Former US &nbsp;President Barack Obama warned then-President-elect Donald Trump not to give the post of national security adviser in his administration to Michael Flynn who was eventually fired in a controversy about ties to Russia, a former Obama aide said.&nbsp;

Obama gave the warning in a one-hour Oval Office meeting with Trump two days after the Republican&#39;s surprise Nov. 8 election win.

The warning, first reported by NBC News, came up during a discussion of White House personnel.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer, responding to the reports, told a news briefing: &quot;It&#39;s true that the president, President Obama, made it known that he wasn&#39;t exactly a fan of General Flynn&#39;s which frankly shouldn&#39;t come as a surprise to anyone, given that General Flynn had worked for President Obama, was an outspoken critic of President Obama&#39;s shortcomings, specifically as it related to his lack of strategy confronting ISIS and other threats.&quot;

An Obama spokesman initially declined to comment.&nbsp;

Flynn has emerged as a central figure in probes into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible collusion between Trump&#39;s campaign and Moscow.

Russia has repeatedly denied any such meddling.&nbsp;

He had been pushed out by Obama in 2014 from his job as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, during the Democratic president&#39;s term in office.

Trump dismissed Flynn after less than a month as his national security adviser.

A former US &nbsp;deputy attorney general, Sally Yates, was appearing at a hearing of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Monday.

She was expected to tell the panel that she had warned the White House counsel after Trump took office that Flynn had not told the truth about conversations he had held with Russia&#39;s ambassador to Washington.

James Clapper, Obama&#39;s former Director of National Intelligence, was testifying to the panel before Yates.

Senator Lindsey Graham, the subcommittee&rsquo;s Republican chairman, said in opening the hearing on Monday that the issue of interference in the election should not be partisan.

&quot;When a foreign party interferes in our election, it doesn&#39;t matter who they targeted. We&#39;re all in the same boat,&quot; Graham told the panel.

Trump fired Yates in late January after she defied the White House and refused to defend travel restrictions targeting seven Muslim-majority countries, a policy that Trump has said would help protect Americans from ISIS, the Islamic State group that has claimed responsibility for attacks in several countries.

Trump fired Flynn, a retired general, in February for failing to disclose talks with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak about US &nbsp;sanctions on Moscow and then misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.&nbsp;

Congressional committees began investigating after US &nbsp;intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered hacking of Democratic political groups to try to sway the election toward Trump.

The agencies said Russia was behind &quot;fake news&quot; reports that were disseminated on social media.

Trump has also dismissed the allegations, suggesting instead that Obama might have wiretapped Trump Tower in New York or that China may have been behind the cyber attacks.

Trump has provided no evidence and neither scenario has been supported by intelligence agencies.

Hours before Monday&#39;As Senate hearing,Trump insinuated that Yates, an Obama administration appointment, had leaked information on Flynn to the media.

&quot;Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W H Council,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter, apparently mis-spelling the word counsel.

In another Twitter post, Trump noted that Flynn had been granted top security clearance while working in the Obama administration.&nbsp;

Flynn was fired from the DIA in 2014 for what officials familiar with the issue said was a disruptive management style that included instructing analysts to find intelligence substantiating improbable theories that some subordinates came to call &quot;Flynn facts.&quot;

He also advocated an overhaul of the DIA that ignited resistance from veteran intelligence officials, the officials said.&nbsp;

The Senate Judiciary subcommittee probe is one of three main congressional investigations of Russia and the 2016 US &nbsp;election. The FBI and US &nbsp; intelligence agencies are conducting separate probes.

(Reuters)

Obama gave the warning in a one-hour Oval Office meeting with Trump two days after the Republican's surprise Nov 8 election win

Former US President Barack Obama warned then-President-elect Donald Trump not to give the post of national security adviser in his administration to Michael Flynn who was eventually fired in a controversy about ties to Russia, a former Obama aide said. Obama gave the warning in a one-hour Oval Office meeting with Trump two days after the Republican's surprise Nov. 8 election win. The warning, first reported by NBC News, came up during a discussion of White House personnel. White House spokesman Sean Spicer, responding to the reports, told a news briefing: "It's true that the president, President Obama, made it known that he wasn't exactly a fan of General Flynn's which frankly shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, given that General Flynn had worked for President Obama, was an outspoken critic of President Obama's shortcomings, specifically as it related to his lack of strategy confronting ISIS and other threats." An Obama spokesman initially declined to comment. Flynn has emerged as a central figure in probes into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow. Russia has repeatedly denied any such meddling. He had been pushed out by Obama in 2014 from his job as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, or DIA, during the Democratic president's term in office. Trump dismissed Flynn after less than a month as his national security adviser. A former US deputy attorney general, Sally Yates, was appearing at a hearing of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Monday. She was expected to tell the panel that she had warned the White House counsel after Trump took office that Flynn had not told the truth about conversations he had held with Russia's ambassador to Washington. James Clapper, Obama's former Director of National Intelligence, was testifying to the panel before Yates. Senator Lindsey Graham, the subcommittee’s Republican chairman, said in opening the hearing on Monday that the issue of interference in the election should not be partisan. "When a foreign party interferes in our election, it doesn't matter who they targeted. We're all in the same boat," Graham told the panel. Trump fired Yates in late January after she defied the White House and refused to defend travel restrictions targeting seven Muslim-majority countries, a policy that Trump has said would help protect Americans from ISIS, the Islamic State group that has claimed responsibility for attacks in several countries. Trump fired Flynn, a retired general, in February for failing to disclose talks with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak about US sanctions on Moscow and then misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations. Congressional committees began investigating after US intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered hacking of Democratic political groups to try to sway the election toward Trump. The agencies said Russia was behind "fake news" reports that were disseminated on social media. Trump has also dismissed the allegations, suggesting instead that Obama might have wiretapped Trump Tower in New York or that China may have been behind the cyber attacks. Trump has provided no evidence and neither scenario has been supported by intelligence agencies. Hours before Monday'As Senate hearing,Trump insinuated that Yates, an Obama administration appointment, had leaked information on Flynn to the media. "Ask Sally Yates, under oath, if she knows how classified information got into the newspapers soon after she explained it to W H Council," Trump wrote on Twitter, apparently mis-spelling the word counsel. In another Twitter post, Trump noted that Flynn had been granted top security clearance while working in the Obama administration. Flynn was fired from the DIA in 2014 for what officials familiar with the issue said was a disruptive management style that included instructing analysts to find intelligence substantiating improbable theories that some subordinates came to call "Flynn facts." He also advocated an overhaul of the DIA that ignited resistance from veteran intelligence officials, the officials said. The Senate Judiciary subcommittee probe is one of three main congressional investigations of Russia and the 2016 US election. The FBI and US intelligence agencies are conducting separate probes. (Reuters)

Obama warned Trump about Flynn: Ex-Obama aide

The White House was warned in January that Donald Trump&#39;s national security advisor Michael Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, a top former official told lawmakers Monday, as the issue of the president&#39;s ties to Moscow returned to the spotlight.

Trump hit back by dismissing suggestions that his team colluded with Russia as a &quot;hoax,&quot; and calling the congressional investigations into Russia&#39;s interference in the US election a taxpayer-funded &quot;charade.&quot;

Former acting attorney general Sally Yates, a Barack Obama appointee sacked by Trump early in his presidency, took the stand alongside former director of national intelligence James Clapper during Monday&#39;s hotly-anticipated three-hour hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Yates confirmed reports that she had told the White House, six days into Trump&#39;s administration, that Flynn, a former military intelligence chief, had not been honest with Vice President Mike Pence about his discussions with the Russian ambassador to Washington, leaving him vulnerable to leverage from Moscow.

It nevertheless took 18 days before the president, pressed by Pence and others, dismissed the retired army lieutenant general, who had advised him on security issues throughout the 2016 presidential campaign.

&quot;We believed that General Flynn was compromised with respect to the Russians,&quot; Yates told the hearing in her first public comments on the scandal which has dogged the opening months of Trump&#39;s presidency.

&quot;This was a problem because not only did we believe that the Russians knew this but that they likely had proof of this information. And that created a compromise situation, a situation where the national security advisor essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians.&quot;

Yates, who was fired on January 30 after defying Trump over his contested travel ban, did not say what Flynn discussed with ambassador Sergey Kislyak in a number of December 2016 phone calls, which were secretly monitored by US intelligence.

Pence said in January that Flynn denied those calls involved sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama administration in response to its election meddling.

Obama warned Trump 
Trump has repeatedly branded the issue of Russian interference &quot;fake news&quot; despite the US intelligence community&#39;s conclusion that President Vladimir Putin himself was behind the meddling.

In a series of tweets Monday evening, Trump doubled down on that stance.

&quot;The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?&quot; fumed one post, while in a second the president targeted Yates -- claiming she had &quot;said nothing but old news!&quot; after earlier assailing her for allegedly leaking classified information.

Known as a tough and independent prosecutor, Yates has been a target of Trump&#39;s ire since her refusal in January to support his controversial immigration ban on nationals from several Muslim-majority nations -- for which he fired her.

Yates&#39; comments came after former Obama officials revealed that the outgoing president himself firmly warned Trump against naming Flynn as national security advisor, just two days after the November 8 election.

Obama had cautioned against Flynn, whom he fired in 2014 as head of the defense intelligence agency, due to his poor record in administration and personnel management.

In separate testimony Monday, Clapper called Russia&#39;s interference in last year&#39;s election &quot;a clarion call for vigilance and action against a threat to the very foundations of our democratic political system.&quot;

&quot;I believe they&#39;re now emboldened to continue such activities in the future, both here and around the world, and to do so even more intensely,&quot; he said.

The dual testimony by Yates and Clapper returned the spotlight to the simmering controversy over Russia&#39;s meddling in last year&#39;s US election.&nbsp;

Probes by several congressional committees into Russian election meddling have been bogged down for weeks amid accusations by Democrats that Republicans have stalled progress to protect the White House.

(AFP)

Flynn, the former national security adviser, was asked to go after just 23 days in the job

The White House was warned in January that Donald Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn was vulnerable to Russian blackmail, a top former official told lawmakers Monday, as the issue of the president's ties to Moscow returned to the spotlight. Trump hit back by dismissing suggestions that his team colluded with Russia as a "hoax," and calling the congressional investigations into Russia's interference in the US election a taxpayer-funded "charade." Former acting attorney general Sally Yates, a Barack Obama appointee sacked by Trump early in his presidency, took the stand alongside former director of national intelligence James Clapper during Monday's hotly-anticipated three-hour hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Yates confirmed reports that she had told the White House, six days into Trump's administration, that Flynn, a former military intelligence chief, had not been honest with Vice President Mike Pence about his discussions with the Russian ambassador to Washington, leaving him vulnerable to leverage from Moscow. It nevertheless took 18 days before the president, pressed by Pence and others, dismissed the retired army lieutenant general, who had advised him on security issues throughout the 2016 presidential campaign. "We believed that General Flynn was compromised with respect to the Russians," Yates told the hearing in her first public comments on the scandal which has dogged the opening months of Trump's presidency. "This was a problem because not only did we believe that the Russians knew this but that they likely had proof of this information. And that created a compromise situation, a situation where the national security advisor essentially could be blackmailed by the Russians." Yates, who was fired on January 30 after defying Trump over his contested travel ban, did not say what Flynn discussed with ambassador Sergey Kislyak in a number of December 2016 phone calls, which were secretly monitored by US intelligence. Pence said in January that Flynn denied those calls involved sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama administration in response to its election meddling. Obama warned Trump Trump has repeatedly branded the issue of Russian interference "fake news" despite the US intelligence community's conclusion that President Vladimir Putin himself was behind the meddling. In a series of tweets Monday evening, Trump doubled down on that stance. "The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?" fumed one post, while in a second the president targeted Yates -- claiming she had "said nothing but old news!" after earlier assailing her for allegedly leaking classified information. Known as a tough and independent prosecutor, Yates has been a target of Trump's ire since her refusal in January to support his controversial immigration ban on nationals from several Muslim-majority nations -- for which he fired her. Yates' comments came after former Obama officials revealed that the outgoing president himself firmly warned Trump against naming Flynn as national security advisor, just two days after the November 8 election. Obama had cautioned against Flynn, whom he fired in 2014 as head of the defense intelligence agency, due to his poor record in administration and personnel management. In separate testimony Monday, Clapper called Russia's interference in last year's election "a clarion call for vigilance and action against a threat to the very foundations of our democratic political system." "I believe they're now emboldened to continue such activities in the future, both here and around the world, and to do so even more intensely," he said. The dual testimony by Yates and Clapper returned the spotlight to the simmering controversy over Russia's meddling in last year's US election. Probes by several congressional committees into Russian election meddling have been bogged down for weeks amid accusations by Democrats that Republicans have stalled progress to protect the White House. (AFP)

White House was warned about Flynn in January: Yates

A foreign-funded university in North Korea confirmed Monday the arrest of a US citizen -- the second person linked to the school held in two weeks amid tensions on the peninsula.

The detention of Kim Hak-Song means that the North is now holding four US citizens, with the two countries at loggerheads over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear and missile ambitions.

The North detained Kim on Saturday for &quot;hostile acts&quot;, the official KCNA news agency said Sunday, adding he had worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST).

The school -- founded by evangelical Christians from overseas and opened in 2010 -- is known to have a number of American faculty members. Students are generally the children of the country&#39;s elite.

