US President Donald Trump on Friday asked the African Union chairman to pass on his &quot;warmest regards&quot; to other regional leaders at a summit this weekend, after sparking outrage with a reported slur against Africans.

The outspoken US leader congratulated Rwandan President Paul Kagame on taking over as chair of the African bloc, which Trump said was a &quot;great honour&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;I know you&#39;re going to your first meeting shortly. Please give my warmest regards,&quot; Trump told Kagame after they held a one-on-one meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The US president ignored questions shouted by journalists about his reported dismissal this month of African nations as &quot;shithole countries&quot;, during a meeting on immigration with congressional leaders.&nbsp;

The reported remark drew outrage around the world and prompted several African governments to demand explanations from their US ambassadors.

The 55-nation African Union chaired by Kagame demanded an apology, although Trump has denied making the remark as relayed by US lawmakers who were present at the meeting.

Trump said he had &quot;tremendous discussions&quot; in Davos with Kagame, who for his part said they had &quot;good discussions&quot; about the economy and trade.

The outspoken US leader congratulated Rwandan President Paul Kagame on taking over as chair of the African bloc, which Trump said was a "great honour".

US President Donald Trump on Friday asked the African Union chairman to pass on his "warmest regards" to other regional leaders at a summit this weekend, after sparking outrage with a reported slur against Africans. The outspoken US leader congratulated Rwandan President Paul Kagame on taking over as chair of the African bloc, which Trump said was a "great honour". "I know you're going to your first meeting shortly. Please give my warmest regards," Trump told Kagame after they held a one-on-one meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The US president ignored questions shouted by journalists about his reported dismissal this month of African nations as "shithole countries", during a meeting on immigration with congressional leaders. The reported remark drew outrage around the world and prompted several African governments to demand explanations from their US ambassadors. The 55-nation African Union chaired by Kagame demanded an apology, although Trump has denied making the remark as relayed by US lawmakers who were present at the meeting. Trump said he had "tremendous discussions" in Davos with Kagame, who for his part said they had "good discussions" about the economy and trade.

Trump sends 'warmest regards' to African leaders after reported slur

Anger was growing in Kabul Sunday, a day after a huge bomb hidden in an ambulance <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kabul-explosion-death-toll-increases-to-103-30982">killed 103 people</a> and wounded scores more, highlighting the ability of insurgents to strike at the heart of Afghanistan.

The attack, which was claimed by the Taliban, took lives of 103 people and left 235 wounded.

It came as both the insurgents and the Islamic State group have escalated their attacks on <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/at-least-40-dead-140-wounded-after-massive-suicide-bomb-explosion-rocks-kabul-30897">Kabul</a>, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians.&nbsp;

Ordinary Afghans took to social media to express their anguish and sorrow at rapidly worsening security, as the Taliban and the Islamic State group step up attacks on Kabul, turning it into one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians.

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I am crossing this way everyday, I am afraid that tomorrow I will not see the guy who was polishing shoes, the one selling pens, the other one selling juice and many other poor civilians who were working on the street to feed their kids. Tragedy! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KabulAttack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KabulAttack</a> <a href="https://t.co/ucyLPxiOYm">pic.twitter.com/ucyLPxiOYm</a>
&mdash; Abdullah Yadgare (@Abdullahyadgare) <a href="https://twitter.com/Abdullahyadgare/status/957196931637358592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Tired of mourning the loss of innocent lives and feeling utterly helpless. Will there ever be an end to all this? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KabulAttack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KabulAttack</a>
&mdash; Mursal Juya (@juyamursal) <a href="https://twitter.com/juyamursal/status/957185780606296064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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It is a massacre! 
Terrorists targeted populated civilian road next to a hospital where 100s were receiving treatment. 
Almost all of the 180+ casualties are civilians and those getting medical care in the Jamhouriyat Hospital. This is inhuman and barbaric! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabul?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kabul</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KabulAttack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KabulAttack</a>
&mdash; Javid Faisal (@Javidfaisal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Javidfaisal/status/957196169071022080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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This time the terrorists used an ambulance as a weapon. The creativity of their depravity is sickening. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KabulAttack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KabulAttack</a>
&mdash; Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelKugelman/status/957235710783782912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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At a basic level, people expect govt to provide them w/ security. If a govt can&#39;t guarantee that, then there&#39;s no need for such a govt. Hotel attack killed dozens last week &amp; an ambulance filled w. explosives kill more than 40 today. That&#39;s a lot of blood. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KabulAttack?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KabulAttack</a>
&mdash; Abid Amiri (@abidamiri) <a href="https://twitter.com/abidamiri/status/957205620255592448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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US President Donald on Sunday asked countries to take <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kabul-attack-donald-trump-seeks-decisive-action-against-taliban-30943">decisive action</a> against the Taliban and the terrorist infrastructure that supports them, in an indirect but obvious reference to Pakistan.

The<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/kabul-explosion-the-perpetrators-of-these-dastardly-attacks-should-be-brought-to-justice-says-ministry-of-external-affairs-30922"> Ministry of External Affairs</a> has strongly condemned the massive suicide-bomb&nbsp;explosion in Kabul.&nbsp;The official release noted that the &quot;barbaric and dastardly terrorist attacks in Kabul targeted innocent civilians and the wounded under treatment.&quot;

<a href="http://wioncms.cloudapp.net/dashboard/webdesk/addeditstory.aspx">Pakistan</a>, on Saturday, strongly condemned the&nbsp;terror attack in Kabul that claimed at least 95 lives and called for cooperation among countries for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism.

The attack, which was claimed by the Taliban, took lives of 95 people and left 191 wounded

Anger was growing in Kabul Sunday, a day after a huge bomb hidden in an ambulance killed 103 people and wounded scores more, highlighting the ability of insurgents to strike at the heart of Afghanistan. The attack, which was claimed by the Taliban, took lives of 103 people and left 235 wounded. It came as both the insurgents and the Islamic State group have escalated their attacks on Kabul, one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians. Ordinary Afghans took to social media to express their anguish and sorrow at rapidly worsening security, as the Taliban and the Islamic State group step up attacks on Kabul, turning it into one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians. I am crossing this way everyday, I am afraid that tomorrow I will not see the guy who was polishing shoes, the one selling pens, the other one selling juice and many other poor civilians who were working on the street to feed their kids. Tragedy! #KabulAttack pic.twitter.com/ucyLPxiOYm — Abdullah Yadgare (@Abdullahyadgare) January 27, 2018 × Tired of mourning the loss of innocent lives and feeling utterly helpless. Will there ever be an end to all this? #KabulAttack — Mursal Juya (@juyamursal) January 27, 2018 × It is a massacre! Terrorists targeted populated civilian road next to a hospital where 100s were receiving treatment. Almost all of the 180+ casualties are civilians and those getting medical care in the Jamhouriyat Hospital. This is inhuman and barbaric! #Kabul #KabulAttack — Javid Faisal (@Javidfaisal) January 27, 2018 × This time the terrorists used an ambulance as a weapon. The creativity of their depravity is sickening. #KabulAttack — Michael Kugelman (@MichaelKugelman) January 27, 2018 × At a basic level, people expect govt to provide them w/ security. If a govt can't guarantee that, then there's no need for such a govt. Hotel attack killed dozens last week & an ambulance filled w. explosives kill more than 40 today. That's a lot of blood. #KabulAttack — Abid Amiri (@abidamiri) January 27, 2018 × US President Donald on Sunday asked countries to take decisive action against the Taliban and the terrorist infrastructure that supports them, in an indirect but obvious reference to Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs has strongly condemned the massive suicide-bomb explosion in Kabul. The official release noted that the "barbaric and dastardly terrorist attacks in Kabul targeted innocent civilians and the wounded under treatment." Pakistan, on Saturday, strongly condemned the terror attack in Kabul that claimed at least 95 lives and called for cooperation among countries for effectively combating and eliminating the scourge of terrorism.

Anger grows in Kabul after attack kills 103

United States President Donald Trump has engaged in a telephonic conversation with leaders in Congress and several members of his Cabinet, in hopes of finding a deal to end the government shutdown before it enters a third day.

&quot;We are continuing to work hard towards reopening the government and making sure our great military and their families, vulnerable children and the American people are being taken care of,&quot; the Hill reported, citing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as saying in a statement.

Chief of staff John Kelly spoke to Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and updated the President on the talks.

The US Government shut down at midnight on Friday after Democrats and Republicans locked in a bitter dispute over immigration and border security and failed to agree on a last-minute deal to fund its operations.

The bill needed 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, but only 50 supported it. Trump immediately moved to blame Democrats.

&quot;Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country`s ability to serve all Americans,&quot; the White House said in a statement.Trump has not made a public appearance since the shutdown began.

United States President Donald Trump has engaged in a telephonic conversation with leaders in Congress

United States President Donald Trump has engaged in a telephonic conversation with leaders in Congress and several members of his Cabinet, in hopes of finding a deal to end the government shutdown before it enters a third day. "We are continuing to work hard towards reopening the government and making sure our great military and their families, vulnerable children and the American people are being taken care of," the Hill reported, citing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as saying in a statement. Chief of staff John Kelly spoke to Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and updated the President on the talks. The US Government shut down at midnight on Friday after Democrats and Republicans locked in a bitter dispute over immigration and border security and failed to agree on a last-minute deal to fund its operations. The bill needed 60 votes in the 100-member Senate, but only 50 supported it. Trump immediately moved to blame Democrats. "Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country`s ability to serve all Americans," the White House said in a statement.Trump has not made a public appearance since the shutdown began.

Trump tries to fix government shutdown over phone

US President Donald Trump has proposed to end the visa lottery system in favour of reducing backlogs of highly-skilled workers, a plan which may benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals who currently have several decades of waiting period to get their Green Cards.

If passed by the Congress and signed into law, such a move is expected to significantly reduce the green card backlogs for highly skilled immigrants from India.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, which the Trump administration wants to terminate, awards up to 50,000 individuals per year a visa for a green card, which allows permanent residency and is a path to US citizenship.

Trump has been against diversity visa as he believes that this does not attract the best and the brightest to the US.

In recent past, several of the home grown terrorists including prime accused of New York terrorist attacks came either on diversity visa or chain migration.

&quot;Eliminate lottery and reallocate the visas to reduce the family-based &#39;backlog&#39; and high-skilled employment &#39;backlog&#39;,&quot; according to the White House framework on immigration reform and border security released by the Trump administration.

The programme provides green cards for up to 50,000 immigrants each year from countries with low rates of emigration to the US. It is one of the ways that green cards are issued under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The other significant sources of green cards are for family-sponsored immigrants, employment-based immigrants, refugees and people granted asylum.

Diversity visas are allocated geographically.

Nationals of countries from which 50,000 or fewer immigrants came to the US over the previous five years combined are eligible for diversity visas.

Immigrants from any one country may not receive more than seven per cent of diversity visas issued annually.

Given that there are hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals waiting in queue to get their green cards because of the current country quota, the relocation of diversity visa numbers to green cards is expected to hugely benefit them.

Immigrants from 18 countries are not eligible for diversity visa because they sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the previous five years combined.

The countries are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, the UK and Vietnam.

The plan may benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals who currently have several decades of waiting period to get their Green Cards

US President Donald Trump has proposed to end the visa lottery system in favour of reducing backlogs of highly-skilled workers, a plan which may benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals who currently have several decades of waiting period to get their Green Cards. If passed by the Congress and signed into law, such a move is expected to significantly reduce the green card backlogs for highly skilled immigrants from India. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, which the Trump administration wants to terminate, awards up to 50,000 individuals per year a visa for a green card, which allows permanent residency and is a path to US citizenship. Trump has been against diversity visa as he believes that this does not attract the best and the brightest to the US. In recent past, several of the home grown terrorists including prime accused of New York terrorist attacks came either on diversity visa or chain migration. "Eliminate lottery and reallocate the visas to reduce the family-based 'backlog' and high-skilled employment 'backlog'," according to the White House framework on immigration reform and border security released by the Trump administration. The programme provides green cards for up to 50,000 immigrants each year from countries with low rates of emigration to the US. It is one of the ways that green cards are issued under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The other significant sources of green cards are for family-sponsored immigrants, employment-based immigrants, refugees and people granted asylum. Diversity visas are allocated geographically. Nationals of countries from which 50,000 or fewer immigrants came to the US over the previous five years combined are eligible for diversity visas. Immigrants from any one country may not receive more than seven per cent of diversity visas issued annually. Given that there are hundreds and thousands of Indian IT professionals waiting in queue to get their green cards because of the current country quota, the relocation of diversity visa numbers to green cards is expected to hugely benefit them. Immigrants from 18 countries are not eligible for diversity visa because they sent more than 50,000 immigrants to the US over the previous five years combined. The countries are Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, the UK and Vietnam.

Trump proposes to end visa lottery; favours skilled workers

President Donald Trump has approved steep tariffs on imports of solar panels and washing machines to protect US producers, triggering an outcry in China and South Korea and even protests at home.

Seoul said Tuesday it planned to take the issue to the World Trade Organization while Beijing expressed &quot;strong dissatisfaction&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;Together with other WTO members, China will resolutely defend its legitimate interests,&quot; its commerce ministry warned, without indicating any specific counteraction.

At home in the US, the move was decried by the solar industry, which said the tariffs would create a &quot;crisis&quot; and cost thousands of US jobs and billions in investment without helping domestic suppliers meet rising demand.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the tariffs were imposed after an &quot;exhaustive&quot; review by USTR and the independent US International Trade Commission, which determined that US producers were &quot;seriously injured by imports.&quot;

The administration imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on imports of large washing machines over three years, and up to 30 per cent on solar panels over four years.

South Korea, which has signed a free trade deal with the US and is a crucial ally in Washington&#39;s confrontation with North Korea, said it would a file a petition at the WTO.

Its Trade Minister Kim Hyun-Chong said the tariffs were &quot;excessive&quot; and may constitute a &quot;violation of WTO provisions.&quot;

Samsung, South Korea&#39;s biggest firm, said the tariffs were &quot;a tax on every consumer who wants to buy a washing machine.&quot;

&quot;Millions of Americans love their LG washers,&quot; said another South Korean company, LG Electronics, taking umbrage at the decision.&nbsp;

&quot;Consumers should be the ones to decide what washers they want.&quot;

Friction with China

Last year Trump launched dozens of trade cases, taking what his commerce department called &quot;unprecedented&quot; action on trade.

Many have targeted China, the United States&#39; biggest trade partner, which last year ran a record surplus with the US, inciting new ire from Trump.

Targeting Chinese imports can cut both ways for the US.

Imports of cheap Chinese panels helped triple US annual solar electricity generation between 2012 and 2016. But they also drove prices down by 60 percent, causing most US producers to stop production or declare bankruptcy, the USTR said.

The rising imports were spurred by China&#39;s use of state incentives, subsidies and tariffs, and manufacturers have evaded compensatory US tariffs by repeatedly shifting production to new countries, USTR said.

Chinese-made washing machine imports led to a &quot;substantial&quot; decline in market share for US producers, according to USTR.

The director of the Chinese commerce ministry&#39;s trade and remedy investigation bureau said in a statement the US tariffs &quot;not only aroused the concern of many trading partners but were also strongly opposed by many local governments and downstream enterprises in the US&quot;.

&#39;Disappointment&#39; among solar industry&nbsp; 
The US investigation into solar imports was launched following complaints from US companies Suniva, a bankrupt Chinese-owned firm, and SolarWorld, owned by a German concern that declared insolvency in May.

