conference in Tokyo.

The former US President also praised the potential of the students participating in the "March for Our Lives" rally, adding that the change was needed to stop gun violence in the country.

"This was all because of the courage and effort of a handful of 15- and 16-year-olds, who took the responsibility that so often adults had failed to take in trying to find a solution to this problem, and I think that's a testimony to what happens when young people are given opportunities, and I think all institutions have to think about how do we tap into that creativity and that energy and that drive," Obama stated.

On Twitter, Obama and his wife Michelle wrote in support of the anti-gun violence rally on March 24.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
Michelle and I are so inspired by all the young people who made today’s marches happen. Keep at it. You’re leading us forward. Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/977592827348742146?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24 March 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

On Twitter, Obama and his wife Michelle wrote in support of the anti-gun violence rally on March 24.

Former President Barack Obama talked about his future plans for his post-presidency life at a conference Sunday in Japan, addressing how he might shape "a million" new, young leaders in his mold. The wide-ranging discussion repeatedly touched on the Obama Foundation's efforts to engage the digital space to help young people in the US and across the world get connected. "If I could do that effectively, then - you know - I would create a hundred or a thousand or a million young Barack Obamas or Michelle Obamas. Or, the next group of people who could take that baton in that relay race that is human progress," Obama told a non-profit conference in Tokyo. The former US President also praised the potential of the students participating in the "March for Our Lives" rally, adding that the change was needed to stop gun violence in the country. "This was all because of the courage and effort of a handful of 15- and 16-year-olds, who took the responsibility that so often adults had failed to take in trying to find a solution to this problem, and I think that's a testimony to what happens when young people are given opportunities, and I think all institutions have to think about how do we tap into that creativity and that energy and that drive," Obama stated. On Twitter, Obama and his wife Michelle wrote in support of the anti-gun violence rally on March 24. Michelle and I are so inspired by all the young people who made today’s marches happen. Keep at it. You’re leading us forward. Nothing can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change. — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) 24 March 2018 ×

Obama wants to 'create a million young Barack Obamas'

President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sanctions against China Thursday for the &quot;theft&quot; of US intellectual property, a White House official said, teeing up a second potential confrontation in as many months.

Spokesman Raj Shah told AFP that Trump will announce actions following an &quot;investigation into China&#39;s state-led, market-distorting efforts to force, pressure, and steal US technologies and intellectual property.&quot;

According to his schedule, released by the White House on Wednesday evening, he will sign &quot;a Presidential Memorandum targeting China&#39;s economic aggression.&quot;

Beijing has already warned the Trump administration against the move, urging him not act &quot;emotionally.&quot;

It is just weeks since Trump short-circuited White House deliberations and announced a raft of sanctions on foreign-produced steel and aluminum off the cuff.

That move prompted the resignation of top economic advisor Gary Cohn, a global stock market selloff, legal disputes and threats of retaliatory measures.

On Wednesday Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the prospect of a trade war was a growing threat to the world&#39;s largest economy.

But the impulsive president is showing no sign of backing down.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently put a separate proposed package of $30 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports on Trump&#39;s desk.

And Trump appears to have agreed to at least that amount, as he tries to fulfil campaign promises to get tough on &quot;cheating&quot; by US trade partners, which he says have destroyed American jobs.

The US trade deficit with China ran to a record $375 billion last year -- but US exports to the country were also at a record.

Washington has long accused Beijing of forcing US companies to turn over proprietary commercial information and intellectual property as a condition of operating in China.

Trump claims to have built up a generally good relationship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping whom he has praised for his role in pressuring North Korea over its nuclear program.

However, the trade dispute threatens to cast a pall over those relations, especially given the recent warnings from Beijing.

A laundry list of grievances 
A senior official in Lighthizer&#39;s office said Wednesday that the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations had attempted over the decades to coax China into respecting market economics and trade liberalization, but had all failed.

The Trump administration opened an investigation last August, acting on a series of allegations against China including that as a condition of doing business, China forces US companies to enter joint ventures and transfer technology and trade secrets to domestic partners and that US companies are not able to license intellectual property in China as freely as Chinese companies.

US officials also allege China has hacked US networks and conducted industrial espionage to steal US intellectual property.

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his top economics advisor Liu He to Washington this month to discuss the tensions of trade, but the US official said that at no point had the Chinese made a constructive proposal.

&quot;Certainly by November, the background was such that officials in China had reason to know about the concerns we&#39;ve raised ... At least, as of today the administration has not been satisfied with the types of responses we&#39;ve been getting from China,&quot; the senior official in Lighthizer&#39;s office said, speaking on condition of anonymity in a briefing to reporters.

&quot;Obviously the president will have the final say in terms of what we end up doing here.&quot;

&quot;As a general matter, we do have very strong evidence that China uses foreign ownership restrictions such as joint venture requirements and foreign equity limitations to require or pressure technology transfer from US companies to Chinese entities,&quot; he added.

Tariffs talks 
Along with the announcement of that offensive, Washington also held out the possibility of a detente with regards to the EU, which reacted furiously to the news of steel and aluminum tariffs.

In a joint statement, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said they agreed to immediately begin &quot;a process of discussion&quot; on the tariffs and other matters &quot;with a view to identifying mutually acceptable outcomes as rapidly as possible.&quot;

Malmstrom had called for Europe to be exempted as a whole. Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said he harbored &quot;cautious optimism&quot; on the prospects for a resolution.

The White House already said Canada and Mexico, which are major producers of the metals, will temporarily be exempt from the tariffs during talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A spokesman said Trump will announce actions following an 'investigation into China's state-led, market-distorting efforts to force, pressure, and steal US technologies and intellectual property'

President Donald Trump is poised to unveil sanctions against China Thursday for the "theft" of US intellectual property, a White House official said, teeing up a second potential confrontation in as many months. Spokesman Raj Shah told AFP that Trump will announce actions following an "investigation into China's state-led, market-distorting efforts to force, pressure, and steal US technologies and intellectual property." According to his schedule, released by the White House on Wednesday evening, he will sign "a Presidential Memorandum targeting China's economic aggression." Beijing has already warned the Trump administration against the move, urging him not act "emotionally." It is just weeks since Trump short-circuited White House deliberations and announced a raft of sanctions on foreign-produced steel and aluminum off the cuff. That move prompted the resignation of top economic advisor Gary Cohn, a global stock market selloff, legal disputes and threats of retaliatory measures. On Wednesday Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned that the prospect of a trade war was a growing threat to the world's largest economy. But the impulsive president is showing no sign of backing down. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer recently put a separate proposed package of $30 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports on Trump's desk. And Trump appears to have agreed to at least that amount, as he tries to fulfil campaign promises to get tough on "cheating" by US trade partners, which he says have destroyed American jobs. The US trade deficit with China ran to a record $375 billion last year -- but US exports to the country were also at a record. Washington has long accused Beijing of forcing US companies to turn over proprietary commercial information and intellectual property as a condition of operating in China. Trump claims to have built up a generally good relationship with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping whom he has praised for his role in pressuring North Korea over its nuclear program. However, the trade dispute threatens to cast a pall over those relations, especially given the recent warnings from Beijing. A laundry list of grievances A senior official in Lighthizer's office said Wednesday that the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations had attempted over the decades to coax China into respecting market economics and trade liberalization, but had all failed. The Trump administration opened an investigation last August, acting on a series of allegations against China including that as a condition of doing business, China forces US companies to enter joint ventures and transfer technology and trade secrets to domestic partners and that US companies are not able to license intellectual property in China as freely as Chinese companies. US officials also allege China has hacked US networks and conducted industrial espionage to steal US intellectual property. Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his top economics advisor Liu He to Washington this month to discuss the tensions of trade, but the US official said that at no point had the Chinese made a constructive proposal. "Certainly by November, the background was such that officials in China had reason to know about the concerns we've raised ... At least, as of today the administration has not been satisfied with the types of responses we've been getting from China," the senior official in Lighthizer's office said, speaking on condition of anonymity in a briefing to reporters. "Obviously the president will have the final say in terms of what we end up doing here." "As a general matter, we do have very strong evidence that China uses foreign ownership restrictions such as joint venture requirements and foreign equity limitations to require or pressure technology transfer from US companies to Chinese entities," he added. Tariffs talks Along with the announcement of that offensive, Washington also held out the possibility of a detente with regards to the EU, which reacted furiously to the news of steel and aluminum tariffs. In a joint statement, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said they agreed to immediately begin "a process of discussion" on the tariffs and other matters "with a view to identifying mutually acceptable outcomes as rapidly as possible." Malmstrom had called for Europe to be exempted as a whole. Speaking to reporters in Brussels on Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said he harbored "cautious optimism" on the prospects for a resolution. The White House already said Canada and Mexico, which are major producers of the metals, will temporarily be exempt from the tariffs during talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trump to announce trade sanctions against China on Thursday

Myanmar&#39;s President Htin Kyaw resigned suddenly on Wednesday leaving the country&#39;s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi without a close confidant and political ally as she faces rising international opprobrium over the Rakhine crisis.

The president is an old school friend of Suu Kyi, serving as her proxy in an office she was barred from occupying according to Myanmar&#39;s military-drafted constitution.

His role was largely ceremonial given Suu Kyi had awarded herself the title State Counsellor and called the shots within her civilian administration.&nbsp;

But he was nonetheless the country&#39;s head of state and a key domestic ally for Suu Kyi within her party.

Speculation had swirled for months about the health of Htin Kyaw, 72, who had recently lost weight and has had heart problems in the past.&nbsp;

&quot;Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw resigned on March 21, 2018,&quot; a statement on the president&#39;s official Facebook page said.&nbsp;

His office did not give many details for why he resigned Wednesday, only saying that &quot;he wanted to take a rest from his current duty&quot;.

It added that a new leader will be selected in &quot;within seven working days&quot;. &nbsp;

There were no immediate candidates put forward as long term successors, but several senior party names were floated when Suu Kyi took power.

Myanmar&#39;s Vice President Myint Swe, a former general, will move into the role until a new president is in place, according to the constitution.&nbsp;

Loyal school friend 
Htin Kyaw, the country&rsquo;s first civilian president since 1962, was widely respected and seen as completely loyal to Suu Kyi&#39;s who said she would rule &quot;above&quot; him after he was elected in 2016.&nbsp;

He has stood firmly by her side even as as her reputation lies shattered internationally for not speaking up on behalf of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim community.

A violent military crackdown has forced some 700,000 Rohingya to flee over the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh, in what the UN has branded as &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot; with possible &quot;hallmarks of genocide&quot;.

The military justifies its campaign as a legitimate response to Rohingya militant attacks against police posts in August.

The civilian government is in a transitional power-sharing arrangement with the army which still retains huge political and economic power.

The army controls three key ministries - home affairs, borders and defence -- effectively giving the army a carte blanche to conduct any security operations it chooses.

It also has a quarter of legislative seats reserved for officers, giving the military a de facto veto over any constitutional change.&nbsp;

Defenders of Suu Kyi say her government&#39;s hands are tied by the military but critics maintain it could and should have done more to speak up against alleged army atrocities, particularly in Rakhine State.

Htin Kyaw is the son of a revered poet and helped run Suu Kyi&#39;s charitable foundation before taking over the presidency.

According to an official biography, Htin Kyaw studied at the University of London&#39;s Institute of Computer Science from 1971 to 1972. &nbsp;&nbsp;

In a varied career he worked as a university teacher and also held positions in the finance and national planning and foreign affairs ministries in the late 1970s and 80s before retiring from government service as the military tightened its grip.

His office did not give many details for why he resigned Wednesday, only saying that 'he wanted to take a rest from his current duty'

Myanmar's President Htin Kyaw resigned suddenly on Wednesday leaving the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi without a close confidant and political ally as she faces rising international opprobrium over the Rakhine crisis. The president is an old school friend of Suu Kyi, serving as her proxy in an office she was barred from occupying according to Myanmar's military-drafted constitution. His role was largely ceremonial given Suu Kyi had awarded herself the title State Counsellor and called the shots within her civilian administration. But he was nonetheless the country's head of state and a key domestic ally for Suu Kyi within her party. Speculation had swirled for months about the health of Htin Kyaw, 72, who had recently lost weight and has had heart problems in the past. "Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw resigned on March 21, 2018," a statement on the president's official Facebook page said. His office did not give many details for why he resigned Wednesday, only saying that "he wanted to take a rest from his current duty". It added that a new leader will be selected in "within seven working days". There were no immediate candidates put forward as long term successors, but several senior party names were floated when Suu Kyi took power. Myanmar's Vice President Myint Swe, a former general, will move into the role until a new president is in place, according to the constitution. Loyal school friend Htin Kyaw, the country’s first civilian president since 1962, was widely respected and seen as completely loyal to Suu Kyi's who said she would rule "above" him after he was elected in 2016. He has stood firmly by her side even as as her reputation lies shattered internationally for not speaking up on behalf of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim community. A violent military crackdown has forced some 700,000 Rohingya to flee over the border into squalid camps in Bangladesh, in what the UN has branded as "ethnic cleansing" with possible "hallmarks of genocide". The military justifies its campaign as a legitimate response to Rohingya militant attacks against police posts in August. The civilian government is in a transitional power-sharing arrangement with the army which still retains huge political and economic power. The army controls three key ministries - home affairs, borders and defence -- effectively giving the army a carte blanche to conduct any security operations it chooses. It also has a quarter of legislative seats reserved for officers, giving the military a de facto veto over any constitutional change. Defenders of Suu Kyi say her government's hands are tied by the military but critics maintain it could and should have done more to speak up against alleged army atrocities, particularly in Rakhine State. Htin Kyaw is the son of a revered poet and helped run Suu Kyi's charitable foundation before taking over the presidency. According to an official biography, Htin Kyaw studied at the University of London's Institute of Computer Science from 1971 to 1972. In a varied career he worked as a university teacher and also held positions in the finance and national planning and foreign affairs ministries in the late 1970s and 80s before retiring from government service as the military tightened its grip.

Myanmar President and Suu Kyi confidant Htin Kyaw resigns

Myanmar&#39;s civilian president Htin Kyaw resigned due to ill health on Wednesday and is expected to be replaced by a close ally of de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a move unlikely to affect power in a country where the army remains influential.

Htin Kyaw&#39;s office said he was retiring &quot;in order to take rest from the current duties and responsibilities&quot;. Win Myint, a Suu Kyi loyalist who has served as the speaker of the lower house, was likely to replace him, said NLD spokesman Aung Shin.&nbsp;

Win Myint has had a tight grip on the parliament and his critics accuse him of stifling democratic debate, including from within the caucus of Suu Kyi&#39;s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. He resigned from that post on Wednesday.

&quot;He is loyal and has been a member of the NLD since the party was founded,&quot; said Aung Shin, who lauded Win Myint&#39;s performance as the lower house speaker and said he has &quot;worked very well with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during the whole period&quot;.

Suu Kyi is known for keeping her cards close to her chest and operating only with a very narrow group of trusted acolytes. Local media, citing confidential sources, have also reported Win Myint has been tipped to become the next president.