PUST confirmed Kim&#39;s arrest, saying he was detained as he was about to leave the country after a visit of several weeks.

&quot;During that visit, Mr Kim was at PUST to do agricultural development work with PUST&#39;s experimental farm,&quot; it said in a statement.

It did not comment on the reason for Kim&#39;s arrest but said it was &quot;not connected in any way with the work of PUST.&quot;

Two weeks ago the North arrested Tony Kim, a US citizen and accounting professor who was lecturing at PUST, accusing him of trying to &quot;overturn&quot; the regime.

Little is known about Kim Hak-Song. &nbsp;

The arrests of two Americans in such a short span of time comes as Pyongyang exchanges hostile rhetoric with the US over its banned missile and nuclear weapons programmes.&nbsp;

Pyongyang has carried out two nuclear tests and dozens of missile launches since the beginning of last year in its quest to build a rocket capable of delivering an atomic warhead to the US mainland.&nbsp;

Washington has suggested military action could be on the table but President Donald Trump has has softened his message more recently, saying he would be &quot;honoured&quot; to meet the North&#39;s young leader, Kim Jong-Un.&nbsp;

The four American citizens held in the North also include college student Otto Warmbier and Korean-American pastor Kim Dong-Chul, who received lengthy jail terms for &quot;crimes against the state&quot; and spying, respectively.

The North has occasionally jailed US citizens and released them only after visits by high-profile political figures including former president Bill Clinton.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The detention of Kim Hak-Song means that the North is now holding four US citizens

A foreign-funded university in North Korea confirmed Monday the arrest of a US citizen -- the second person linked to the school held in two weeks amid tensions on the peninsula. The detention of Kim Hak-Song means that the North is now holding four US citizens, with the two countries at loggerheads over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile ambitions. The North detained Kim on Saturday for "hostile acts", the official KCNA news agency said Sunday, adding he had worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST). The school -- founded by evangelical Christians from overseas and opened in 2010 -- is known to have a number of American faculty members. Students are generally the children of the country's elite. PUST confirmed Kim's arrest, saying he was detained as he was about to leave the country after a visit of several weeks. "During that visit, Mr Kim was at PUST to do agricultural development work with PUST's experimental farm," it said in a statement. It did not comment on the reason for Kim's arrest but said it was "not connected in any way with the work of PUST." Two weeks ago the North arrested Tony Kim, a US citizen and accounting professor who was lecturing at PUST, accusing him of trying to "overturn" the regime. Little is known about Kim Hak-Song. The arrests of two Americans in such a short span of time comes as Pyongyang exchanges hostile rhetoric with the US over its banned missile and nuclear weapons programmes. Pyongyang has carried out two nuclear tests and dozens of missile launches since the beginning of last year in its quest to build a rocket capable of delivering an atomic warhead to the US mainland. Washington has suggested military action could be on the table but President Donald Trump has has softened his message more recently, saying he would be "honoured" to meet the North's young leader, Kim Jong-Un. The four American citizens held in the North also include college student Otto Warmbier and Korean-American pastor Kim Dong-Chul, who received lengthy jail terms for "crimes against the state" and spying, respectively. The North has occasionally jailed US citizens and released them only after visits by high-profile political figures including former president Bill Clinton. (AFP)

North Korea arrests another US citizens amid tensions in flashpoint region

The sister of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner urged wealthy Chinese Sunday to buy stakes in real estate through a controversial programme that offers US residency in exchange for investment through the EB-5 visa programme.

Nicole Kushner Meyer was in Beijing Saturday and in Shanghai Sunday, seeking more than $150 million in investment in a luxury apartment complex project in New Jersey.&nbsp;

Jared Kushner, 36, is both a senior adviser and the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump with far-reaching influence over domestic and foreign policy. He stepped down from the family company in January to serve in the administration.

However, eyebrows have been raised as the Chinese investment sought by his family firm will be funnelled through the US EB-5 visa programme.

The EB-5 programme was created in 1990 to help stimulate the US economy through job creation and capital investment from foreign nationals, but detractors say it puts citizenship up for sale.&nbsp;

This offers foreigners permanent residency -- commonly known as a green card -- in exchange for investment of at least half a million dollars in a US business that must also create 10 American jobs.&nbsp;

Meyer told a crowd of more than 100 potential investors at the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai that her grandfather had come to the US as a poor refugee, labouring as a carpenter before building up a real estate empire.&nbsp;

But they could fast-track the process by buying into the 1,476-unit complex in Jersey City, scheduled to break ground in early 2018.&nbsp;

The investment drive, hosted by Chinese government-approved immigration agency QWOS, has sought to highlight the project&#39;s connections to the &quot;famous&quot; clan, raising concern over potential conflicts of interest.&nbsp;

On Sunday Meyer was introduced in Chinese to investors as a representative of &quot;a famed celebrity investment family&quot;. &nbsp;

QWOS representatives courting potential investors on-site pointedly dropped the name of Trump&#39;s daughter Ivanka, who is Jared Kushner&#39;s wife and a popular icon on the mainland.

Attendees were reassured by an American lawyer that despite his tough talk on immigration, Trump himself was a key decision-maker for EB-5 policy and was unlikely to make any changes to it in the near future -- making it a safe path to US residency.

But acting sooner was better than later since investment thresholds were likely to rise come autumn and regulations tighten, he warned. &nbsp;

The housing complex, known as &quot;One Journal Square&quot;, will include recreational facilities, child playrooms and a pet hospital, according to the QWOS website.&nbsp;

EB-5 investment from China will account for around 15 per cent of its total $976.4 million cost. &nbsp;

Sunday&#39;s presentations emphasised the complex&#39;s similarity to a Trump-branded luxury development a ten-minute drive away.&nbsp;

Those apartments were also developed by Kushner Companies, and about a quarter of the funding -- around $50 million -- was obtained via EB-5 investment, according to a report last year by Bloomberg News.&nbsp;

Most investors were Chinese and were brought in by QWOS, the company said.

Around a dozen clients had signed on for the new project after a Beijing event headed by Meyer the day before, QWOS representatives told AFP.&nbsp;

There, Nicole Kushner Meyer told investors that the project &quot;means a lot to me and my entire family&quot;, and mentioned her brother&#39;s former role as chief executive of Kushner Companies, the New York Times reported.&nbsp;

Photos of the meeting showed promotional posters bearing the slogan: &quot;Government supports it; Celebrity property developer builds it&quot;.

Journalists had been asked to leave the room in Beijing. In Shanghai, they were told they could not attend the &quot;private event&quot; even though it was publicly advertised. &nbsp;

Kushner Companies are also due to pitch for investment in the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou next weekend, according to the QWOS website.

Nearly 90 per cent of EB-5 visas were issued to Chinese nationals in 2014, when the programme reached its quota of 10,000 visas. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Nicole Kushner Meyer was in Beijing seeking more than $150 million in investment in a luxury apartment complex project in New Jersey

The sister of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner urged wealthy Chinese Sunday to buy stakes in real estate through a controversial programme that offers US residency in exchange for investment through the EB-5 visa programme. Nicole Kushner Meyer was in Beijing Saturday and in Shanghai Sunday, seeking more than $150 million in investment in a luxury apartment complex project in New Jersey. Jared Kushner, 36, is both a senior adviser and the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump with far-reaching influence over domestic and foreign policy. He stepped down from the family company in January to serve in the administration. However, eyebrows have been raised as the Chinese investment sought by his family firm will be funnelled through the US EB-5 visa programme. The EB-5 programme was created in 1990 to help stimulate the US economy through job creation and capital investment from foreign nationals, but detractors say it puts citizenship up for sale. This offers foreigners permanent residency -- commonly known as a green card -- in exchange for investment of at least half a million dollars in a US business that must also create 10 American jobs. Meyer told a crowd of more than 100 potential investors at the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai that her grandfather had come to the US as a poor refugee, labouring as a carpenter before building up a real estate empire. But they could fast-track the process by buying into the 1,476-unit complex in Jersey City, scheduled to break ground in early 2018. The investment drive, hosted by Chinese government-approved immigration agency QWOS, has sought to highlight the project's connections to the "famous" clan, raising concern over potential conflicts of interest. On Sunday Meyer was introduced in Chinese to investors as a representative of "a famed celebrity investment family". QWOS representatives courting potential investors on-site pointedly dropped the name of Trump's daughter Ivanka, who is Jared Kushner's wife and a popular icon on the mainland. Attendees were reassured by an American lawyer that despite his tough talk on immigration, Trump himself was a key decision-maker for EB-5 policy and was unlikely to make any changes to it in the near future -- making it a safe path to US residency. But acting sooner was better than later since investment thresholds were likely to rise come autumn and regulations tighten, he warned. The housing complex, known as "One Journal Square", will include recreational facilities, child playrooms and a pet hospital, according to the QWOS website. EB-5 investment from China will account for around 15 per cent of its total $976.4 million cost. Sunday's presentations emphasised the complex's similarity to a Trump-branded luxury development a ten-minute drive away. Those apartments were also developed by Kushner Companies, and about a quarter of the funding -- around $50 million -- was obtained via EB-5 investment, according to a report last year by Bloomberg News. Most investors were Chinese and were brought in by QWOS, the company said. Around a dozen clients had signed on for the new project after a Beijing event headed by Meyer the day before, QWOS representatives told AFP. There, Nicole Kushner Meyer told investors that the project "means a lot to me and my entire family", and mentioned her brother's former role as chief executive of Kushner Companies, the New York Times reported. Photos of the meeting showed promotional posters bearing the slogan: "Government supports it; Celebrity property developer builds it". Journalists had been asked to leave the room in Beijing. In Shanghai, they were told they could not attend the "private event" even though it was publicly advertised. Kushner Companies are also due to pitch for investment in the southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou next weekend, according to the QWOS website. Nearly 90 per cent of EB-5 visas were issued to Chinese nationals in 2014, when the programme reached its quota of 10,000 visas. (AFP)

Sister of Trump's son-in-law solicits Chinese investment in exchange of visas

&nbsp;The US&nbsp;House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Thursday to tighten&nbsp;sanctions&nbsp;on&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;by targeting its shipping industry and companies that do business with the reclusive state.

The vote was 419 to 1.

Supporters said the legislation was intended to send a strong message to&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea, amid international concern over the escalation of its nuclear programme.

The measure would have to be approved by the Senate before it could be sent to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign into law.

Although legislation addressing&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;has been introduced in the Senate, there was no immediate word on when or if the Senate might take up a bill.

Any new US&nbsp;sanctions&nbsp;against&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;would likely affect China, the&nbsp;North&#39;s most important trade partner.

While China has been angered by&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile tests, it has signed up for increasingly tough UN&nbsp;sanctions&nbsp;against it, and says it is committed to enforcing them.

Asked about the latest US&nbsp;legislation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated that China opposed other countries using their own domestic law to impose unilateralsanctions.

With the situation tense on the&nbsp;Korean Peninsula, all sides need to exercise restraint and not irritate each other to avoid the situation worsening, he said.

(Reuters)

The US House of Representatives approved a legislation targeting shipping industry and companies that do business with the reclusive state

The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Thursday to tighten sanctions on North Korea by targeting its shipping industry and companies that do business with the reclusive state. The vote was 419 to 1. Supporters said the legislation was intended to send a strong message to North Korea, amid international concern over the escalation of its nuclear programme. The measure would have to be approved by the Senate before it could be sent to the White House for President Donald Trump to sign into law. Although legislation addressing North Korea has been introduced in the Senate, there was no immediate word on when or if the Senate might take up a bill. Any new US sanctions against North Korea would likely affect China, the North's most important trade partner. While China has been angered by North Korea's nuclear and missile tests, it has signed up for increasingly tough UN sanctions against it, and says it is committed to enforcing them. Asked about the latest US legislation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated that China opposed other countries using their own domestic law to impose unilateralsanctions. With the situation tense on the Korean Peninsula, all sides need to exercise restraint and not irritate each other to avoid the situation worsening, he said. (Reuters)

US House tightens sanctions on nuclear-armed North Korea

Donald Trump on Thursday announced his first foreign trip as president will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican -- the spiritual centers of Islam, Judaism and Catholicism.

Trump will add the three stops to an already announced visit to NATO and G7 summits in Brussels and Sicily later this month.

&quot;My first foreign trip as president of the United States will be to Saudi Arabia, then Israel, and then to a place that my cardinals love very much, Rome,&quot; Trump said in a Rose Garden announcement.

Aides described the decision to travel to Saudi Arabia first as an effort to reset relations with the Muslim world.

There, Trump will meet with leaders from across in the Gulf and &nbsp;broader Middle East in the hope of curbing jihadi terror groups and Iran&#39;s growing regional clout.

&quot;Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam,&quot; said Trump, who has frequently been accused of fueling Islamophobia.

Trump said in Saudi Arabia he would &quot;begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for young Muslims in their countries.&quot;

The aim, one senior administration official said, was to reverse a trend &quot;of America&#39;s disengagement from the world and some of its biggest problems.&quot;

During president Barack Obama&#39;s tenure relations with the Gulf States, and Saudi Arabia in particular, were strained over his administration&#39;s engagement with Iran.

Trump&#39;s administration -- which includes generals who have had bitter personal experience with Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Lebanon -- has vowed to push back against Iranian influence across the region.

Peacemaker

The visit also comes as Trump wades into Middle East peacemaking,&nbsp;trying to reach a deal between Israel and the Palestinians,&nbsp;a goal that has eluded his predecessors and countless diplomats.