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said its members expressed &quot;disappointment&quot; at the decision.

The new tariffs will cause the loss of about 23,000 American jobs and the cancelation or delay of billions of dollars in solar investment, the group said in a statement.

The tariffs will not help meet US demand but &quot;will create a crisis in a part of our economy that has been thriving, which will ultimately cost tens of thousands of hard-working, blue-collar Americans their jobs,&quot; said SEIA president Abigail Ross Hopper. 
&nbsp;

Seoul said Tuesday it planned to take the issue to the World Trade Organization while Beijing expressed 'strong dissatisfaction'

President Donald Trump has approved steep tariffs on imports of solar panels and washing machines to protect US producers, triggering an outcry in China and South Korea and even protests at home. Seoul said Tuesday it planned to take the issue to the World Trade Organization while Beijing expressed "strong dissatisfaction". "Together with other WTO members, China will resolutely defend its legitimate interests," its commerce ministry warned, without indicating any specific counteraction. At home in the US, the move was decried by the solar industry, which said the tariffs would create a "crisis" and cost thousands of US jobs and billions in investment without helping domestic suppliers meet rising demand. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the tariffs were imposed after an "exhaustive" review by USTR and the independent US International Trade Commission, which determined that US producers were "seriously injured by imports." The administration imposed tariffs of up to 50 per cent on imports of large washing machines over three years, and up to 30 per cent on solar panels over four years. South Korea, which has signed a free trade deal with the US and is a crucial ally in Washington's confrontation with North Korea, said it would a file a petition at the WTO. Its Trade Minister Kim Hyun-Chong said the tariffs were "excessive" and may constitute a "violation of WTO provisions." Samsung, South Korea's biggest firm, said the tariffs were "a tax on every consumer who wants to buy a washing machine." "Millions of Americans love their LG washers," said another South Korean company, LG Electronics, taking umbrage at the decision. "Consumers should be the ones to decide what washers they want." Friction with China Last year Trump launched dozens of trade cases, taking what his commerce department called "unprecedented" action on trade. Many have targeted China, the United States' biggest trade partner, which last year ran a record surplus with the US, inciting new ire from Trump. Targeting Chinese imports can cut both ways for the US. Imports of cheap Chinese panels helped triple US annual solar electricity generation between 2012 and 2016. But they also drove prices down by 60 percent, causing most US producers to stop production or declare bankruptcy, the USTR said. The rising imports were spurred by China's use of state incentives, subsidies and tariffs, and manufacturers have evaded compensatory US tariffs by repeatedly shifting production to new countries, USTR said. Chinese-made washing machine imports led to a "substantial" decline in market share for US producers, according to USTR. The director of the Chinese commerce ministry's trade and remedy investigation bureau said in a statement the US tariffs "not only aroused the concern of many trading partners but were also strongly opposed by many local governments and downstream enterprises in the US". 'Disappointment' among solar industry The US investigation into solar imports was launched following complaints from US companies Suniva, a bankrupt Chinese-owned firm, and SolarWorld, owned by a German concern that declared insolvency in May. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said its members expressed "disappointment" at the decision. The new tariffs will cause the loss of about 23,000 American jobs and the cancelation or delay of billions of dollars in solar investment, the group said in a statement. The tariffs will not help meet US demand but "will create a crisis in a part of our economy that has been thriving, which will ultimately cost tens of thousands of hard-working, blue-collar Americans their jobs," said SEIA president Abigail Ross Hopper.

Trump angers China, South Korea with new trade tariffs

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited the new $1 billion US embassy in London on Monday, just days after his boss Donald Trump criticised the move to new diplomatic premises as part of a bad deal agreed by the administration of Barack Obama.

Trump earlier this month cancelled a trip to London to open the new embassy, saying he did not want to endorse a bad deal agreed by the Obama administration to sell the old one for &quot;peanuts&quot;.

Tillerson was greeted by US Ambassador Woody Johnson as workmen finished planting shrubs in the grounds of the new embassy. America`s top diplomat then met some of the marines who are stationed at the embassy.

&quot;The embassy actually, is gonna really work,&quot; US Ambassador Johnson said ahead of Tillerson`s arrival.

Asked when there would be a ribbon cutting ceremony, Ambassador Johnson said: &quot;At some point we`re going to do it, but there`s no urgency to that. We`ll do it when the time is right.&quot;

The decision to move the US&nbsp;Embassy from its current Grosvenor Square location in the exclusive Mayfair area of London and to a site on the south bank of the Thames was agreed in 2008 under the presidency of George W. Bush.&nbsp;

The American flag was this month removed from Grosvenor Square where the US embassy has been based since 1938 with the area known as &quot;Little America&quot; during World War Two, when the square also housed the military headquarters of General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The new embassy is a veritable fortress set back at least 100 feet (30 metres) from surrounding buildings - mostly newly-erected high-rise residential blocks - and incorporating living quarters for US&nbsp;Marines permanently stationed inside.

The $1 billion construction was funded by the sale of other properties in London.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited the new $1 billion US embassy in London on Monday, just days after his boss Donald Trump criticised the move to new diplomatic premises as part of a bad deal agreed by the administration of Barack Obama

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited the new $1 billion US embassy in London on Monday, just days after his boss Donald Trump criticised the move to new diplomatic premises as part of a bad deal agreed by the administration of Barack Obama. Trump earlier this month cancelled a trip to London to open the new embassy, saying he did not want to endorse a bad deal agreed by the Obama administration to sell the old one for "peanuts". Tillerson was greeted by US Ambassador Woody Johnson as workmen finished planting shrubs in the grounds of the new embassy. America`s top diplomat then met some of the marines who are stationed at the embassy. "The embassy actually, is gonna really work," US Ambassador Johnson said ahead of Tillerson`s arrival. Asked when there would be a ribbon cutting ceremony, Ambassador Johnson said: "At some point we`re going to do it, but there`s no urgency to that. We`ll do it when the time is right." The decision to move the US Embassy from its current Grosvenor Square location in the exclusive Mayfair area of London and to a site on the south bank of the Thames was agreed in 2008 under the presidency of George W. Bush. The American flag was this month removed from Grosvenor Square where the US embassy has been based since 1938 with the area known as "Little America" during World War Two, when the square also housed the military headquarters of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. The new embassy is a veritable fortress set back at least 100 feet (30 metres) from surrounding buildings - mostly newly-erected high-rise residential blocks - and incorporating living quarters for US Marines permanently stationed inside. The $1 billion construction was funded by the sale of other properties in London.

Rex Tillerson visits new US embassy in London that Trump criticised

Twitter Inc, which is reviewing Russian interference during the 2016 US&nbsp;elections, said on Friday it would notify some of its users if they come across content generated by a suspected Russian propaganda service.

The company said it would email 677,775 people in the United States who followed, retweeted or liked content from accounts linked with the Internet Research Agency (IRA) during the election.

The IRA is a Russian organization that according to lawmakers and researchers, employs hundreds of people to push pro-Kremlin content under anonymous social media accounts.

Twitter added that because it has already suspended these accounts, the relevant content is no longer publicly available on its platform.

The company in September said it had suspended about 200 Russian-linked accounts, and followed it by suspending adverts from media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik in October.

The top Democrat on the US&nbsp;House of Representatives intelligence committee on Friday praised Twitter&#39;s move and urged technology companies to keep looking into abuse of their platforms by Russia during the 2016 elections.

&quot;The Committee&rsquo;s open hearing last November with Twitter, Facebook and Google revealed the extent to which the Russians exploited vulnerabilities inherent in the openness of our society and social media platforms, and it is vital these companies are transparent with users who were likely exposed to Kremlin propaganda and disinformation,&quot; Representative Adam Schiff said in a statement.

Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, echoed this view, tweeting: &quot;I&#39;ve been tough with Twitter on this, but I&#39;m encouraged to see the company beginning to take responsibility and notify its users of Russia&#39;s influence on its platform.&quot;

The company said it would email 677,775 people in the United States who followed, retweeted or liked content from accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency (IRA) during the election

Twitter Inc, which is reviewing Russian interference during the 2016 US elections, said on Friday it would notify some of its users if they come across content generated by a suspected Russian propaganda service. The company said it would email 677,775 people in the United States who followed, retweeted or liked content from accounts linked with the Internet Research Agency (IRA) during the election. The IRA is a Russian organization that according to lawmakers and researchers, employs hundreds of people to push pro-Kremlin content under anonymous social media accounts. Twitter added that because it has already suspended these accounts, the relevant content is no longer publicly available on its platform. The company in September said it had suspended about 200 Russian-linked accounts, and followed it by suspending adverts from media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik in October. The top Democrat on the US House of Representatives intelligence committee on Friday praised Twitter's move and urged technology companies to keep looking into abuse of their platforms by Russia during the 2016 elections. "The Committee’s open hearing last November with Twitter, Facebook and Google revealed the extent to which the Russians exploited vulnerabilities inherent in the openness of our society and social media platforms, and it is vital these companies are transparent with users who were likely exposed to Kremlin propaganda and disinformation," Representative Adam Schiff said in a statement. Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence panel, echoed this view, tweeting: "I've been tough with Twitter on this, but I'm encouraged to see the company beginning to take responsibility and notify its users of Russia's influence on its platform."

Twitter to notify users exposed to Russian propaganda during US elections

President Donald Trump has completed one year in office. When he entered the Oval Office of the White House in the US capital on 20 January 2017, a large number of Americans within the US and a vast number of countries in the world did not expect business as usual.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Many Americans were concerned that if Trump would implement all of his campaign promises, the country would face a political divide that would be difficult to heal for years. The Hispanics, African-Americans, Americans of Muslim faith, immigrants, temporary workers and poor white workers were particularly worried about a White House under the Trump Administration.

&nbsp;

Uncertainty engulfed the world about the probable US approach to issues of peace, security and development. Both American allies and adversaries faced difficulty in communicating with the new US President. It was because Donald Trump, the presidential candidate, had hardly any positive message for the allies and the perceived US adversaries knew that a Trump Administration would more likely escalate the conflict with them than seek resolution of differences.

&nbsp;

One year after Trump became President, the United States remains socially and politically divided from within. An intense cold war is ravaging on between Trump and the mainstream media. The minorities, immigrants and the poor appear disappointed over Trumpean policies. Many believe that President Trump suffers from personality problem, though the President declares himself to be a &ldquo;stable genius.&rdquo;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In foreign affairs, there is still no clarity over his policy approaches and strategies. Analysts have no clue about the direction of US foreign policy and international engagements. Critics in the US and abroad have kept bombarding the Trump Administration for its frequent shift in policy statements and ambiguous policies over North Korea, China, Iran, NATO, NAFTA etc. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Amidst all these complexities and uncertainties, Trump&#39;s followers and admirers have a different take. He is regarded as a leader who has delivered what he promised. He promised to build a wall along the US-Mexican border and seems determined to do so. The US Congress has also authorised a few billion dollars for this purpose.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Secondly, he was a critic of the Iran nuclear deal, calling it a &ldquo;bad deal&rdquo;. He has stuck to his position and not extended his support to it; and, in fact, has sought to isolate the Iranian regime further.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Third, he was dead opposed to the way his predecessors&nbsp;handled the North Korean nuclear programme. He took a very hostile and aggressive stance on the &ldquo;little rocket man&rdquo; of Pyongyang, threatening to demonstrate &ldquo;fire and fury&rdquo; against North Korea and, perhaps, take&nbsp;some credit for Pyongyang&rsquo;s decision to send the athletes to join the Olympics along with South Korean counterparts.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Fourth, he takes credit for arm-twisting military allies in the Atlantic and the Pacific to pay more for the common defense. He also spoke of his secret plan to eliminate the ISIS during the election campaign and now has been credited for the steady demise of ISIS influence in the Middle East.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He promised to back Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and did so in the face of massive international opposition. Seventh, he criticised Obama for declaring withdrawal deadlines for US military from Afghanistan and, thus, empowering Taliban. Once in office, he reversed that policy, increased the troop&#39;s presence and showed determination to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In the domestic arena, Trump Administration takes credit for the improvement in the employment situation, economic growth and for ensuring the passage of the massive tax reform legislation in about 30 years. His tightening of the immigration policy has brought cheers to a section of the American citizens who voted for him.

&nbsp;

While Trump will remain a controversial figure in the US and elsewhere in the world, his approach towards India has been comparatively quite positive. First, there is no possibility of Trump backing the creation of a G2 world with China. Second, Trump&rsquo;s pressure on Pakistan through aid cutoff may have some positive impact in the region. Third, the chemistry between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi has been quite positive. Fourth, the National Security Strategy Report issued by the Trump Administration has elevated India&rsquo;s position as a great global power and has given the glimpse of its aspiration to deepen strategic and defense partnership with India for maintenance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The strategic concept of Indo-Pacific replaces &ldquo;Asia-Pacific&rdquo; and it is very much in Indian interest. The decision of the Trump White House not to push for a revision of H1B visa rules has augured well for the positive trajectory of Indo-US bilateral relations in coming years.

&nbsp;

However, both Prime Minister Modi and President Trump give priority of place to economic growth as an important dimension of national security and, thus, Indo-US differences over economic issues are bound to remain and create periodic irritation in bilateral ties.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

While Trump will remain a controversial figure in the US and elsewhere in the world, his approach towards India has been comparatively quite positive.