Analysts said the move was forced by the 71-year-old Htin Kyaw&#39;s deteriorating health, and was unrelated to the crisis sparked by the brutal military crackdown that has pushed out hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Speculation over Htin Kyaw`s ill health mounted in recent months over his rapid and visible loss of weight.

&quot;The discussion about the replacement has been around for a while so this was well expected,&quot; said Liu Yun, political analyst from China-based Han Yue Consultancy. &quot;It should have a fairly limited impact on the political equation in Myanmar.&quot;&nbsp;

He said the role of the president &quot;isn&#39;t that influential as Suu Kyi makes the final call, so the impact will be limited.&quot;

Interregnum

According to the country&#39;s constitution, the more senior of two vice presidents will stand in as president until a new leader is elected by parliament within seven working days.

&quot;There&#39;s no doubt as to what the outcome of this will be,&quot; said Richard Horsey, a former United Nations official and Yangon-based analyst.

&quot;The NLD has a strong bloc and a supermajority so whoever is selected as the lower-house candidate will become the next president,&quot; Horsey said.

In the meantime, Myint Swe, who was the military&#39;s appointment for vice-president, will stand in as the acting president.

The president is the head of state and government in Myanmar, and under the constitution has far-reaching powers. However, Htin Kyaw&#39;s role was more ceremonial because Suu Kyi has been Myanmar&#39;s de facto leader since April 2016.

A constitution drafted by the former junta bars Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi from the top office and so she hand-picked Htin Kyaw, a close ally of hers, to become president following a historic landslide victory in 2015.

The charter also reserves for the army one quarter of the seats in parliament and several major cabinet posts, including defense, interior and border affairs, giving it an effective veto over constitutional change and control of security affairs.

One of the key questions facing Myanmar now, according to Horsey, is, &quot;what will the acting president Myint Swe do during the interregnum because he has the power to do many things.&quot;

Horsey said that while Myint Swe will be the top executive for no more than a week, &quot;it may worry some in the NLD that you have the military vice-president in charge of the country.&quot;

Yangon-based diplomats say the relationship between Suu Kyi and the military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, is marked by mistrust and lack of frequent, open communication, highlighting a risk even in the smallest changes to the leadership structure.

Myint Swe is a retired general who headed the feared military intelligence agency under former junta leader Than Shwe. When Than Shwe ordered a crackdown on anti-junta protests led by Buddhist monks in 2007, known as the Saffron Revolution, Myint Swe was the head of special operations in Yangon.

According to the country`s constitution, the more senior of two vice presidents will stand in as president until a new leader is elected

Myanmar's civilian president Htin Kyaw resigned due to ill health on Wednesday and is expected to be replaced by a close ally of de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a move unlikely to affect power in a country where the army remains influential. Htin Kyaw's office said he was retiring "in order to take rest from the current duties and responsibilities". Win Myint, a Suu Kyi loyalist who has served as the speaker of the lower house, was likely to replace him, said NLD spokesman Aung Shin. Win Myint has had a tight grip on the parliament and his critics accuse him of stifling democratic debate, including from within the caucus of Suu Kyi's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party. He resigned from that post on Wednesday. "He is loyal and has been a member of the NLD since the party was founded," said Aung Shin, who lauded Win Myint's performance as the lower house speaker and said he has "worked very well with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during the whole period". Suu Kyi is known for keeping her cards close to her chest and operating only with a very narrow group of trusted acolytes. Local media, citing confidential sources, have also reported Win Myint has been tipped to become the next president. Analysts said the move was forced by the 71-year-old Htin Kyaw's deteriorating health, and was unrelated to the crisis sparked by the brutal military crackdown that has pushed out hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to neighbouring Bangladesh. Speculation over Htin Kyaw`s ill health mounted in recent months over his rapid and visible loss of weight. "The discussion about the replacement has been around for a while so this was well expected," said Liu Yun, political analyst from China-based Han Yue Consultancy. "It should have a fairly limited impact on the political equation in Myanmar." He said the role of the president "isn't that influential as Suu Kyi makes the final call, so the impact will be limited." Interregnum According to the country's constitution, the more senior of two vice presidents will stand in as president until a new leader is elected by parliament within seven working days. "There's no doubt as to what the outcome of this will be," said Richard Horsey, a former United Nations official and Yangon-based analyst. "The NLD has a strong bloc and a supermajority so whoever is selected as the lower-house candidate will become the next president," Horsey said. In the meantime, Myint Swe, who was the military's appointment for vice-president, will stand in as the acting president. The president is the head of state and government in Myanmar, and under the constitution has far-reaching powers. However, Htin Kyaw's role was more ceremonial because Suu Kyi has been Myanmar's de facto leader since April 2016. A constitution drafted by the former junta bars Nobel Peace Prize laureate Suu Kyi from the top office and so she hand-picked Htin Kyaw, a close ally of hers, to become president following a historic landslide victory in 2015. The charter also reserves for the army one quarter of the seats in parliament and several major cabinet posts, including defense, interior and border affairs, giving it an effective veto over constitutional change and control of security affairs. One of the key questions facing Myanmar now, according to Horsey, is, "what will the acting president Myint Swe do during the interregnum because he has the power to do many things." Horsey said that while Myint Swe will be the top executive for no more than a week, "it may worry some in the NLD that you have the military vice-president in charge of the country." Yangon-based diplomats say the relationship between Suu Kyi and the military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, is marked by mistrust and lack of frequent, open communication, highlighting a risk even in the smallest changes to the leadership structure. Myint Swe is a retired general who headed the feared military intelligence agency under former junta leader Than Shwe. When Than Shwe ordered a crackdown on anti-junta protests led by Buddhist monks in 2007, known as the Saffron Revolution, Myint Swe was the head of special operations in Yangon.

Suu Kyi loyalist Win Myint may become Myanmar president

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday greeted the Parsi community on &lsquo;Nowruz&rsquo;.

&ldquo;Nowruz Mubarak to the Parsi community! May the coming year further the spirit of happiness and harmony. I pray that everyone&rsquo;s dreams and aspirations are fulfilled,&rdquo; Modi tweeted.

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Navroz Mubarak to the Parsi community! May the coming year further the spirit of happiness and harmony. I pray that everyone&rsquo;s dreams and aspirations are fulfilled.
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/976291862314041344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted saying, &quot;Nowruz Mubarak to everybody, especially to our small, much-loved and overachieving Parsi community. May the coming year be happy and fulfilling.&quot;

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Navroz Mubarak to everybody, especially to our small, much-loved and overachieving Parsi community. May the coming year be happy and fulfilling <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a>
&mdash; President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/976300164968099845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The miniscule Parsi community, accounting to about 68,000 worldwide, celebrates &lsquo;Nowruz&rsquo; with religious fervour, traditional pomp and feasting.

The day starts with an early morning bath and prayers, purifying the homes by burning incense and donning traditional outfits specially prepared for the occasion.

The families then visit an agiary or a holy Fire Temple to pray for the departed souls, ending the 10 days ritual of remembering the ancestors.

This is usually followed by a special lunch with the menu comprising delicious red fish patia, salli-marghi, salli-boti, yellow-dal rice, Parsi style chicken and mutton biryanis, washed down with a variety of beverages and topped off by a selection of custards, sweetmeats, ice-creams and cakes.

The Parsi community features in Unesco&rsquo;s list of endangered communities and special efforts are being made both within the community and outside made to increase their numbers and save from possible extinction.

The miniscule Parsi community, accounting to about 68,000 worldwide, celebrates ‘Navroz’ with religious fervour, traditional pomp and feasting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday greeted the Parsi community on ‘Nowruz’. “Nowruz Mubarak to the Parsi community! May the coming year further the spirit of happiness and harmony. I pray that everyone’s dreams and aspirations are fulfilled,” Modi tweeted. Navroz Mubarak to the Parsi community! May the coming year further the spirit of happiness and harmony. I pray that everyone’s dreams and aspirations are fulfilled. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 21, 2018 × President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted saying, "Nowruz Mubarak to everybody, especially to our small, much-loved and overachieving Parsi community. May the coming year be happy and fulfilling." Navroz Mubarak to everybody, especially to our small, much-loved and overachieving Parsi community. May the coming year be happy and fulfilling #PresidentKovind — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 21, 2018 × The miniscule Parsi community, accounting to about 68,000 worldwide, celebrates ‘Nowruz’ with religious fervour, traditional pomp and feasting. The day starts with an early morning bath and prayers, purifying the homes by burning incense and donning traditional outfits specially prepared for the occasion. The families then visit an agiary or a holy Fire Temple to pray for the departed souls, ending the 10 days ritual of remembering the ancestors. This is usually followed by a special lunch with the menu comprising delicious red fish patia, salli-marghi, salli-boti, yellow-dal rice, Parsi style chicken and mutton biryanis, washed down with a variety of beverages and topped off by a selection of custards, sweetmeats, ice-creams and cakes. The Parsi community features in Unesco’s list of endangered communities and special efforts are being made both within the community and outside made to increase their numbers and save from possible extinction.

Nowruz 2018: PM Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind greet Parsi community

Ace Men Singles's shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Tuesday was conferred with the country's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri, from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Besides Kidambi, former Asian Games gold medallist tennis player Somdev Devvarman and first Paralympic gold medallist Murlikant Petkar also received the awards.

World No. 2 Srikanth has been honoured for his achievements in the field of Badminton.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a> presents Padma Shri to Shri Kidambi Srikanth. He is the first Indian badminton player to win the golden trio of Grand Prix gold, Super Series and Super Series Premier titles <a href="https://t.co/rmiyg8vbDX">pic.twitter.com/rmiyg8vbDX</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/976125844862115841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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He became the first Indian Badminton player to win the golden trio which is Grand Prix Gold, Super Series, and Super Series Premier titles.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

This year, former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and multiple world champion cueist Pankaj Advani were conferred with the country's third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan.&nbsp;

This year, as many as 85 Padma awards were announced, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one).&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a> presents Padma Shri to Dr Joyasree Goswami Mahanta in the field of Literature & Education. A writer, educationist and social worker from Assam, Dr Mahanta highlights various facets of the society through her literary work <a href="https://t.co/IS7fPOtfcm">pic.twitter.com/IS7fPOtfcm</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/976132239376375808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a> presents Padma Shri to Shri Amitava Roy in the field of Science & Engineering. He is a Nuclear Scientist specialising in spent fuel reprocessing & radioactive nuclear waste management <a href="https://t.co/858yPoekaU">pic.twitter.com/858yPoekaU</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/976131633689448449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentKovind?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PresidentKovind</a> presents Padma Shri to Shri Amitava Roy in the field of Science & Engineering. He is a Nuclear Scientist specialising in spent fuel reprocessing & radioactive nuclear waste management <a href="https://t.co/858yPoekaU">pic.twitter.com/858yPoekaU</a>
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) <a href="https://twitter.com/rashtrapatibhvn/status/976131633689448449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

World No. 2 Srikanth has been honoured for his achievements in the field of Badminton

Ace Men Singles's shuttler Kidambi Srikanth on Tuesday was conferred with the country's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri, from President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Besides Kidambi, former Asian Games gold medallist tennis player Somdev Devvarman and first Paralympic gold medallist Murlikant Petkar also received the awards. World No. 2 Srikanth has been honoured for his achievements in the field of Badminton. #PresidentKovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Kidambi Srikanth. He is the first Indian badminton player to win the golden trio of Grand Prix gold, Super Series and Super Series Premier titles pic.twitter.com/rmiyg8vbDX — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 20, 2018 × He became the first Indian Badminton player to win the golden trio which is Grand Prix Gold, Super Series, and Super Series Premier titles. This year, former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and multiple world champion cueist Pankaj Advani were conferred with the country's third-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan. This year, as many as 85 Padma awards were announced, including two duo cases (in a duo case, the award is counted as one). #PresidentKovind presents Padma Shri to Dr Joyasree Goswami Mahanta in the field of Literature & Education. A writer, educationist and social worker from Assam, Dr Mahanta highlights various facets of the society through her literary work pic.twitter.com/IS7fPOtfcm — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 20, 2018 × #PresidentKovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Amitava Roy in the field of Science & Engineering. He is a Nuclear Scientist specialising in spent fuel reprocessing & radioactive nuclear waste management pic.twitter.com/858yPoekaU — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 20, 2018 × #PresidentKovind presents Padma Shri to Shri Amitava Roy in the field of Science & Engineering. He is a Nuclear Scientist specialising in spent fuel reprocessing & radioactive nuclear waste management pic.twitter.com/858yPoekaU — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 20, 2018 ×

Kidambi Srikanth conferred with Padma Shri award

Vladimir Putin on Monday said he would address disputes with the West after an election that saw him <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-elections-putin-wins-fourth-term-with-7667-of-vote-36284" target="_blank">return to the Kremlin</a> with a record vote share, as Moscow faces increasing isolation.

International leaders were slow to congratulate the Russian president after a Sunday election that saw him take almost 77 percent of the vote, as monitors reported ballot stuffing and other alleged cases of fraud.&nbsp;

The poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain along with fresh sanctions from Washington over allegations of meddling in the US 2016 election have isolated Moscow to an extent not seen since the Cold War.

The president, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, on Monday denied he was driving a new arms race with Washington after he unveiled a range of &quot;invincible&quot; nuclear weapons this month.

&quot;From our side, we will do all we can so that the disputes with our (international) partners be resolved by political and diplomatic means,&quot; he said during a meeting with the seven other candidates he resoundingly defeated on Sunday.&nbsp;

&quot;It goes without saying that not everything depends on us -- as with love, both sides have to be involved, otherwise there can be no love at all,&quot; he said.

Putin said he would focus on &quot;increasing the well-being of the residents of this country&quot; through investments in healthcare, education and infrastructure during his next term.

- Carrot and stick - 
With Putin&#39;s most vocal opponent Alexei Navalny barred from running for legal reasons, the outcome of the weekend election was never in doubt, and most of the suspense lay in how many people would turn out to vote.&nbsp;

The Kremlin pushed for high participation to give greater legitimacy to a fourth term for Putin, who is already Russia&#39;s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin.&nbsp;

But Navalny called on supporters to boycott the vote and sent out more than 30,000 monitors to voting stations.

Navalny&#39;s movement and the non-governmental election monitor Golos reported ballot stuffing, repeat voting and Putin supporters being bussed into polling stations en masse.

Fewer irregularities were reported than in previous years, however. An OSCE observer mission said that although the election was marred by a lack of &quot;genuine competition&quot;, it was generally well conducted.

Authorities used both the carrot and the stick to boost engagement in the polls.

Selfie competitions, giveaways, food festivals and children&#39;s entertainers were laid on at polling stations to entice voters.

But employees at state and private companies, as well as students, said they had come under other pressure to vote.

&#39;Modernising Russia&#39; 
Analysts said Putin used tensions with the West to rally support and suggested that armed with a strong new mandate, he could push through further punitive measures against dissenters.

Putin&#39;s campaign spokesman Andrei Kondrashov said that turnout, which was above 67 percent, was eight to 10 percentage points higher than expected. He claimed that was &quot;thanks to Britain.&quot;

London this month implicated Putin in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in England with a Soviet-designed nerve agent.

Most of the voters AFP spoke to said they had backed Putin despite Russia&#39;s problems of poverty and poor healthcare, praising his foreign policies.