Trump is expected to meet both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on the trip.

A senior aide did not rule out the possibility of a presidential stop in the West Bank, but that is likely to be contingent on security and Abbas taking concrete steps toward peace.&nbsp;

Trump on Wednesday hosted Abbas at the White House, pledging to help end the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

&quot;It is something that I think is frankly, maybe not as difficult as people have thought over the years,&quot; Trump said, exuding his trademark bravado.

From there Trump will travel to the Vatican, where he will be received by Pope Francis on May 24.

Trump&#39;s attendance of a NATO summit in Brussels will be closely watched. The new president has demanded allies pay more for collective security, but has backed away from his early declarations that the alliance is &quot;obsolete.&quot;

A G7 summit in Sicily will offer Trump the chance to sit down face-to-face with leaders of the world&#39;s largest economies. 
 
(AFP)

Aides described the decision to travel to Saudi Arabia first as an effort to reset relations with the Muslim world

Donald Trump on Thursday announced his first foreign trip as president will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican -- the spiritual centers of Islam, Judaism and Catholicism. Trump will add the three stops to an already announced visit to NATO and G7 summits in Brussels and Sicily later this month. "My first foreign trip as president of the United States will be to Saudi Arabia, then Israel, and then to a place that my cardinals love very much, Rome," Trump said in a Rose Garden announcement. Aides described the decision to travel to Saudi Arabia first as an effort to reset relations with the Muslim world. There, Trump will meet with leaders from across in the Gulf and broader Middle East in the hope of curbing jihadi terror groups and Iran's growing regional clout. "Saudi Arabia is the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam," said Trump, who has frequently been accused of fueling Islamophobia. Trump said in Saudi Arabia he would "begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence and to embrace a more just and hopeful future for young Muslims in their countries." The aim, one senior administration official said, was to reverse a trend "of America's disengagement from the world and some of its biggest problems." During president Barack Obama's tenure relations with the Gulf States, and Saudi Arabia in particular, were strained over his administration's engagement with Iran. Trump's administration -- which includes generals who have had bitter personal experience with Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Lebanon -- has vowed to push back against Iranian influence across the region. Peacemaker The visit also comes as Trump wades into Middle East peacemaking, trying to reach a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, a goal that has eluded his predecessors and countless diplomats. Trump is expected to meet both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on the trip. A senior aide did not rule out the possibility of a presidential stop in the West Bank, but that is likely to be contingent on security and Abbas taking concrete steps toward peace. Trump on Wednesday hosted Abbas at the White House, pledging to help end the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. "It is something that I think is frankly, maybe not as difficult as people have thought over the years," Trump said, exuding his trademark bravado. From there Trump will travel to the Vatican, where he will be received by Pope Francis on May 24. Trump's attendance of a NATO summit in Brussels will be closely watched. The new president has demanded allies pay more for collective security, but has backed away from his early declarations that the alliance is "obsolete." A G7 summit in Sicily will offer Trump the chance to sit down face-to-face with leaders of the world's largest economies. (AFP)

Trump announces trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Vatican

President Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to work to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians as he hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House but offered no clues about how he could break the deadlock and revive long-stalled negotiations.

In their first face-to-face meeting, Trump pressed Palestinian leaders to &ldquo;speak in a unified voice against incitement&rdquo; to violence against Israelis but he stopped short of explicitly recommitting his administration to a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, a longstanding bedrock of US policy.

&quot;We will get this done,&rdquo; Trump told Abbas during a joint appearance at the White House, saying he was prepared to act a mediator, facilitator or arbitrator between the two sides.

Abbas quickly reasserted the goal of a Palestinian state as vital to any rejuvenated peace process, reiterating that it must have its capital in Jerusalem with borders based on pre-1967 lines. Israel rejects a full return to 1967 borders as a threat to its security.

Trump faced deep skepticism at home and abroad over his chances for a breakthrough with Abbas, not least because the new U.S. administration has yet to articulate a cohesive strategy for restarting the moribund peace process.

Abbas&rsquo; White House talks follow a mid-February visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who moved quickly to reset ties after a frequently combative relationship with the Republican president&#39;s predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama.

Trump sparked international criticism at the time when he appeared to back away from support for a two-state solution, saying he would leave it up to the parties themselves to decide. The goal of a Palestinian state living peacefully beside Israel has been the position of successive US&nbsp;administrations and the international community

The meeting with Abbas, the Western-backed head of the Palestinian Authority, was another test of whether Trump, in office a little more than 100 days, is serious about pursuing what he has called the &ldquo;ultimate deal&rdquo; of Israeli-Palestinian peace that eluded his predecessors.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is between the Israelis and the Palestinian,&rdquo; Trump said on Wednesday. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s see if we can prove them wrong.&rdquo;

But he offered no new policy prescriptions.

Low Expectations

Abbas, speaking through a translator, told Trump that under &ldquo;your courageous stewardship and your wisdom, as well as your great negotiations ability,&rdquo; the Palestinians would be partners seeking a &ldquo;historic peace treaty.&rdquo;

The last round of U.S.-brokered peace talks collapsed in 2014.

Abbas said, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s about time for Israel to end its occupation of our people and our land&rdquo; - a reference to Jewish settlement building in the West Bank. Reaffirming his commitment to a two-state solution, he called on Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood just as Palestinians recognize the state of Israel.

Though expectations are low for significant progress, plans are being firmed up for Trump to visit the right-wing Israeli leader in Jerusalem and possibly Abbas in the West Bank, targeted for May 22-23, according to people familiar with the matter. U.S. and Israeli officials have declined to confirm the visit.

Questions have been raised about Trump&rsquo;s choice of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who entered the White House with no government experience, to oversee Middle East peace efforts, along with Trump&rsquo;s longtime business lawyer, Jason Greenblatt, as on-the-ground envoy.

The administration seeks to enlist Israel&#39;s Sunni Arab neighbors, who share Israeli concerns about Shi&#39;ite Iran, to help rejuvenate Middle East peacemaking.

Abbas, who governs in the West Bank while Hamas militants rule Gaza, was under pressure at home to avoid making major concessions to Trump, especially with an ongoing hunger strike by hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Palestinian officials say it will be hard for Abbas to return to the negotiating table without a long-standing pre-condition of a freeze on Jewish settlement expansion on land Israel occupied in 1967 which Palestinians want for a state.

Trump&rsquo;s pro-Israel rhetoric during the 2016 election campaign raised concern among Palestinians about whether their leaders will get a fair hearing.

Trump&rsquo;s promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, strongly opposed by Palestinians, has been shifted to the back burner, and he has asked Netanyahu to put unspecified limits on settlement activity. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The US president, however, offered no clues about how he could break the deadlock and revive long-stalled negotiations

President Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to work to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians as he hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House but offered no clues about how he could break the deadlock and revive long-stalled negotiations. In their first face-to-face meeting, Trump pressed Palestinian leaders to “speak in a unified voice against incitement” to violence against Israelis but he stopped short of explicitly recommitting his administration to a two-state solution to the decades-old conflict, a longstanding bedrock of US policy. "We will get this done,” Trump told Abbas during a joint appearance at the White House, saying he was prepared to act a mediator, facilitator or arbitrator between the two sides. Abbas quickly reasserted the goal of a Palestinian state as vital to any rejuvenated peace process, reiterating that it must have its capital in Jerusalem with borders based on pre-1967 lines. Israel rejects a full return to 1967 borders as a threat to its security. Trump faced deep skepticism at home and abroad over his chances for a breakthrough with Abbas, not least because the new U.S. administration has yet to articulate a cohesive strategy for restarting the moribund peace process. Abbas’ White House talks follow a mid-February visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who moved quickly to reset ties after a frequently combative relationship with the Republican president's predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama. Trump sparked international criticism at the time when he appeared to back away from support for a two-state solution, saying he would leave it up to the parties themselves to decide. The goal of a Palestinian state living peacefully beside Israel has been the position of successive US administrations and the international community The meeting with Abbas, the Western-backed head of the Palestinian Authority, was another test of whether Trump, in office a little more than 100 days, is serious about pursuing what he has called the “ultimate deal” of Israeli-Palestinian peace that eluded his predecessors. “I’ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is between the Israelis and the Palestinian,” Trump said on Wednesday. “Let’s see if we can prove them wrong.” But he offered no new policy prescriptions. Low Expectations Abbas, speaking through a translator, told Trump that under “your courageous stewardship and your wisdom, as well as your great negotiations ability,” the Palestinians would be partners seeking a “historic peace treaty.” The last round of U.S.-brokered peace talks collapsed in 2014. Abbas said, “it’s about time for Israel to end its occupation of our people and our land” - a reference to Jewish settlement building in the West Bank. Reaffirming his commitment to a two-state solution, he called on Israel to recognize Palestinian statehood just as Palestinians recognize the state of Israel. Though expectations are low for significant progress, plans are being firmed up for Trump to visit the right-wing Israeli leader in Jerusalem and possibly Abbas in the West Bank, targeted for May 22-23, according to people familiar with the matter. U.S. and Israeli officials have declined to confirm the visit. Questions have been raised about Trump’s choice of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who entered the White House with no government experience, to oversee Middle East peace efforts, along with Trump’s longtime business lawyer, Jason Greenblatt, as on-the-ground envoy. The administration seeks to enlist Israel's Sunni Arab neighbors, who share Israeli concerns about Shi'ite Iran, to help rejuvenate Middle East peacemaking. Abbas, who governs in the West Bank while Hamas militants rule Gaza, was under pressure at home to avoid making major concessions to Trump, especially with an ongoing hunger strike by hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Palestinian officials say it will be hard for Abbas to return to the negotiating table without a long-standing pre-condition of a freeze on Jewish settlement expansion on land Israel occupied in 1967 which Palestinians want for a state. Trump’s pro-Israel rhetoric during the 2016 election campaign raised concern among Palestinians about whether their leaders will get a fair hearing. Trump’s promise to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, strongly opposed by Palestinians, has been shifted to the back burner, and he has asked Netanyahu to put unspecified limits on settlement activity. (Reuters)

In first meeting with Mahmoud Abbas, Trump vows to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed steps to ease Syria&#39;s civil war and a possible first face-to-face meeting, during what the White House described as a &quot;very good call&quot; Tuesday.

The US and Russian leaders spoke by telephone, focusing on the six-year-old Syrian conflict, which has pitched Moscow and Washington into rival camps.

&quot;President Trump and President Putin agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence,&quot; the White House said.

Trump aides also said &quot;the conversation was a very good one&quot; that included &quot;discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones&quot; in Syria &quot;to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons.&quot;

The White House said the two leaders also spoke about &quot;how best to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea.&quot;

And the Kremlin added that both men were &quot;in favour&quot; of meeting at a G-20 summit in Germany this July.

That meeting is sure to be closely watched in the United States, where Trump has come under sustained criticism over his campaign&#39;s ties to Russia and his praise of Putin.

US intelligence agencies believe that Putin approved of a wide-ranging campaign to tilt the 2016 election in Trump&#39;s favour, prompting US sanctions imposed by former president Barack Obama.

The FBI is still investigating possible collusion between the campaign and Moscow.

Trump has been muted in his criticism, but tensions between the White House and the Kremlin have resurfaced after the suspected use of the chemical agent sarin against civilians prompted Trump to strike a Syrian regime airbase also used by Russia.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the call -- which he sat in on -- was &quot;very productive&quot; with &quot;a lot of detailed exchanges.&quot;

&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll see where we go from here.&quot;

No details were given about the possible safe zones, which have long been discussed, but faltered as Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime and assorted groups of rebels, Kurds, Iranian-backed militias, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters have kept-up a bloody war that has killed an estimated half million people.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, said &quot;the emphasis was put on the potential for coordination of actions by the United States and Russia in the fight against terrorism.&quot;

The State Department earlier announced that it would send a junior minister to Russian-backed peace talks in Astana later this week. 
 
(AFP)

The two presidents agreed that all parties must do all they can to end the violence in Syria

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed steps to ease Syria's civil war and a possible first face-to-face meeting, during what the White House described as a "very good call" Tuesday. The US and Russian leaders spoke by telephone, focusing on the six-year-old Syrian conflict, which has pitched Moscow and Washington into rival camps. "President Trump and President Putin agreed that the suffering in Syria has gone on for far too long and that all parties must do all they can to end the violence," the White House said. Trump aides also said "the conversation was a very good one" that included "discussion of safe, or de-escalation, zones" in Syria "to achieve lasting peace for humanitarian and many other reasons." The White House said the two leaders also spoke about "how best to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea." And the Kremlin added that both men were "in favour" of meeting at a G-20 summit in Germany this July. That meeting is sure to be closely watched in the United States, where Trump has come under sustained criticism over his campaign's ties to Russia and his praise of Putin. US intelligence agencies believe that Putin approved of a wide-ranging campaign to tilt the 2016 election in Trump's favour, prompting US sanctions imposed by former president Barack Obama. The FBI is still investigating possible collusion between the campaign and Moscow. Trump has been muted in his criticism, but tensions between the White House and the Kremlin have resurfaced after the suspected use of the chemical agent sarin against civilians prompted Trump to strike a Syrian regime airbase also used by Russia. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the call -- which he sat in on -- was "very productive" with "a lot of detailed exchanges." "We'll see where we go from here." No details were given about the possible safe zones, which have long been discussed, but faltered as Bashar al-Assad's regime and assorted groups of rebels, Kurds, Iranian-backed militias, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State fighters have kept-up a bloody war that has killed an estimated half million people. The Kremlin, meanwhile, said "the emphasis was put on the potential for coordination of actions by the United States and Russia in the fight against terrorism." The State Department earlier announced that it would send a junior minister to Russian-backed peace talks in Astana later this week. (AFP)

Trump, Putin discuss face-to-face meeting, Syria peace zones in 'very good call'

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday dropped its longstanding call for Israel&#39;s destruction, but said it still rejected the country&#39;s right to exist and backs &quot;armed struggle&quot; against it.