President Donald Trump has completed one year in office. When he entered the Oval Office of the White House in the US capital on 20 January 2017, a large number of Americans within the US and a vast number of countries in the world did not expect business as usual. Many Americans were concerned that if Trump would implement all of his campaign promises, the country would face a political divide that would be difficult to heal for years. The Hispanics, African-Americans, Americans of Muslim faith, immigrants, temporary workers and poor white workers were particularly worried about a White House under the Trump Administration. Uncertainty engulfed the world about the probable US approach to issues of peace, security and development. Both American allies and adversaries faced difficulty in communicating with the new US President. It was because Donald Trump, the presidential candidate, had hardly any positive message for the allies and the perceived US adversaries knew that a Trump Administration would more likely escalate the conflict with them than seek resolution of differences. One year after Trump became President, the United States remains socially and politically divided from within. An intense cold war is ravaging on between Trump and the mainstream media. The minorities, immigrants and the poor appear disappointed over Trumpean policies. Many believe that President Trump suffers from personality problem, though the President declares himself to be a “stable genius.” In foreign affairs, there is still no clarity over his policy approaches and strategies. Analysts have no clue about the direction of US foreign policy and international engagements. Critics in the US and abroad have kept bombarding the Trump Administration for its frequent shift in policy statements and ambiguous policies over North Korea, China, Iran, NATO, NAFTA etc. Amidst all these complexities and uncertainties, Trump's followers and admirers have a different take. He is regarded as a leader who has delivered what he promised. He promised to build a wall along the US-Mexican border and seems determined to do so. The US Congress has also authorised a few billion dollars for this purpose. Secondly, he was a critic of the Iran nuclear deal, calling it a “bad deal”. He has stuck to his position and not extended his support to it; and, in fact, has sought to isolate the Iranian regime further. Third, he was dead opposed to the way his predecessors handled the North Korean nuclear programme. He took a very hostile and aggressive stance on the “little rocket man” of Pyongyang, threatening to demonstrate “fire and fury” against North Korea and, perhaps, take some credit for Pyongyang’s decision to send the athletes to join the Olympics along with South Korean counterparts. Fourth, he takes credit for arm-twisting military allies in the Atlantic and the Pacific to pay more for the common defense. He also spoke of his secret plan to eliminate the ISIS during the election campaign and now has been credited for the steady demise of ISIS influence in the Middle East. He promised to back Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and did so in the face of massive international opposition. Seventh, he criticised Obama for declaring withdrawal deadlines for US military from Afghanistan and, thus, empowering Taliban. Once in office, he reversed that policy, increased the troop's presence and showed determination to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. In the domestic arena, Trump Administration takes credit for the improvement in the employment situation, economic growth and for ensuring the passage of the massive tax reform legislation in about 30 years. His tightening of the immigration policy has brought cheers to a section of the American citizens who voted for him. While Trump will remain a controversial figure in the US and elsewhere in the world, his approach towards India has been comparatively quite positive. First, there is no possibility of Trump backing the creation of a G2 world with China. Second, Trump’s pressure on Pakistan through aid cutoff may have some positive impact in the region. Third, the chemistry between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi has been quite positive. Fourth, the National Security Strategy Report issued by the Trump Administration has elevated India’s position as a great global power and has given the glimpse of its aspiration to deepen strategic and defense partnership with India for maintenance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The strategic concept of Indo-Pacific replaces “Asia-Pacific” and it is very much in Indian interest. The decision of the Trump White House not to push for a revision of H1B visa rules has augured well for the positive trajectory of Indo-US bilateral relations in coming years. However, both Prime Minister Modi and President Trump give priority of place to economic growth as an important dimension of national security and, thus, Indo-US differences over economic issues are bound to remain and create periodic irritation in bilateral ties. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Trump shares a cordial relationship with Modi but leaves the world confused

It is hard to imagine that most Americans have survived a year under the weight of a chaotic presidency. A year ago, the American political landscape was permanently transformed when Donald Trump was elected its 45th President. Trump rose to power by channeling the worst xenophobic and misogynist impulses that had, for long, stayed dormant in American society.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

His economic platform was heavily protectionist and the social one, a dog-whistle to white supremacists. He brought with him a history of sexual misconduct, displayed little grace in international diplomacy, demonstrated a shocking ignorance of American and international politics, and in the past year, has essentially ceded much of America&rsquo;s global leadership.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Moving forward, the Trump presidency is likely to further damage the credibility of American political institutions and destabilize the liberal international order. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

A year into the Trump presidency reveals several dangerous trends.&nbsp;

First, the president has shown little regard for America&rsquo;s most cherished political institutions &ndash; in particular &ndash; a free press and law enforcement. The liberal press has come under heavy attack for seeking accountability on facts. In what has turned into an hourly ritual, the president takes to social media where he attacks, vilifies, and spreads false information about the press, sowing confusion and breeding ignorance among the average American public.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Intelligence officials and law enforcement agencies have faced similar persecution. The unceremonious dismissal of the FBI Director, James Comey, in May 2017, for investigating the Trump presidency&rsquo;s links to Russia, was a remarkable abuse of political power. Donald Trump&rsquo;s strong-arm tactics, threats, and coercion signal a dark new reality. America is slowly but surely embracing authoritarianism. A reckless and power-hungry president with no respect for checks and balances threatens to seriously weaken American institutions and some critics correctly predict a possible constitutional crisis emerging soon.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Second, the Trump presidency has become synonymous with reclaiming white nationalism, evident in the president&rsquo;s inclination for harsh immigration policies (recall the Muslim ban, &ldquo;building the wall&rdquo; with Mexico) and his recent statements disparaging immigrants from non-white countries.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

A combination of exclusionary policies and toxic rhetoric carries a ringing endorsement that unless you are white, you are not American. The Republican party shows signs of moral decay, failing to call out the president on his actions and is complicit in aiding a white nationalist agenda.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Third, Donald Trump believes America needs a stronger military to win its wars. This means a more muscular approach in foreign policy, sharp increases in defense expenditure, more bombs, more weapons, but little reflection on the lessons of history for America&rsquo;s future conduct of war. While the president swears by the American military, his actual policies and statements on transgender troops and women in the military are deeply prejudiced and will dent the image and professionalism of the American military.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

American civil-military relations often appear to be in tension when the president and his advisors make contradictory statements on matters of national security. While both James Mattis, Secretary of Defense, and H.R. McMaster, National Security Advisor, have shown thought and resolve on pressing national security issues like North Korea and Iraq, it is not entirely clear how much influence they can ultimately exercise in shaping policy independent of the president&rsquo;s political preferences.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Finally, America&rsquo;s image as the leader of the free world has suffered a major debacle abroad. An understaffed State Department, withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, and a less prominent role in the United Nations are some of the many diplomatic failings of this presidency pointing to the growing absence of global American leadership.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What might a Trump presidency mean for India?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The answer here is hard to predict as little value can be placed on the words of an unpredictable megalomaniac. It is unlikely that the Trump administration will significantly deviate from the Obama administration&rsquo;s approach to India. Cooperation in defense, trade, and technology will continue as before and the two countries will continue to maintain a viable partnership.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The only decisive shift affecting foreign relations of both countries could emerge on the Pakistan front. In recent months and weeks, Trump has taken a much harder line on Pakistan than previous administrations. He has communicated a strong desire to dismantle terrorist groups, called Pakistan a state-sponsor of terrorism, and in the last few weeks, withdrawn aid to the country. Trump&rsquo;s pressure on Pakistan has been welcomed by many of India&rsquo;s top political leaders.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

While this works in favor of Indian security interests, it would be profoundly unwise for India to predicate its Pakistan policy around Donald Trump&rsquo;s plan to isolate Pakistan. As much as Trump believes, in theory, that Pakistan can be backed into a corner, it will be much harder, in fact, for the United States to sever all ties with Pakistan. The United States will require Pakistan&rsquo;s support to fight terrorism in some form and it would be prudent for India to not allow America&rsquo;s relationship with Pakistan to be the defining benchmark of its relationship with both. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

A separate and troubling moral question the Trump presidency poses for India is whether India is going to ignore the revival of white nationalism at its own peril to embrace its security interests first. America has a large Indian-American immigrant population who will, undoubtedly, be seriously impacted by Trump&rsquo;s immigration policies.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Tata Consultancy, India&rsquo;s largest software exporter, has already expressed serious concerns over the administration&rsquo;s unclear and draconian H1-B policy. Since Trump became president, Indian communities have also been threatened and persecuted by resurgent white nationalist groups. Some have even been murdered. Case in point: Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32-year-old Indian immigrant who was shot to death in Olathe, Kansas by a white nationalist.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There are important moral questions for the future of Indians living in America that are equally vital for India to consider in its current relationship with the United States. White nationalism is a scourge and India is no stranger to the legacy of colonialism. To secure a stronger economic future with America, it should not compromise its moral standing in the world.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

Trump administration will not significantly deviate from the Obama administration’s approach to India. Cooperation in defense, trade, and technology will continue as before.

It is hard to imagine that most Americans have survived a year under the weight of a chaotic presidency. A year ago, the American political landscape was permanently transformed when Donald Trump was elected its 45th President. Trump rose to power by channeling the worst xenophobic and misogynist impulses that had, for long, stayed dormant in American society. His economic platform was heavily protectionist and the social one, a dog-whistle to white supremacists. He brought with him a history of sexual misconduct, displayed little grace in international diplomacy, demonstrated a shocking ignorance of American and international politics, and in the past year, has essentially ceded much of America’s global leadership. Moving forward, the Trump presidency is likely to further damage the credibility of American political institutions and destabilize the liberal international order. A year into the Trump presidency reveals several dangerous trends. First, the president has shown little regard for America’s most cherished political institutions – in particular – a free press and law enforcement. The liberal press has come under heavy attack for seeking accountability on facts. In what has turned into an hourly ritual, the president takes to social media where he attacks, vilifies, and spreads false information about the press, sowing confusion and breeding ignorance among the average American public. Intelligence officials and law enforcement agencies have faced similar persecution. The unceremonious dismissal of the FBI Director, James Comey, in May 2017, for investigating the Trump presidency’s links to Russia, was a remarkable abuse of political power. Donald Trump’s strong-arm tactics, threats, and coercion signal a dark new reality. America is slowly but surely embracing authoritarianism. A reckless and power-hungry president with no respect for checks and balances threatens to seriously weaken American institutions and some critics correctly predict a possible constitutional crisis emerging soon. Second, the Trump presidency has become synonymous with reclaiming white nationalism, evident in the president’s inclination for harsh immigration policies (recall the Muslim ban, “building the wall” with Mexico) and his recent statements disparaging immigrants from non-white countries. A combination of exclusionary policies and toxic rhetoric carries a ringing endorsement that unless you are white, you are not American. The Republican party shows signs of moral decay, failing to call out the president on his actions and is complicit in aiding a white nationalist agenda. Third, Donald Trump believes America needs a stronger military to win its wars. This means a more muscular approach in foreign policy, sharp increases in defense expenditure, more bombs, more weapons, but little reflection on the lessons of history for America’s future conduct of war. While the president swears by the American military, his actual policies and statements on transgender troops and women in the military are deeply prejudiced and will dent the image and professionalism of the American military. American civil-military relations often appear to be in tension when the president and his advisors make contradictory statements on matters of national security. While both James Mattis, Secretary of Defense, and H.R. McMaster, National Security Advisor, have shown thought and resolve on pressing national security issues like North Korea and Iraq, it is not entirely clear how much influence they can ultimately exercise in shaping policy independent of the president’s political preferences. Finally, America’s image as the leader of the free world has suffered a major debacle abroad. An understaffed State Department, withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, and a less prominent role in the United Nations are some of the many diplomatic failings of this presidency pointing to the growing absence of global American leadership. What might a Trump presidency mean for India? The answer here is hard to predict as little value can be placed on the words of an unpredictable megalomaniac. It is unlikely that the Trump administration will significantly deviate from the Obama administration’s approach to India. Cooperation in defense, trade, and technology will continue as before and the two countries will continue to maintain a viable partnership. The only decisive shift affecting foreign relations of both countries could emerge on the Pakistan front. In recent months and weeks, Trump has taken a much harder line on Pakistan than previous administrations. He has communicated a strong desire to dismantle terrorist groups, called Pakistan a state-sponsor of terrorism, and in the last few weeks, withdrawn aid to the country. Trump’s pressure on Pakistan has been welcomed by many of India’s top political leaders. While this works in favor of Indian security interests, it would be profoundly unwise for India to predicate its Pakistan policy around Donald Trump’s plan to isolate Pakistan. As much as Trump believes, in theory, that Pakistan can be backed into a corner, it will be much harder, in fact, for the United States to sever all ties with Pakistan. The United States will require Pakistan’s support to fight terrorism in some form and it would be prudent for India to not allow America’s relationship with Pakistan to be the defining benchmark of its relationship with both. A separate and troubling moral question the Trump presidency poses for India is whether India is going to ignore the revival of white nationalism at its own peril to embrace its security interests first. America has a large Indian-American immigrant population who will, undoubtedly, be seriously impacted by Trump’s immigration policies. Tata Consultancy, India’s largest software exporter, has already expressed serious concerns over the administration’s unclear and draconian H1-B policy. Since Trump became president, Indian communities have also been threatened and persecuted by resurgent white nationalist groups. Some have even been murdered. Case in point: Srinivas Kuchibhotla, a 32-year-old Indian immigrant who was shot to death in Olathe, Kansas by a white nationalist. There are important moral questions for the future of Indians living in America that are equally vital for India to consider in its current relationship with the United States. White nationalism is a scourge and India is no stranger to the legacy of colonialism. To secure a stronger economic future with America, it should not compromise its moral standing in the world. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: What might a Trump presidency mean for India and US?

President Donald Trump on Friday told the anti-abortion protesters that it&#39;s not correct for babies to be &quot;born&quot;&nbsp;in the ninth month of pregnancy.&nbsp;

Trump was addressing the &quot;March for Life&quot; rally at the National Mall, in the United States.&nbsp;

Trump said, &quot;right now, in a number of states, the laws allow a baby to be born from his or her mother&#39;s womb in the ninth month. It is wrong, it has to change.&quot;

As per news reports, Trump&#39;s &quot;mistakenly&quot; commented saying &quot;born&quot;, instead he meant &quot;torn&quot; in reference to late-term abortion.&nbsp;

He had previously criticised Hillary Clinton&#39;s support of abortion rights, saying &quot;you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, on the final day.&quot;&nbsp;

Hillary told Trump at the time: &quot;that is not what happens in these cases, and using that kind of scare rhetoric is just terribly unfortunate.&quot;&nbsp;

Trump&rsquo;s mistake was mocked by critics on Twitter with some saying that he is mentally unfit to be president.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Trump said &quot;Babies shouldn&#39;t be born in the 9th month&quot; 
I think this means we still have a chance to abort Trump
&mdash; Franco Harris (@itsfrancoharris) <a href="https://twitter.com/itsfrancoharris/status/954564119050489856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
And it&#39;s trump. So you can&#39;t just say it&#39;s obvious. The man is an idiot and he could actually be talking about babies born in September
&mdash; XB (@KidTiger__) <a href="https://twitter.com/KidTiger__/status/954593443480707072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
At least those babies born at 9 months will see a full term, unlike Trump.
&mdash; Dave Jones ????????????????????????????????️&zwj;???? (@WelshGasDoc) <a href="https://twitter.com/WelshGasDoc/status/954478261849022471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
trump has never changed a baby&#39;s diaper in his life because he thinks raising children is women&#39;s work. 
 
But there he is, pretending he cares about babies. He&#39;s not even going to pretend he cares about women. We all know he doesn&#39;t. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchForLife?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchForLife</a>
&mdash; Aღanda (@GrnEyedMandy) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrnEyedMandy/status/954466079224598528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
For Trump, who has been pro-abortion all of his life, to address the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchforLife?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchforLife</a> is a total insult. With his constant adultery, how many babies has he demanded aborted to save his ass?
&mdash; Trenaway El Daryl (@Trenaway11) <a href="https://twitter.com/Trenaway11/status/954441762537271296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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&nbsp;

Trump said, 'right now, in a number of states, the laws allow a baby to be born from his or her mother's womb in the ninth month. It is wrong, it has to change'

President Donald Trump on Friday told the anti-abortion protesters that it's not correct for babies to be "born" in the ninth month of pregnancy. Trump was addressing the "March for Life" rally at the National Mall, in the United States. Trump said, "right now, in a number of states, the laws allow a baby to be born from his or her mother's womb in the ninth month. It is wrong, it has to change." As per news reports, Trump's "mistakenly" commented saying "born", instead he meant "torn" in reference to late-term abortion. He had previously criticised Hillary Clinton's support of abortion rights, saying "you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, on the final day." Hillary told Trump at the time: "that is not what happens in these cases, and using that kind of scare rhetoric is just terribly unfortunate." Trump’s mistake was mocked by critics on Twitter with some saying that he is mentally unfit to be president. Trump said "Babies shouldn't be born in the 9th month" I think this means we still have a chance to abort Trump — Franco Harris (@itsfrancoharris) January 20, 2018 × And it's trump. So you can't just say it's obvious. The man is an idiot and he could actually be talking about babies born in September — XB (@KidTiger__) January 20, 2018 × At least those babies born at 9 months will see a full term, unlike Trump. — Dave Jones ????????????????????????????????️‍???? (@WelshGasDoc) January 19, 2018 × trump has never changed a baby's diaper in his life because he thinks raising children is women's work. But there he is, pretending he cares about babies. He's not even going to pretend he cares about women. We all know he doesn't. #MarchForLife — Aღanda (@GrnEyedMandy) January 19, 2018 × For Trump, who has been pro-abortion all of his life, to address the #MarchforLife is a total insult. With his constant adultery, how many babies has he demanded aborted to save his ass? — Trenaway El Daryl (@Trenaway11) January 19, 2018 ×

'Wrong' for babies to be 'born' in ninth month: Trump's anti-abortion blooper

Special Counsel and former FBI director Robert Mueller probing Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election wants to question President Donald Trump on the issue, a media report said today.