Muted Western reactions 
Western leaders were slow to publicly acknowledge Putin&#39;s landslide win.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel &quot;warmly congratulated&quot; Putin while stressing in a message she wrote the need to continue dialogue &quot;to address important bilateral and international challenges and find viable solutions.&quot;

French President Emmanuel Macron wished Vladimir Putin success in &quot;modernising Russia&quot; after his re-election, but urged Moscow to shed light on the &quot;unacceptable&quot; attempted assassination of an ex-spy in Britain.

Macron also expressed concern over the war in Syria, in which Moscow plays a key role as the regime&#39;s closest ally, in a carefully-worded statement that steered clear of congratulating Putin directly.

Citing a report by independent observers, Britain&#39;s Foreign Office on Tuesday noted &quot;restrictions on fundamental freedoms... resulted in a lack of genuine competition in the election&quot;.

And 24 hours after the election, there has been no public comment from US President Donald Trump.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo called Putin to congratulate him on his victory as did Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has just gained a path to indefinite rule.

Grim mood 
Among liberal Russians the mood was grim.&nbsp;

&quot;Have you been thinking about emigrating for a long time? This really is the ideal moment,&quot; remarked Stanislav Kucher, a journalist for Kommersant FM radio.&nbsp;

Putin polled well ahead of his nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party candidate, who described the elections as &quot;dishonest&quot;.

With 99.84 percent of ballots counted, Grudinin had secured 11.8 percent.

Ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky took 5.66 percent, former reality TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak was on 1.67 percent, while veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky received just over one percent of the vote.

International leaders were slow to congratulate the Russian president after a Sunday election that saw him take almost 77 percent of the vote, as monitors reported ballot stuffing and other alleged cases of fraud

Vladimir Putin on Monday said he would address disputes with the West after an election that saw him return to the Kremlin with a record vote share, as Moscow faces increasing isolation. International leaders were slow to congratulate the Russian president after a Sunday election that saw him take almost 77 percent of the vote, as monitors reported ballot stuffing and other alleged cases of fraud. The poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain along with fresh sanctions from Washington over allegations of meddling in the US 2016 election have isolated Moscow to an extent not seen since the Cold War. The president, who has ruled Russia for almost two decades, on Monday denied he was driving a new arms race with Washington after he unveiled a range of "invincible" nuclear weapons this month. "From our side, we will do all we can so that the disputes with our (international) partners be resolved by political and diplomatic means," he said during a meeting with the seven other candidates he resoundingly defeated on Sunday. "It goes without saying that not everything depends on us -- as with love, both sides have to be involved, otherwise there can be no love at all," he said. Putin said he would focus on "increasing the well-being of the residents of this country" through investments in healthcare, education and infrastructure during his next term. - Carrot and stick - With Putin's most vocal opponent Alexei Navalny barred from running for legal reasons, the outcome of the weekend election was never in doubt, and most of the suspense lay in how many people would turn out to vote. The Kremlin pushed for high participation to give greater legitimacy to a fourth term for Putin, who is already Russia's longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin. But Navalny called on supporters to boycott the vote and sent out more than 30,000 monitors to voting stations. Navalny's movement and the non-governmental election monitor Golos reported ballot stuffing, repeat voting and Putin supporters being bussed into polling stations en masse. Fewer irregularities were reported than in previous years, however. An OSCE observer mission said that although the election was marred by a lack of "genuine competition", it was generally well conducted. Authorities used both the carrot and the stick to boost engagement in the polls. Selfie competitions, giveaways, food festivals and children's entertainers were laid on at polling stations to entice voters. But employees at state and private companies, as well as students, said they had come under other pressure to vote. 'Modernising Russia' Analysts said Putin used tensions with the West to rally support and suggested that armed with a strong new mandate, he could push through further punitive measures against dissenters. Putin's campaign spokesman Andrei Kondrashov said that turnout, which was above 67 percent, was eight to 10 percentage points higher than expected. He claimed that was "thanks to Britain." London this month implicated Putin in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in England with a Soviet-designed nerve agent. Most of the voters AFP spoke to said they had backed Putin despite Russia's problems of poverty and poor healthcare, praising his foreign policies. Muted Western reactions Western leaders were slow to publicly acknowledge Putin's landslide win. German Chancellor Angela Merkel "warmly congratulated" Putin while stressing in a message she wrote the need to continue dialogue "to address important bilateral and international challenges and find viable solutions." French President Emmanuel Macron wished Vladimir Putin success in "modernising Russia" after his re-election, but urged Moscow to shed light on the "unacceptable" attempted assassination of an ex-spy in Britain. Macron also expressed concern over the war in Syria, in which Moscow plays a key role as the regime's closest ally, in a carefully-worded statement that steered clear of congratulating Putin directly. Citing a report by independent observers, Britain's Foreign Office on Tuesday noted "restrictions on fundamental freedoms... resulted in a lack of genuine competition in the election". And 24 hours after the election, there has been no public comment from US President Donald Trump. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo called Putin to congratulate him on his victory as did Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has just gained a path to indefinite rule. Grim mood Among liberal Russians the mood was grim. "Have you been thinking about emigrating for a long time? This really is the ideal moment," remarked Stanislav Kucher, a journalist for Kommersant FM radio. Putin polled well ahead of his nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party candidate, who described the elections as "dishonest". With 99.84 percent of ballots counted, Grudinin had secured 11.8 percent. Ultra-nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky took 5.66 percent, former reality TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak was on 1.67 percent, while veteran liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky received just over one percent of the vote.

Putin says will engage with West after record vote win

North Korea is in talks with the US and Sweden to release three Americans held in the North, reports said, as diplomatic activities gathered pace ahead of Pyongyang&#39;s planned summits with Washington and Seoul.

The release of the three Korean-Americans -- all held in the North after being separately charged with unspecified &quot;hostile acts&quot; against the regime -- is under discussion through multiple channels almost two weeks after President Donald Trump agreed to meet the North&#39;s Kim Jong Un, reports said.

While Pyongyang has yet to confirm it even made the summit offer -- relayed by Seoul envoys who had met Kim in Pyongyang -- the stunning announcement has triggered a race to set a credible agenda for what would be historic talks between the two leaders.

Seoul-based MBC TV station reported Sunday that Pyongyang and Washington had &quot;practically reached&quot; a final agreement on the release of Kim Hak-song, Kim Sang-duk and Kim Dong-chul.

&quot;They are hammering out details over the timing of the release,&quot; it quoted an unnamed South Korean diplomatic source as saying. 
The negotiation was held through the North&#39;s mission to the United Nations and the US State Department -- an unofficial avenue of communication dubbed the &quot;New York channel,&quot; the source said.

CNN said the prisoners&#39; release was also discussed at three-day talks in Stockholm between the North&#39;s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstrom that ended Saturday.

Sweden represents Washington&#39;s interests in talks with the North. It raised the issue of American detainees to &quot;move things in the right direction,&quot; CNN quoted one source as saying.

&quot;Any movement on the issue of these detainees would be a huge deal for the US,&quot; said the source.

Kim Dong-chul, a South Korea-born American pastor, has been detained by the North since 2015 when he was arrested for spying. He was sentenced to 10 years of hard labour in 2016.

Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang-duk -- or Tony Kim -- were both working at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, founded by evangelical Christians from overseas, when they were detained last year on suspicion of &quot;hostile acts.&quot; Reports on the detainees&#39; possible release come amid a flurry of diplomatic activities involving Pyongyang, Seoul, Washington and its allies.

During a visit to Pyongyang by Seoul&#39;s envoys earlier this month, Kim reportedly offered to meet Trump, with the US president subsequently agreeing to talks by May although no specific time or venue has been set.

Kim also agreed to hold a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in next month -- the third ever between the two Koreas -- according to the envoys.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in an interview aired Sunday that Kim was &quot;taking stock&quot; after Trump&#39;s surprise decision to accept the invitation, but that a channel of communication had been established.

The Stockholm talks overlapped with another meeting among the top national security advisors of the US, South Korea and Japan. 
US National Security Advisor HR McMaster, the South&#39;s Chung Eui-yong and Japan&#39;s Shotaro Yachi met in San Francisco over the weekend and vowed &quot;close policy coordination&quot; for the weeks ahead, Seoul&#39;s presidential office said.

They agreed that peace on the flashpoint Korean peninsula hinges on the success of the two planned summits, vowing &quot;not to repeat the failure of the past,&quot; it said in an apparent reference to previous botched nuclear disarmament negotiations with the North.

Also on Sunday, a senior North Korean diplomat arrived in Finland for talks on peninsula issues with former officials and academics from the US and South Korea.

The sudden rapprochement comes months after the North staged its most powerful nuclear test and test-fired missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.

Kim and Trump traded colourful threats of war and personal insults, which heightened global concerns of another conflict on the peninsula once brought to ruins by the 1950-53 Korean War.

During a visit to Pyongyang by Seoul's envoys earlier this month, Kim reportedly offered to meet Trump

North Korea is in talks with the US and Sweden to release three Americans held in the North, reports said, as diplomatic activities gathered pace ahead of Pyongyang's planned summits with Washington and Seoul. The release of the three Korean-Americans -- all held in the North after being separately charged with unspecified "hostile acts" against the regime -- is under discussion through multiple channels almost two weeks after President Donald Trump agreed to meet the North's Kim Jong Un, reports said. While Pyongyang has yet to confirm it even made the summit offer -- relayed by Seoul envoys who had met Kim in Pyongyang -- the stunning announcement has triggered a race to set a credible agenda for what would be historic talks between the two leaders. Seoul-based MBC TV station reported Sunday that Pyongyang and Washington had "practically reached" a final agreement on the release of Kim Hak-song, Kim Sang-duk and Kim Dong-chul. "They are hammering out details over the timing of the release," it quoted an unnamed South Korean diplomatic source as saying. The negotiation was held through the North's mission to the United Nations and the US State Department -- an unofficial avenue of communication dubbed the "New York channel," the source said. CNN said the prisoners' release was also discussed at three-day talks in Stockholm between the North's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstrom that ended Saturday. Sweden represents Washington's interests in talks with the North. It raised the issue of American detainees to "move things in the right direction," CNN quoted one source as saying. "Any movement on the issue of these detainees would be a huge deal for the US," said the source. Kim Dong-chul, a South Korea-born American pastor, has been detained by the North since 2015 when he was arrested for spying. He was sentenced to 10 years of hard labour in 2016. Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang-duk -- or Tony Kim -- were both working at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, founded by evangelical Christians from overseas, when they were detained last year on suspicion of "hostile acts." Reports on the detainees' possible release come amid a flurry of diplomatic activities involving Pyongyang, Seoul, Washington and its allies. During a visit to Pyongyang by Seoul's envoys earlier this month, Kim reportedly offered to meet Trump, with the US president subsequently agreeing to talks by May although no specific time or venue has been set. Kim also agreed to hold a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in next month -- the third ever between the two Koreas -- according to the envoys. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said in an interview aired Sunday that Kim was "taking stock" after Trump's surprise decision to accept the invitation, but that a channel of communication had been established. The Stockholm talks overlapped with another meeting among the top national security advisors of the US, South Korea and Japan. US National Security Advisor HR McMaster, the South's Chung Eui-yong and Japan's Shotaro Yachi met in San Francisco over the weekend and vowed "close policy coordination" for the weeks ahead, Seoul's presidential office said. They agreed that peace on the flashpoint Korean peninsula hinges on the success of the two planned summits, vowing "not to repeat the failure of the past," it said in an apparent reference to previous botched nuclear disarmament negotiations with the North. Also on Sunday, a senior North Korean diplomat arrived in Finland for talks on peninsula issues with former officials and academics from the US and South Korea. The sudden rapprochement comes months after the North staged its most powerful nuclear test and test-fired missiles capable of reaching the US mainland. Kim and Trump traded colourful threats of war and personal insults, which heightened global concerns of another conflict on the peninsula once brought to ruins by the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korea 'in talks to free US detainees' as diplomacy escalates

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024.&nbsp;

President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on &quot;domestic policy issues&quot;&nbsp;and strengthening the country&#39;s &quot;defence capabilities&quot;.

Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow.

&quot;The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I&#39;ve said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to,&quot; Putin said during the meeting.&nbsp;

&quot;There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

President Vladimir Putin added&nbsp;that Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide.&nbsp;

&quot;We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country&#39;s defence capacity,&quot; he said during a meeting with other candidates.

&quot;We will not allow for any sort of arms race,&quot; he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of &quot;invincible&quot; nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month.

He presented Russia&#39;s military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons.

The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016.

Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia.

On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow&#39;s Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country.

&quot;We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team,&quot; he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances.

&quot;I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed.&quot;

Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term.

Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see &quot;new fruits&quot;&nbsp;and opportunities.

&quot;It is a critical time for both&nbsp;China&nbsp;and Russian for development and rejuvenation,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the&nbsp;China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase.

In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia&#39;s power overseas with full force, reports said.

Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow&#39;s foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity.

Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which&nbsp;still dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow. 
&nbsp;

Vladimir Putin has been declared the victor in the presidential election and is set for another six years in the Kremlin till 2024. President Putin said on Monday he aims to focus his new term on "domestic policy issues" and strengthening the country's "defence capabilities". Putin made the comments while meeting the co-chairs of his election campaign headquarters in Moscow. "The main thing that we are going to do is of course, first of all the internal agenda, it is first of all ensuring the growth of the Russian Federation economy, and making it innovative, this is development in the sphere of healthcare, education, industrial output and as I've said before of infrastructure and other areas crucial for moving the country forward and lifting the standard of living for our citizens. This is what we will pay attention to first and foremost to," Putin said during the meeting. "There are issues related to ensuring the defence and security capabilities of the country, we cannot do without it but nevertheless the most important thing for us is the internal agenda and I repeat again, I really count on your support and that of our extended team and large team when it comes to addressing the issues the country is facing and which we must solve and which we will surely solve together," he said. President Vladimir Putin added that Russia would cut its military spending, a day after he won a presidential election with a landslide. "We have plans to decrease our defence spending both this year and next. But this will not lead to any decline in the country's defence capacity," he said during a meeting with other candidates. "We will not allow for any sort of arms race," he said. Putin appeared to set the course for exactly that when he unveiled a new generation of "invincible" nuclear weapons during a state of the nation address earlier this month. He presented Russia's military efforts as a response to recent actions by the United States, which last month unveiled plans to revamp its nuclear arsenal and develop new low-yield atomic weapons. The announcement came as relations between the global powers plummeted to levels not seen since the Cold War over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and accusations that Moscow interfered in the US presidential election in 2016. Putin said that Russia wanted constructive dialogue with its international partners, though he said they would need to reciprocate, and respect Russia. On Sunday, he declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures at Moscow's Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country. "We are a single team, I am a member of this team, and all those who cast their ballots today are members of our large national team," he said, after a colorful show of high-energy musical performances. "I see this as a sign of trust and hope, the hope of our people that we will work as hard, with the same responsibility and effectiveness as before. Thank you for being such a powerful, millions-strong team. We will definitely succeed." Under current Russian law, Putin cannot stand for re-election. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term. Meanwhile, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that China-Russia ties will see "new fruits" and opportunities. "It is a critical time for both China and Russian for development and rejuvenation," she said. Hua said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Putin, adding that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is at the best historical phase. In his next six years, Putin is likely to assert Russia's power overseas with full force, reports said. Just weeks ago, he announced that Russia has developed advanced nuclear weapons capable of evading missile defenses. The Russian military campaign that bolsters the Syrian government is clearly aimed at strengthening Moscow's foothold in the Middle East, and Russia eagerly eyes any reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula as an economic opportunity. Putin must now decide on how to groom a successor or devise a strategy to circumvent term limits, how to expand and grow the economy which still dependent on oil and gas, and how to improve medical care and social services in regions far removed from the urban areas of Moscow.