In a policy document presented in Doha by its leader Khaled Meshaal, Hamas also said it would end its association with the Muslim Brotherhood, a move apparently aimed at improving ties with Gulf Arab states and Egypt, which view the Brotherhood as a terrorist group.

Israel responded to the announcement by accusing Hamas of trying to &quot;fool the world&quot;, while the group&#39;s main Palestinian political rival, the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, also reacted coolly to the policy shift.

The publication of the policy document comes two days before Abbas is due to visit Washington, and days after President Donald Trump told Reuters he may travel to Israel this month and sees no reason why there should not be peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

&quot;We don&#39;t want to dilute our principles but we want to be open. We hope this (document) will mark a change in the stance of European states towards us,&quot; Meshaal told reporters.

Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, said in the document it agreed to a transitional Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, when Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a war with Arab states. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

&quot;Hamas advocates the liberation of all of Palestine but is ready to support the state on 1967 borders without recognising Israel or ceding any rights,&quot; said Meshaal, in a shift that brings Hamas more into line with the position of Fatah.

&quot;Terror Tunnels&quot;

Israel said the document aimed to deceive the world that Hamas was becoming more moderate.

&quot;Hamas is attempting to fool the world but it will not succeed,&quot; said David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. &quot;They dig terror tunnels and have launched thousands upon thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians. This is the real Hamas.&quot;

Founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Egyptian Islamist movement, Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2007 and has carried out hundreds of armed attacks in Israel and in Israeli-occupied territories.

Many Western countries classify Hamas as a terrorist group over its failure to renounce violence, recognise Israel&#39;s right to exist and accept existing interim Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements.

Meshaal said Hamas&#39;s fight was not against Judaism as a religion but against what he called &quot;aggressor Zionists&quot;.

Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasme upbraided Hamas for taking decades to join Fatah in accepting a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, a position Hamas used to criticise Fatah for.

&quot;Hamas&#39;s new document is identical to that taken by Fatah in 1988. Hamas is required to make an apology to Fatah after 30 years of accusing us of treason for that policy,&quot; Qawasme said.

It remained unclear whether the document replaces Hamas&#39;s 1988 charter, which calls for Israel&rsquo;s destruction. Meshaal said the document would &quot;guide Hamas&#39;s daily political activity&quot;.

Abbas&#39;s Palestinian Authority has engaged in peace talks with Israel on the basis of seeking a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, although the last, US-mediated round collapsed three years ago.

There was no immediate comment on Monday from Egypt and Gulf Arab states to the Hamas document.

&quot;For Hamas ... it&#39;s a signal of their desire to align with conservative Sunni elements in the region and create some immunity (from Saudi pressure),&quot; said Beverley Milton-Edwards, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre and author of a book on Hamas.

But while the document could strengthen Hamas&#39;s position in the Palestinian Territories and the Middle East, she said, it was unlikely to lead &quot;to any definitive swing in opinion in the group&#39;s favour in the United States or even Europe.&quot;

Meshaal said Hamas remained part of the Muslim Brotherhood&#39;s &quot;intellectual school&quot; but was &quot;an independent Palestinian organisation&quot;.

US-allied Arab states including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia classify the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. The 89-year-old Brotherhood held power in Egypt for a year after a popular uprising in 2011, but was then removed by the army after mass street protests.

The Brotherhood denies links with Islamist militants and advocates Islamist political parties winning power through elections, which Saudi Arabia considers a threat to its system of absolute power through inherited rule.

(Reuters)

Hamas dropped its longstanding call for Israel's destruction

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday dropped its longstanding call for Israel's destruction, but said it still rejected the country's right to exist and backs "armed struggle" against it. In a policy document presented in Doha by its leader Khaled Meshaal, Hamas also said it would end its association with the Muslim Brotherhood, a move apparently aimed at improving ties with Gulf Arab states and Egypt, which view the Brotherhood as a terrorist group. Israel responded to the announcement by accusing Hamas of trying to "fool the world", while the group's main Palestinian political rival, the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, also reacted coolly to the policy shift. The publication of the policy document comes two days before Abbas is due to visit Washington, and days after President Donald Trump told Reuters he may travel to Israel this month and sees no reason why there should not be peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "We don't want to dilute our principles but we want to be open. We hope this (document) will mark a change in the stance of European states towards us," Meshaal told reporters. Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, said in the document it agreed to a transitional Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, when Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem in a war with Arab states. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. "Hamas advocates the liberation of all of Palestine but is ready to support the state on 1967 borders without recognising Israel or ceding any rights," said Meshaal, in a shift that brings Hamas more into line with the position of Fatah. "Terror Tunnels" Israel said the document aimed to deceive the world that Hamas was becoming more moderate. "Hamas is attempting to fool the world but it will not succeed," said David Keyes, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "They dig terror tunnels and have launched thousands upon thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians. This is the real Hamas." Founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Egyptian Islamist movement, Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2007 and has carried out hundreds of armed attacks in Israel and in Israeli-occupied territories. Many Western countries classify Hamas as a terrorist group over its failure to renounce violence, recognise Israel's right to exist and accept existing interim Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements. Meshaal said Hamas's fight was not against Judaism as a religion but against what he called "aggressor Zionists". Fatah spokesman Osama al-Qawasme upbraided Hamas for taking decades to join Fatah in accepting a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, a position Hamas used to criticise Fatah for. "Hamas's new document is identical to that taken by Fatah in 1988. Hamas is required to make an apology to Fatah after 30 years of accusing us of treason for that policy," Qawasme said. It remained unclear whether the document replaces Hamas's 1988 charter, which calls for Israel’s destruction. Meshaal said the document would "guide Hamas's daily political activity". Abbas's Palestinian Authority has engaged in peace talks with Israel on the basis of seeking a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, although the last, US-mediated round collapsed three years ago. There was no immediate comment on Monday from Egypt and Gulf Arab states to the Hamas document. "For Hamas ... it's a signal of their desire to align with conservative Sunni elements in the region and create some immunity (from Saudi pressure)," said Beverley Milton-Edwards, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre and author of a book on Hamas. But while the document could strengthen Hamas's position in the Palestinian Territories and the Middle East, she said, it was unlikely to lead "to any definitive swing in opinion in the group's favour in the United States or even Europe." Meshaal said Hamas remained part of the Muslim Brotherhood's "intellectual school" but was "an independent Palestinian organisation". US-allied Arab states including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia classify the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. The 89-year-old Brotherhood held power in Egypt for a year after a popular uprising in 2011, but was then removed by the army after mass street protests. The Brotherhood denies links with Islamist militants and advocates Islamist political parties winning power through elections, which Saudi Arabia considers a threat to its system of absolute power through inherited rule. (Reuters)

Hamas softens stance on Israel ahead of Mahmoud Abbas's meeting with Trump

Hasan Minhaj, an American comedian of Indian heritage, roasted United States President Donald Trump at this year&#39;s White House Correspondents&#39; Dinner.

Though Trump decided to skip the event, and in hindsight a wise decision, Minhaj chose to take scathing potshots at the president.

Following are some of the biting remarks aimed at Trump.

&quot;I would say it is an honour to be here, but that would be an alternative fact. It is not. No one wanted to do this. So of course it lands in the hands of an immigrant.

Don Rickles died just so you wouldn&#39;t ask him to do this gig, all right? RIP to Don Rickles, the only Donald with skin thick enough to take a joke like that.&quot;

Minhaj, who is a senior correspondent for The Daily Show, also revealed that he was asked to not make fun of the current administration.

But he decided to flay Trump and his team as he did not want to be one of those immigrants who wanted to &quot;fit in&quot;.

&quot; We have to address the elephant that&#39;s not in the room: the leader of our country is not here. And that&#39;s because he lives in Moscow; it is a very long flight. It would be hard for Vlad to make it. Vlad can&#39;t just make it on a Saturday. As for the other guy, I think he&#39;s in Pennsylvania because he can&#39;t take a joke.

There was also another elephant in the room, but Donald Trump junior shot it and cut off its tail.&quot;

&quot;[Donald Trump] tweets at 3am&nbsp;sober. Who is tweeting at 3am&nbsp;sober? Donald Trump, because it&#39;s 10am&nbsp;in Russia. Those are business hours.&quot;

He also imbued sarcasm in his nearly 26-minute long speech which especially came to the fore when he saw logic and comfort in watching Trump play golf instead of being present at the White House.

&quot;A lot of people in the media say that Donald Trump goes golfing too much &ndash; which raises a very important question: Why do you care? Do you want to know what he&#39;s not doing when he&#39;s golfing? Being President. Let the man putt-putt. The longer you keep him distracted, the longer we&#39;re not at war with North Korea.&quot;

Minhaj trained his gun at White House chief strategist &nbsp;Steve Bannon as well, proving no-one in the Trump camp was beyond derision.

&quot;Now a lot of people think Steve Bannon is the reason Donald Trump dog whistles to racists. And that is just not true. Ask Steve Bannon.&quot;

&quot;Is Steve Bannon here? I do not see Steve Bannon. I do not see Steve Bannon,&quot; he asked increasingly emphasizing his words for effect. &quot;Not see Steve Bannon. Not see Steve Bannon. Nazi Steve Bannon.&quot;

He further said: &quot;This has been one of the strangest events I&#39;ve ever done in my life. I&#39;m being honest with you. I feel like I&#39;m a tribute in&nbsp; The Hunger Games.&nbsp;If this goes poorly, Steve Bannon gets to eat me.&quot;

Trump, who became the first president to skip the correspondents&#39;&nbsp;dinner since Ronald Reagan did in 1981, was addressing an election campaign-styled speech in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to mark his 100th day in office.

The 70-year-old president took time out to take a dig at the dinner.

&quot;A large group of Hollywood actors and Washington media are consoling each other in a hotel ballroom in our nation&rsquo;s capital right now.

And I could not possibly be more thrilled than to be more than 100 miles away from Washington&rsquo;s swamp, spending my evening with all of you and with a much, much larger crowd and much better people, right?&quot;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Of6PLJbMnxE" width="560"></iframe>

(Video courtesy: Global News, YouTube)

(WION) 
 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Minhaj, who is a reporter for The Daily Show, used the platform to roast the US president

Hasan Minhaj, an American comedian of Indian heritage, roasted United States President Donald Trump at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner. Though Trump decided to skip the event, and in hindsight a wise decision, Minhaj chose to take scathing potshots at the president. Following are some of the biting remarks aimed at Trump. "I would say it is an honour to be here, but that would be an alternative fact. It is not. No one wanted to do this. So of course it lands in the hands of an immigrant. Don Rickles died just so you wouldn't ask him to do this gig, all right? RIP to Don Rickles, the only Donald with skin thick enough to take a joke like that." Minhaj, who is a senior correspondent for The Daily Show, also revealed that he was asked to not make fun of the current administration. But he decided to flay Trump and his team as he did not want to be one of those immigrants who wanted to "fit in". " We have to address the elephant that's not in the room: the leader of our country is not here. And that's because he lives in Moscow; it is a very long flight. It would be hard for Vlad to make it. Vlad can't just make it on a Saturday. As for the other guy, I think he's in Pennsylvania because he can't take a joke. There was also another elephant in the room, but Donald Trump junior shot it and cut off its tail." "[Donald Trump] tweets at 3am sober. Who is tweeting at 3am sober? Donald Trump, because it's 10am in Russia. Those are business hours." He also imbued sarcasm in his nearly 26-minute long speech which especially came to the fore when he saw logic and comfort in watching Trump play golf instead of being present at the White House. "A lot of people in the media say that Donald Trump goes golfing too much – which raises a very important question: Why do you care? Do you want to know what he's not doing when he's golfing? Being President. Let the man putt-putt. The longer you keep him distracted, the longer we're not at war with North Korea." Minhaj trained his gun at White House chief strategist Steve Bannon as well, proving no-one in the Trump camp was beyond derision. "Now a lot of people think Steve Bannon is the reason Donald Trump dog whistles to racists. And that is just not true. Ask Steve Bannon." "Is Steve Bannon here? I do not see Steve Bannon. I do not see Steve Bannon," he asked increasingly emphasizing his words for effect. "Not see Steve Bannon. Not see Steve Bannon. Nazi Steve Bannon." He further said: "This has been one of the strangest events I've ever done in my life. I'm being honest with you. I feel like I'm a tribute in The Hunger Games. If this goes poorly, Steve Bannon gets to eat me." Trump, who became the first president to skip the correspondents' dinner since Ronald Reagan did in 1981, was addressing an election campaign-styled speech in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to mark his 100th day in office. The 70-year-old president took time out to take a dig at the dinner. "A large group of Hollywood actors and Washington media are consoling each other in a hotel ballroom in our nation’s capital right now. And I could not possibly be more thrilled than to be more than 100 miles away from Washington’s swamp, spending my evening with all of you and with a much, much larger crowd and much better people, right?" (Video courtesy: Global News, YouTube) (WION)

Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj flays Trump at White House Correspondents' Dinner

US President Donald Trump said he would be &quot;honored&quot; to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions, dialing back threats of military action against the regime Monday. 
 