The Washington Post, citing two people familiar with Mueller&#39;s plans, said the special counsel was seeking to question Trump about his ousting of FBI director James Comey and national security advisor Michael Flynn.

The duo told the newspaper that Trump&#39;s attorneys have worked out terms for the president&#39;s interview with Mueller&#39;s team that could be presented to the special counsel &quot;as soon as next week&quot;.

&quot;The president&#39;s legal team hopes to provide Trump&#39;s testimony in a hybrid form answering some questions in a face-to-face interview and others in a written statement,&quot; said the Post.

A day earlier, the US Justice Department had confirmed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned by Mueller on his investigation on potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia in the presidential election.

Mueller has already interviewed several of the close aides and family members of Trump over the issue.

Trump, earlier, had hinted that it &quot;seems unlikely&quot; that he would allow Mueller to &quot;interview&quot; him.

Meanwhile, the White House today said it supports full transparency around a secret memo criticising the FBI but it was for the House Intelligence Committee to decide whether to release it or not.

&quot;We certainly support full transparency, and we believe that&#39;s with the House Intel Committee to make a choice,&quot; White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.&nbsp;

The Washington Post, citing two people familiar with Mueller's plans, said the special counsel was seeking to question Trump about his ousting of FBI director James Comey and NSA Michael Flynn

Special Counsel and former FBI director Robert Mueller probing Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election wants to question President Donald Trump on the issue, a media report said today. The Washington Post, citing two people familiar with Mueller's plans, said the special counsel was seeking to question Trump about his ousting of FBI director James Comey and national security advisor Michael Flynn. The duo told the newspaper that Trump's attorneys have worked out terms for the president's interview with Mueller's team that could be presented to the special counsel "as soon as next week". "The president's legal team hopes to provide Trump's testimony in a hybrid form answering some questions in a face-to-face interview and others in a written statement," said the Post. A day earlier, the US Justice Department had confirmed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned by Mueller on his investigation on potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia in the presidential election. Mueller has already interviewed several of the close aides and family members of Trump over the issue. Trump, earlier, had hinted that it "seems unlikely" that he would allow Mueller to "interview" him. Meanwhile, the White House today said it supports full transparency around a secret memo criticising the FBI but it was for the House Intelligence Committee to decide whether to release it or not. "We certainly support full transparency, and we believe that's with the House Intel Committee to make a choice," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters at her daily news conference.

Mueller looking to question Trump on Russia probe: Report

President Donald Trump was faced Friday with the prospect of marking the first anniversary of his inauguration at the head of a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/with-no-deal-in-sight-us-congress-faces-looming-government-shutdown-30110" target="_blank">broke </a>government, after senators failed to pass a stop-gap funding measure.

Republicans and Democrats traded blame for the crisis, which came to a head when the Senate failed to agree to bring forward a motion to fund federal spending and the military from midnight.

Essential services and military operations will continue, but many American civil servants and diplomats could arrive at work on Monday only to find themselves sent home without pay until the political crisis is resolved. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Trump, who cancelled a trip weekend trip to his Florida golf resort to join 11th hour horsetrading accused the Democratic opposition of putting US troops and border security at risk to score political points.

But Democratic leaders accused Republicans of poisoning chances of a deal and pandering to Trump&#39;s populist base by refusing to fund a program that protects 700,000 &quot;Dreamers&quot; -- undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children -- from deportation. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;Not looking good for our great Military or Safety &amp; Security on the very dangerous Southern Border,&quot; Trump tweeted, shortly before the 100-member Senate failed to muster the minimum 60 votes needed to get an emergency funding motion to the floor.

&quot;Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy,&quot; he alleged.

After the Senate vote failed and with half an hour to go before the shut down was to start, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders tweeted: &quot;Democrats can&#39;t shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate they&#39;ll shut down the government instead?&quot;

Earlier, after meeting top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, Trump had sounded more upbeat, saying the two New Yorkers were &quot;working on solutions&quot; to share with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

But Schumer admitted a &quot;good number of disagreements&quot; remain between the two sides, despite a &quot;long and detailed meeting&quot; at which they discussed &quot;all of the major outstanding issues.&quot;

The president shelved plans to fly to Florida to celebrate at his Mar-a-Lago estate the first anniversary of his inauguration to remain in Washington to ride out the storm.

&quot;He&#39;s not leaving until this is finished,&quot; White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said.

Republicans have a tenuous one-seat majority in the Senate but would have needed to lure some Democrats to their side to get a 60 vote supermajority to bring the motion forward.

After around 15 minutes of voting more than 40 senators had voted against the motion, which is not technically closed until the last vote is cast.

When it became clear that this threshold was not going to be reached, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell launched into a private debate with Schumer on the senate floor.

Democrats had insisted on a deal that would protect from deportation the so-called &quot;Dreamers&quot; -- immigrants who entered the country illegally but as children.

The measure brought to Congress would have extended federal funding until February 16 and reauthorized for six years a health insurance program for poor children -- a long-time Democratic objective.

But it would have cut the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, that affects Dreamers.

White House officials insisted there was no urgency to fix DACA, which expires March 5.

&quot;This is purely an attempt by the Senate Democrats led by Schumer -- why we call it the &#39;Schumer shutdown&#39; -- to try and get a shutdown the president gets blamed for,&quot; Mulvaney said.

With mid-term congressional elections looming later this year, Republicans risk being blamed by voters when the government stops functioning over lack of funds.

A new Washington Post/ABC poll found that 48 percent of Americans blame Trump and the Republicans for a potential shutdown, and only 28 percent hold Democrats responsible.

There have been four government shutdowns since 1990. In the last one in 2013, more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave.

Essential functions like the military, law enforcement, the White House and Congress would continue working but with reduced staff. Some agencies would shut altogether.

But others in the massive bureaucracy will be sent home without pay.

International ratings agency Fitch said a partial shutdown was unlikely to affect America&#39;s AAA/stable rating for US sovereign debt.&nbsp;

Negotiations with the White House on a bipartisan compromise on DACA blew up last week after Trump reportedly referred to African nations and Haiti as &quot;shithole countries.&quot;

&quot;Tonight&#39;s failure in US Senate can be laid squarely at Donald Trump&#39;s feet,&quot; Democratic congressman Gerry Connolly tweeted.

&quot;Mr. Art of the Deal showed indecision, profound vulgarity and racist sentiments. Today he was barely active in trying to get a deal. Exactly one year in the job he proves he&#39;s not up to it.&quot;

Trump&#39;s unpredictable Twitter outbursts and sudden changes of position also have bedeviled Republican leaders as they maneuver to cut a deal.

Republicans and Democrats traded blame for the crisis, which came to a head when the Senate failed to agree to bring forward a motion to fund federal spending and the military from midnight

President Donald Trump was faced Friday with the prospect of marking the first anniversary of his inauguration at the head of a broke government, after senators failed to pass a stop-gap funding measure. Republicans and Democrats traded blame for the crisis, which came to a head when the Senate failed to agree to bring forward a motion to fund federal spending and the military from midnight. Essential services and military operations will continue, but many American civil servants and diplomats could arrive at work on Monday only to find themselves sent home without pay until the political crisis is resolved. Trump, who cancelled a trip weekend trip to his Florida golf resort to join 11th hour horsetrading accused the Democratic opposition of putting US troops and border security at risk to score political points. But Democratic leaders accused Republicans of poisoning chances of a deal and pandering to Trump's populist base by refusing to fund a program that protects 700,000 "Dreamers" -- undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children -- from deportation. "Not looking good for our great Military or Safety & Security on the very dangerous Southern Border," Trump tweeted, shortly before the 100-member Senate failed to muster the minimum 60 votes needed to get an emergency funding motion to the floor. "Dems want a Shutdown in order to help diminish the great success of the Tax Cuts, and what they are doing for our booming economy," he alleged. After the Senate vote failed and with half an hour to go before the shut down was to start, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders tweeted: "Democrats can't shut down the booming Trump economy. Are they now so desperate they'll shut down the government instead?" Earlier, after meeting top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, Trump had sounded more upbeat, saying the two New Yorkers were "working on solutions" to share with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan. But Schumer admitted a "good number of disagreements" remain between the two sides, despite a "long and detailed meeting" at which they discussed "all of the major outstanding issues." The president shelved plans to fly to Florida to celebrate at his Mar-a-Lago estate the first anniversary of his inauguration to remain in Washington to ride out the storm. "He's not leaving until this is finished," White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said. Republicans have a tenuous one-seat majority in the Senate but would have needed to lure some Democrats to their side to get a 60 vote supermajority to bring the motion forward. After around 15 minutes of voting more than 40 senators had voted against the motion, which is not technically closed until the last vote is cast. When it became clear that this threshold was not going to be reached, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell launched into a private debate with Schumer on the senate floor. Democrats had insisted on a deal that would protect from deportation the so-called "Dreamers" -- immigrants who entered the country illegally but as children. The measure brought to Congress would have extended federal funding until February 16 and reauthorized for six years a health insurance program for poor children -- a long-time Democratic objective. But it would have cut the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, that affects Dreamers. White House officials insisted there was no urgency to fix DACA, which expires March 5. "This is purely an attempt by the Senate Democrats led by Schumer -- why we call it the 'Schumer shutdown' -- to try and get a shutdown the president gets blamed for," Mulvaney said. With mid-term congressional elections looming later this year, Republicans risk being blamed by voters when the government stops functioning over lack of funds. A new Washington Post/ABC poll found that 48 percent of Americans blame Trump and the Republicans for a potential shutdown, and only 28 percent hold Democrats responsible. There have been four government shutdowns since 1990. In the last one in 2013, more than 800,000 government workers were put on temporary leave. Essential functions like the military, law enforcement, the White House and Congress would continue working but with reduced staff. Some agencies would shut altogether. But others in the massive bureaucracy will be sent home without pay. International ratings agency Fitch said a partial shutdown was unlikely to affect America's AAA/stable rating for US sovereign debt. Negotiations with the White House on a bipartisan compromise on DACA blew up last week after Trump reportedly referred to African nations and Haiti as "shithole countries." "Tonight's failure in US Senate can be laid squarely at Donald Trump's feet," Democratic congressman Gerry Connolly tweeted. "Mr. Art of the Deal showed indecision, profound vulgarity and racist sentiments. Today he was barely active in trying to get a deal. Exactly one year in the job he proves he's not up to it." Trump's unpredictable Twitter outbursts and sudden changes of position also have bedeviled Republican leaders as they maneuver to cut a deal.

One year on, Trump leads divided US into government shutdown

The US&nbsp;military has put countering China and Russia at the centre of a new national defence strategy unveiled on Friday, the latest sign of shifting priorities after more than a decade and a half of focussing on the fight against Islamist militants.

In presenting the new strategy, which will set priorities for the Pentagon for years to come, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called China and Russia &quot;revisionist powers&quot; that &quot;seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models.&quot;

The &quot;National Defense Strategy&quot; represents the latest sign of hardening resolve by President Donald Trump&#39;s administration to address challenges from Russia and China, at the same time he is pushing for improved ties with Moscow and Beijing to rein in a nuclear North Korea.

&quot;We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists that we are engaged in today, but great power competition, not terrorism, is now the primary focus of US&nbsp;national security,&quot; Mattis said in a speech presenting the strategy document, the first of its kind since at least 2014.

It sets priorities for the US&nbsp;Defense Department that are expected to be reflected in future defence spending requests. The Pentagon on Friday released an unclassified, 11-page version of the document, which did not provide details on how the shift towards countering China and Russia would be carried out.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking through an interpreter at a news conference at the United Nations, said the United States was using a confrontational approach.

&quot;It is regrettable that instead of having a normal dialogue, instead of using the basis of international law, the US&nbsp;is striving to prove their leadership through such confrontational strategies and concepts,&quot; Lavrov said.

&quot;We&#39;re open for dialogue, we&#39;re prepared to discuss military doctrines,&rdquo; he added.

There was no immediate response from China.

Elbridge Colby, deputy assistant secretary of defence for strategy and force development, said at a briefing with reporters that Russia was far more brazen than China in its use of military power.

Russia annexed Ukraine&#39;s Crimean peninsula in 2014 and intervened militarily in Syria to support its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Still, Moscow was limited by its economic resources, Colby said.

China, on the other hand, was described as economically and militarily ascendant. China has embarked on a far-reaching military modernization that Colby said was in &quot;deep contravention to our interests.&quot;

Experts praised the document&#39;s targeting of the largest national security threats rather than the longer lists of risks in some previous strategies. But without knowing the budget commitments, it was difficult to assess if it was a sound strategy.

&quot;If we don&#39;t actually see where the money is, you know, there is the danger that it could become all words,&quot; said Mara Karlin, a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank and a senior defence official in the Obama administration.

The document also listed North Korea among the Pentagon&#39;s priorities, citing the need to focus US&nbsp;missile defences against the threat from Pyongyang, which beyond its nuclear weapons has also amassed an arsenal of biological, chemical, and conventional arms.

The document said that international alliances would be critical for the US&nbsp;military, by far the world&#39;s best-resourced. But it also stressed a need for burden-sharing, an apparent nod to Trump&#39;s public criticism of allies who he says unfairly take advantage of US&nbsp;security guarantees.

Trump has called the NATO alliance &quot;obsolete&quot;, but Mattis said the United States would strengthen its traditional alliances while building new partnerships and listening more to other nations&#39; ideas.

&quot;We will be willing to be persuaded by them, recognising that not all good ideas come from the country with the most aircraft carriers,&quot; Mattis said.

The Pentagon is also working on a policy document on the country&#39;s nuclear arsenal. While Mattis did not specifically address that review, he said the priority is deterrence.

&quot;How do we maintain a safe and effective nuclear deterrence so those weapons are never used? It is a nuclear deterrent, it is not a war fighting capability unless it is the worst day in our nation or the world&#39;s history,&quot; Mattis said.

Mattis had harsh words for the US&nbsp;Congress and its inability to reach agreement on budgets.

The US&nbsp;military&#39;s competitive edge has eroded &quot;in every domain of warfare&quot; he said, partly because of inconsistent funding. A bill to fund the government only through Feb. 16, approved on Thursday night by the House of Representatives, appeared on the verge of collapse in the Senate.

&quot;As hard as the last 16 years of war have been, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of the U.S. military than the combined impact&quot; of spending caps and short-term funding.

In sheer spending terms, the United States&#39; military outlay per year is still far more than China and Russia. The United States is spending $587.8 billion per year on its military, China $161.7 billion and Russia $44.6 billion.