President Donald Trump Sunday intensified his attacks on Robert Mueller&#39;s Russia investigation as biased against him, but stopped just short of targeting the special counsel &mdash; whose ouster lawmakers warned would cross a &quot;massive red line.&quot;

In a morning flurry on Twitter, Trump insisted that Mueller&#39;s team of investigators is staffed with &quot;hardened&quot; Democrats biased against him.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/975350027169206273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!&quot; Trump wrote. The night before, he had tweeted, &quot;The Mueller probe should never have been started.&quot;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/975163071361683456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The salvo was the latest in a growing confrontation over Mueller`s investigation, which is probing whether Trump`s campaign colluded with Russian attempts to sway the 2016 election in his favour, but also whether the president sought to obstruct justice.

Trump also took aim at former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, who was sacked on Friday two days before his retirement, and former FBI director James Comey, who was fired by Trump last year over the Russia probe. McCabe had an early role in the Russia inquiry and has knowledge of Trump and Comey`s interactions.

McCabe`s lawyer, Michael Bromwich, offered a scathing response to the attacks on his client, saying on Twitter, &quot;We will not be responding to each childish, defamatory, disgusting &amp; false tweet by the President... But the tweets confirm that he has corrupted the entire process that led to Mr&nbsp;McCabe`s termination and has rendered it illegitimate.&quot;

It remains unclear when Mueller will conclude his investigation, but as it moves steadily closer to the president, his inner circle, and his business interests, he has lashed out ever more sharply.

Trump had warned last July that if Mueller broadened his inquiry to include the finances of the Trump Organization, it would be a &quot;violation.&quot;

But Mueller`s team has now subpoenaed Russia-related documents from the president&#39;s business, the New York Times reported Thursday.

Until now, the president has steered clear of directly attacking Mueller, the former FBI director who took over the Russia probe after Comey`s firing May 9, 2017.

But he has taken aim at the special counsel`s large team of lawyers, who were selected for their experience in financial fraud, money laundering, corruption, bribery and organized crime.

&quot;Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added,&quot; Trump said.

Republican allies of the president have seized upon the fact that some of Mueller`s team -- seven out of 17 lawyers, according to The Washington Post -- previously donated money to Democratic political candidates. 
The conservative website Daily Caller reported last month that 13 of the team were registered, Democrats.

But Mueller defenders say he, and more broadly the FBI, have safeguards in place to avoid letting any investigation be tainted by politics.

Mueller, who is widely respected in both political camps, was appointed FBI chief by the Republican president George W Bush and kept on under the Democrat Barack Obama.Lawmakers, including heavyweights from Trump`s own Republican Party, issued pointed warnings Sunday that any attempt by the president to oust Mueller as special counsel would have grave consequences.

&quot;He is following the evidence where it takes him and I think it`s very important he be allowed to do his job, without interference,&quot; Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on CNN. &quot;And there are many Republicans who share my view.&quot;

Any move to oust Mueller, Graham said, &quot;would be the beginning of the end of his presidency. Because we`re a rule of law nation.&quot; 
The Republican senator and frequent Trump critic Jeff Flake likewise warned on CNN that ousting Mueller was seen as &quot;a massive red line that can`t be crossed.&quot;

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC that firing Mueller &quot;would undoubtedly result in a constitutional crisis.&quot;

In earlier tweets, Trump accused Comey of lying under oath in congressional testimony and dismissed as &quot;fake memos&quot; contemporaneous notes McCabe and Comey took of their interactions with the president.

Those memos could be fodder for Mueller`s probe regarding potential obstruction of justice by the US leader.

After reports that Mueller had the memos, Trump tweeted, &quot;Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don`t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey.&quot;

McCabe has said he is the victim of a Trump administration &quot;war&quot; against the FBI and the special counsel.

Comey has pushed back as well. &quot;Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not,&quot; tweeted the former FBI chief, whose memoir is set for release a month from now.

In a morning flurry on Twitter, Trump insisted that Mueller's team of investigators is staffed with 'hardened' Democrats biased against him

President Donald Trump Sunday intensified his attacks on Robert Mueller's Russia investigation as biased against him, but stopped just short of targeting the special counsel — whose ouster lawmakers warned would cross a "massive red line." In a morning flurry on Twitter, Trump insisted that Mueller's team of investigators is staffed with "hardened" Democrats biased against him. Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018 × "Does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!" Trump wrote. The night before, he had tweeted, "The Mueller probe should never have been started." The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018 × The salvo was the latest in a growing confrontation over Mueller`s investigation, which is probing whether Trump`s campaign colluded with Russian attempts to sway the 2016 election in his favour, but also whether the president sought to obstruct justice. Trump also took aim at former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, who was sacked on Friday two days before his retirement, and former FBI director James Comey, who was fired by Trump last year over the Russia probe. McCabe had an early role in the Russia inquiry and has knowledge of Trump and Comey`s interactions. McCabe`s lawyer, Michael Bromwich, offered a scathing response to the attacks on his client, saying on Twitter, "We will not be responding to each childish, defamatory, disgusting & false tweet by the President... But the tweets confirm that he has corrupted the entire process that led to Mr McCabe`s termination and has rendered it illegitimate." It remains unclear when Mueller will conclude his investigation, but as it moves steadily closer to the president, his inner circle, and his business interests, he has lashed out ever more sharply. Trump had warned last July that if Mueller broadened his inquiry to include the finances of the Trump Organization, it would be a "violation." But Mueller`s team has now subpoenaed Russia-related documents from the president's business, the New York Times reported Thursday. Until now, the president has steered clear of directly attacking Mueller, the former FBI director who took over the Russia probe after Comey`s firing May 9, 2017. But he has taken aim at the special counsel`s large team of lawyers, who were selected for their experience in financial fraud, money laundering, corruption, bribery and organized crime. "Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added," Trump said. Republican allies of the president have seized upon the fact that some of Mueller`s team -- seven out of 17 lawyers, according to The Washington Post -- previously donated money to Democratic political candidates. The conservative website Daily Caller reported last month that 13 of the team were registered, Democrats. But Mueller defenders say he, and more broadly the FBI, have safeguards in place to avoid letting any investigation be tainted by politics. Mueller, who is widely respected in both political camps, was appointed FBI chief by the Republican president George W Bush and kept on under the Democrat Barack Obama.Lawmakers, including heavyweights from Trump`s own Republican Party, issued pointed warnings Sunday that any attempt by the president to oust Mueller as special counsel would have grave consequences. "He is following the evidence where it takes him and I think it`s very important he be allowed to do his job, without interference," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on CNN. "And there are many Republicans who share my view." Any move to oust Mueller, Graham said, "would be the beginning of the end of his presidency. Because we`re a rule of law nation." The Republican senator and frequent Trump critic Jeff Flake likewise warned on CNN that ousting Mueller was seen as "a massive red line that can`t be crossed." Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC that firing Mueller "would undoubtedly result in a constitutional crisis." In earlier tweets, Trump accused Comey of lying under oath in congressional testimony and dismissed as "fake memos" contemporaneous notes McCabe and Comey took of their interactions with the president. Those memos could be fodder for Mueller`s probe regarding potential obstruction of justice by the US leader. After reports that Mueller had the memos, Trump tweeted, "Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don`t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey." McCabe has said he is the victim of a Trump administration "war" against the FBI and the special counsel. Comey has pushed back as well. "Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not," tweeted the former FBI chief, whose memoir is set for release a month from now.

US President Donald Trump sharpens attacks on Russia probe

From frustration with corruption and poverty to Moscow&#39;s showdown with the West, Russians shared their concerns as they voted in Sunday`s presidential election that is set to extend President Vladimir Putin`s Kremlin term to 2024.

&quot;I am for Putin. There is no alternative to him,&quot; said Valentina Popova, a 77-year-old Moscow retiree.

&quot;I respect him for his foreign policies, otherwise Russia would perish. There`s a lot that needs to be done inside the country.&quot;

Natalya Kononova, 41, senior cashier, 41, Moscow: &quot;I am for Putin. We trust him. And voting is my civic duty.&quot;

Iraida Korablina, 67, Moscow: &quot;I am for Putin. The foreign policies are correct although inside the country a camarilla is calling the shots.&quot;

Sergei Inshakov, 37, part-time taxi driver and former professional handball player from Moscow: &quot;We don`t need changes now. Putin needs to finish what he started.&quot;

Sergei Yakovlev, 47, Saint Petersburg: &quot;I am not expecting anything good. I voted for Grudinin, but it`s clear that it`ll be Putin. He has no programme of action, things keep getting worse. He will keep sitting on oil reserves without changing anything until everything ultimately disintegrates in every area.&quot;

Antonina Kurchatova, 40, Saint Petersburg: &quot;I voted Putin. But with a different feeling unlike before. Right now I hoping that things just don`t get worse. I very much like his foreign policies, he`s doing everything right, but as far as the economy is concerned, everything is terrible. I am eagerly awaiting constructive economic measures and a change of government.&quot;

Lilia Kartashova, 70, Saint Petersburg: &quot;Only Putin. I am expecting only good things. Remember what kind of country he took over from Eltsin - ruin, no one respected us and now? He is doing everything right. Only the government needs to be kicked out - especially Medvedev. What kind of prime minister is he? He is a laughingstock.&quot;

Since taking power 18 years ago, Putin has stamped his total authority on the country, silencing opposition and reasserting Moscow's lost might abroad

From frustration with corruption and poverty to Moscow's showdown with the West, Russians shared their concerns as they voted in Sunday`s presidential election that is set to extend President Vladimir Putin`s Kremlin term to 2024. "I am for Putin. There is no alternative to him," said Valentina Popova, a 77-year-old Moscow retiree. "I respect him for his foreign policies, otherwise Russia would perish. There`s a lot that needs to be done inside the country." Natalya Kononova, 41, senior cashier, 41, Moscow: "I am for Putin. We trust him. And voting is my civic duty." Iraida Korablina, 67, Moscow: "I am for Putin. The foreign policies are correct although inside the country a camarilla is calling the shots." Sergei Inshakov, 37, part-time taxi driver and former professional handball player from Moscow: "We don`t need changes now. Putin needs to finish what he started." Sergei Yakovlev, 47, Saint Petersburg: "I am not expecting anything good. I voted for Grudinin, but it`s clear that it`ll be Putin. He has no programme of action, things keep getting worse. He will keep sitting on oil reserves without changing anything until everything ultimately disintegrates in every area." Antonina Kurchatova, 40, Saint Petersburg: "I voted Putin. But with a different feeling unlike before. Right now I hoping that things just don`t get worse. I very much like his foreign policies, he`s doing everything right, but as far as the economy is concerned, everything is terrible. I am eagerly awaiting constructive economic measures and a change of government." Lilia Kartashova, 70, Saint Petersburg: "Only Putin. I am expecting only good things. Remember what kind of country he took over from Eltsin - ruin, no one respected us and now? He is doing everything right. Only the government needs to be kicked out - especially Medvedev. What kind of prime minister is he? He is a laughingstock."

Russian voters share concerns in predictable Russian poll

Russians voted in a presidential election on Sunday set to give <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russian-president-vladimir-putin-in-10-dates-35556" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin a runaway victory</a>, the only possible blemish for the Kremlin being if large numbers of voters do not bother taking part because the result is so predictable.

Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 per cent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger. Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power &mdash; a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/vladimir-putin-a-brief-profile-of-the-russian-president-728" target="_blank">In Pics: Vladimir Putin &mdash; A brief profile of the Russian president</a>

Putin`s opponents alleged officials were trying to inflate the turnout.

Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia`s interests in a hostile outside world, even though the cost is a confrontation with the West.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russian-president-vladimir-putin-in-10-dates-35556" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;10 key dates in Vladimir Putin&#39;s political journey</a>

A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English town &mdash; denied by Moscow &mdash; has not dented his standing.

The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: he has total dominance of the political scene and the state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals.

Galina Zhukova, a pensioner, came to polling station number 1512 in Zelenodolsk, about 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, with her husband, Alexei. They arrived soon after the doors opened.

&quot;We voted for Putin. Things are all right for us,&quot; said Alexei. &quot;And there`s no one else to vote for,&quot; said Galina.

A day of voting across Russia`s 11 time zones began at 2000 GMT on Saturday on Russia`s eastern edge, in the Pacific coast city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

There, voters were handed small plastic flags with the slogan: &quot;I love Kamchatka. We are the first.&quot;

Voting will run until polls close at the westernmost point of Russia, the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea, at 1800 GMT on Sunday.

SHOO-IN CONTEST

A March 9 survey by state-run pollster VTsIOM gave Putin, who was first elected president in 2000, support of 69 per cent. His nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party`s candidate, is on just 7 per cent.

The first politician in years to challenge the Kremlin`s grip on power, Alexei Navalny, is barred from the race because of a corruption conviction he says was fabricated by the Kremlin.

He is calling for a boycott of the election, saying it is an undemocratic farce, and deploying supporters to collect evidence of anyone rigging the ballot to inflate turnout and support for Putin. The Kremlin and election officials say any fraud will be stamped out.

In an address to the nation broadcast on national television on Friday, Putin said voters held the fate of the country in their hands and urged them to vote.

A low turnout would diminish Putin`s authority in his next term, which, under the constitution, has to be his last.

&quot;There is no intrigue. I do not see any point for me in going to the election,&quot; said Alexei Khvorostov, a resident of Krasnodar, in southern Russia.

Yevgeny Roizman, a Kremlin opponent who is mayor of the industrial city of Yekaterinburg, said officials were using bribes and inducements to persuade people to vote.

&quot;They`re herding the whole country to the polling stations,&quot; Roizman, a rare example of an elected official opposed to the Kremlin, said in a video blog. &quot;It`s degrading... We`re not sheep.&quot;

In the Khabarovsk region, on Russia`s Pacific coast, officials delivered supplies of eggs, tinned peas and frozen pike to polling stations. It will be sold to voters at a discount of between 10 and 30 per cent compared to prices in local shops.

&quot;By doing this we hope to attract voters to the polling stations and we think we can increase turnout,&quot; said Nikolai Kretsu, chairman of the consumer market committee in the regional administration.

&quot;The second objective is to strengthen allegiance towards the authorities.&quot;

Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 percent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger.