As Pyongyang threatens to carry out a sixth nuclear test that would further enflame tensions on the Korean peninsula, Trump appeared to offer the prospect of a diplomatic off-ramp. 
 
&quot;If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him I would, absolutely. I would be honored to do it,&quot; Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg. 
 
&quot;If it`s under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would do that,&quot; Trump said. 
 
In recent weeks Trump has threatened and berated the regime, fearing it may be months away from marrying nuclear and long range missile technology --- making a strike against the western United States possible.&nbsp; 
 
Trump&#39;s&nbsp;main gambit has been to encourage China to use its leverage to pressure Pyongyang -- a strategy that has failed to produce results in the past. 
 
The Republican president has also said he is ready to act alone in the stand-off, however -- and on Monday signaled that this could involve face-to-face talks with Kim, who has yet to meet a foreign leader since taking power. 
 
In the latest rhetoric to fuel jitters across the region, North Korea warned Monday that it was prepared to carry out a nuclear test &quot;at any time and at any location&quot; set by its leadership. 
 
The regime will continue bolstering its &quot;preemptive nuclear attack&quot; capabilities unless Washington scraps its hostile policies, a spokesman for the North`s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run KCNA news agency. 
 
&quot;The DPRK&#39;s measures for bolstering the nuclear force to the maximum will be taken in a consecutive and successive way at any moment and any place decided by its supreme leadership,&quot; the spokesman added, apparently referring to a sixth nuclear test and using the North`s official name, the Democratic Republic of Korea.The North has carried out five nuclear tests in the last 11 years and is widely believed to be making progress toward its dream of building a missile capable of delivering a warhead to the continental United States. 
 
It raises the tone of its warnings every spring, when Washington and Seoul carry out joint exercises it condemns as rehearsals for invasion. But this time fears of conflict have been fueled by a cycle of threats from both sides. 
 
The joint drills have just ended, but naval exercises are continuing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) with a US strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. 
 
CIA director Mike Pompeo was in South Korea on Monday, the US embassy in Seoul confirmed, following reports of an unannounced visit as tensions mount on the peninsula. 
 
Pompeo`s visit coincided with news that the controversial US missile defense system known as THAAD -- whose deployment has angered China -- is now operational in South Korea. 
 
&quot;It has reached initial intercept capability,&quot; a US defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity.Seoul regularly warns that Pyongyang can carry out a test whenever it decides to do so. 
 
Pyongyang`s latest attempted show of force was a failed missile test on Saturday that came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pressed the UN Security Council to raise pressure on the North. 
 
Trump on Sunday repeated his determination to resolve the threat posed by North Korea, warning in a CBS interview: &quot;We cannot let what`s been going on for a long period of years continue.&quot; 
 
But the US leader also offered some backhanded praise for Kim, saying he had faced a formidable challenge in taking over the country at a reported age of 27 after his father`s death in 2011. 
 
&quot;He`s dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. And at a very young age, he was able to assume power,&quot; Trump said on CBS`s &quot;Face the Nation.&quot; 
 
&quot;So obviously, he`s a pretty smart cookie,&quot; he said. 
 
That comment left the White House struggling to downplay Trump&#39;s&nbsp;apparent admiration. 
 
&quot;His point was he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there`s a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he`s obviously managed to lead a country forward,&quot; said Press Secretary Sean Spicer. 
 
(AFP)

Rolling back threats of a military escalation, the US president said he would meet the North Korean leader if 'appropriate'

US President Donald Trump said he would be "honored" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions, dialing back threats of military action against the regime Monday. As Pyongyang threatens to carry out a sixth nuclear test that would further enflame tensions on the Korean peninsula, Trump appeared to offer the prospect of a diplomatic off-ramp. "If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him I would, absolutely. I would be honored to do it," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg. "If it`s under the, again, under the right circumstances. But I would do that," Trump said. In recent weeks Trump has threatened and berated the regime, fearing it may be months away from marrying nuclear and long range missile technology --- making a strike against the western United States possible. Trump's main gambit has been to encourage China to use its leverage to pressure Pyongyang -- a strategy that has failed to produce results in the past. The Republican president has also said he is ready to act alone in the stand-off, however -- and on Monday signaled that this could involve face-to-face talks with Kim, who has yet to meet a foreign leader since taking power. In the latest rhetoric to fuel jitters across the region, North Korea warned Monday that it was prepared to carry out a nuclear test "at any time and at any location" set by its leadership. The regime will continue bolstering its "preemptive nuclear attack" capabilities unless Washington scraps its hostile policies, a spokesman for the North`s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run KCNA news agency. "The DPRK's measures for bolstering the nuclear force to the maximum will be taken in a consecutive and successive way at any moment and any place decided by its supreme leadership," the spokesman added, apparently referring to a sixth nuclear test and using the North`s official name, the Democratic Republic of Korea.The North has carried out five nuclear tests in the last 11 years and is widely believed to be making progress toward its dream of building a missile capable of delivering a warhead to the continental United States. It raises the tone of its warnings every spring, when Washington and Seoul carry out joint exercises it condemns as rehearsals for invasion. But this time fears of conflict have been fueled by a cycle of threats from both sides. The joint drills have just ended, but naval exercises are continuing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) with a US strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. CIA director Mike Pompeo was in South Korea on Monday, the US embassy in Seoul confirmed, following reports of an unannounced visit as tensions mount on the peninsula. Pompeo`s visit coincided with news that the controversial US missile defense system known as THAAD -- whose deployment has angered China -- is now operational in South Korea. "It has reached initial intercept capability," a US defense official told AFP on condition of anonymity.Seoul regularly warns that Pyongyang can carry out a test whenever it decides to do so. Pyongyang`s latest attempted show of force was a failed missile test on Saturday that came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pressed the UN Security Council to raise pressure on the North. Trump on Sunday repeated his determination to resolve the threat posed by North Korea, warning in a CBS interview: "We cannot let what`s been going on for a long period of years continue." But the US leader also offered some backhanded praise for Kim, saying he had faced a formidable challenge in taking over the country at a reported age of 27 after his father`s death in 2011. "He`s dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. And at a very young age, he was able to assume power," Trump said on CBS`s "Face the Nation." "So obviously, he`s a pretty smart cookie," he said. That comment left the White House struggling to downplay Trump's apparent admiration. "His point was he assumed power at a young age when his father passed away and there`s a lot of potential threats that could have come his way and he`s obviously managed to lead a country forward," said Press Secretary Sean Spicer. (AFP)

Would be 'honoured' to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-Un, says Trump

US President Donald Trump offered some backhanded praise for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, calling him &quot;a pretty smart cookie&quot; in a television interview that aired Sunday.

Trump&#39;s almost admiring remarks came amid soaring tensions with North Korea over its missile and nuclear programs, with an alarmed Washington looking to China for help in reining in Kim.

Trump said he had &quot;no idea&quot; whether Kim was sane or not, but said the North Korean leader had faced a formidable challenge in taking over the country at a reported age of 27 after his father&#39;s death in 2011.

&quot;He&#39;s dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. And at a very young age, he was able to assume power,&quot; Trump said in the interview with CBS&#39;s &quot;Face the Nation.&quot;

&quot;A lot of people, I&#39;m sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it.

&quot;So obviously, he&#39;s a pretty smart cookie,&quot; he said.

&quot;But we have a situation that we just cannot let -- we cannot let what&#39;s been going on for a long period of years continue,&quot; Trump added.

North Korea has kept the West on edge for weeks over signs it may conduct a sixth nuclear test, punctuated by a series of missile tests that have aroused US fears that the regime may be close to developing a ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead.

It&#39;s a&nbsp;chess game: Trump on North Korea missile test 
 
The North, defying mounting US pressure, launched its latest missile test on Saturday, which South Korea said failed.

Trump refused comment on whether the United States had anything to do with the missile test failure.

&quot;It is a chess game. I just don&#39;t want people to know what my thinking is. So eventually, he will have a better delivery system. And if that happens, we can&#39;t allow it to happen.&quot;

Hours before the North Korean test, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned of &quot;catastrophic consequences&quot; if the international community does not act more forcefully to sanction Pyongyang.

The United States has deployed a naval strike group to the area led by the carrier USS Carl Vinson, which on Saturday began drilling with the South Korean navy to practice procedures for tracking and intercepting enemy ballistic missiles.

On Sunday, the two allies concluded a massive annual military exercise called &quot;Foal Eagle,&quot; which involved around 20,000 South Korean and 10,000 US troops.

Betting on China 
 
If North Korea carries out a nuclear test, Trump told CBS, &quot;I would not be happy.&quot;

&quot;And I can tell you also, I don&#39;t believe that the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy either,&quot; Trump said.

Asked if &quot;not happy&quot; signified &quot;military action,&quot; Trump answered: &quot;I don&#39;t know. I mean, we&#39;ll see.&quot;

So far, Trump has placed his biggest bet on getting China to use its leverage to pressure Pyongyang to change its behavior, a strategy that has failed to produce results in the past.

Since meeting with China&#39;s President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida April 6-7, Trump has set aside his campaign threats to impose tariffs on Chinese imports and declare Beijing a currency manipulator.

&quot;I think that, frankly, North Korea is maybe more important than trade. Trade is very important. But massive warfare with millions, potentially millions of people being killed? That, as we would say, trumps trade,&quot; he told CBS.

&quot;Now, if China can help us with North Korea and can solve that problem -- that&#39;s worth making not as good a trade deal for the United States,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

North Korea has kept the West on edge for weeks over signs it may conduct a sixth nuclear test

US President Donald Trump offered some backhanded praise for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, calling him "a pretty smart cookie" in a television interview that aired Sunday. Trump's almost admiring remarks came amid soaring tensions with North Korea over its missile and nuclear programs, with an alarmed Washington looking to China for help in reining in Kim. Trump said he had "no idea" whether Kim was sane or not, but said the North Korean leader had faced a formidable challenge in taking over the country at a reported age of 27 after his father's death in 2011. "He's dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. And at a very young age, he was able to assume power," Trump said in the interview with CBS's "Face the Nation." "A lot of people, I'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it. "So obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie," he said. "But we have a situation that we just cannot let -- we cannot let what's been going on for a long period of years continue," Trump added. North Korea has kept the West on edge for weeks over signs it may conduct a sixth nuclear test, punctuated by a series of missile tests that have aroused US fears that the regime may be close to developing a ballistic missile capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead. It's a chess game: Trump on North Korea missile test The North, defying mounting US pressure, launched its latest missile test on Saturday, which South Korea said failed. Trump refused comment on whether the United States had anything to do with the missile test failure. "It is a chess game. I just don't want people to know what my thinking is. So eventually, he will have a better delivery system. And if that happens, we can't allow it to happen." Hours before the North Korean test, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned of "catastrophic consequences" if the international community does not act more forcefully to sanction Pyongyang. The United States has deployed a naval strike group to the area led by the carrier USS Carl Vinson, which on Saturday began drilling with the South Korean navy to practice procedures for tracking and intercepting enemy ballistic missiles. On Sunday, the two allies concluded a massive annual military exercise called "Foal Eagle," which involved around 20,000 South Korean and 10,000 US troops. Betting on China If North Korea carries out a nuclear test, Trump told CBS, "I would not be happy." "And I can tell you also, I don't believe that the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy either," Trump said. Asked if "not happy" signified "military action," Trump answered: "I don't know. I mean, we'll see." So far, Trump has placed his biggest bet on getting China to use its leverage to pressure Pyongyang to change its behavior, a strategy that has failed to produce results in the past. Since meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida April 6-7, Trump has set aside his campaign threats to impose tariffs on Chinese imports and declare Beijing a currency manipulator. "I think that, frankly, North Korea is maybe more important than trade. Trade is very important. But massive warfare with millions, potentially millions of people being killed? That, as we would say, trumps trade," he told CBS. "Now, if China can help us with North Korea and can solve that problem -- that's worth making not as good a trade deal for the United States," he said. (AFP)

Trump says North Korea's Kim is 'a pretty smart cookie'

South Korea and the United States wrapped up their annual large-scale military drills on Sunday, but continued a separate joint naval exercise that has triggered dire threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been running sky-high for weeks, with signs that the North might be preparing a long-range missile launch or a sixth nuclear test -- and with Washington refusing to rule out a military strike in response.

The massive &quot;Foal Eagle&quot; drill, which the defence ministry in Seoul said was ending as scheduled on Sunday, involved around 20,000 South Korean and 10,000 US troops.

Another annual joint exercise known as &quot;Key Resolve&quot; ended last month.

Both play out scenarios for a conflict with North Korea, but Seoul and Washington insist they are purely defensive in nature, despite Pyongyang&#39;s claims that they are provocative rehearsals for invasion.

Their conclusion normally signals a period of relative calm in North-South tensions, but this year the situation looks set to remain highly volatile.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump has warned of a possible &quot;major conflict&quot; while Pyongyang has carried out a series of failed missile tests, including one on Saturday, and a massive live-fire military exercise.

The South Korean defence ministry confirmed Sunday that a joint naval drill with a US strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, was still ongoing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

The exercise, aimed at verifying the allies&#39; capability to track and intercept enemy ballistic missiles, is expected to continue until sometime next week.