In presenting the new strategy, which will set priorities for the Pentagon for years to come, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called China and Russia 'revisionist powers' that 'seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models'

The US military has put countering China and Russia at the centre of a new national defence strategy unveiled on Friday, the latest sign of shifting priorities after more than a decade and a half of focussing on the fight against Islamist militants. In presenting the new strategy, which will set priorities for the Pentagon for years to come, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called China and Russia "revisionist powers" that "seek to create a world consistent with their authoritarian models." The "National Defense Strategy" represents the latest sign of hardening resolve by President Donald Trump's administration to address challenges from Russia and China, at the same time he is pushing for improved ties with Moscow and Beijing to rein in a nuclear North Korea. "We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists that we are engaged in today, but great power competition, not terrorism, is now the primary focus of US national security," Mattis said in a speech presenting the strategy document, the first of its kind since at least 2014. It sets priorities for the US Defense Department that are expected to be reflected in future defence spending requests. The Pentagon on Friday released an unclassified, 11-page version of the document, which did not provide details on how the shift towards countering China and Russia would be carried out. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking through an interpreter at a news conference at the United Nations, said the United States was using a confrontational approach. "It is regrettable that instead of having a normal dialogue, instead of using the basis of international law, the US is striving to prove their leadership through such confrontational strategies and concepts," Lavrov said. "We're open for dialogue, we're prepared to discuss military doctrines,” he added. There was no immediate response from China. Elbridge Colby, deputy assistant secretary of defence for strategy and force development, said at a briefing with reporters that Russia was far more brazen than China in its use of military power. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and intervened militarily in Syria to support its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Still, Moscow was limited by its economic resources, Colby said. China, on the other hand, was described as economically and militarily ascendant. China has embarked on a far-reaching military modernization that Colby said was in "deep contravention to our interests." Experts praised the document's targeting of the largest national security threats rather than the longer lists of risks in some previous strategies. But without knowing the budget commitments, it was difficult to assess if it was a sound strategy. "If we don't actually see where the money is, you know, there is the danger that it could become all words," said Mara Karlin, a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank and a senior defence official in the Obama administration. The document also listed North Korea among the Pentagon's priorities, citing the need to focus US missile defences against the threat from Pyongyang, which beyond its nuclear weapons has also amassed an arsenal of biological, chemical, and conventional arms. The document said that international alliances would be critical for the US military, by far the world's best-resourced. But it also stressed a need for burden-sharing, an apparent nod to Trump's public criticism of allies who he says unfairly take advantage of US security guarantees. Trump has called the NATO alliance "obsolete", but Mattis said the United States would strengthen its traditional alliances while building new partnerships and listening more to other nations' ideas. "We will be willing to be persuaded by them, recognising that not all good ideas come from the country with the most aircraft carriers," Mattis said. The Pentagon is also working on a policy document on the country's nuclear arsenal. While Mattis did not specifically address that review, he said the priority is deterrence. "How do we maintain a safe and effective nuclear deterrence so those weapons are never used? It is a nuclear deterrent, it is not a war fighting capability unless it is the worst day in our nation or the world's history," Mattis said. Mattis had harsh words for the US Congress and its inability to reach agreement on budgets. The US military's competitive edge has eroded "in every domain of warfare" he said, partly because of inconsistent funding. A bill to fund the government only through Feb. 16, approved on Thursday night by the House of Representatives, appeared on the verge of collapse in the Senate. "As hard as the last 16 years of war have been, no enemy in the field has done more to harm the readiness of the U.S. military than the combined impact" of spending caps and short-term funding. In sheer spending terms, the United States' military outlay per year is still far more than China and Russia. The United States is spending $587.8 billion per year on its military, China $161.7 billion and Russia $44.6 billion.

US military puts China, Russia at centre of new national defence strategy

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/attack-on-kabuls-intercontinental-hotel-continues-several-dead-30191" target="_blank">Attack on Kabul&#39;s Intercontinental Hotel continues, several dead</a>

Four heavily-armed gunmen raided Kabul`s landmark Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday, shooting at guests and staff and setting the building on fire, officials said, in an hours-long assault that is still ongoing. Local television channel Tolo News is reporting that at least 15 people have been killed or wounded. &nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-fire-kills-17-owner-had-plastic-factory-licence-was-running-cracker-storage-unit-30189" target="_blank">Delhi fire kills 17: Owner had plastic factory licence, was running cracker storage unit</a>

One person was taken into custody on Saturday after a major fire broke out in Delhi&#39;s Bawana industrial area killing 17 people, including 10 women, and injuring two. A case has been registered and the co-owner of the unit, Manoj Jain has been apprehended, the Rohini Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Gupta informed.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/now-parks-dividers-in-lucknow-painted-saffron-30193" target="_blank">Now, parks, dividers in Lucknow painted saffron</a>

As a part of the Uttar Pradesh government&#39;s saffronisation drive, several parks and dividers in Lucknow&#39;s Gomti Nagar were on Saturday painted saffron by the Municipal Corporation. From Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath&#39;s office to various other spots, the colour has become a defining feature of the state.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/death-by-negligence-case-against-policemen-who-refused-help-to-accident-victims-30198" target="_blank">&#39;Death by negligence&#39; case against policemen who refused help to accident victims</a>

A case of &quot;causing death by negligence&quot; was registered on Saturday against three policemen who allegedly denied medical help to two accident victims. The policemen, who refused to take the two teenage youth to the hospital in Saharanpur in their patrol car because of their unwillingness to &quot;soil car with blood&quot;, were earlier suspended on Saturday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/protestors-flock-in-droves-to-anti-trump-womens-marches-30195" target="_blank">1 year of Trump: Protesters flock in droves to women&#39;s marches</a>

Protestors took to the streets en masse across the United States Saturday, hoisting anti-Donald Trump placards, banging drums and donning pink hats for a second Women&#39;s March opposing the president -- one year to the day of his inauguration. Hundreds of thousands of marchers assembled in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, Boston and other cities nationwide, many donning the famous pink knit &quot;pussy hats&quot; -- a reference to Trump&#39;s videotaped boasts of his license to grope women without repercussions.

Attack on Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel continues, several dead Four heavily-armed gunmen raided Kabul`s landmark Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday, shooting at guests and staff and setting the building on fire, officials said, in an hours-long assault that is still ongoing. Local television channel Tolo News is reporting that at least 15 people have been killed or wounded. Delhi fire kills 17: Owner had plastic factory licence, was running cracker storage unit One person was taken into custody on Saturday after a major fire broke out in Delhi's Bawana industrial area killing 17 people, including 10 women, and injuring two. A case has been registered and the co-owner of the unit, Manoj Jain has been apprehended, the Rohini Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Gupta informed. Now, parks, dividers in Lucknow painted saffron As a part of the Uttar Pradesh government's saffronisation drive, several parks and dividers in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar were on Saturday painted saffron by the Municipal Corporation. From Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's office to various other spots, the colour has become a defining feature of the state. 'Death by negligence' case against policemen who refused help to accident victims A case of "causing death by negligence" was registered on Saturday against three policemen who allegedly denied medical help to two accident victims. The policemen, who refused to take the two teenage youth to the hospital in Saharanpur in their patrol car because of their unwillingness to "soil car with blood", were earlier suspended on Saturday. 1 year of Trump: Protesters flock in droves to women's marches Protestors took to the streets en masse across the United States Saturday, hoisting anti-Donald Trump placards, banging drums and donning pink hats for a second Women's March opposing the president -- one year to the day of his inauguration. Hundreds of thousands of marchers assembled in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, Boston and other cities nationwide, many donning the famous pink knit "pussy hats" -- a reference to Trump's videotaped boasts of his license to grope women without repercussions.

WION morning news brief, January 21, 2018

The Swiss ski resort town of Davos was hit by heavy snow on Sunday (January 21) two days before the start of an annual forum that will see U.S. President Donald Trump rubbing shoulders with the same &quot;globalists&quot; that he campaigned against in winning the 2016 election.

The January 23-26 forum brings together political leaders -- including Indian&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain&#39;s Prime Minister Theresa May -- CEOs and top bankers.

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Davos, a town nestled in the Swiss Alps, covered in a blanket of snow. (WION)
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Trump, who is scheduled to address the forum on the last day on Friday (January 26), is the first sitting US&nbsp;president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000.

His presence in the forum, aides say, is to call attention to growth in the US&nbsp;economy and the soaring stock market.

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Davos is also a popular ski attraction (WION)
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During his 2016 election campaign, Trump blamed globalization for ravaging American manufacturing jobs as companies sought to reduce labour costs by relocating to Mexico and elsewhere.

World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab told Reuters Trump&#39;s presence this year was a &quot;positive surprise&quot; and his voice, along with other world leaders would provide a balanced global outlook for the year.

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Davos is host to the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual meeting of global political and business elites (WION)
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Workers were out on in force clearing the streets of snow. More snow is forecast until Monday (January 22) but Schwab says he is not worried about the weather affecting or delaying the forum.

The Swiss ski resort town of Davos was hit by heavy snow on Sunday

The Swiss ski resort town of Davos was hit by heavy snow on Sunday (January 21) two days before the start of an annual forum that will see U.S. President Donald Trump rubbing shoulders with the same "globalists" that he campaigned against in winning the 2016 election. The January 23-26 forum brings together political leaders -- including Indian's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May -- CEOs and top bankers. Davos, a town nestled in the Swiss Alps, covered in a blanket of snow. (WION) × Trump, who is scheduled to address the forum on the last day on Friday (January 26), is the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000. His presence in the forum, aides say, is to call attention to growth in the US economy and the soaring stock market. Davos is also a popular ski attraction (WION) × During his 2016 election campaign, Trump blamed globalization for ravaging American manufacturing jobs as companies sought to reduce labour costs by relocating to Mexico and elsewhere. World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab told Reuters Trump's presence this year was a "positive surprise" and his voice, along with other world leaders would provide a balanced global outlook for the year. Davos is host to the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual meeting of global political and business elites (WION) × Workers were out on in force clearing the streets of snow. More snow is forecast until Monday (January 22) but Schwab says he is not worried about the weather affecting or delaying the forum.

Heavy snow hits Davos as forum prepares to welcome Trump, world leaders

World leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canada&rsquo;s Justin Trudeau and Brazilian President Michel Temer, raised concerns this week at the gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos about growing protectionism, in remarks that delegates said seemed aimed at Trump&rsquo;s policies.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are also expected to speak later on Wednesday.

Under his America First agenda, Trump has threatened to withdraw from the North American free-trade agreement (NAFTA), disavowed the global climate change accord and criticized global institutions including the United Nations and NATO.

Trump is expected to arrive by Thursday and deliver a keynote address to the forum on Friday, mingling with the same elite &ldquo;globalists&rdquo; that he bashed during his 2016 presidential run.

In a press briefing in Davos ahead of his visit, US&nbsp;Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross defended aggressive trade actions taken by the United States and said more were to come.

&ldquo;This is about an America First agenda. But America First does mean working with the rest of the world,&rdquo; Mnuchin said. &ldquo;It just means that President Trump is looking out for American workers and American interests no different than he expects other leaders would look out for their own.&rdquo;

Ross said US&nbsp;trade actions were provoked by &ldquo;inappropriate behaviour on the part of our trading counterparties.&rdquo;

On Tuesday, for example, the United States slapped steep import tariffs on washing machines and solar panels, in moves billed as a way to protect American jobs. China and South Korea condemned the tariffs, with Seoul set to complain to the World Trade Organization over the &ldquo;excessive&rdquo; move.

&ldquo;Many countries are very good at the rhetoric of free trade but in fact actually practice extreme protectionism,&rdquo; Ross said.

Many in Davos worry that a brighter world economic outlook could darken if geopolitical threats - from protectionism and climate change to cyber attacks and war - gather pace in 2018.

Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000, is a source of much of this anxiety after a volatile first year in office in which he has turned American foreign policy on its head.

The U.S. delegation is the largest ever to come to Davos, with 10 members of the Trump&rsquo;s cabinet and senior White House staff, Mnuchin said. That includes Jared Kushner, Trump&rsquo;s son-in-law and adviser.

When asked about a new agreement that is expected among 11 countries to forge an Asia-Pacific trade pact after the United States pulled out of an earlier version, Mnuchin said the Americans involvement was &ldquo;not off the table&rdquo;.

But he added, &ldquo;We are fans of bilateral trading agreements.&rdquo;

Earlier on Tuesday, Canada&rsquo;s Trudeau called the new trade agreement, expected to be signed in Chile in March, the &ldquo;right deal&rdquo;.

Ross said Trudeau&rsquo;s comments needed to be taken in the context of the latest round of talks on NAFTA. Perhaps there was some inclination to use that to &ldquo;put pressure on the U.S. in the NAFTA talks,&rdquo; Ross said.

Mnuchin also said that he was not concerned in the short term about a weak dollar, saying it is one of the most liquid markets.

&ldquo;Obviously a weaker dollar is good for us as it relates to trade and opportunities,&rdquo; Mnuchin said.

Senior US officials hit back on Wednesday against suggestions that Donald Trump’s 'America First' agenda was hurting globalization and trade, setting an aggressive tone ahead of the US president’s visit to the World Economic Forum

World leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Brazilian President Michel Temer, raised concerns this week at the gathering in the Swiss ski resort of Davos about growing protectionism, in remarks that delegates said seemed aimed at Trump’s policies. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron are also expected to speak later on Wednesday. Under his America First agenda, Trump has threatened to withdraw from the North American free-trade agreement (NAFTA), disavowed the global climate change accord and criticized global institutions including the United Nations and NATO. Trump is expected to arrive by Thursday and deliver a keynote address to the forum on Friday, mingling with the same elite “globalists” that he bashed during his 2016 presidential run. In a press briefing in Davos ahead of his visit, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross defended aggressive trade actions taken by the United States and said more were to come. “This is about an America First agenda. But America First does mean working with the rest of the world,” Mnuchin said. “It just means that President Trump is looking out for American workers and American interests no different than he expects other leaders would look out for their own.” Ross said US trade actions were provoked by “inappropriate behaviour on the part of our trading counterparties.” On Tuesday, for example, the United States slapped steep import tariffs on washing machines and solar panels, in moves billed as a way to protect American jobs. China and South Korea condemned the tariffs, with Seoul set to complain to the World Trade Organization over the “excessive” move. “Many countries are very good at the rhetoric of free trade but in fact actually practice extreme protectionism,” Ross said. Many in Davos worry that a brighter world economic outlook could darken if geopolitical threats - from protectionism and climate change to cyber attacks and war - gather pace in 2018. Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000, is a source of much of this anxiety after a volatile first year in office in which he has turned American foreign policy on its head. The U.S. delegation is the largest ever to come to Davos, with 10 members of the Trump’s cabinet and senior White House staff, Mnuchin said. That includes Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and adviser. When asked about a new agreement that is expected among 11 countries to forge an Asia-Pacific trade pact after the United States pulled out of an earlier version, Mnuchin said the Americans involvement was “not off the table”. But he added, “We are fans of bilateral trading agreements.” Earlier on Tuesday, Canada’s Trudeau called the new trade agreement, expected to be signed in Chile in March, the “right deal”. Ross said Trudeau’s comments needed to be taken in the context of the latest round of talks on NAFTA. Perhaps there was some inclination to use that to “put pressure on the U.S. in the NAFTA talks,” Ross said. Mnuchin also said that he was not concerned in the short term about a weak dollar, saying it is one of the most liquid markets. “Obviously a weaker dollar is good for us as it relates to trade and opportunities,” Mnuchin said.

US defends America First agenda ahead of Trump visit to Davos

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

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

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

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

US lawmakers raced the clock to avoid a federal government shutdown before a midnight deadline on Friday after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer failed to produce a deal.

Trump invited Schumer to the White House for talks as a stopgap bill to fund the federal government through February 16 appeared headed to defeat in the Senate, where Democratic votes are needed to pass it.

Democrats have demanded that the bill include protections for hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants, but Republicans have so far refused.

A procedural vote on the bill was set for 10 pm (0300 GMT), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Lawmakers huddled in meetings on Friday evening, but it was not clear if either side would blink before midnight.