Russians voted in a presidential election on Sunday set to give Vladimir Putin a runaway victory, the only possible blemish for the Kremlin being if large numbers of voters do not bother taking part because the result is so predictable. Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 per cent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger. Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power — a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. In Pics: Vladimir Putin — A brief profile of the Russian president Putin`s opponents alleged officials were trying to inflate the turnout. Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia`s interests in a hostile outside world, even though the cost is a confrontation with the West. Also read: 10 key dates in Vladimir Putin's political journey A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English town — denied by Moscow — has not dented his standing. The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: he has total dominance of the political scene and the state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals. Galina Zhukova, a pensioner, came to polling station number 1512 in Zelenodolsk, about 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, with her husband, Alexei. They arrived soon after the doors opened. "We voted for Putin. Things are all right for us," said Alexei. "And there`s no one else to vote for," said Galina. A day of voting across Russia`s 11 time zones began at 2000 GMT on Saturday on Russia`s eastern edge, in the Pacific coast city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. There, voters were handed small plastic flags with the slogan: "I love Kamchatka. We are the first." Voting will run until polls close at the westernmost point of Russia, the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea, at 1800 GMT on Sunday. SHOO-IN CONTEST A March 9 survey by state-run pollster VTsIOM gave Putin, who was first elected president in 2000, support of 69 per cent. His nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party`s candidate, is on just 7 per cent. The first politician in years to challenge the Kremlin`s grip on power, Alexei Navalny, is barred from the race because of a corruption conviction he says was fabricated by the Kremlin. He is calling for a boycott of the election, saying it is an undemocratic farce, and deploying supporters to collect evidence of anyone rigging the ballot to inflate turnout and support for Putin. The Kremlin and election officials say any fraud will be stamped out. In an address to the nation broadcast on national television on Friday, Putin said voters held the fate of the country in their hands and urged them to vote. A low turnout would diminish Putin`s authority in his next term, which, under the constitution, has to be his last. "There is no intrigue. I do not see any point for me in going to the election," said Alexei Khvorostov, a resident of Krasnodar, in southern Russia. Yevgeny Roizman, a Kremlin opponent who is mayor of the industrial city of Yekaterinburg, said officials were using bribes and inducements to persuade people to vote. "They`re herding the whole country to the polling stations," Roizman, a rare example of an elected official opposed to the Kremlin, said in a video blog. "It`s degrading... We`re not sheep." In the Khabarovsk region, on Russia`s Pacific coast, officials delivered supplies of eggs, tinned peas and frozen pike to polling stations. It will be sold to voters at a discount of between 10 and 30 per cent compared to prices in local shops. "By doing this we hope to attract voters to the polling stations and we think we can increase turnout," said Nikolai Kretsu, chairman of the consumer market committee in the regional administration. "The second objective is to strengthen allegiance towards the authorities."

Vladimir Putin on track for commanding win as Russians head to polls

Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win a fourth term as Russian president in polls this month, has reimposed the Kremlin&#39;s grip over society since taking power 18 years ago.

Here are key dates in the life of the 65-year-old former KGB officer:

- October 7, 1952: Putin is born into a poor working-class family in Leningrad, now called Saint Petersburg.

- 1998: He is named the head of the FSB security service, the successor to the KGB, having joined the service in 1975.

- 1999: As Boris Yeltsin&#39;s prime minister, he oversees the launch of a second war to crush rebels in Chechnya. When Yeltsin resigns on New Year&#39;s Eve, Putin takes over as president, being officially elected in March 2000.

- 2004: He is re-elected, president.

- 2008: In line with a constitutional limit, at the end of his second term Putin hands power to his protege Dmitry Medvedev and becomes prime minister.

- 2012: He returns as president, for a term which has been extended from four to six years, amid unprecedented opposition protests.

- 2013: After three decades of marriage, he divorces Lyudmila with whom he has two daughters.

- 2014: He annexes the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

- 2015: Gives military backing to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

- 2017: In December, he announces he will seek a new six-year term as president in March 2018.

Here are key dates in the life of the 65-year-old former KGB officer:

Vladimir Putin, who is expected to win a fourth term as Russian president in polls this month, has reimposed the Kremlin's grip over society since taking power 18 years ago. Here are key dates in the life of the 65-year-old former KGB officer: - October 7, 1952: Putin is born into a poor working-class family in Leningrad, now called Saint Petersburg. - 1998: He is named the head of the FSB security service, the successor to the KGB, having joined the service in 1975. - 1999: As Boris Yeltsin's prime minister, he oversees the launch of a second war to crush rebels in Chechnya. When Yeltsin resigns on New Year's Eve, Putin takes over as president, being officially elected in March 2000. - 2004: He is re-elected, president. - 2008: In line with a constitutional limit, at the end of his second term Putin hands power to his protege Dmitry Medvedev and becomes prime minister. - 2012: He returns as president, for a term which has been extended from four to six years, amid unprecedented opposition protests. - 2013: After three decades of marriage, he divorces Lyudmila with whom he has two daughters. - 2014: He annexes the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. - 2015: Gives military backing to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. - 2017: In December, he announces he will seek a new six-year term as president in March 2018.

10 key dates in Vladimir Putin's political journey

President Donald Trump said Tuesday there&#39;s a &quot;very good chance&quot; he would name conservative television personality Larry Kudlow to replace top economic advisor Gary Cohn, who resigned last week following a battle over import tariffs.

Like Cohn, Kudlow has a record of opposing import duties on steel and aluminum, but Trump said the TV pundit had &quot;come around to believing in tariffs.&quot;

&quot;I&#39;m looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly. I&#39;ve known him a long time,&quot; Trump said at the White House as he prepared to depart for California to view prototypes of a border wall, long a centerpiece of his immigration policies.

&quot;Larry has been a friend of mine for a long time. He backed me very early in the campaign. I think he was one of my original backers. He&#39;s a very, very talented man.

&quot;I&#39;m also speaking to many others. But I think Larry has a very good chance,&quot; Trump added.

Under former President Ronald Reagan, Kudlow, 70, oversaw the White House Office of Management and Budget for five years.

He also served as chief economist at the onetime investment bank Bear Stearns from 1987 to 1994.

Kudlow joined the cable business news network CNBC in 2001, where he has since featured prominently as a commentator and host, with an exuberant style and bullish, pro-free trade views.

Still, in 2007, on the eve of the global financial crisis, he told viewers there would be no recession in the United States.

Two years ago, Kudlow supported Trump&#39;s bid for the White House, favoring the Republican&#39;s campaign pledges to build a wall and cut taxes.

Married three times, Kudlow has acknowledged undergoing treatment for alcoholism and cocaine dependency in the 1990s.

Under former President Ronald Reagan, Kudlow, 70, oversaw the White House Office of Management and Budget for five years.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday there's a "very good chance" he would name conservative television personality Larry Kudlow to replace top economic advisor Gary Cohn, who resigned last week following a battle over import tariffs. Like Cohn, Kudlow has a record of opposing import duties on steel and aluminum, but Trump said the TV pundit had "come around to believing in tariffs." "I'm looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly. I've known him a long time," Trump said at the White House as he prepared to depart for California to view prototypes of a border wall, long a centerpiece of his immigration policies. "Larry has been a friend of mine for a long time. He backed me very early in the campaign. I think he was one of my original backers. He's a very, very talented man. "I'm also speaking to many others. But I think Larry has a very good chance," Trump added. Under former President Ronald Reagan, Kudlow, 70, oversaw the White House Office of Management and Budget for five years. He also served as chief economist at the onetime investment bank Bear Stearns from 1987 to 1994. Kudlow joined the cable business news network CNBC in 2001, where he has since featured prominently as a commentator and host, with an exuberant style and bullish, pro-free trade views. Still, in 2007, on the eve of the global financial crisis, he told viewers there would be no recession in the United States. Two years ago, Kudlow supported Trump's bid for the White House, favoring the Republican's campaign pledges to build a wall and cut taxes. Married three times, Kudlow has acknowledged undergoing treatment for alcoholism and cocaine dependency in the 1990s.

Trump eyes TV pundit as new economics guru

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that under no circumstances would he give Crimea back to Ukraine, speaking in a new documentary released Sunday ahead of his expected re-election in next week&#39;s poll.

&quot;What, have you gone mad?&quot; he told a journalist who asked him if there were any circumstances under which the Russian leader would be ready to give up Crimea.

&quot;There are no such circumstances and never will be,&quot; he said in the new two-hour documentary &quot;Putin&quot;.

It was published on the social media accounts of notorious pro-Kremlin TV host Dmitry Kiselev ahead of a presidential election on March 18.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supported Russian-speaking insurgents in the east of the ex-Soviet country after a Western-backed popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime from power in Kiev.

The peninsula&#39;s annexation led to European and US sanctions against Moscow amid the most serious crisis in ties with the West since the end of the Cold War.

The documentary -- produced by journalist Andrei Kondrashov, who is a spokesman for Putin&#39;s campaign -- features interviews with a number of the Russian leader&#39;s allies including former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and childhood friend cellist Sergei Roldugin.

The secretive chief executive of oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, said he had served under Putin in various capacities for nearly 30 years and that the president was &quot;a very careful person&quot;.

&quot;Honestly speaking, I don&#39;t know a single mistake he has made over these years,&quot; Sechin said in rare public comments.

&quot;He is very careful at making decisions.&quot;

Speaking on everything from his family to childhood to love and happiness, Putin said he was capable of forgiving.

&quot;But not everything,&quot; he quickly added, noting he could not forgive a betrayal.

&quot;Generally speaking, I cannot complain that I&#39;ve come across any serious events that could be called a betrayal,&quot; Putin said.

Running against a motley crew of seven challengers, Putin is expected to take nearly 70 percent of the vote with a turnout of more than 60 percent, according to state-run pollsters.

The peninsula's annexation led to European and US sanctions against Moscow amid the most serious crisis in ties with the West since the end of the Cold War

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that under no circumstances would he give Crimea back to Ukraine, speaking in a new documentary released Sunday ahead of his expected re-election in next week's poll. "What, have you gone mad?" he told a journalist who asked him if there were any circumstances under which the Russian leader would be ready to give up Crimea. "There are no such circumstances and never will be," he said in the new two-hour documentary "Putin". It was published on the social media accounts of notorious pro-Kremlin TV host Dmitry Kiselev ahead of a presidential election on March 18. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supported Russian-speaking insurgents in the east of the ex-Soviet country after a Western-backed popular uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime from power in Kiev. The peninsula's annexation led to European and US sanctions against Moscow amid the most serious crisis in ties with the West since the end of the Cold War. The documentary -- produced by journalist Andrei Kondrashov, who is a spokesman for Putin's campaign -- features interviews with a number of the Russian leader's allies including former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and childhood friend cellist Sergei Roldugin. The secretive chief executive of oil giant Rosneft, Igor Sechin, said he had served under Putin in various capacities for nearly 30 years and that the president was "a very careful person". "Honestly speaking, I don't know a single mistake he has made over these years," Sechin said in rare public comments. "He is very careful at making decisions." Speaking on everything from his family to childhood to love and happiness, Putin said he was capable of forgiving. "But not everything," he quickly added, noting he could not forgive a betrayal. "Generally speaking, I cannot complain that I've come across any serious events that could be called a betrayal," Putin said. Running against a motley crew of seven challengers, Putin is expected to take nearly 70 percent of the vote with a turnout of more than 60 percent, according to state-run pollsters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will 'never' give Crimea back to Ukraine

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday accepted the resignations of TDP ministers from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, a day after they stepped down in protest against the Centre&#39;s failure to give Andhra Pradesh a special status category.

TDP MP Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pasupati was heading the Ministry of Civil Aviation, while another MP YS Chowdary was Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences.&nbsp;

&quot;Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President has directed that the work of the Ministry of Civil Aviation will be looked after by the Prime Minister,&quot; said a statement from Rashtrapati Bhawan

The President has also directed that the work of the Ministry of Civil Aviation will now be looked after by the Prime Minister.

TDP pulled out of the Modi government yesterday but kept a window open for rapprochement by deciding to remain part of the NDA.

The two TDP ministers had met the prime minister last evening and handed over their resignation letters.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

TDP pulled out of the Modi government yesterday but kept a window open for rapprochement by deciding to remain part of the NDA.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday accepted the resignations of TDP ministers from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, a day after they stepped down in protest against the Centre's failure to give Andhra Pradesh a special status category. TDP MP Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pasupati was heading the Ministry of Civil Aviation, while another MP YS Chowdary was Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences. "Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President has directed that the work of the Ministry of Civil Aviation will be looked after by the Prime Minister," said a statement from Rashtrapati Bhawan The President has also directed that the work of the Ministry of Civil Aviation will now be looked after by the Prime Minister. TDP pulled out of the Modi government yesterday but kept a window open for rapprochement by deciding to remain part of the NDA. The two TDP ministers had met the prime minister last evening and handed over their resignation letters.

President Kovind accepts TDP ministers' resignations, directs PM to look after Civil Aviation

US President Donald Trump has tumbled down more than 200 places in the world&#39;s billionaire rankings after losing around $400 million in his net worth from last year.

The businessman who is now worth US $3.1 million is now ranked at 766 this year, down from 554 in 2017.&nbsp;

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/forbes-rich-list-amazons-jeff-bezos-is-richest-man-mukesh-ambani-ranked-19th-711">Forbes rich list: Amazon&#39;s Jeff Bezos is </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/forbes-rich-list-amazons-jeff-bezos-is-richest-man-mukesh-ambani-ranked-19th-711">richest</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/forbes-rich-list-amazons-jeff-bezos-is-richest-man-mukesh-ambani-ranked-19th-711">&nbsp;man, Mukesh Ambani ranked 19th</a>

The magazine said the drop was partially due to a fall in the value of central New York property values and falling revenues at his golf courses.

According to reports, Trump Tower, the President&#39;s New York home, lost an estimated $41 million in value last year.

The value of Trump&rsquo;s hotel licensing and management company dropped an estimated $50 million in the last year, as the power of the Trump brand seems to be fading in markets like Toronto and New York, where investors have removed the president&rsquo;s name from hotels.&nbsp;

Trump also shelled out $25 million in settling lawsuits that alleged his Trump University real estate courses defrauded students.

The estimate is well below Trump&rsquo;s claim during the election campaign in 2015 that his net worth was &ldquo;in excess of ten billion dollars&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Trump is the first billionaire president who stepped away from his businesses when he entered the White House, handing control to his two eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pornstar-stormy-daniels-files-lawsuit-against-trump-over-hush-agreement-34943">Pornstar Stormy Daniels files lawsuit against Trump over &#39;hush agreement&#39;</a>

Top of the list is the founder and boss of online giant Amazon, Jeff Bezos. Bezos&#39; fortune has leapt to $112bn from an estimated $39.2bn last year.