Through state media, North Korea has threatened to attack the Carl Vinson, and a state-sponsored website on Sunday also warned of a possible strike against a US nuclear-powered submarine despatched to the area.

China is &quot;putting pressure&quot; on its ally North Korea to curb its weapons programmes, Trump told the CBS television network&#39;s &quot;Face the Nation&quot; programme.

If North Korea carries out another nuclear test &quot;I would not be happy,&quot; he said.

&quot;And I can tell you also, I don&#39;t believe that the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy either,&quot; Trump said in excerpts of the interview released Saturday.

Asked if &quot;not happy&quot; signified &quot;military action,&quot; Trump answered: &quot;I don&#39;t know. I mean, we&#39;ll see.&quot;

&#39;Catastrophic consequences&#39;&nbsp;

Pyongyang&#39;s show of defiance included a failed missile test on Saturday that came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the UN Security Council of &quot;catastrophic consequences&quot; if the international community -- most notably China -- failed to pressure the North into abandoning its weapons programme.

Military options for dealing with the North were still &quot;on the table&quot;, Tillerson said.

China has repeatedly pushed back at the idea that it alone holds the solution to curbing the North&#39;s nuclear ambitions, and warned that any use of US force would only lead to &quot;bigger disasters&quot;.

Pope Francis this weekend called for negotiations to resolve tensions over North Korea.

&quot;There are plenty of mediators in the world who are putting themselves forward. Norway, for example which is ready to help,&quot; he said.

The tensions have also triggered some friction between Seoul and Washington, with Trump suggesting in a recent interview that the South should pay for the $1.0-billion dollar THAAD anti-missile system that the US is deploying on its ally&#39;s territory.

But on Sunday South Korea said US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster had spoken by phone with his counterpart in Seoul and both sides had reaffirmed that Washington would bear the cost of the THAAD deployment, as initially agreed.

Trump&#39;s interview remarks &quot;were made in a general context, reflecting the American public&#39;s hopes for (defense) cost sharing,&quot; McMaster was quoted as saying by the South&#39;s presidential office.

The two countries have had a security alliance since the 1950-53 Korean war, and more than 28,000 US troops are stationed in the South.

Beijing has been infuriated by the THAAD deployment, which it says upsets the regional security balance.

(AFP)

Tensions have deepened in the region as the North is reportedly preparing a long-range missile launch or a sixth nuclear test

South Korea and the United States wrapped up their annual large-scale military drills on Sunday, but continued a separate joint naval exercise that has triggered dire threats from nuclear-armed North Korea. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been running sky-high for weeks, with signs that the North might be preparing a long-range missile launch or a sixth nuclear test -- and with Washington refusing to rule out a military strike in response. The massive "Foal Eagle" drill, which the defence ministry in Seoul said was ending as scheduled on Sunday, involved around 20,000 South Korean and 10,000 US troops. Another annual joint exercise known as "Key Resolve" ended last month. Both play out scenarios for a conflict with North Korea, but Seoul and Washington insist they are purely defensive in nature, despite Pyongyang's claims that they are provocative rehearsals for invasion. Their conclusion normally signals a period of relative calm in North-South tensions, but this year the situation looks set to remain highly volatile. US President Donald Trump has warned of a possible "major conflict" while Pyongyang has carried out a series of failed missile tests, including one on Saturday, and a massive live-fire military exercise. The South Korean defence ministry confirmed Sunday that a joint naval drill with a US strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, was still ongoing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). The exercise, aimed at verifying the allies' capability to track and intercept enemy ballistic missiles, is expected to continue until sometime next week. Through state media, North Korea has threatened to attack the Carl Vinson, and a state-sponsored website on Sunday also warned of a possible strike against a US nuclear-powered submarine despatched to the area. China is "putting pressure" on its ally North Korea to curb its weapons programmes, Trump told the CBS television network's "Face the Nation" programme. If North Korea carries out another nuclear test "I would not be happy," he said. "And I can tell you also, I don't believe that the president of China, who is a very respected man, will be happy either," Trump said in excerpts of the interview released Saturday. Asked if "not happy" signified "military action," Trump answered: "I don't know. I mean, we'll see." 'Catastrophic consequences' Pyongyang's show of defiance included a failed missile test on Saturday that came just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned the UN Security Council of "catastrophic consequences" if the international community -- most notably China -- failed to pressure the North into abandoning its weapons programme. Military options for dealing with the North were still "on the table", Tillerson said. China has repeatedly pushed back at the idea that it alone holds the solution to curbing the North's nuclear ambitions, and warned that any use of US force would only lead to "bigger disasters". Pope Francis this weekend called for negotiations to resolve tensions over North Korea. "There are plenty of mediators in the world who are putting themselves forward. Norway, for example which is ready to help," he said. The tensions have also triggered some friction between Seoul and Washington, with Trump suggesting in a recent interview that the South should pay for the $1.0-billion dollar THAAD anti-missile system that the US is deploying on its ally's territory. But on Sunday South Korea said US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster had spoken by phone with his counterpart in Seoul and both sides had reaffirmed that Washington would bear the cost of the THAAD deployment, as initially agreed. Trump's interview remarks "were made in a general context, reflecting the American public's hopes for (defense) cost sharing," McMaster was quoted as saying by the South's presidential office. The two countries have had a security alliance since the 1950-53 Korean war, and more than 28,000 US troops are stationed in the South. Beijing has been infuriated by the THAAD deployment, which it says upsets the regional security balance. (AFP)

US, South Korea continue joint naval drills amid Pyongyang threats

South Korea said the United States had reaffirmed it would shoulder the cost of deploying the THAAD anti-missile&nbsp;system,&nbsp;days after President Donald Trump said Seoul should pay for the $1-billion battery designed to defend against North Korea.&nbsp; 
 
In a telephone call on Sunday, Trump&#39;s national security adviser,&nbsp;HR&nbsp;McMaster, reassured his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, that the US&nbsp;alliance with South Korea was its top priority in the Asia-Pacific region, the South&#39;s presidential office said. 
 
The conversation followed another North Korean missile test-launch on Saturday which Washington and Seoul said was unsuccessful, but which drew widespread international condemnation. 
 
Trump, asked about his message to North Korea after the latest missile test, told reporters: &quot;You&#39;ll soon find out&quot;, but did not elaborate on what the US&nbsp;response would be. 
 
Trump is stepping up outreach to allies in Asia to discuss the North Korean nuclear threat and make sure all are &quot;on the same page&quot; if action was needed, a top White House official said. The US&nbsp;president will discuss North Korea with the leaders of Thailand and Singapore on Sunday after speaking with the Philippines&#39;&nbsp;president on Saturday. 
 
&quot;There is nothing right now facing this country and facing the region that is a bigger threat than what is happening in North Korea,&quot; White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told ABC&#39;s &quot;This Week.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Trump&#39;s comments in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that he wanted Seoul to pay for the THAAD deployment perplexed South Koreans and raised questions about his commitment to the two countries&#39;&nbsp;alliance. 
&nbsp; 
South Korean officials responded that the cost was for Washington to bear, under the bilateral agreement. 
 
&quot;National security adviser HR&nbsp;McMaster explained that the recent statements by President Trump were made in a general context, in line with the US&nbsp;public expectations on defence cost burden-sharing with allies,&quot; South Korea&#39;s Blue House said in a statement, adding that McMaster requested the call. 
 
Major elements of the advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system were moved into the planned site in Seonjgu, in the south of the country, this week. 
 
The deployment has drawn protests from China, which says the powerful radar which can penetrate its territory will undermine regional security, and from local residents worried they will be a target for North Korean missiles.&nbsp; 
 
About 300 residents rallied on Sunday as two US&nbsp;Army lorries tried to enter the THAAD deployment site. Video provided by villagers showed protesters blocking the road with a car and chanting slogans such as &quot;Don&rsquo;t lie to us! Go back to your country!&quot; 
 
Police said they had sent about 800 officers to the site and two residents were injured during clashes with them. 
 
South Korea and the United States say the sole purpose of THAAD is to guard against North Korean missiles.&nbsp; 
 
Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed the US&nbsp;commitment to South Korea&#39;s security but said on NBC that Trump would &quot;continue to call on the prosperous nations that the United States provides security and protection for to do more in their own defense.&quot; 
 
The United States is seeking more help from China, the North&#39;s major ally, to rein in Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear and missile development. Trump, in the Reuters interview, praised Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as a &quot;good man&quot;. 
 
Tensions high 
 
The North has been conducting missile and nuclear weapons related activities at an unprecedented rate and is believed to have made progress in developing intermediate-range and submarine-launched missiles. 
 
Tension on the Korean peninsula has been high for weeks over fears the North may conduct a long-range missile test, or its sixth nuclear test, around the time of the April 15 anniversary of its state founder&#39;s birth. 
 
In excerpts of an interview with CBS News released on Saturday, Trump said the United States and China would &quot;not be happy&quot; with a nuclear test but gave no other details.&nbsp; 
 
Trump discussed the threat posed by North Korea in a telephone call with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the White House said.&nbsp; 
 
In an address to a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday, Duterte urged the United States to show restraint after North Korea&#39;s latest missile test and to avoid playing into the hands of leader Kim Jong Un, who &quot;wants to end the world&quot;. 
 
Two-month long US-South Korean joint military drills were due to conclude on Sunday, US&nbsp;and South Korean officials said.&nbsp; 
 
The exercise, called Foal Eagle, was repeatedly denounced by North Korea, which saw it as a rehearsal for war. 
 
In a further show of force, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group arrived in waters near the Korean peninsula and began exercises with the South Korean navy late on Saturday. The South Korean navy declined to say when the exercises would be completed.&nbsp; 
 
The dispatch of the Carl Vinson was a &quot;reckless action of the war maniacs aimed at an extremely dangerous nuclear war,&quot; the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea`s ruling Workers&#39;&nbsp;Party, said in a commentary on Saturday. 
 
The carrier group has just completed drills with the Japanese navy.&nbsp; 
 
Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, in an apparent show of solidarity with Washington, has ordered the Izumo, Japan&#39;s biggest warship, to protect a US&nbsp;navy ship that might be going to help supply the USS Carl Vinson, the Asahi newspaper said. 
 
(Reuters)

The conversation followed another North Korean missile test-launch on Saturday which Washington and Seoul said was unsuccessful

South Korea said the United States had reaffirmed it would shoulder the cost of deploying the THAAD anti-missile system, days after President Donald Trump said Seoul should pay for the $1-billion battery designed to defend against North Korea. In a telephone call on Sunday, Trump's national security adviser, HR McMaster, reassured his South Korean counterpart, Kim Kwan-jin, that the US alliance with South Korea was its top priority in the Asia-Pacific region, the South's presidential office said. The conversation followed another North Korean missile test-launch on Saturday which Washington and Seoul said was unsuccessful, but which drew widespread international condemnation. Trump, asked about his message to North Korea after the latest missile test, told reporters: "You'll soon find out", but did not elaborate on what the US response would be. Trump is stepping up outreach to allies in Asia to discuss the North Korean nuclear threat and make sure all are "on the same page" if action was needed, a top White House official said. The US president will discuss North Korea with the leaders of Thailand and Singapore on Sunday after speaking with the Philippines' president on Saturday. "There is nothing right now facing this country and facing the region that is a bigger threat than what is happening in North Korea," White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told ABC's "This Week." Trump's comments in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that he wanted Seoul to pay for the THAAD deployment perplexed South Koreans and raised questions about his commitment to the two countries' alliance. South Korean officials responded that the cost was for Washington to bear, under the bilateral agreement. "National security adviser HR McMaster explained that the recent statements by President Trump were made in a general context, in line with the US public expectations on defence cost burden-sharing with allies," South Korea's Blue House said in a statement, adding that McMaster requested the call. Major elements of the advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system were moved into the planned site in Seonjgu, in the south of the country, this week. The deployment has drawn protests from China, which says the powerful radar which can penetrate its territory will undermine regional security, and from local residents worried they will be a target for North Korean missiles. About 300 residents rallied on Sunday as two US Army lorries tried to enter the THAAD deployment site. Video provided by villagers showed protesters blocking the road with a car and chanting slogans such as "Don’t lie to us! Go back to your country!" Police said they had sent about 800 officers to the site and two residents were injured during clashes with them. South Korea and the United States say the sole purpose of THAAD is to guard against North Korean missiles. Vice President Mike Pence reaffirmed the US commitment to South Korea's security but said on NBC that Trump would "continue to call on the prosperous nations that the United States provides security and protection for to do more in their own defense." The United States is seeking more help from China, the North's major ally, to rein in Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development. Trump, in the Reuters interview, praised Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as a "good man". Tensions high The North has been conducting missile and nuclear weapons related activities at an unprecedented rate and is believed to have made progress in developing intermediate-range and submarine-launched missiles. Tension on the Korean peninsula has been high for weeks over fears the North may conduct a long-range missile test, or its sixth nuclear test, around the time of the April 15 anniversary of its state founder's birth. In excerpts of an interview with CBS News released on Saturday, Trump said the United States and China would "not be happy" with a nuclear test but gave no other details. Trump discussed the threat posed by North Korea in a telephone call with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, the White House said. In an address to a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday, Duterte urged the United States to show restraint after North Korea's latest missile test and to avoid playing into the hands of leader Kim Jong Un, who "wants to end the world". Two-month long US-South Korean joint military drills were due to conclude on Sunday, US and South Korean officials said. The exercise, called Foal Eagle, was repeatedly denounced by North Korea, which saw it as a rehearsal for war. In a further show of force, the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group arrived in waters near the Korean peninsula and began exercises with the South Korean navy late on Saturday. The South Korean navy declined to say when the exercises would be completed. The dispatch of the Carl Vinson was a "reckless action of the war maniacs aimed at an extremely dangerous nuclear war," the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea`s ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary on Saturday. The carrier group has just completed drills with the Japanese navy. Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada, in an apparent show of solidarity with Washington, has ordered the Izumo, Japan's biggest warship, to protect a US navy ship that might be going to help supply the USS Carl Vinson, the Asahi newspaper said. (Reuters)

US has reaffirmed will pay for THAAD missile costs, says South Korea

He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is.