Trump said his meeting with Schumer was &quot;excellent&quot; and that efforts were continuing. &quot;Making progress - four week extension would be best,&quot; Trump said in a tweet.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Excellent preliminary meeting in Oval with <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSchumer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSchumer</a> - working on solutions for Security and our great Military together with <a href="https://twitter.com/SenateMajLdr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenateMajLdr</a> McConnell and <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerRyan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerRyan</a>. Making progress - four week extension would be best!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/954478044487520257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Shortly after Trump&#39;s tweet, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said he expected an agreement would be reached in the next 24 hours, indicating the government would shut down at midnight but reopen again at some point over the weekend.

Schumer said his meeting with Trump lasted about 90 minutes. &quot;We discussed all of the major outstanding issues. We made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue,&quot; he told reporters.

The shutdown would begin on the first anniversary of Trump&#39;s inauguration as president. Leaders of both parties tried to blame each other for the impasse.

Past government shutdowns have done little lasting damage to the US economy, but put hundreds of thousands of &quot;non-essential&quot; federal workers on temporary unpaid leave. Shutdowns can also rattle financial markets.

&quot;Essential&quot; employees who deal with public safety and national security would keep working under a shutdown.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the stopgap spending measure late on Thursday, but it has been sidetracked in the Senate by the dispute over immigration.

The House recessed on Friday for a week-long break, but members were warned they could be called back for votes.

The last significant shutdown was in 2013, when government funding lapsed for 16 full days and about 800,000 federal workers were put on temporary leave.

This week&#39;s showdown follows a months-long struggle in Congress to agree on government funding levels and the immigration issue.

The federal government is operating on a third temporary funding measure since the current fiscal year began in October.

Democrats have demanded the bill include protections from deportation for about 700,000 illegal immigrants who were brought into the United States as children.

Known as &quot;Dreamers&quot; and largely from Mexico and Central America, these immigrants were given temporary legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme started by former President Barack Obama.

In September, Trump announced he was ending the programme and giving Congress until March 5 to come up with a legislative replacement.

&quot;Don&#39;t turn your back&quot;

Dick Durbin, the No 2 Democrat in the Senate and who has taken a lead role in the immigration issue, said Republicans needed to sit down and negotiate and called on House Republicans not to leave town until the crisis was averted.

&quot;I would beg them, don&rsquo;t turn your back on your responsibility right here in Washington to work with us, to try to find a way forward,&quot; Durbin said.

Trump said in a morning tweet that Democrats were holding up a resolution over the immigration issue.

&quot;Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming?&quot; he said.

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Government Funding Bill past last night in the House of Representatives. Now Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/954323750949982208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine told reporters that lawmakers were close to a longer-term deal and should not pass another 30-day funding measure. &quot;We can get there, we&rsquo;re close enough we can get there if we just stay on it,&quot; he said. &quot;I think we can get one in the next few days.&quot;

Republican Senator Tom Cotton said he was willing to provide protection to DACA recipients in future negotiations.

&quot;We have another six weeks to solve that problem. It doesn&#39;t really involve government funding,&quot; Cotton told Fox News. &quot;We should take those two issues up in sequence.&quot;

Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, but with Senator John McCain undergoing cancer treatment at home in Arizona they need at least 10 Democrats to reach the 60 votes required to pass a spending bill. In addition to strong Democratic opposition, at least three Republican senators have said they will not back the resolution in its current form.

Republican Senator Mike Rounds, who earlier said he could not back the bill, on Friday said in a statement that while the measure was &quot;not ideal,&quot; he would support it after being assured that other legislation to adequately fund the U.S. military would be raised soon.

Three Democratic senators who are up for re-election this year in states Trump won in the 2016 presidential election said on Friday they would support the bill. But several other Democrats would still have to jump on board for passage.

Amid the deadlock, more senators were raising the possibility of merely approving enough new federal funds for a few days, as a tactic to put pressure on negotiators to then cut deals on immigration, defence spending and non-defence funding by next week.

But a White House aide said late on Friday that Trump would not support a deal that keeps the government open for just four or five days.

McConnell also shot down the idea. &quot;Let&#39;s fund the government for a full month so we can actually get something done&quot; and negotiate other issues including immigration, he said.

US lawmakers raced the clock to avoid a federal government shutdown before a midnight deadline on Friday after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer failed to produce a deal

US lawmakers raced the clock to avoid a federal government shutdown before a midnight deadline on Friday after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer failed to produce a deal. Trump invited Schumer to the White House for talks as a stopgap bill to fund the federal government through February 16 appeared headed to defeat in the Senate, where Democratic votes are needed to pass it. Democrats have demanded that the bill include protections for hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants, but Republicans have so far refused. A procedural vote on the bill was set for 10 pm (0300 GMT), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. Lawmakers huddled in meetings on Friday evening, but it was not clear if either side would blink before midnight. Trump said his meeting with Schumer was "excellent" and that efforts were continuing. "Making progress - four week extension would be best," Trump said in a tweet. Excellent preliminary meeting in Oval with @SenSchumer - working on solutions for Security and our great Military together with @SenateMajLdr McConnell and @SpeakerRyan. Making progress - four week extension would be best! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 × Shortly after Trump's tweet, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said he expected an agreement would be reached in the next 24 hours, indicating the government would shut down at midnight but reopen again at some point over the weekend. Schumer said his meeting with Trump lasted about 90 minutes. "We discussed all of the major outstanding issues. We made some progress, but we still have a good number of disagreements. The discussions will continue," he told reporters. The shutdown would begin on the first anniversary of Trump's inauguration as president. Leaders of both parties tried to blame each other for the impasse. Past government shutdowns have done little lasting damage to the US economy, but put hundreds of thousands of "non-essential" federal workers on temporary unpaid leave. Shutdowns can also rattle financial markets. "Essential" employees who deal with public safety and national security would keep working under a shutdown. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved the stopgap spending measure late on Thursday, but it has been sidetracked in the Senate by the dispute over immigration. The House recessed on Friday for a week-long break, but members were warned they could be called back for votes. The last significant shutdown was in 2013, when government funding lapsed for 16 full days and about 800,000 federal workers were put on temporary leave. This week's showdown follows a months-long struggle in Congress to agree on government funding levels and the immigration issue. The federal government is operating on a third temporary funding measure since the current fiscal year began in October. Democrats have demanded the bill include protections from deportation for about 700,000 illegal immigrants who were brought into the United States as children. Known as "Dreamers" and largely from Mexico and Central America, these immigrants were given temporary legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme started by former President Barack Obama. In September, Trump announced he was ending the programme and giving Congress until March 5 to come up with a legislative replacement. "Don't turn your back" Dick Durbin, the No 2 Democrat in the Senate and who has taken a lead role in the immigration issue, said Republicans needed to sit down and negotiate and called on House Republicans not to leave town until the crisis was averted. "I would beg them, don’t turn your back on your responsibility right here in Washington to work with us, to try to find a way forward," Durbin said. Trump said in a morning tweet that Democrats were holding up a resolution over the immigration issue. "Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming?" he said. Government Funding Bill past last night in the House of Representatives. Now Democrats are needed if it is to pass in the Senate - but they want illegal immigration and weak borders. Shutdown coming? We need more Republican victories in 2018! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2018 × Democratic Senator Tim Kaine told reporters that lawmakers were close to a longer-term deal and should not pass another 30-day funding measure. "We can get there, we’re close enough we can get there if we just stay on it," he said. "I think we can get one in the next few days." Republican Senator Tom Cotton said he was willing to provide protection to DACA recipients in future negotiations. "We have another six weeks to solve that problem. It doesn't really involve government funding," Cotton told Fox News. "We should take those two issues up in sequence." Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, but with Senator John McCain undergoing cancer treatment at home in Arizona they need at least 10 Democrats to reach the 60 votes required to pass a spending bill. In addition to strong Democratic opposition, at least three Republican senators have said they will not back the resolution in its current form. Republican Senator Mike Rounds, who earlier said he could not back the bill, on Friday said in a statement that while the measure was "not ideal," he would support it after being assured that other legislation to adequately fund the U.S. military would be raised soon. Three Democratic senators who are up for re-election this year in states Trump won in the 2016 presidential election said on Friday they would support the bill. But several other Democrats would still have to jump on board for passage. Amid the deadlock, more senators were raising the possibility of merely approving enough new federal funds for a few days, as a tactic to put pressure on negotiators to then cut deals on immigration, defence spending and non-defence funding by next week. But a White House aide said late on Friday that Trump would not support a deal that keeps the government open for just four or five days. McConnell also shot down the idea. "Let's fund the government for a full month so we can actually get something done" and negotiate other issues including immigration, he said.

With no deal in sight, US Congress faces looming government shutdown

US President Donald Trump will tell the Davos global elite on Friday that he wants free trade as long as it is &quot;fair and reciprocal&quot;, a senior administration official said.

Previewing Trump&#39;s speech at the World Economic Forum, the official said the president would embrace &quot;a commitment to free and open markets, but on terms that are fair and reciprocal&quot;.

Trump will also, according to the official, promote his drive to cut taxes and regulation, and declare: &quot;America is open for business.&quot;

Rather than emphasising his &quot;America First&quot; slogan, the president has been using his attendance at the annual forum in the Swiss Alps to tell foreign business leaders that there has never been a better time to invest in the United States.

But he will also use the speech to say that he expects other countries to enforce laws and trade agreements, the official said, after Washington this week targeted China and South Korea with new tariffs, and as it renegotiates the NAFTA pact with Canada and Mexico.

&quot;The United States will no longer tolerate things like the theft of intellectual property, forced technology transfers, industrial subsidies,&quot; the official said, adding that Trump&#39;s speech was also about &quot;lifting up the forgotten men and women&quot; left behind by globalisation.

Previewing Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum, the official said the president would embrace 'a commitment to free and open markets, but on terms that are fair and reciprocal'

US President Donald Trump will tell the Davos global elite on Friday that he wants free trade as long as it is "fair and reciprocal", a senior administration official said. Previewing Trump's speech at the World Economic Forum, the official said the president would embrace "a commitment to free and open markets, but on terms that are fair and reciprocal". Trump will also, according to the official, promote his drive to cut taxes and regulation, and declare: "America is open for business." Rather than emphasising his "America First" slogan, the president has been using his attendance at the annual forum in the Swiss Alps to tell foreign business leaders that there has never been a better time to invest in the United States. But he will also use the speech to say that he expects other countries to enforce laws and trade agreements, the official said, after Washington this week targeted China and South Korea with new tariffs, and as it renegotiates the NAFTA pact with Canada and Mexico. "The United States will no longer tolerate things like the theft of intellectual property, forced technology transfers, industrial subsidies," the official said, adding that Trump's speech was also about "lifting up the forgotten men and women" left behind by globalisation.

Trump to tell Davos US wants free but 'fair' trade: Aide

US President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed as &quot;fake news&quot; bombshell reports that he had ordered the firing of Russia investigation special prosecutor Robert Mueller last year, only backing off in the face of a threatened resignation.

&quot;Fake news. Fake news. Typical New York Times. Fake stories,&quot; Trump told reporters as he arrived for meetings at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland.

The New York Times and other US media reported Thursday that Trump had ordered the firing of Mueller in June 2017 but that the president climbed down when the top White House lawyer threatened to resign.

Mueller is leading the probe into allegations of collusion between the US president&#39;s campaign team and Russia in the 2016 election.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the probe which he says is an attack on the legitimacy of his presidency.

The New York Times said White House counsel Don McGahn opposed the firing decision, telling senior officials it would have a &quot;catastrophic effect&quot; on Trump&#39;s presidency.

After McGahn threatened to quit, Trump changed his mind, the Times reported, citing four anonymous sources.

The Washington Post, also citing anonymous sources, confirmed that Trump sought to fire Mueller but reconsidered after the White House counsel&#39;s threat.

Trump attorney Ty Cobb told AFP: &quot;We decline to comment out of respect for the Office of the Special Counsel and its process.&quot;&nbsp;

But Trump had no such scruples about commenting as he arrived at a conference center in the snowbound Swiss mountain resort on Friday.

The president had told journalists in August that he had not considered firing Mueller, some two months after he reportedly had moved to do just that.

&quot;I haven&#39;t given it any thought. I mean, I&#39;ve been reading about it from you people, you say, &#39;Oh, I&#39;m gonna dismiss him.&#39; No, I&#39;m not dismissing anybody,&quot; Trump said.

&#39;Red line&#39;

According to the Times, Trump had accused Mueller of three conflicts of interest that he argued disqualified him from running the Russia collusion investigation.

They were as follows: Mueller had terminated his membership at a Trump golf course over a dispute about fees, had worked for the law firm that previously represented the president&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and had been interviewed to return as FBI director before he was appointed special counsel.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said Thursday that firing Mueller would be a &quot;red line.&quot;

&quot;I&#39;ve said it before, and I am saying it again: firing the special counsel is a red line that the president cannot cross,&quot; Warner said in a statement.

&quot;Any attempt to remove the special counsel, pardon key witnesses, or otherwise interfere in the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power.&quot;

The day before, Trump for the first time directly said that he would cooperate with Mueller, whose investigation he had previously dismissed as a &quot;witch hunt.&quot;

&quot;I would love to do it,&quot; Trump told reporters in the White House when asked about testifying.

&quot;I would do it under oath, absolutely.&quot;

Any interview of a US president in an investigation is fraught with issues of executive privilege -- how much and in what context the US leader can be forced to disclose information.

In Trump&#39;s case, it also raises deep concerns that his shoot-from-the-hip outspokenness could jeopardize his own legal position. 
&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed as 'fake news' reports that he had ordered the firing of Russia investigation special prosecutor Robert Mueller last year

US President Donald Trump on Friday dismissed as "fake news" bombshell reports that he had ordered the firing of Russia investigation special prosecutor Robert Mueller last year, only backing off in the face of a threatened resignation. "Fake news. Fake news. Typical New York Times. Fake stories," Trump told reporters as he arrived for meetings at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland. The New York Times and other US media reported Thursday that Trump had ordered the firing of Mueller in June 2017 but that the president climbed down when the top White House lawyer threatened to resign. Mueller is leading the probe into allegations of collusion between the US president's campaign team and Russia in the 2016 election. Trump has repeatedly criticized the probe which he says is an attack on the legitimacy of his presidency. The New York Times said White House counsel Don McGahn opposed the firing decision, telling senior officials it would have a "catastrophic effect" on Trump's presidency. After McGahn threatened to quit, Trump changed his mind, the Times reported, citing four anonymous sources. The Washington Post, also citing anonymous sources, confirmed that Trump sought to fire Mueller but reconsidered after the White House counsel's threat. Trump attorney Ty Cobb told AFP: "We decline to comment out of respect for the Office of the Special Counsel and its process." But Trump had no such scruples about commenting as he arrived at a conference center in the snowbound Swiss mountain resort on Friday. The president had told journalists in August that he had not considered firing Mueller, some two months after he reportedly had moved to do just that. "I haven't given it any thought. I mean, I've been reading about it from you people, you say, 'Oh, I'm gonna dismiss him.' No, I'm not dismissing anybody," Trump said. 'Red line' According to the Times, Trump had accused Mueller of three conflicts of interest that he argued disqualified him from running the Russia collusion investigation. They were as follows: Mueller had terminated his membership at a Trump golf course over a dispute about fees, had worked for the law firm that previously represented the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and had been interviewed to return as FBI director before he was appointed special counsel. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said Thursday that firing Mueller would be a "red line." "I've said it before, and I am saying it again: firing the special counsel is a red line that the president cannot cross," Warner said in a statement. "Any attempt to remove the special counsel, pardon key witnesses, or otherwise interfere in the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power." The day before, Trump for the first time directly said that he would cooperate with Mueller, whose investigation he had previously dismissed as a "witch hunt." "I would love to do it," Trump told reporters in the White House when asked about testifying. "I would do it under oath, absolutely." Any interview of a US president in an investigation is fraught with issues of executive privilege -- how much and in what context the US leader can be forced to disclose information. In Trump's case, it also raises deep concerns that his shoot-from-the-hip outspokenness could jeopardize his own legal position.