The businessman who is now worth US $3.1 million is now ranked at 766 this year, down from 554 in 2017

US President Donald Trump has tumbled down more than 200 places in the world's billionaire rankings after losing around $400 million in his net worth from last year. The businessman who is now worth US $3.1 million is now ranked at 766 this year, down from 554 in 2017. Also see: Forbes rich list: Amazon's Jeff Bezos is richest man, Mukesh Ambani ranked 19th The magazine said the drop was partially due to a fall in the value of central New York property values and falling revenues at his golf courses. According to reports, Trump Tower, the President's New York home, lost an estimated $41 million in value last year. The value of Trump’s hotel licensing and management company dropped an estimated $50 million in the last year, as the power of the Trump brand seems to be fading in markets like Toronto and New York, where investors have removed the president’s name from hotels. Trump also shelled out $25 million in settling lawsuits that alleged his Trump University real estate courses defrauded students. The estimate is well below Trump’s claim during the election campaign in 2015 that his net worth was “in excess of ten billion dollars”. Trump is the first billionaire president who stepped away from his businesses when he entered the White House, handing control to his two eldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric. Also read: Pornstar Stormy Daniels files lawsuit against Trump over 'hush agreement' Top of the list is the founder and boss of online giant Amazon, Jeff Bezos. Bezos' fortune has leapt to $112bn from an estimated $39.2bn last year.

Trump tumbles down more than 200 places in Forbes' richest list

BJP president Amit Shah has become the second most followed leader in India on social media portals with a total of over 2 crore followers on Twitter and Facebook.

Shah has now got around 10.1 million followers on Twitter and around 11 million on Facebook.&nbsp;

Shah, who joined Twitter in May 2013, hit the 10 million mark on Tuesday. The BJP president has so far tweeted more than 5,700 times on issues such as the BJP victories in the northeast and Congress&#39;s alleged acts of corruption.&nbsp;

A BJP insider said Shah uses these platforms &quot;to stay in direct touch with party workers and to deal with problems faced by the people&quot;.&nbsp;

He often meets BJP volunteers working on social media sites and encourages other party workers to use these platforms to stay in touch with the public.&nbsp;

Although, PM Modi still maintains his position as the number one leader with the most number of followers on Twitter with over 40 million followers.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Shah has now got around 10.1 million followers on Twitter and around 11 million on Facebook

BJP president Amit Shah has become the second most followed leader in India on social media portals with a total of over 2 crore followers on Twitter and Facebook. Shah has now got around 10.1 million followers on Twitter and around 11 million on Facebook. Shah, who joined Twitter in May 2013, hit the 10 million mark on Tuesday. The BJP president has so far tweeted more than 5,700 times on issues such as the BJP victories in the northeast and Congress's alleged acts of corruption. A BJP insider said Shah uses these platforms "to stay in direct touch with party workers and to deal with problems faced by the people". He often meets BJP volunteers working on social media sites and encourages other party workers to use these platforms to stay in touch with the public. Although, PM Modi still maintains his position as the number one leader with the most number of followers on Twitter with over 40 million followers.

BJP President Amit Shah becomes second most followed Indian leader on social media after Modi

The Afghan Taliban has accepted to join the peace dialogue initiated by the President Ashraf Ghani.&nbsp;

According to media reports, Afghanistan&#39;s Herat provincial council chairman Kamran Alizai said the talks were held with the militant group regarding the same and in return, the Taliban set pre-conditions such as securing employment on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

&quot;The armed group (Taliban) said they will join the peace process if employed on the TAPI project. They will also ensure the project&#39;s security,&quot; said Alizai.

The group&#39;s move was welcomed by Herat governor Mohammad Asif Rahimi and assured to provide them with employment opportunities after they join the peace process.

&quot;The door is open, the offer has been made to all the anti-government armed groups,&quot; Rahimi said.

This comes after a group of 10 insurgents also joined the peace process in support of the TAPI project.

Meanwhile, Pakistan also supported Ghani&#39;s initiative, in what was seen as the first possible breakthrough in the thawing of frosty ties between Kabul and Islamabad.

The TAPI is an under-construction pipeline which will transport natural gas starting from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.&nbsp;

The pipeline expected to be operational by 2019.

Taliban has set pre-conditions before joining the talks

The Afghan Taliban has accepted to join the peace dialogue initiated by the President Ashraf Ghani. According to media reports, Afghanistan's Herat provincial council chairman Kamran Alizai said the talks were held with the militant group regarding the same and in return, the Taliban set pre-conditions such as securing employment on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project. "The armed group (Taliban) said they will join the peace process if employed on the TAPI project. They will also ensure the project's security," said Alizai. The group's move was welcomed by Herat governor Mohammad Asif Rahimi and assured to provide them with employment opportunities after they join the peace process. "The door is open, the offer has been made to all the anti-government armed groups," Rahimi said. This comes after a group of 10 insurgents also joined the peace process in support of the TAPI project. Meanwhile, Pakistan also supported Ghani's initiative, in what was seen as the first possible breakthrough in the thawing of frosty ties between Kabul and Islamabad. The TAPI is an under-construction pipeline which will transport natural gas starting from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The pipeline expected to be operational by 2019.

Afghan Taliban accepts President Ghani's peace dialogue

United States President Donald Trump has been told to cut down on red meat and highly fattening foods since his doctor told him he needs to lose a few pounds.

Trump passed a cognitive test and is in overall excellent health, but needs to lose 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg) by eating better and starting to exercise, the White House physician said on Tuesday.

Trump has cut down his red meat intake and is eating more fish, salads and soups. Reports said that the last time he ate a hamburger was about two weeks back.&nbsp;

White House physician Dr Ronny Jackson, who in January announced that Trump at 6&#39;3&quot; and 239 pounds was just one pound below being classified as &ldquo;obese.&rdquo;

President Trump has reportedly embraced the new menu choices he is being offered and is enjoying his new diet.He is said to have had one cheat day this week, when he enjoyed a hearty bacon breakfast.

&quot;We are going to do both (referring to diet and exercise),&quot; the doctor said after administering his physical.

&quot;He is more enthusiastic about the diet part than the exercise part,&rdquo; Jackson said of Trump at the time.

The Navy doctor exhausted reporters&#39; questions during an unusually lengthy hour-long session, at Trump&#39;s request, and said he did not withhold any information in the interests of privacy.

&quot;He said, &#39;I want you to get out there and I want you to talk to them and I want you to answer every single question they have,&#39;&quot; Jackson said of Trump.

Trump, 71, is known to enjoy high-fat foods like fried chicken, hamburgers and steak - and while he plays golf, he does not have a daily exercise routine.

&quot;He had a longtime fear of being poisoned, one reason why he liked to eat at McDonald&#39;s-nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely premade,&quot; Michael Wolff&#39;s book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House stated.

It&#39;s an about-face from his campaign trail regimen, which reportedly included two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and a chocolate milkshake for dinner. One way Trump supposedly justified his love for McDonald&#39; was the reassurance it offered.&nbsp;

&quot;I&#39;m a very clean person. I like cleanliness, and I think you&#39;e better off going there than maybe someplace that you have no idea where the food&#39;s coming from. It&#39;s a certain standard,&quot; Trump had said of McDonald&#39;s.

Trump&#39;s mental fitness for the job had come under intense scrutiny after a controversial, best-selling book, &quot;Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,&quot; portrayed him as childlike and mercurial.

Jackson, who speaks with Trump a few times a day and travels with him, said he did not think the president needed cognitive testing based on medical guidelines - but added the 30-question Montreal Cognitive Assessment at Trump&#39;s request.

Trump scored 30 out of 30 on the test, Jackson said. &quot;The president is mentally very sharp, very intact,&quot; he said.

&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Trump passed a cognitive test and is in overall excellent health, but needs to lose 4.5 to 6.8 kg by eating better and starting to exercise, the White House physician said on Tuesday

United States President Donald Trump has been told to cut down on red meat and highly fattening foods since his doctor told him he needs to lose a few pounds. Trump passed a cognitive test and is in overall excellent health, but needs to lose 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg) by eating better and starting to exercise, the White House physician said on Tuesday. Trump has cut down his red meat intake and is eating more fish, salads and soups. Reports said that the last time he ate a hamburger was about two weeks back. White House physician Dr Ronny Jackson, who in January announced that Trump at 6'3" and 239 pounds was just one pound below being classified as “obese.” President Trump has reportedly embraced the new menu choices he is being offered and is enjoying his new diet.He is said to have had one cheat day this week, when he enjoyed a hearty bacon breakfast. "We are going to do both (referring to diet and exercise)," the doctor said after administering his physical. "He is more enthusiastic about the diet part than the exercise part,” Jackson said of Trump at the time. The Navy doctor exhausted reporters' questions during an unusually lengthy hour-long session, at Trump's request, and said he did not withhold any information in the interests of privacy. "He said, 'I want you to get out there and I want you to talk to them and I want you to answer every single question they have,'" Jackson said of Trump. Trump, 71, is known to enjoy high-fat foods like fried chicken, hamburgers and steak - and while he plays golf, he does not have a daily exercise routine. "He had a longtime fear of being poisoned, one reason why he liked to eat at McDonald's-nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely premade," Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House stated. It's an about-face from his campaign trail regimen, which reportedly included two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and a chocolate milkshake for dinner. One way Trump supposedly justified his love for McDonald' was the reassurance it offered. "I'm a very clean person. I like cleanliness, and I think you'e better off going there than maybe someplace that you have no idea where the food's coming from. It's a certain standard," Trump had said of McDonald's. Trump's mental fitness for the job had come under intense scrutiny after a controversial, best-selling book, "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," portrayed him as childlike and mercurial. Jackson, who speaks with Trump a few times a day and travels with him, said he did not think the president needed cognitive testing based on medical guidelines - but added the 30-question Montreal Cognitive Assessment at Trump's request. Trump scored 30 out of 30 on the test, Jackson said. "The president is mentally very sharp, very intact," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Donald Trump told to lose weight by White House doctor

The Chinese regime is infamous for clamping down and crushing anything that goes against the authority. Not to mention, the ghost of the tragic Tiananmen Square massacre lives on even today. Every year, the Chinese authorities brace up to censor all things associated with the horrific tragedy, including online searches that would lead to any information remotely associated with the 1989 event.&nbsp;

The Chinese kingpins, who now seek to get rid of the presidential term limit for General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, made headlines for reportedly banning the English alphabet &#39;N&#39; and recently the world-famous cartoon character, the honey-loving bear Winnie the Pooh from its online territories.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Could&#39;ve expected this, but still pretty creative. First images of &quot;king Winnie&quot; surfacing on Weibo in response to Xi&#39;s potential indefinite rule: <a href="https://t.co/u9kL5OYGwq">https://t.co/u9kL5OYGwq</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/XiJinping?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#XiJinping</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kingwinnie?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kingwinnie</a> <a href="https://t.co/Bb6Dmy46xH">pic.twitter.com/Bb6Dmy46xH</a>
&mdash; Manya Koetse (@manyapan) <a href="https://twitter.com/manyapan/status/967729594093785088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Chinese authorities get into work to brace criticisms directed toward the Chinese regime as well against President Xi Jinping. The same results into the phasing out relevant content from the face of Chinese online and social media.&nbsp;

Shortly after the Chinese Communist Party announced its plans of getting rid of presidential term limits on Sunday, many took to social media posting images of Winnie the Pooh alluding to the Chinese President.&nbsp;

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5D8z_VqVJUw" width="560"></iframe>

Many likened the bear&#39;s appearance to that of President Xi, a trend that has been in existence on social media ever since Xi assumed power in the year 2013. An image of Pooh with his beloved friend Tigger placed right next to Xi&#39;s image with Obama also raked much controversy previously.

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China banned Winnie the Pooh after Xi was compared to him ???? 
Chinese depend on overt display of strength coz they know they&#39;re hollow within. <a href="https://t.co/5Fp3JVoLSx">pic.twitter.com/5Fp3JVoLSx</a>
&mdash; Vinayak Jain (@vinayak_jain) <a href="https://twitter.com/vinayak_jain/status/899886641157783553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Reportedly, Chinese censors are going way beyond and taking down messages and all media linked to describing Xi as a dictator or any negative discussions relating to him or the possibility of him serving for life.&nbsp;

A popular Chinese social media platform noted several phrases and words to have been temporarily banned on its site. The list included words and phrases like &#39;incapable ruler&#39;, &#39;emperor&#39; among others.&nbsp;

Letter &#39;N&#39; was temporarily banned. Many suggested Chinese censors targetted the mathematical expression of disapproval -- as the expression &ldquo;N &gt; 2&rdquo; in mathematics has &#39;N&#39;&nbsp;as an unknown signifier for an unknown quantity, here referring to Xi&rsquo;s possible presidential tenure.&nbsp;

Shortly after the Chinese Communist Party announced its plans of getting rid of presidential term limits on Sunday, many took to social media posting images of Winnie the Pooh alluding to the Chinese President

The Chinese regime is infamous for clamping down and crushing anything that goes against the authority. Not to mention, the ghost of the tragic Tiananmen Square massacre lives on even today. Every year, the Chinese authorities brace up to censor all things associated with the horrific tragedy, including online searches that would lead to any information remotely associated with the 1989 event. The Chinese kingpins, who now seek to get rid of the presidential term limit for General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, made headlines for reportedly banning the English alphabet 'N' and recently the world-famous cartoon character, the honey-loving bear Winnie the Pooh from its online territories. Could've expected this, but still pretty creative. First images of "king Winnie" surfacing on Weibo in response to Xi's potential indefinite rule: https://t.co/u9kL5OYGwq #XiJinping #kingwinnie pic.twitter.com/Bb6Dmy46xH — Manya Koetse (@manyapan) February 25, 2018 × Chinese authorities get into work to brace criticisms directed toward the Chinese regime as well against President Xi Jinping. The same results into the phasing out relevant content from the face of Chinese online and social media. Shortly after the Chinese Communist Party announced its plans of getting rid of presidential term limits on Sunday, many took to social media posting images of Winnie the Pooh alluding to the Chinese President. Many likened the bear's appearance to that of President Xi, a trend that has been in existence on social media ever since Xi assumed power in the year 2013. An image of Pooh with his beloved friend Tigger placed right next to Xi's image with Obama also raked much controversy previously. China banned Winnie the Pooh after Xi was compared to him ???? Chinese depend on overt display of strength coz they know they're hollow within. pic.twitter.com/5Fp3JVoLSx — Vinayak Jain (@vinayak_jain) August 22, 2017 × Reportedly, Chinese censors are going way beyond and taking down messages and all media linked to describing Xi as a dictator or any negative discussions relating to him or the possibility of him serving for life. A popular Chinese social media platform noted several phrases and words to have been temporarily banned on its site. The list included words and phrases like 'incapable ruler', 'emperor' among others. Letter 'N' was temporarily banned. Many suggested Chinese censors targetted the mathematical expression of disapproval -- as the expression “N > 2” in mathematics has 'N' as an unknown signifier for an unknown quantity, here referring to Xi’s possible presidential tenure.

After temporarily banning 'N', China clamps down on 'Winnie the Pooh'

Amid worsening ties between the United Nations and Pakistan, the US embassy on Tuesday that Washington wants to estlabish a new relationship with Islamabad.

The statement was given by a senior aide to Trump during his visit to Pakistan.&nbsp;

Lisa Curtis, deputy assistant to the U.S. president, also voiced U.S. concerns about Pakistan&#39;s deficiencies in preventing terrorist-financing during her two-day trip to the nuclear-armed South Asian nation.

Last week, Washington persuaded member states of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to put Pakistan back on the watchlist of nations with inadequate terrorist financing or money laundering controls.