President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House.

&quot;I loved my previous life. I had so many things going,&quot; Trump told Reuters in an interview. &quot;This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier.&quot;

A wealthy businessman from New York, Trump assumed public office for the first time when he entered the White House on Jan. 20 after he defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an upset.

More than five months after his victory and two days shy of the 100-day mark of his presidency, the election is still on Trump&#39;s mind. Midway through a discussion about Chinese President Xi Jinping, the president paused to hand out copies of what he said were the latest figures from the 2016 electoral map.

&quot;Here, you can take that, that&#39;s the final map of the numbers,&quot; the Republican president said from his desk in the Oval Office, handing out maps of the United States with areas he won marked in red. &quot;It&rsquo;s pretty good, right? The red is obviously us.&quot;

He had copies for each of the three Reuters reporters in the room.

Trump, who said he was accustomed to not having privacy in his &quot;old life,&quot; expressed surprise at how little he had now. And he made clear he was still getting used to having 24-hour Secret Service protection and its accompanying constraints.

&quot;You&#39;re really into your own little cocoon, because you have such massive protection that you really can&#39;t go anywhere,&quot; he said.

When the president leaves the White House, it is usually in a limousine or an SUV.

He said he missed being behind the wheel himself.

&quot;I like to drive,&quot; he said. &quot;I can&#39;t drive any more.&quot;

Many things about Trump have not changed from the wheeler-dealer executive and former celebrity reality show host who ran his empire from the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York and worked the phones incessantly.

He frequently turns to outside friends and former business colleagues for advice and positive reinforcement. Senior aides say they are resigned to it.

The president has been at loggerheads with many news organizations since his election campaign and decided not to attend the White House Correspondents&#39; Dinner in Washington on Saturday because he felt he had been treated unfairly by the media.

&quot;I would come next year, absolutely,&quot; Trump said when asked whether he would attend in the future.

The dinner is organized by the White House Correspondents&#39; Association. Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason is its president.&nbsp;

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

'This is more work than in my previous life,' he said

He misses driving, feels as if he is in a cocoon, and is surprised how hard his new job is. President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House. "I loved my previous life. I had so many things going," Trump told Reuters in an interview. "This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier." A wealthy businessman from New York, Trump assumed public office for the first time when he entered the White House on Jan. 20 after he defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an upset. More than five months after his victory and two days shy of the 100-day mark of his presidency, the election is still on Trump's mind. Midway through a discussion about Chinese President Xi Jinping, the president paused to hand out copies of what he said were the latest figures from the 2016 electoral map. "Here, you can take that, that's the final map of the numbers," the Republican president said from his desk in the Oval Office, handing out maps of the United States with areas he won marked in red. "It’s pretty good, right? The red is obviously us." He had copies for each of the three Reuters reporters in the room. Trump, who said he was accustomed to not having privacy in his "old life," expressed surprise at how little he had now. And he made clear he was still getting used to having 24-hour Secret Service protection and its accompanying constraints. "You're really into your own little cocoon, because you have such massive protection that you really can't go anywhere," he said. When the president leaves the White House, it is usually in a limousine or an SUV. He said he missed being behind the wheel himself. "I like to drive," he said. "I can't drive any more." Many things about Trump have not changed from the wheeler-dealer executive and former celebrity reality show host who ran his empire from the 26th floor of Trump Tower in New York and worked the phones incessantly. He frequently turns to outside friends and former business colleagues for advice and positive reinforcement. Senior aides say they are resigned to it. The president has been at loggerheads with many news organizations since his election campaign and decided not to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on Saturday because he felt he had been treated unfairly by the media. "I would come next year, absolutely," Trump said when asked whether he would attend in the future. The dinner is organized by the White House Correspondents' Association. Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason is its president. (Reuters)

Trump says he thought being president would be easier

The United States has spelled out its desire to ramp up sanctions against North Korea in order to bring its leader Kim Jong-Un &quot;to his senses&quot;.

The Pentagon released a statement that underlined Washington&#39;s tough stance on North Korea, which has pooh-poohed several economic sanctions in the past to continue with its ballistic missile programme.

After briefing senators at the White House, a&nbsp;statement from Pentagon chief Jim Mattis, secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats stated US President Donald Trump&#39;s desire to &quot;dismantle&quot; North Korea&#39;s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes by &quot;tightening economic sanctions&quot;.

Although Washington remained on the front foot about its policies towards Pyongyang, the joint statement said they were involved in getting help from the &quot;international community to incrcease pressure&quot; on North Korea and convice them to &quot;return to the path of dialogue&quot;.

Reiterating its statement that &quot;all options were on the table&quot;, the statement further said: &quot;We want to bring Kim Jong-Un to his senses, not to his knees.&quot;

The Trump administration has been wary of North Korea&#39;s intention to continue with their nuclear testing and has warned about military action if needed.

The US has also reached out to China to placate the isolated regime.&nbsp;

But if China&#39;s efforts are not enough to deter North Korea, the Trump administration has underscored the possibilities of a military solution.

THAAD trouble

The US sent the THAAD defence intercepting equipment to be installed in South Korea on Wednesday morning.

But the installation of the THAAD in a golf course in Seongju county has elicited heated protests from residents, who believe that the presence of the missile interceptor would goad North leader Kim Jong-Un to attack their region.

THAAD&#39;s deployment in South Korea has also vexed and angered Beijing in equal measure.

Its presence angers Beijing as it would help the US to monitor and perhaps scuttle their missile programmes. And it angers them because it is likely to escalate tensions in the Korean peninsula.

But the US and South Korea governments have remained steadfast about their decision to install THAAD.

They feel the increasing bellicosity of the North has left them with little option but to place the THAAD in South Korea.

THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.

North&#39;s defiance

North Korea has been ruffling feathers by flexing its military might.

Apart from test-firing missiles and threatening to launch ballistic missiles towards the US, Pyongyang has been recently busy in tom-tomming its largest-ever firing drill to mark the&nbsp;founding anniversary of its military.

The regime has, like in the past, routinely dismissed suggestions of sanctions and military threat to continue building their weaponry.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

While a military solution remains an option, the US first wants to impose tough economic sanctions to deter North Korea from its nuclear programme

The United States has spelled out its desire to ramp up sanctions against North Korea in order to bring its leader Kim Jong-Un "to his senses". The Pentagon released a statement that underlined Washington's tough stance on North Korea, which has pooh-poohed several economic sanctions in the past to continue with its ballistic missile programme. After briefing senators at the White House, a statement from Pentagon chief Jim Mattis, secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats stated US President Donald Trump's desire to "dismantle" North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes by "tightening economic sanctions". Although Washington remained on the front foot about its policies towards Pyongyang, the joint statement said they were involved in getting help from the "international community to incrcease pressure" on North Korea and convice them to "return to the path of dialogue". Reiterating its statement that "all options were on the table", the statement further said: "We want to bring Kim Jong-Un to his senses, not to his knees." The Trump administration has been wary of North Korea's intention to continue with their nuclear testing and has warned about military action if needed. The US has also reached out to China to placate the isolated regime. But if China's efforts are not enough to deter North Korea, the Trump administration has underscored the possibilities of a military solution. THAAD trouble The US sent the THAAD defence intercepting equipment to be installed in South Korea on Wednesday morning. But the installation of the THAAD in a golf course in Seongju county has elicited heated protests from residents, who believe that the presence of the missile interceptor would goad North leader Kim Jong-Un to attack their region. THAAD's deployment in South Korea has also vexed and angered Beijing in equal measure. Its presence angers Beijing as it would help the US to monitor and perhaps scuttle their missile programmes. And it angers them because it is likely to escalate tensions in the Korean peninsula. But the US and South Korea governments have remained steadfast about their decision to install THAAD. They feel the increasing bellicosity of the North has left them with little option but to place the THAAD in South Korea. THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. North's defiance North Korea has been ruffling feathers by flexing its military might. Apart from test-firing missiles and threatening to launch ballistic missiles towards the US, Pyongyang has been recently busy in tom-tomming its largest-ever firing drill to mark the founding anniversary of its military. The regime has, like in the past, routinely dismissed suggestions of sanctions and military threat to continue building their weaponry. (WION with inputs from AFP)

US wants to ramp up North Korea sanctions to bring Kim 'to his senses'

The Donald Trump administration has proposed to dramatically slash corporate tax rates to spur economic growth and boost job&nbsp;creation, the White House said, a move that will also benefit the president&#39;s own company.

Dubbing it as the largest-ever tax reforms in US history, the White House said the rate of corporation tax would be lowered from 35 per cent to 15 per cent.

Gary Cohn, the chief economic advisor to US President Donald Trump, and Steven Mnuchin, the treasure secretary, also announced that they would simplify tax declaration for individuals.

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The administration wants to cut the number of income tax brackets from seven to three (10 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent).

&quot;We are going to cut taxes for businesses to make them competitive and we&#39;re going to cut taxes for the American people especially low- and middle-income families,&quot; said Cohn, who heads the new National Economic Council.

Cohn also underlined the need to overhaul the tax system to make US corporates more competitive.

The proposed reforms were unveiled to the media in a one-page, bullet-pointed outline.

When asked questions about the fine print of their plan, White House said: &quot;We will let you know the details at the appropriate time.&quot;

Cohn and Mnuchin maintained that the &quot;once-in-a-lifetime&quot; reforms were all about &quot;creating job and economic growth&quot; when they were asked by the media about how the cut in corporate taxes would benefit Trump personally.

Rich-friendly reforms?

Analysts say cutting the top corporate rate to 15 per cent could add more than $2 trillion to the deficit over a decade.

They also dispute White House expectations that the tax cuts will boost economic growth and bring in enough revenues to offset the cost. That assumption is unrealistic, they say.

Guardian quoted critics as saying that the proposed big bang is a figleaf and &quot;basically a huge tax cut for the rich&quot;.

They believe that the potential burgeoning of the fiscal deficit would result in fall in the standard of living.

Some sections of the media have also pointed out that the new tax plan is opaque and lacks clarity.

The White House officials did not provide sufficient&nbsp;details on how the tax cuts would be paid for at a time when Congress is riven by concerns over US debt and deficit spending.

Simplified declarations&nbsp;

For individuals, the reform promises to simplify tax declaration by, among other things, reducing the number of income tax brackets from seven to three, at 10 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent.

The standard tax-free deduction would be doubled, a change Cohn said would amount to &quot;a zero tax rate&quot; on a married couple&#39;s first $24,000 in annual income.

The proposal also calls for eliminating a 3.8 per cent tax on investment income used to help meet costs under for President Barack Obama&#39;s health care program, and the Alternative Minimum Tax, paid by people and companies who enjoy large deductions on standard income tax.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Analysts believe the dramatic lowering of top corporate rate could add more than $2 trillion to the deficit over the next ten years

The Donald Trump administration has proposed to dramatically slash corporate tax rates to spur economic growth and boost job creation, the White House said, a move that will also benefit the president's own company. Dubbing it as the largest-ever tax reforms in US history, the White House said the rate of corporation tax would be lowered from 35 per cent to 15 per cent. Gary Cohn, the chief economic advisor to US President Donald Trump, and Steven Mnuchin, the treasure secretary, also announced that they would simplify tax declaration for individuals. Analysts say cutting the top corporate rate to 15 per cent could add more than $2 trillion to the deficit over a decade. × The administration wants to cut the number of income tax brackets from seven to three (10 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent). "We are going to cut taxes for businesses to make them competitive and we're going to cut taxes for the American people especially low- and middle-income families," said Cohn, who heads the new National Economic Council. Cohn also underlined the need to overhaul the tax system to make US corporates more competitive. The proposed reforms were unveiled to the media in a one-page, bullet-pointed outline. When asked questions about the fine print of their plan, White House said: "We will let you know the details at the appropriate time." Cohn and Mnuchin maintained that the "once-in-a-lifetime" reforms were all about "creating job and economic growth" when they were asked by the media about how the cut in corporate taxes would benefit Trump personally. Rich-friendly reforms? Analysts say cutting the top corporate rate to 15 per cent could add more than $2 trillion to the deficit over a decade. They also dispute White House expectations that the tax cuts will boost economic growth and bring in enough revenues to offset the cost. That assumption is unrealistic, they say. Guardian quoted critics as saying that the proposed big bang is a figleaf and "basically a huge tax cut for the rich". They believe that the potential burgeoning of the fiscal deficit would result in fall in the standard of living. Some sections of the media have also pointed out that the new tax plan is opaque and lacks clarity. The White House officials did not provide sufficient details on how the tax cuts would be paid for at a time when Congress is riven by concerns over US debt and deficit spending. Simplified declarations For individuals, the reform promises to simplify tax declaration by, among other things, reducing the number of income tax brackets from seven to three, at 10 per cent, 25 per cent and 35 per cent. The standard tax-free deduction would be doubled, a change Cohn said would amount to "a zero tax rate" on a married couple's first $24,000 in annual income. The proposal also calls for eliminating a 3.8 per cent tax on investment income used to help meet costs under for President Barack Obama's health care program, and the Alternative Minimum Tax, paid by people and companies who enjoy large deductions on standard income tax. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trump proposes slashing corporate, individual tax rate to spur economy

The United States has started installing the controversial THAAD missile defence equipment in South Korea, as Washington&#39;s relations with North Korea remains on a&nbsp;knife edge.