Trump denies he ordered sacking of Russia investigator Mueller

The Swiss army and police said on Monday, January 22, the Swiss Alpine town of Davos was ready for US President Donald Trump and the security challenges he brings with him when he comes to address the World Economic Forum.

The annual meeting begins on Tuesday, January 23. Trump&#39;s visit to Davos is the first by a sitting US president since Bill Clinton attended in 2000.

Grisons Cantonal police, who coordinate WEF&#39;s $9.3 million security measures and are liaising with US officials, said at a news conference on Monday they were ready.

A total of 4,400 soldiers have been deployed, an increase of 100 from last year, and airspace is open only to aircraft ferrying participants to the forum.

The Swiss army has begun erecting checkpoints on roads leading into town and armed hillside bivouacs down the valley, scenes to those of previous post-September 11 WEF meetings where security has been paramount.

Trump&#39;s policies, including his intention to exit the 2015 Paris climate accord and his &quot;America First&quot; policy, may not sit well with all of Switzerland, which backs the global climate pact and whose economy relies on global trade.

This has prompted some critics to suggest Trump&#39;s polarising persona could resurrect the violent anti-WEF protests seen in the early 2000s. An online petition is circulating telling Trump he is not welcome.

Although an anti-Trump demonstration is planned for Zurich on Tuesday, Swiss police say poor weather could stop protesters planning a demonstration when Trump arrives on Thursday, January 25. He is scheduled to speak on the last day of the forum on Friday, January 26.

The Swiss army and police said on Monday, January 22, the Swiss Alpine town of Davos was ready for US President Donald Trump and the security challenges he brings with him when he comes to address the World Economic Forum

The Swiss army and police said on Monday, January 22, the Swiss Alpine town of Davos was ready for US President Donald Trump and the security challenges he brings with him when he comes to address the World Economic Forum. The annual meeting begins on Tuesday, January 23. Trump's visit to Davos is the first by a sitting US president since Bill Clinton attended in 2000. Grisons Cantonal police, who coordinate WEF's $9.3 million security measures and are liaising with US officials, said at a news conference on Monday they were ready. A total of 4,400 soldiers have been deployed, an increase of 100 from last year, and airspace is open only to aircraft ferrying participants to the forum. The Swiss army has begun erecting checkpoints on roads leading into town and armed hillside bivouacs down the valley, scenes to those of previous post-September 11 WEF meetings where security has been paramount. Trump's policies, including his intention to exit the 2015 Paris climate accord and his "America First" policy, may not sit well with all of Switzerland, which backs the global climate pact and whose economy relies on global trade. This has prompted some critics to suggest Trump's polarising persona could resurrect the violent anti-WEF protests seen in the early 2000s. An online petition is circulating telling Trump he is not welcome. Although an anti-Trump demonstration is planned for Zurich on Tuesday, Swiss police say poor weather could stop protesters planning a demonstration when Trump arrives on Thursday, January 25. He is scheduled to speak on the last day of the forum on Friday, January 26.

Swiss army, police say Davos ready for Trump

In his debut appearance at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, US President Donald Trump on Friday offered &quot;America&#39;s friendship and partnership&quot; to the world, stating that &quot;America First does not mean America alone.&quot;

&quot;As President of the United States, I will always put America first. America first does not mean America alone. When the United States grows, so does the world,&quot; President Trump&nbsp;told his audience of politicians and leaders of industry, technology and finance.

The US President also told his audience that the though the United States was more attractive than ever to foreign investment under his year-old presidency, there <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-tell-davos-us-wants-free-but-fair-trade-aide-30835">could not be free and open trade</a> if some countries exploited the system.

&quot;We cannot have free and open trade if some countries exploit the system at the expense of others,&quot; the US President said.

&quot;We support free trade but it needs to be fair and it needs to be reciprocal. The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices,&quot; he said.

President Trump pitched a strong and prosperous America to the world and said the country was &quot;competitive once again.&quot;

&quot;The world is experiencing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America. America is open for business and we are competitive once again,&quot; he said.

The US President, however, drew boos from the audience, when he attacked the media, calling them &quot;vicious&quot; and accusing them of reporting &quot;fake&quot; news.

&quot;It wasn&#39;t until I became a politician that I realised how nasty, how mean, how vicious and how fake the press can be,&quot; Trump said, drawing boos from the hall where hundreds of delegates were seated.&nbsp;

The US President Donald Trump also informed that US-backed coalition forces had won back almost 100 per cent of territory occupied by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Working with allies and partners to destroy jihadist terrorist organisations like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. US leading broad coalition to destroy terrorists&#39;&nbsp;control of their territory. Pleased to inform coalition to destroy ISIS has retaken 100% of territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria,&quot; President Trump said.

(With inputs from AFP)

 
&nbsp;

Trump told his audience that the United States was more attractive than ever to foreign investment under his year-old presidency.

In his debut appearance at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos, US President Donald Trump on Friday offered "America's friendship and partnership" to the world, stating that "America First does not mean America alone." "As President of the United States, I will always put America first. America first does not mean America alone. When the United States grows, so does the world," President Trump told his audience of politicians and leaders of industry, technology and finance. The US President also told his audience that the though the United States was more attractive than ever to foreign investment under his year-old presidency, there could not be free and open trade if some countries exploited the system. "We cannot have free and open trade if some countries exploit the system at the expense of others," the US President said. "We support free trade but it needs to be fair and it needs to be reciprocal. The United States will no longer turn a blind eye to unfair economic practices," he said. President Trump pitched a strong and prosperous America to the world and said the country was "competitive once again." "The world is experiencing the resurgence of a strong and prosperous America. America is open for business and we are competitive once again," he said. The US President, however, drew boos from the audience, when he attacked the media, calling them "vicious" and accusing them of reporting "fake" news. "It wasn't until I became a politician that I realised how nasty, how mean, how vicious and how fake the press can be," Trump said, drawing boos from the hall where hundreds of delegates were seated. The US President Donald Trump also informed that US-backed coalition forces had won back almost 100 per cent of territory occupied by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Working with allies and partners to destroy jihadist terrorist organisations like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. US leading broad coalition to destroy terrorists' control of their territory. Pleased to inform coalition to destroy ISIS has retaken 100% of territory once held by these killers in Iraq and Syria," President Trump said. (With inputs from AFP)

'America First does not mean America alone': Trump at Davos

President Donald Trump&#39;s dinner with a European business delegation in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting was attended by three Indian-origin CEOs.

They included Vas Narasimhan from Novartis, Rajeev Suri from Nokia and Punit Renjen from Deloitte.

Narasimhan was named Novartis CEO in September 2017. Singaporean citizen Suri is now based in Finland. He is the student of Manipal Institute of Technology.

Rohtak-born Punit Renjen has been CEO of Deloitt since June 2015.

Trump, in all, had invited 15 top European CEOs to discuss business and encourage them to invest in the US as part of his efforts to strengthen the American economy.

During the dinner, he spoke about the thriving US economy ?- crediting his tax policies, deregulation and his role as a cheerleader for American business.

The American delegation was attended by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielson, National Security Advisor H R McMaster and Dire of the National Economic Council Gary Cohen.&nbsp;

The CEOs included Vas Narasimhan from Novartis, Rajeev Suri from Nokia, and Punit Renjen from Deloitte

President Donald Trump's dinner with a European business delegation in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting was attended by three Indian-origin CEOs. They included Vas Narasimhan from Novartis, Rajeev Suri from Nokia and Punit Renjen from Deloitte. Narasimhan was named Novartis CEO in September 2017. Singaporean citizen Suri is now based in Finland. He is the student of Manipal Institute of Technology. Rohtak-born Punit Renjen has been CEO of Deloitt since June 2015. Trump, in all, had invited 15 top European CEOs to discuss business and encourage them to invest in the US as part of his efforts to strengthen the American economy. During the dinner, he spoke about the thriving US economy ?- crediting his tax policies, deregulation and his role as a cheerleader for American business. The American delegation was attended by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielson, National Security Advisor H R McMaster and Dire of the National Economic Council Gary Cohen.

Three Indian-origin CEOs dine with Trump at Davos

The White House insisted Sunday that Donald Trump was &quot;shocked and disturbed&quot; by allegations of domestic abuse that led two staffers to resign, after the president faced flak for saying lives were being ruined by possibly false claims.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Trump, said the president pushed the two staffers out the moment he saw credible evidence against them.

Other top White House aides similarly supported Trump&#39;s handling of the latest controversy to upend his administration.

&quot;I think the president, like the rest of us, were shocked and disturbed by the allegations,&quot; Conway said on ABC&#39;s &quot;This Week.&quot;

Trump is said to be annoyed by the focus on the latest White House turmoil, especially as it comes on the eve of his release of a major infrastructure spending initiative.

&quot;So many positive things going on for the U.S.A. and the Fake News Media just doesn&#39;t want to go there,&quot; he tweeted Sunday. &quot;Same negative stories over and over again.&quot;&nbsp;

Conway said the job of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was not in jeopardy over his handling of the matter. Critics say he badly mishandled the situation, possibly even exposing one of the ousted aides to the risk of blackmail.

Asked about Trump&#39;s tweet on Saturday that lives were being &quot;shattered and destroyed&quot; by allegations that are sometimes false, Conway told CNN&#39;s &quot;State of the Union&quot; that there was &quot;no reason not to believe the women.&quot;&nbsp;

Yet Trump made no mention of the ex-wives of the two former staffers, or of the alleged abuse, and his response has drawn widespread criticism from his opponents.

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the president had again shown a total lack of empathy for victims of abuse.

&quot;The lives of survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse are being shattered every day,&quot; she wrote on Twitter.

&quot;The President has shown through words and actions that he doesn&#39;t value women. It&#39;s not surprising that he doesn&#39;t believe survivors or understand the national conversation that is happening.&quot;

But Conway insisted the president is &quot;a man who shows great compassion and understanding for women.&quot;

Other top White House aides similarly supported Trump's handling of the latest controversy to upend his administration

The White House insisted Sunday that Donald Trump was "shocked and disturbed" by allegations of domestic abuse that led two staffers to resign, after the president faced flak for saying lives were being ruined by possibly false claims. Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Trump, said the president pushed the two staffers out the moment he saw credible evidence against them. Other top White House aides similarly supported Trump's handling of the latest controversy to upend his administration. "I think the president, like the rest of us, were shocked and disturbed by the allegations," Conway said on ABC's "This Week." Trump is said to be annoyed by the focus on the latest White House turmoil, especially as it comes on the eve of his release of a major infrastructure spending initiative. "So many positive things going on for the U.S.A. and the Fake News Media just doesn't want to go there," he tweeted Sunday. "Same negative stories over and over again." Conway said the job of White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was not in jeopardy over his handling of the matter. Critics say he badly mishandled the situation, possibly even exposing one of the ousted aides to the risk of blackmail. Asked about Trump's tweet on Saturday that lives were being "shattered and destroyed" by allegations that are sometimes false, Conway told CNN's "State of the Union" that there was "no reason not to believe the women." Yet Trump made no mention of the ex-wives of the two former staffers, or of the alleged abuse, and his response has drawn widespread criticism from his opponents. Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the president had again shown a total lack of empathy for victims of abuse. "The lives of survivors of sexual assault and domestic abuse are being shattered every day," she wrote on Twitter. "The President has shown through words and actions that he doesn't value women. It's not surprising that he doesn't believe survivors or understand the national conversation that is happening." But Conway insisted the president is "a man who shows great compassion and understanding for women."

Trump 'shocked' by allegations against aides: White House

The Winter Olympics has started, fans are encouraging their country and favourite athletes.

The theme of this years Olympics is unity and peace and even the opening ceremony was marked by a show of unity between North and South Korea.

But unfortunately, people dressed up as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday were swiftly being shown out by security staff.

The &#39;fakes&#39;&nbsp;caused a commotion when they appeared in the stands during the Opening Ceremony.

&quot;We&#39;re getting along great,&quot; said the Kim lookalike, who declined to give his name.

&quot;We wanted to surprise everyone and bring world peace and then we&#39;re being escorted out by security guards, which I think is really unfair,&quot; he added. &quot;Doesn&#39;t everyone want peace?&quot;

Athletes from both countries entered the arena under a flag depicting a unified Korea as American Vice President Mike Pence and Kim&#39;s sister, Kim Yo Jong, watched on from a VIP box.

&quot;Is my sister getting the same treatment? &quot; the Kim lookalike said as he was escorted out of the stadium.

&nbsp;

Two people dressed up as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday were swiftly being shown out by security staff

The Winter Olympics has started, fans are encouraging their country and favourite athletes. The theme of this years Olympics is unity and peace and even the opening ceremony was marked by a show of unity between North and South Korea. But unfortunately, people dressed up as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on Friday were swiftly being shown out by security staff. The 'fakes' caused a commotion when they appeared in the stands during the Opening Ceremony. "We're getting along great," said the Kim lookalike, who declined to give his name. "We wanted to surprise everyone and bring world peace and then we're being escorted out by security guards, which I think is really unfair," he added. "Doesn't everyone want peace?" Athletes from both countries entered the arena under a flag depicting a unified Korea as American Vice President Mike Pence and Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, watched on from a VIP box. "Is my sister getting the same treatment? " the Kim lookalike said as he was escorted out of the stadium.

'Trump' and 'Kim' appeared at opening ceremony of Winter Olympics

After hours of delay, the US Congress finally passed the much-awaited federal spending today.

The measure has been sent to President Donald Trump seeking him to end the country&#39;s second government shutdown in three weeks.

The House voted in support of the bill in 240 to 186. The bipartisan package will extend government funding until March 23 lifting the federal spending limits by nearly $300 billion for the next couple of years.

Congress had previously missed a midnight deadline after a conservative senator refused to allow an early vote on the bill.

With Trump signing the bill, government offices will reopen.&nbsp;

(With inputs from AFP)&nbsp;

Congress had previously missed a midnight deadline after a conservative senator refused to allow an early vote on the bill.

After hours of delay, the US Congress finally passed the much-awaited federal spending today. The measure has been sent to President Donald Trump seeking him to end the country's second government shutdown in three weeks. The House voted in support of the bill in 240 to 186. The bipartisan package will extend government funding until March 23 lifting the federal spending limits by nearly $300 billion for the next couple of years. Congress had previously missed a midnight deadline after a conservative senator refused to allow an early vote on the bill. With Trump signing the bill, government offices will reopen. (With inputs from AFP)

US: Congress passes spending bill, sends to Trump to end shutdown

US Senate <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/congress-votes-to-end-us-shutdown-trump-claims-victory-30415">failed to break the deadlock on Thursday</a> as the Trump government shutdown with no funding vote&nbsp;beyond the 12:00 am deadline.

The senators were unable to pass a stopgap spending bill before midnight.

The house&nbsp;opted to close and then reopen at 12:01 am.