The U.S. move infuriated Islamabad amid fears it could hurt the fragile economy of Pakistan, whose de facto finance minister accused Washington of trying to embarrass his country.

&quot;Ms. Curtis said that the United States seeks to move toward a new relationship with Pakistan, based on a shared commitment to defeat all terrorist groups that threaten regional stability,&quot; the U.S. embassy said in a statement.

The embassy informed that this new relationship between the two nations would also be based on a shared vision of a peaceful future for Afghanistan

Tensions with historically Washington have pushed Pakistan further into the arms of China. Closer diplomatic and military ties between Beijing and Islamabad have come at a time when China is helping Pakistan&#39;s economy grow by investing billions in infrastructure projects.&nbsp;

In January, &nbsp;the Trump administration suspended about $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, days after Trump tweeted that Pakistan has given nothing but lies and deceit in return for generous aid.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The statement was given by a senior aide to Trump during his visit to Pakistan

Amid worsening ties between the United Nations and Pakistan, the US embassy on Tuesday that Washington wants to estlabish a new relationship with Islamabad. The statement was given by a senior aide to Trump during his visit to Pakistan. Lisa Curtis, deputy assistant to the U.S. president, also voiced U.S. concerns about Pakistan's deficiencies in preventing terrorist-financing during her two-day trip to the nuclear-armed South Asian nation. Last week, Washington persuaded member states of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to put Pakistan back on the watchlist of nations with inadequate terrorist financing or money laundering controls. The U.S. move infuriated Islamabad amid fears it could hurt the fragile economy of Pakistan, whose de facto finance minister accused Washington of trying to embarrass his country. "Ms. Curtis said that the United States seeks to move toward a new relationship with Pakistan, based on a shared commitment to defeat all terrorist groups that threaten regional stability," the U.S. embassy said in a statement. The embassy informed that this new relationship between the two nations would also be based on a shared vision of a peaceful future for Afghanistan Tensions with historically Washington have pushed Pakistan further into the arms of China. Closer diplomatic and military ties between Beijing and Islamabad have come at a time when China is helping Pakistan's economy grow by investing billions in infrastructure projects. In January, the Trump administration suspended about $2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan, days after Trump tweeted that Pakistan has given nothing but lies and deceit in return for generous aid.

US seeking new relationship with Pakistan, says President Trump's aide

Indian immigrant Carlos Cordeiro has been elected president of the US Soccer Federation. Cordeiro beat out eight other candidates including two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup winner Hope Solo, leading corporate attorney Michael Winograd, other retired footballers including Kathy Carter, Kyle Martino, Eric Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri, and Kyle Martino, and Steve Gans, an attorney based out of Boston.

&quot;It&#39;s an incredible honor to be elected @ussoccer President. &nbsp;I&#39;m grateful to everyone who supported my campaign and I salute all the candidates who ran. I promise to work with all our members to unite our soccer family! #AimHigher,&quot;&nbsp;Cordeiro tweeted winning the election.&nbsp;

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Newly-elected <a href="https://twitter.com/CACSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CACSoccer</a> addresses the National Council as U.S. Soccer President. More &raquo; <a href="https://t.co/Lzro8BHkdR">https://t.co/Lzro8BHkdR</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZekPvxlrzx">pic.twitter.com/ZekPvxlrzx</a>
&mdash; U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/ussoccer/status/962367184054947840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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My open letter to our soccer community. We should be proud of our successes, but honest about where we need to do better. U.S. Soccer needs to change. Working together, we can transform soccer in America. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AimHigher?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AimHigher</a> <a href="https://t.co/JuYrxf11r8">https://t.co/JuYrxf11r8</a>
&mdash; Carlos Cordeiro (@CACSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/CACSoccer/status/963886951861510145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A message from <a href="https://twitter.com/CACSoccer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CACSoccer</a> to you, the ???????? soccer community. <a href="https://t.co/XBwmoiH3Tc">pic.twitter.com/XBwmoiH3Tc</a>
&mdash; U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/ussoccer/status/962401094814126082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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62-year-old Carlos Cordeiro was born in&nbsp;India to a Goan father and Colombian mother,&nbsp;did his schooling from Cathedral &amp; John Connon School. In 1971 he moved to the US with his widowed mother and three siblings, when he was just 15.

Mumbai born Cordeiro replaced another Indian origin Sunil Gulati, having served as President since 2006, Mr Gulati had opted not to run for re-election, after the United States men&#39;s national soccer team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

It is expected of Carlos Cordeiro that he might bring a major reform in the US men&#39;s national soccer team as they are missing the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

&nbsp;

62-year-old Carlos Cordeiro was born in India to a Goan father and Colombian mother, and did his schooling from Cathedral & John Connon School in Goa

Indian immigrant Carlos Cordeiro has been elected president of the US Soccer Federation. Cordeiro beat out eight other candidates including two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup winner Hope Solo, leading corporate attorney Michael Winograd, other retired footballers including Kathy Carter, Kyle Martino, Eric Wynalda, Paul Caligiuri, and Kyle Martino, and Steve Gans, an attorney based out of Boston. "It's an incredible honor to be elected @ussoccer President. I'm grateful to everyone who supported my campaign and I salute all the candidates who ran. I promise to work with all our members to unite our soccer family! #AimHigher," Cordeiro tweeted winning the election. Newly-elected @CACSoccer addresses the National Council as U.S. Soccer President. More » https://t.co/Lzro8BHkdR pic.twitter.com/ZekPvxlrzx — U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) February 10, 2018 × My open letter to our soccer community. We should be proud of our successes, but honest about where we need to do better. U.S. Soccer needs to change. Working together, we can transform soccer in America. #AimHigher https://t.co/JuYrxf11r8 — Carlos Cordeiro (@CACSoccer) February 14, 2018 × A message from @CACSoccer to you, the ???????? soccer community. pic.twitter.com/XBwmoiH3Tc — U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) February 10, 2018 × 62-year-old Carlos Cordeiro was born in India to a Goan father and Colombian mother, did his schooling from Cathedral & John Connon School. In 1971 he moved to the US with his widowed mother and three siblings, when he was just 15. Mumbai born Cordeiro replaced another Indian origin Sunil Gulati, having served as President since 2006, Mr Gulati had opted not to run for re-election, after the United States men's national soccer team failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. It is expected of Carlos Cordeiro that he might bring a major reform in the US men's national soccer team as they are missing the World Cup for the first time since 1986.

Mumbai-born Carlos Cordeiro is new chief of US Soccer Federation

The United States President Donald Trump&#39;s son Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to arrive in Gurugram on Monday to endorse his luxurious residential project, the Trump Towers.

Trump Jr., who is the executive director of the Trump Organisation, will arrive on a Boeing 757, which is nicknamed as Trump Force One, The New York Times reported.

The major English daily, Hindustan Times published an advertisement on their front page of the newspaper on Saturday which read- &quot;Trump has arrived. Have you?&quot;

Advertisements inside the newspaper mentioned that anyone who agreed to buy a Trump property before February 21 will have a chance of &quot;a conversation and dinner&quot; with Trump Jr.

Trump Jr. is scheduled to speak at the Global Business Summit in Delhi, which will be held on February 23 and 24.

He will also visit Kolkata, where the construction of a project with 137 luxury units will begin soon.

In Mumbai, he will oversee a 78-story Trump Tower with 400 residences, which is under construction and is scheduled to be completed by next year.

Trump Jr. will also visit Pune, where a fourth Trump-branded project has been built.

In an interview last week, Trump Jr. stated that he had spent nearly a decade &quot;cultivating relationships in India&quot; and that his company was &quot;now seeing the response of that effort.&quot;

According to business partners in India, many units in the Trump Towers are selling about 30 percent per square foot higher than the current market rates. Trump Jr.&#39;s visit to India this week is expected to reinforce the trend.

Talking about his trip earlier this month, Trump Jr. said, &quot;India is such an incredible country and our brand has enjoyed tremendous success in the region for many years. This trip is a celebration of all we have achieved, including the launch of the Trump developments in Kolkata and Delhi which have been underway for many months.&quot;

&quot;The teams in India have been working very hard to deliver residences that are truly second to none and I am looking forward to visiting these spectacular projects very soon,&quot; he added.

India is Trump Organisation&#39;s biggest international market, with four real estate projects underway in Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Gurugram.

The towers are being built by local partners- M3M, a National Capital Region (NCR) real estate company and Tribeca Developers of Mumbai.

The Trump development encompasses two towers with a total of 254 &quot;ultra luxury&quot; units, each selling for up to $1.5 million, according to the Trump Organisation.

Among other features of Trump Towers are a temperature-controlled indoor swimming pool, a spa and fitness centre, a fine-dining restaurant, business centre, and in-residence catering.

Trump Jr.&#39;s visit to India comes after his sister, Ivanka, visited Hyderabad in November last year to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. (GES)

Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to arrive in Gurugram on Monday

The United States President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to arrive in Gurugram on Monday to endorse his luxurious residential project, the Trump Towers. Trump Jr., who is the executive director of the Trump Organisation, will arrive on a Boeing 757, which is nicknamed as Trump Force One, The New York Times reported. The major English daily, Hindustan Times published an advertisement on their front page of the newspaper on Saturday which read- "Trump has arrived. Have you?" Advertisements inside the newspaper mentioned that anyone who agreed to buy a Trump property before February 21 will have a chance of "a conversation and dinner" with Trump Jr. Trump Jr. is scheduled to speak at the Global Business Summit in Delhi, which will be held on February 23 and 24. He will also visit Kolkata, where the construction of a project with 137 luxury units will begin soon. In Mumbai, he will oversee a 78-story Trump Tower with 400 residences, which is under construction and is scheduled to be completed by next year. Trump Jr. will also visit Pune, where a fourth Trump-branded project has been built. In an interview last week, Trump Jr. stated that he had spent nearly a decade "cultivating relationships in India" and that his company was "now seeing the response of that effort." According to business partners in India, many units in the Trump Towers are selling about 30 percent per square foot higher than the current market rates. Trump Jr.'s visit to India this week is expected to reinforce the trend. Talking about his trip earlier this month, Trump Jr. said, "India is such an incredible country and our brand has enjoyed tremendous success in the region for many years. This trip is a celebration of all we have achieved, including the launch of the Trump developments in Kolkata and Delhi which have been underway for many months." "The teams in India have been working very hard to deliver residences that are truly second to none and I am looking forward to visiting these spectacular projects very soon," he added. India is Trump Organisation's biggest international market, with four real estate projects underway in Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Gurugram. The towers are being built by local partners- M3M, a National Capital Region (NCR) real estate company and Tribeca Developers of Mumbai. The Trump development encompasses two towers with a total of 254 "ultra luxury" units, each selling for up to $1.5 million, according to the Trump Organisation. Among other features of Trump Towers are a temperature-controlled indoor swimming pool, a spa and fitness centre, a fine-dining restaurant, business centre, and in-residence catering. Trump Jr.'s visit to India comes after his sister, Ivanka, visited Hyderabad in November last year to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. (GES)

Donald Trump Jr. to launch Trump Towers in Gurugram tomorrow

India today said it was waiting to see what steps the Maldives government would take after the 15-day Emergency declared by President Abdulla Yameen gets over in the next few days.

External Affairs Minister spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India had called on the government of Maldives to lift the state of Emergency and restore the democratic process, including the functioning of judiciary, which is &quot;free of intimidation&quot;.

&quot;We have noticed that the Emergency in Maldives is valid for the next few days and we will wait to see the steps which will be taken by the government of Maldives after this,&quot; Kumar said.

Maldives, an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, plunged into turmoil after Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency on February 5, amid a standoff between the president and the Supreme Court.

When asked about China, which has opposed any military intervention in the Maldives, Kumar said India had made its stand clear on it.

&quot;We note that China said the Maldives government has the ability to protect the security of Chinese personnel and institutions in Maldives. We hope that all countries can play a constructive role in Maldives, instead of doing the opposite,&quot; Kumar said.

India urged Maldives government to lift the Emergency and restore the democratic process

India today said it was waiting to see what steps the Maldives government would take after the 15-day Emergency declared by President Abdulla Yameen gets over in the next few days. External Affairs Minister spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India had called on the government of Maldives to lift the state of Emergency and restore the democratic process, including the functioning of judiciary, which is "free of intimidation". "We have noticed that the Emergency in Maldives is valid for the next few days and we will wait to see the steps which will be taken by the government of Maldives after this," Kumar said. Maldives, an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, plunged into turmoil after Yameen declared a 15-day state of emergency on February 5, amid a standoff between the president and the Supreme Court. When asked about China, which has opposed any military intervention in the Maldives, Kumar said India had made its stand clear on it. "We note that China said the Maldives government has the ability to protect the security of Chinese personnel and institutions in Maldives. We hope that all countries can play a constructive role in Maldives, instead of doing the opposite," Kumar said.

India awaiting Maldives' action post Emergency

Jacob Zuma resigned as South African president late on Wednesday, under pressure from allies of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced him as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in December.

The 75-year-old&#39;s resignation caps the end of a tumultuous decade in which Zuma has survived several no-confidence votes in parliament, a string of corruption allegations and street protests against his rule.

Below are some of the main scandals involving Zuma. Some date from before he became president in 2009.

ARMS DEAL 
Zuma is still fighting 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president.&nbsp; 
The charges were set aside in 2009, paving the way for Zuma to run for president, but were re-instated in 2016 by the Supreme Court.

RAPE ACCUSATION 
While deputy president of the ANC, Zuma was charged with raping Fezekile &quot;Khwezi&quot; Kuzwayo, the HIV-positive daughter of a friend who had been imprisoned on Robben Island with Zuma during the apartheid era. 
Zuma was acquitted in 2006 but was ridiculed after saying he had showered after sex to reduce the risk of contracting HIV.

NKANDLA UPGRADES 
Soon after becoming president, it emerged that millions of dollars of public money had been spent on upgrades to Zuma`s Nkandla home, including a swimming pool that one minister justified as a fire-fighting resource. 
Zuma weathered a no-confidence vote in parliament over the upgrades and paid back more than $500,000 after unsuccessfully trying to argue his case in the Constitutional Court.

SONONO KHOZA 
Zuma apologised to South Africans in 2010 after fathering a child out of wedlock with his friend Irvin Khoza`s daughter, Sonono Khoza.&nbsp; 
Zuma, a polygamist, had promised the ANC`s leadership he would not engage in extramarital sex after the Khwezi episode.

CLEVER BLACKS 
Zuma caused controversy in 2012 for scolding black people &quot;who become too clever&quot; in an address to South Africa`s National House of Traditional Leaders, saying &quot;they become the most eloquent in criticising themselves about their own traditions&quot;.&nbsp; 
Zuma, who received no formal schooling, has a loyal following in rural areas but has tended to receive less support in urban areas where education levels are higher.

WATERKLOOF LANDING 
Zuma`s friends, the Gupta brothers, used the top-security Waterkloof air base to fly in 200 wedding guests from India for a family member`s wedding in 2013, sparking a public outcry.&nbsp; 
The ANC called the landing reckless and a breach of national security.