This is the US government&#39;s second shutdown in three weeks after a senator in President Trump&#39;s own Republican Party blocked a vote on a bipartisan budget deal before a midnight deadline.

The closure could be shortlived&nbsp;as the Senate is&nbsp;expected to schedule a vote on the measure at 1:00 am and, if it passes, send it to the House of Representatives and then to President Trump&nbsp;for his signature as early as Friday.

Earlier, White House&#39;s Office of Management and Budget(OMB) told Reuters that the Budget &quot;is currently preparing for a lapse in appropriations&quot;.

The bill, which extends government funding for six weeks, raises the federal debt ceiling and increases federal spending limits for the next two years, would break the cycle of government funding crises in time for what is set to be a bruising campaign for November&#39;s mid-term elections.

The closure could be shortlived as the Senate is expected to schedule a vote on the measure at 1:00 am

US Senate failed to break the deadlock on Thursday as the Trump government shutdown with no funding vote beyond the 12:00 am deadline. The senators were unable to pass a stopgap spending bill before midnight. The house opted to close and then reopen at 12:01 am. This is the US government's second shutdown in three weeks after a senator in President Trump's own Republican Party blocked a vote on a bipartisan budget deal before a midnight deadline. The closure could be shortlived as the Senate is expected to schedule a vote on the measure at 1:00 am and, if it passes, send it to the House of Representatives and then to President Trump for his signature as early as Friday. Earlier, White House's Office of Management and Budget(OMB) told Reuters that the Budget "is currently preparing for a lapse in appropriations". The bill, which extends government funding for six weeks, raises the federal debt ceiling and increases federal spending limits for the next two years, would break the cycle of government funding crises in time for what is set to be a bruising campaign for November's mid-term elections.

US government slides into second shutdown in three weeks

US President Donald Trump signed a<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-congress-passes-spending-bill-sends-to-trump-to-end-shutdown-32327"> crucial spending bill </a>Friday, reopening the US government after a brief shutdown, the second in three weeks, and a night of high drama in Congress.

Trump announced the signing on his Twitter account, hailing the bill&#39;s passage in the early hours of Friday as a boost for the US military and &quot;JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!&quot;&nbsp; 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Just signed Bill. Our Military will now be stronger than ever before. We love and need our Military and gave them everything &mdash; and more. First time this has happened in a long time. Also means JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/961957671246159875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The House voted 240 to 186 in support of a bipartisan package that extends funding until March 23, hours after a conservative senator forced Congress to miss a midnight deadline, sparking the shutdown.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky had blocked a vote in the upper house, briefly bringing the government to a halt to protest big increases in spending on the military and domestic programs.

The compromise approved overnight also leaves many Democrats frustrated by failing to address the fate of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants threatened with deportation.&nbsp;

Trump defended the deal, but said it contained &quot;much waste in order to get Dem votes.&quot;

&quot;Our Military will now be stronger than ever before. We love and need our Military and gave them everything -- and more,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;Without more Republicans in Congress, we were forced to increase spending on things we do not like or want in order to finally, after many years of depletion, take care of our Military. Sadly, we needed some Dem votes for passage.&quot;

Trump was referring to a provision in the bill that increases spending limits for the next two years and raises the federal debt ceiling until March 2019.

That is set to break the cycle of government funding crises in time for what will likely be a bruising campaign for November&#39;s mid-term elections.

But the dramatics in Congress spoke volumes about the political gridlock that defines Washington.

The rebellion that simmered among Republicans and Democrats over the budget agreement boiled over when a determined Paul brought the Senate&#39;s work to a halt.

&#39;Definition of hypocrisy&#39; 
 
The Kentucky Republican took the floor to blast the increase in federal spending limits, and in particular the fiscal irresponsibility of his own party.

&quot;If you&#39;re against president (Barack) Obama&#39;s deficits, but you&#39;re for the Republican deficits, isn&#39;t that the very definition of hypocrisy?&quot; he boomed, adding that he wants his fellow lawmakers &quot;to feel uncomfortable&quot; over the impasse.

Moving legislation swiftly through the upper chamber of Congress requires consent by all 100 members, but Paul objected.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer warned the delay put lawmakers &quot;in risky territory,&quot; and several fellow Republicans confronted Paul in the chamber about his strategy -- but he refused to yield to allow an early vote.

&nbsp;$300 billion more&nbsp; 
 
Ultimately, enough members from both parties joined forces to get the temporary spending bill across the finish line, but the bill&#39;s fate in the House had been far from certain.&nbsp;

It incorporates a major budget deal reached last week between Senate leaders on both sides of the political aisle.

That agreement includes a $300 billion increase to both military and non-military spending limits for this year and 2019, and raises the debt until March 1 next year.

It also provides a massive $90 billion disaster relief package and funding to address the nationwide opioid abuse crisis.

Several fiscal conservatives in the lower chamber joined Paul in balking at adding billions of dollars to the national debt two months after passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut package.

And liberal stalwarts including top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi were also in revolt because the deal does nothing to protect immigrants known as &quot;Dreamers,&quot; who were brought to the US illegally as children, from deportation.

&quot;Nobody wants a shutdown,&quot; Pelosi told the House moments before the vote.

She said she wanted an assurance from Ryan that he would take up the issue of immigration in the coming weeks.

&quot;Give us a chance to allay the fear that is in the hearts of these Dreamers and their families, and remove the tears from the Statue of Liberty observing what is happening here,&quot; she said.

Democrats have sought to link the funding debate to a permanent solution for the &quot;Dreamers,&quot; who were shielded from deportation under an Obama-era program which ended last September by Trump, who set a March 5 deadline for resolving the issue.

The White House&#39;s current proposal -- one that would put 1.8 million immigrants on a path to citizenship, but also boost border security, and dramatically curtail legal immigration -- has been panned by Democrats, and several other bipartisan efforts have stalled. 
&nbsp;

Trump announced the signing on his Twitter account, hailing the bill's passage in the early hours of Friday as a boost for the US military and jobs

US President Donald Trump signed a crucial spending bill Friday, reopening the US government after a brief shutdown, the second in three weeks, and a night of high drama in Congress. Trump announced the signing on his Twitter account, hailing the bill's passage in the early hours of Friday as a boost for the US military and "JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!" Just signed Bill. Our Military will now be stronger than ever before. We love and need our Military and gave them everything — and more. First time this has happened in a long time. Also means JOBS, JOBS, JOBS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2018 × The House voted 240 to 186 in support of a bipartisan package that extends funding until March 23, hours after a conservative senator forced Congress to miss a midnight deadline, sparking the shutdown. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky had blocked a vote in the upper house, briefly bringing the government to a halt to protest big increases in spending on the military and domestic programs. The compromise approved overnight also leaves many Democrats frustrated by failing to address the fate of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants threatened with deportation. Trump defended the deal, but said it contained "much waste in order to get Dem votes." "Our Military will now be stronger than ever before. We love and need our Military and gave them everything -- and more," he said. "Without more Republicans in Congress, we were forced to increase spending on things we do not like or want in order to finally, after many years of depletion, take care of our Military. Sadly, we needed some Dem votes for passage." Trump was referring to a provision in the bill that increases spending limits for the next two years and raises the federal debt ceiling until March 2019. That is set to break the cycle of government funding crises in time for what will likely be a bruising campaign for November's mid-term elections. But the dramatics in Congress spoke volumes about the political gridlock that defines Washington. The rebellion that simmered among Republicans and Democrats over the budget agreement boiled over when a determined Paul brought the Senate's work to a halt. 'Definition of hypocrisy' The Kentucky Republican took the floor to blast the increase in federal spending limits, and in particular the fiscal irresponsibility of his own party. "If you're against president (Barack) Obama's deficits, but you're for the Republican deficits, isn't that the very definition of hypocrisy?" he boomed, adding that he wants his fellow lawmakers "to feel uncomfortable" over the impasse. Moving legislation swiftly through the upper chamber of Congress requires consent by all 100 members, but Paul objected. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer warned the delay put lawmakers "in risky territory," and several fellow Republicans confronted Paul in the chamber about his strategy -- but he refused to yield to allow an early vote. $300 billion more Ultimately, enough members from both parties joined forces to get the temporary spending bill across the finish line, but the bill's fate in the House had been far from certain. It incorporates a major budget deal reached last week between Senate leaders on both sides of the political aisle. That agreement includes a $300 billion increase to both military and non-military spending limits for this year and 2019, and raises the debt until March 1 next year. It also provides a massive $90 billion disaster relief package and funding to address the nationwide opioid abuse crisis. Several fiscal conservatives in the lower chamber joined Paul in balking at adding billions of dollars to the national debt two months after passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut package. And liberal stalwarts including top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi were also in revolt because the deal does nothing to protect immigrants known as "Dreamers," who were brought to the US illegally as children, from deportation. "Nobody wants a shutdown," Pelosi told the House moments before the vote. She said she wanted an assurance from Ryan that he would take up the issue of immigration in the coming weeks. "Give us a chance to allay the fear that is in the hearts of these Dreamers and their families, and remove the tears from the Statue of Liberty observing what is happening here," she said. Democrats have sought to link the funding debate to a permanent solution for the "Dreamers," who were shielded from deportation under an Obama-era program which ended last September by Trump, who set a March 5 deadline for resolving the issue. The White House's current proposal -- one that would put 1.8 million immigrants on a path to citizenship, but also boost border security, and dramatically curtail legal immigration -- has been panned by Democrats, and several other bipartisan efforts have stalled.

Trump signs bill ending government shutdown

US&nbsp;President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/indian-pm-modi-meets-donald-trump-in-manila-6664">Donald Trump today spoke&nbsp;on the phone</a> with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two leaders discussed the war in Afghanistan including the political crisis in the Maldives.&nbsp;

&quot;Both leaders expressed concern about the political crisis in Maldives and the importance of respect for democratic institutions and rule of law,&quot; the White House said in a statement.

The two leaders also took note of the plight of Rohingya refugees in Myanmar.

&quot;Affirming President Trump&#39;s South Asia strategy, they reiterated their commitment to supporting Afghanistan&#39;s security and stability,&quot; the White House added.&nbsp;

Modi and Trump spoke about the situation in North Korea.

According to the White House, during the call, Trump and Modi discussed further steps to ensure &quot;denuclearisation of North Korea&quot;.

&quot;Finally, the leaders agreed to strengthen security and economic cooperation as they look forward to the &#39;2+2&#39; ministerial dialogue between their defence and diplomatic officials in April,&quot; the White House said.

The &#39;2+2 dialogue&#39; was announced after the White House meeting between Modi and Trump in June 2017.&nbsp;

The dialogue process involves talks between India&#39;s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister&nbsp;Sitharaman along with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and defense secretary Jim Mattis.

Modi and Trump also about the situation in North Korea.

US President Donald Trump today spoke on the phone with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the two leaders discussed the war in Afghanistan including the political crisis in the Maldives. "Both leaders expressed concern about the political crisis in Maldives and the importance of respect for democratic institutions and rule of law," the White House said in a statement. The two leaders also took note of the plight of Rohingya refugees in Myanmar. "Affirming President Trump's South Asia strategy, they reiterated their commitment to supporting Afghanistan's security and stability," the White House added. Modi and Trump spoke about the situation in North Korea. According to the White House, during the call, Trump and Modi discussed further steps to ensure "denuclearisation of North Korea". "Finally, the leaders agreed to strengthen security and economic cooperation as they look forward to the '2+2' ministerial dialogue between their defence and diplomatic officials in April," the White House said. The '2+2 dialogue' was announced after the White House meeting between Modi and Trump in June 2017. The dialogue process involves talks between India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Sitharaman along with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson and defense secretary Jim Mattis.

Modi, Trump discuss situation in Afghanistan, Maldives over phone call

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-moves-bill-to-end-non-defence-aid-to-pakistan-32055">US House of Representatives moves bill to end &#39;non-defence aid&#39; to Pakistan</a>

The bill seeks to divert the money for infrastructure projects in the United States.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/two-killed-over-200-injured-in-64-magnitude-taiwan-earthquake-32045">2 killed, over 200 injured in 6.4-magnitude Taiwan earthquake</a>

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan late on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey&nbsp;said. 
&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-biggest-rocket-spacexs-falcon-heavy-soars-toward-mars-after-perfect-launch-32050">SpaceX sends a sports car into space with world&#39;s most powerful rocket</a>

The world&#39;s most powerful rocket, SpaceX&#39;s Falcon Heavy, roared into space through clear blue skies in its debut test flight on Tuesday.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-tells-pentagon-to-plan-a-military-parade-32046">Trump tells Pentagon to plan military parade</a>

US President Donald Trump has asked for a military parade to showcase American muscle and underscore his role as commander-in-chief.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/entertainment-prepping-for-no-more-tours-2-in-spring-ozzy-osbourne-says-im-not-retiring-32052">Prepping for &#39;No More Tours 2&#39; in spring, Ozzy Osbourne says &#39;I&#39;m not retiring</a>

Black Sabbath star Ozzy Osbourne will kickstart last tour of his life this spring but will continue performing gigs around the world, he confirmed.

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan late on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.

US House of Representatives moves bill to end 'non-defence aid' to Pakistan The bill seeks to divert the money for infrastructure projects in the United States. 2 killed, over 200 injured in 6.4-magnitude Taiwan earthquake A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coastal city of Hualien in Taiwan late on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. SpaceX sends a sports car into space with world's most powerful rocket The world's most powerful rocket, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, roared into space through clear blue skies in its debut test flight on Tuesday. Trump tells Pentagon to plan military parade US President Donald Trump has asked for a military parade to showcase American muscle and underscore his role as commander-in-chief. Prepping for 'No More Tours 2' in spring, Ozzy Osbourne says 'I'm not retiring Black Sabbath star Ozzy Osbourne will kickstart last tour of his life this spring but will continue performing gigs around the world, he confirmed.

WION Morning News brief, February 7, 2018

US President Donald Trump has asked for a military parade to showcase American muscle and underscore his role as commander-in-chief, the White House said on Wednesday.

Trump, who has toyed with the idea of a parade in Washington since before being sworn in, has made the request to officers, who are looking for a date.

&quot;President Trump is incredibly supportive of America&#39;s great service members who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe. He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation,&quot; said press secretary Sarah Sanders.

The Washington Post first reported Trump told top Pentagon brass last month he wants a military parade.

&quot;The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,&quot; the military official said, according to the Post.

&quot;This is being worked at the highest levels of the military,&quot; the official added.

After the Post published its story, the White House issued a statement that said Trump &quot;has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation.&quot;

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the parade planning was in the &quot;brainstorming&quot; stage and nothing had been decided, the Post reported.

President Trump requests that military begins preparations for a military parade in the nation's capital

US President Donald Trump has asked for a military parade to showcase American muscle and underscore his role as commander-in-chief, the White House said on Wednesday. Trump, who has toyed with the idea of a parade in Washington since before being sworn in, has made the request to officers, who are looking for a date. "President Trump is incredibly supportive of America's great service members who risk their lives every day to keep our country safe. He has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation," said press secretary Sarah Sanders. The Washington Post first reported Trump told top Pentagon brass last month he wants a military parade. "The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France," the military official said, according to the Post. "This is being worked at the highest levels of the military," the official added. After the Post published its story, the White House issued a statement that said Trump "has asked the Department of Defense to explore a celebration at which all Americans can show their appreciation." A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the parade planning was in the "brainstorming" stage and nothing had been decided, the Post reported.

Donald Trump tells Pentagon to plan a military parade

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