NENEGATE 
Zuma fired finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in December 2015, replacing him with unknown parliamentary backbencher Des van Rooyen. Zuma was forced to sack van Rooyen and re-appoint a previous finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, four days later after the rand currency collapsed.

ELECTORAL DEBACLE 
The ANC lost its grip on local government in three metropolitan areas in 2016, the ruling party`s worst election result since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Unemployment, economic stagnation and scandals around Zuma were among reasons the ANC lost voter support.

&quot;STATE CAPTURE&quot; 
In 2016, the Public Protector, South Africa`s main anti-corruption watchdog, published a report entitled &quot;State of Capture&quot; alleging the Guptas had tried to influence the appointment of cabinet ministers and were unlawfully awarded state tenders.

Central to the report was the claim by then-deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas that Zuma`s son Duduzane invited him to the Gupta family home where he was offered the job of finance minister and a bribe of 600 million rand.

The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing. The Public Protector recommended a judicial enquiry be set up to investigate grand-level corruption involving Zuma and the Guptas.

MIDNIGHT RESHUFFLE 
Zuma fired Gordhan as finance minister and Jonas as deputy finance minister in a midnight reshuffle in March 2017. South African financial markets plummeted, with senior ANC officials expressing anger at the lack of consultation.

The 75-year-old's resignation caps the end of a tumultuous decade in which Zuma has survived several no-confidence votes in parliament, a string of corruption allegations and street protests against his rule

Jacob Zuma resigned as South African president late on Wednesday, under pressure from allies of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced him as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in December. The 75-year-old's resignation caps the end of a tumultuous decade in which Zuma has survived several no-confidence votes in parliament, a string of corruption allegations and street protests against his rule. Below are some of the main scandals involving Zuma. Some date from before he became president in 2009. ARMS DEAL Zuma is still fighting 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president. The charges were set aside in 2009, paving the way for Zuma to run for president, but were re-instated in 2016 by the Supreme Court. RAPE ACCUSATION While deputy president of the ANC, Zuma was charged with raping Fezekile "Khwezi" Kuzwayo, the HIV-positive daughter of a friend who had been imprisoned on Robben Island with Zuma during the apartheid era. Zuma was acquitted in 2006 but was ridiculed after saying he had showered after sex to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. NKANDLA UPGRADES Soon after becoming president, it emerged that millions of dollars of public money had been spent on upgrades to Zuma`s Nkandla home, including a swimming pool that one minister justified as a fire-fighting resource. Zuma weathered a no-confidence vote in parliament over the upgrades and paid back more than $500,000 after unsuccessfully trying to argue his case in the Constitutional Court. SONONO KHOZA Zuma apologised to South Africans in 2010 after fathering a child out of wedlock with his friend Irvin Khoza`s daughter, Sonono Khoza. Zuma, a polygamist, had promised the ANC`s leadership he would not engage in extramarital sex after the Khwezi episode. CLEVER BLACKS Zuma caused controversy in 2012 for scolding black people "who become too clever" in an address to South Africa`s National House of Traditional Leaders, saying "they become the most eloquent in criticising themselves about their own traditions". Zuma, who received no formal schooling, has a loyal following in rural areas but has tended to receive less support in urban areas where education levels are higher. WATERKLOOF LANDING Zuma`s friends, the Gupta brothers, used the top-security Waterkloof air base to fly in 200 wedding guests from India for a family member`s wedding in 2013, sparking a public outcry. The ANC called the landing reckless and a breach of national security. NENEGATE Zuma fired finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in December 2015, replacing him with unknown parliamentary backbencher Des van Rooyen. Zuma was forced to sack van Rooyen and re-appoint a previous finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, four days later after the rand currency collapsed. ELECTORAL DEBACLE The ANC lost its grip on local government in three metropolitan areas in 2016, the ruling party`s worst election result since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Unemployment, economic stagnation and scandals around Zuma were among reasons the ANC lost voter support. "STATE CAPTURE" In 2016, the Public Protector, South Africa`s main anti-corruption watchdog, published a report entitled "State of Capture" alleging the Guptas had tried to influence the appointment of cabinet ministers and were unlawfully awarded state tenders. Central to the report was the claim by then-deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas that Zuma`s son Duduzane invited him to the Gupta family home where he was offered the job of finance minister and a bribe of 600 million rand. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing. The Public Protector recommended a judicial enquiry be set up to investigate grand-level corruption involving Zuma and the Guptas. MIDNIGHT RESHUFFLE Zuma fired Gordhan as finance minister and Jonas as deputy finance minister in a midnight reshuffle in March 2017. South African financial markets plummeted, with senior ANC officials expressing anger at the lack of consultation.

South Africa's divisive president: Zuma's many scandals

Shanavi Ponnusamy, a transwoman has written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking permission to kill herself. Ponnusamy alleges that the state-owned carrier Air India refused her a job because of her gender.

Ponnusamy noted that she didn&#39;t apply for a job with any other airline thinking that if a government-carrier didn&#39;t offer a category for transgenders, private airlines will certainly not.

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They said we don&#39;t have category for trans-women. But, do I get discount on taxes? I have to pay that, right?I have qualification &amp; experience, is it about my gender?: Shanavi, transgender who alleges Air India refused job due to her gender on her letter to Pres for mercy-killing <a href="https://t.co/11WDIIAfy1">pic.twitter.com/11WDIIAfy1</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/963736437622439936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;They said we don&#39;t have a category for transwomen. But, do I get discount on taxes? I have to pay that, right? I have qualification and experience, is it about my gender?&quot; Ponnusamy was quoted by ANI.&nbsp;

Shanavi had applied for a cabin crew post with Air India in the year 2016, she was rejected four times in total. She eventually learnt that her gender was the reason for the rejection of her candidature.

Shanavi hails from Tamil Nadu and holds a degree in Electronics and Communication engineering.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

Shanavi hails from Tamil Nadu and holds a degree in Electronics and Communication engineering

Shanavi Ponnusamy, a transwoman has written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking permission to kill herself. Ponnusamy alleges that the state-owned carrier Air India refused her a job because of her gender. Ponnusamy noted that she didn't apply for a job with any other airline thinking that if a government-carrier didn't offer a category for transgenders, private airlines will certainly not. They said we don't have category for trans-women. But, do I get discount on taxes? I have to pay that, right?I have qualification & experience, is it about my gender?: Shanavi, transgender who alleges Air India refused job due to her gender on her letter to Pres for mercy-killing pic.twitter.com/11WDIIAfy1 — ANI (@ANI) February 14, 2018 × "They said we don't have a category for transwomen. But, do I get discount on taxes? I have to pay that, right? I have qualification and experience, is it about my gender?" Ponnusamy was quoted by ANI. Shanavi had applied for a cabin crew post with Air India in the year 2016, she was rejected four times in total. She eventually learnt that her gender was the reason for the rejection of her candidature. Shanavi hails from Tamil Nadu and holds a degree in Electronics and Communication engineering. (With inputs from ANI)

Transwoman seeks President's nod to kill self after airline denies her job

Contradicting the White House, the FBI has said it gave the Trump administration information on multiple occasions last year about a top aide accused of domestic abuse by his two ex-wives, and the investigation wrapped up in January.

That account by FBI Director Christopher Wray challenged the White House assertion that Rob Porter&#39;s background &quot;investigation was ongoing&quot; and officials first learned the extent of accusations against him only last week, just before he abruptly resigned.

Wray&#39;s testimony marked the latest development in a scandal that has called into question the judgement of senior members of the White House staff, put new stress on the administration&#39;s already strained credibility with the public, and drawn accusations of tone-deaf handling of abuse allegations.

The week-long fallout from the allegations against Porter, President Donald Trump&#39;s staff secretary, has thrown the West Wing into chaos not seen since the earliest months of the administration and has sparked new rounds of recriminations inside the White House.

Privately, officials acknowledge that the public timeline offered last week -- that the administration first learned of the ex-wives&#39; charges against Porter last Tuesday -- was flawed at best.

Several senior officials, including chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn, were aware of the broad allegations against Porter for months, officials said.

Kelly found out after requesting an update on the large number of senior staffers operating without full security clearances, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions.

McGahn told Kelly last fall there was concern about information in the background investigation involving Porter&#39;s ex-wives, the official said, and Kelly expressed surprise that Porter had previously been married.

Despite that, Porter took on an increasingly central role in the West Wing and was under consideration to serve as Trump&#39;s deputy chief of staff, two officials said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Monday, &quot;The White House had not received any specific papers regarding the completion of that background check.&quot; Yet Wray testified that the FBI sent the White House its preliminary report in March 2017 and its completed investigation in late July.

Soon after that, the agency received a request for a follow-up inquiry, and it provided that information in November. Porter was interviewed about the allegations in September, an official said.&nbsp;

FBI said it gave the Trump administration information on multiple occasions

Contradicting the White House, the FBI has said it gave the Trump administration information on multiple occasions last year about a top aide accused of domestic abuse by his two ex-wives, and the investigation wrapped up in January. That account by FBI Director Christopher Wray challenged the White House assertion that Rob Porter's background "investigation was ongoing" and officials first learned the extent of accusations against him only last week, just before he abruptly resigned. Wray's testimony marked the latest development in a scandal that has called into question the judgement of senior members of the White House staff, put new stress on the administration's already strained credibility with the public, and drawn accusations of tone-deaf handling of abuse allegations. The week-long fallout from the allegations against Porter, President Donald Trump's staff secretary, has thrown the West Wing into chaos not seen since the earliest months of the administration and has sparked new rounds of recriminations inside the White House. Privately, officials acknowledge that the public timeline offered last week -- that the administration first learned of the ex-wives' charges against Porter last Tuesday -- was flawed at best. Several senior officials, including chief of staff John Kelly and White House counsel Don McGahn, were aware of the broad allegations against Porter for months, officials said. Kelly found out after requesting an update on the large number of senior staffers operating without full security clearances, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions. McGahn told Kelly last fall there was concern about information in the background investigation involving Porter's ex-wives, the official said, and Kelly expressed surprise that Porter had previously been married. Despite that, Porter took on an increasingly central role in the West Wing and was under consideration to serve as Trump's deputy chief of staff, two officials said. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Monday, "The White House had not received any specific papers regarding the completion of that background check." Yet Wray testified that the FBI sent the White House its preliminary report in March 2017 and its completed investigation in late July. Soon after that, the agency received a request for a follow-up inquiry, and it provided that information in November. Porter was interviewed about the allegations in September, an official said.

FBI contradicts White House on probe of former aide Rob Porter

South Africa&#39;s ruling African National Congress (ANC) gave President Jacob Zuma 48 hours to resign as head of state on Monday after an eight-hour meeting of the party&#39;s top leadership, the SABC state broadcaster said. 
 
Party leader Cyril Ramaphosa&#39;s motorcade left a marathon ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at 10:30 p.m. (2030 GMT) for Zuma&#39;s residence near the Union Buildings in Pretoria to deliver the message in person, the SABC said, citing sources. 
 
His motorcade returned an hour later to the venue of the ANC meeting debating Zuma&#39;s fate. 
 
The rand, which has tended to strengthen on signs Zuma could step down before his second term ends next year, extended its gains to 0.7 percent to the dollar on expectations Zuma was on his way out. 
 
ANC officials and Zuma&#39;s spokesman could not be reached to comment. 
 
Since Ramaphosa was elected party leader in December, Zuma has faced mounting calls from his party to end his scandal-plagued second term a year early. 
 
The NEC meeting in a Pretoria hotel had all the ingredients for a showdown between Zuma stalwarts and those backing a swift transfer of power to Ramaphosa, the deputy state president.

Ramaphosa, 65, says he has held direct talks with Zuma over a transfer of power, and said on Sunday the meeting of the party&#39;s executive committee would be aiming on Monday to &quot;finalise&quot; the situation. 
 
The party executive has the authority to order Zuma to step down as head of state, although there is domestic media speculation that he might yet refuse. 
 
Zuma survived calls last year from within the NEC for him to quit.[L8N1IU0QO] But analysts say there is greater support for him to step down now. 
 
His tenure as president officially runs until mid-2019 and he has not said publicly whether he will step down voluntarily. 
 
The president is also facing a no-confidence motion in parliament set for Feb. 22, but has survived several similar attempts to oust him in the past. 
 
His entire Cabinet would have to step down if the motion of no-confidence against him was successful. 
 
Since becoming president in 2009, Zuma has been dogged by scandal. He is fighting the reinstatement of 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion-rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president. 
 
Some within the ANC and the opposition say the Gupta family, friends of Zuma, have used their links with the president to win state contracts and influence Cabinet appointments. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing. 
 
India&#39;s Bank of Baroda, which counts the Guptas as clients, has announced plans to exit South Africa, the central bank said on Monday.

<a href="javascript:void(0);">COMMENTS</a>

Ramaphosa has put the focus on rooting out corruption and revitalising economic growth since defeating Zuma&#39;s preferred successor, Zuma&#39;s ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, in the ANC leadership race.

The decision was taken after an eight-hour meeting of the party's top leadership

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) gave President Jacob Zuma 48 hours to resign as head of state on Monday after an eight-hour meeting of the party's top leadership, the SABC state broadcaster said. Party leader Cyril Ramaphosa's motorcade left a marathon ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at 10:30 p.m. (2030 GMT) for Zuma's residence near the Union Buildings in Pretoria to deliver the message in person, the SABC said, citing sources. His motorcade returned an hour later to the venue of the ANC meeting debating Zuma's fate. The rand, which has tended to strengthen on signs Zuma could step down before his second term ends next year, extended its gains to 0.7 percent to the dollar on expectations Zuma was on his way out. ANC officials and Zuma's spokesman could not be reached to comment. Since Ramaphosa was elected party leader in December, Zuma has faced mounting calls from his party to end his scandal-plagued second term a year early. The NEC meeting in a Pretoria hotel had all the ingredients for a showdown between Zuma stalwarts and those backing a swift transfer of power to Ramaphosa, the deputy state president. Ramaphosa, 65, says he has held direct talks with Zuma over a transfer of power, and said on Sunday the meeting of the party's executive committee would be aiming on Monday to "finalise" the situation. The party executive has the authority to order Zuma to step down as head of state, although there is domestic media speculation that he might yet refuse. Zuma survived calls last year from within the NEC for him to quit.[L8N1IU0QO] But analysts say there is greater support for him to step down now. His tenure as president officially runs until mid-2019 and he has not said publicly whether he will step down voluntarily. The president is also facing a no-confidence motion in parliament set for Feb. 22, but has survived several similar attempts to oust him in the past. His entire Cabinet would have to step down if the motion of no-confidence against him was successful. Since becoming president in 2009, Zuma has been dogged by scandal. He is fighting the reinstatement of 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion-rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president. Some within the ANC and the opposition say the Gupta family, friends of Zuma, have used their links with the president to win state contracts and influence Cabinet appointments. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing. India's Bank of Baroda, which counts the Guptas as clients, has announced plans to exit South Africa, the central bank said on Monday. COMMENTS Ramaphosa has put the focus on rooting out corruption and revitalising economic growth since defeating Zuma's preferred successor, Zuma's ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, in the ANC leadership race.

South Africa's ruling party gives President Jacob Zuma 48 hours to quit: State Broadcaster

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