Yonhap, South Korea&#39;s largest news agency, reported that six trailers carrying the THAAD missile had entered a golf course in South Korea on Wednesday morning.

The deployment of the advanced missile defence system in South Korea is to counter any threat from Pyongyang, who have thumbed nose at a series of sanctions to go ahead with their ballistic missile programme.

North Korea has also been vocal about their plan to conduct their sixth nuclear weapons test.

South Korea&#39;s defence ministry said the THAAD will be fully operational by the end of 2017.

South Korea and the US decided to position the THAAD weeks back following an increasingly bellicose rhetoric emanating from Pyongyang.

The THAAD system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.

Controversial THAAD

Although THAAD will ease South Korea&#39;s security, China has been a vocal critic of the advanced missile interceptor.

Beijing feels the deployment of THAAD not only enables US&#39; presence in the region, the defence system will also help Washington monitor and disrupt their missile tests.

China has long been against the deployment of THAAD in the region, but South Korea&#39;s decision to install it amid the sabre-rattling of their neighbours has angered Beijing.

In recent days, China has not only put an unofficial sanction on South Korean companies operating in their country, its hackers linked to &quot;military and intelligence agencies&quot; have &quot;launched a variety of attacks against the South Korea&#39;s government, military and a big conglomerate&quot;, according to a report in the Journal.

Local unrest

The deployment has also raised concerns among locals.

Residents of Seongju county in South Korea and the police clashed with each other over the deployment of THAAD in one of the region&#39;s golf courses.

The residents have been against the positioning of THAAD there because they believe it would infuriate North leader Kim Jong-Un and would prompt him to attack them.

They also cite environmental concerns.

On Wednesday, all hands were on the deck for the police as they had to contend with about 8,000 angry residents. The police had to call for back-up as scuffles erupted between the two factions.

US offensive

The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson to the western Pacific.

Trump has indicated he is willing to ramp up US military pressure on North Korea while simultaneously encouraging China to use its influence on its ally, and reject bilateral diplomacy with Pyongyang.

The US has long pushed for China to make more efforts to curb Pyongyang&#39;s behaviour.

But Beijing has resisted, concerned that a regime collapse could trigger a flood of refugees across the border and leave the US military on its doorstep.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called Monday for &quot;restraint&quot; regarding North Korea in a telephone conversation with Trump.

US defence leaders and other top officials are to give a classified briefing on North Korea to all senators in an unusual meeting at the White House later Wednesday.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The THAAD arrived in the South as North Korea continues with its ballistic missile programme

The United States has started installing the controversial THAAD missile defence equipment in South Korea, as Washington's relations with North Korea remains on a knife edge. Yonhap, South Korea's largest news agency, reported that six trailers carrying the THAAD missile had entered a golf course in South Korea on Wednesday morning. The deployment of the advanced missile defence system in South Korea is to counter any threat from Pyongyang, who have thumbed nose at a series of sanctions to go ahead with their ballistic missile programme. North Korea has also been vocal about their plan to conduct their sixth nuclear weapons test. South Korea's defence ministry said the THAAD will be fully operational by the end of 2017. South Korea and the US decided to position the THAAD weeks back following an increasingly bellicose rhetoric emanating from Pyongyang. The THAAD system is meant to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight. Controversial THAAD Although THAAD will ease South Korea's security, China has been a vocal critic of the advanced missile interceptor. Beijing feels the deployment of THAAD not only enables US' presence in the region, the defence system will also help Washington monitor and disrupt their missile tests. China has long been against the deployment of THAAD in the region, but South Korea's decision to install it amid the sabre-rattling of their neighbours has angered Beijing. In recent days, China has not only put an unofficial sanction on South Korean companies operating in their country, its hackers linked to "military and intelligence agencies" have "launched a variety of attacks against the South Korea's government, military and a big conglomerate", according to a report in the Journal. Local unrest The deployment has also raised concerns among locals. Residents of Seongju county in South Korea and the police clashed with each other over the deployment of THAAD in one of the region's golf courses. The residents have been against the positioning of THAAD there because they believe it would infuriate North leader Kim Jong-Un and would prompt him to attack them. They also cite environmental concerns. On Wednesday, all hands were on the deck for the police as they had to contend with about 8,000 angry residents. The police had to call for back-up as scuffles erupted between the two factions. US offensive The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson to the western Pacific. Trump has indicated he is willing to ramp up US military pressure on North Korea while simultaneously encouraging China to use its influence on its ally, and reject bilateral diplomacy with Pyongyang. The US has long pushed for China to make more efforts to curb Pyongyang's behaviour. But Beijing has resisted, concerned that a regime collapse could trigger a flood of refugees across the border and leave the US military on its doorstep. Chinese President Xi Jinping called Monday for "restraint" regarding North Korea in a telephone conversation with Trump. US defence leaders and other top officials are to give a classified briefing on North Korea to all senators in an unusual meeting at the White House later Wednesday. (WION with inputs from AFP)

US' missile defence interceptor arrives in South Korea to counter North's threat

US President Donald Trump on Monday asked France&#39;s envoy to the United Nations about the French presidential elections following a first round of voting at the weekend.

Trump took Ambassador Francois Delattre aside during a meeting of UN Security Council envoys to Washington to ask about the vote that sets up a run-off next month between pro-Europe candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

&quot;He asked me about the elections in France,&quot; Delattre told AFP. &quot;I gave him a review of the situation and put things in perspective.&quot;&nbsp;

Trump last week had expressed support for Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, saying that she was the &quot;strongest on borders&quot; and the &quot;strongest on what&#39;s been going on in France.&quot;

On Monday, French President Francois Hollande urged voters to back Macron, who topped Sunday&#39;s first-round voting with 24 per cent, compared to 21 per cent for Le Pen.

Security Council ambassadors held a working lunch with Trump and meetings in the Oval Office as part of the US presidency of the council in April.

Trump signaled that he was ready to work with the United Nations if the world body shows that it can reform and become more responsive to global crises.

The United States is the biggest contributor to the United Nations, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.9 billion peacekeeping budget.

During his election campaign, Trump dismissed the United Nations as &quot;just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

 
&nbsp;

Trump last week had expressed support for Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, saying that she was the 'strongest on borders'

US President Donald Trump on Monday asked France's envoy to the United Nations about the French presidential elections following a first round of voting at the weekend. Trump took Ambassador Francois Delattre aside during a meeting of UN Security Council envoys to Washington to ask about the vote that sets up a run-off next month between pro-Europe candidate Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. "He asked me about the elections in France," Delattre told AFP. "I gave him a review of the situation and put things in perspective." Trump last week had expressed support for Le Pen, the leader of the National Front, saying that she was the "strongest on borders" and the "strongest on what's been going on in France." On Monday, French President Francois Hollande urged voters to back Macron, who topped Sunday's first-round voting with 24 per cent, compared to 21 per cent for Le Pen. Security Council ambassadors held a working lunch with Trump and meetings in the Oval Office as part of the US presidency of the council in April. Trump signaled that he was ready to work with the United Nations if the world body shows that it can reform and become more responsive to global crises. The United States is the biggest contributor to the United Nations, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.9 billion peacekeeping budget. During his election campaign, Trump dismissed the United Nations as "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time." (AFP)

Trump asks French UN envoy about elections

A US&nbsp;State Department website on Monday took down an article it published this month about President Donald Trump&#39;s Mar-a-Lago resort which had prompted criticism from prominent ethics experts that the piece represented use of public office for private gain.

The original article was posted on April 4 on the &quot;Share America&quot; website, overseen by the State Department&#39;s Bureau of International Information Programs. It was also shared on the websites and social media pages of several US embassies, including those in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Albania, as well as the State Department&#39;s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.

Although it was posted weeks ago, the article surfaced on Monday when it was shared widely on social media.

The State Department removed the article&#39;s content around 7 pm&nbsp;on Monday, replacing it with a short statement saying its intention &quot;was to inform the public about where the President has been hosting world leaders. We regret any misperception and have removed the post.&quot;

The article described the history of Trump&#39;s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and its size, status as a registered historic site, interior decoration and oceanfront location.

&quot;By visiting this &#39;winter White House,&#39; Trump is belatedly fulfilling the dream of Mar-a-Lago&#39;s original owner and designer,&quot; socialite and cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, the article said. &quot;Post&#39;s dream of a winter White House came true with Trump&#39;s election in 2016.&quot;

A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House did not know about the article in advance, and declined to comment further.

Norman Eisen, ethics chief under Trump&#39;s predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama, said on Twitter that the article violated a federal statute barring the use of public office for private gain.

Richard Painter, a former ethics lawyer for Republican President George W. Bush, said on Twitter that the post constituted &quot;use of public office for private gain pure and simple.&quot;

Scott Amey, an attorney with the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight, said the post may not be an outright endorsement of Mar-a-Lago, but that &quot;someone inside of the government should have said &#39;no&#39; to the story and further helping Trump make money while serving in the White House.&quot;

The &quot;Share America&quot; article said that in 1973, Post willed the estate to the US&nbsp;government, intending it to be used as a winter White House for the president to entertain foreign dignitaries.

But Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter never used the property, and in 1981 the government returned the estate to the Post Foundation because it was costing too much to maintain, according to the article.

Trump, a businessman turned politician, bought the property in 1985, and turned it into a club open to dues-paying members 10 years later, it said.

The club has a $200,000 membership fee, and Trump has hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the resort. Trump&#39;s frequent visits there have come under scrutiny due to their expense and questions of how he has handled sensitive national security information while there.

Trump maintains ownership of his global business empire, though he has handed off control to his two oldest sons, an arrangement that ethics watchdogs said would not prevent conflicts of interest. 
 
(Reuters)

The article was criticised for violating a federal statute barring the use of public office for private gain

A US State Department website on Monday took down an article it published this month about President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort which had prompted criticism from prominent ethics experts that the piece represented use of public office for private gain. The original article was posted on April 4 on the "Share America" website, overseen by the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs. It was also shared on the websites and social media pages of several US embassies, including those in the United Kingdom, Portugal and Albania, as well as the State Department's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. Although it was posted weeks ago, the article surfaced on Monday when it was shared widely on social media. The State Department removed the article's content around 7 pm on Monday, replacing it with a short statement saying its intention "was to inform the public about where the President has been hosting world leaders. We regret any misperception and have removed the post." The article described the history of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and its size, status as a registered historic site, interior decoration and oceanfront location. "By visiting this 'winter White House,' Trump is belatedly fulfilling the dream of Mar-a-Lago's original owner and designer," socialite and cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, the article said. "Post's dream of a winter White House came true with Trump's election in 2016." A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House did not know about the article in advance, and declined to comment further. Norman Eisen, ethics chief under Trump's predecessor, Democratic President Barack Obama, said on Twitter that the article violated a federal statute barring the use of public office for private gain. Richard Painter, a former ethics lawyer for Republican President George W. Bush, said on Twitter that the post constituted "use of public office for private gain pure and simple." Scott Amey, an attorney with the nonpartisan Project on Government Oversight, said the post may not be an outright endorsement of Mar-a-Lago, but that "someone inside of the government should have said 'no' to the story and further helping Trump make money while serving in the White House." The "Share America" article said that in 1973, Post willed the estate to the US government, intending it to be used as a winter White House for the president to entertain foreign dignitaries. But Presidents Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter never used the property, and in 1981 the government returned the estate to the Post Foundation because it was costing too much to maintain, according to the article. Trump, a businessman turned politician, bought the property in 1985, and turned it into a club open to dues-paying members 10 years later, it said. The club has a $200,000 membership fee, and Trump has hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the resort. Trump's frequent visits there have come under scrutiny due to their expense and questions of how he has handled sensitive national security information while there. Trump maintains ownership of his global business empire, though he has handed off control to his two oldest sons, an arrangement that ethics watchdogs said would not prevent conflicts of interest. (Reuters)

US State Department website removes article on Trump resort

Any &quot;serious actions&quot; taken by the Trump Administration on the H-1B visa programme would be a cause of &quot;worry&quot; as a majority of Indian exports in the services sector go to the US, Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian government Arvind Subramanian has said.

&quot;If there are serious actions taken it&#39;s something that&#39;s going to kind of worry us a lot because, remember that our exports of services are about 40 to 45 per cent of the total exports,? Subramanian told an audience here last week.

&quot;Something like 50 to 60 per cent of all our exports of services goes to the United States. So it would worry us quite a bit,? he said while responding to a question on the H1-B visa during his visit at the Peterson Institute, a top American economic think-tank.

Subramanian said that India would be &quot;okay&quot; as long as the visa reforms are manageable and it&#39;s keeping a close watch on it.

&quot;Anything that is going to interfere with export growth creates anxiety (in India). In the context of the United States, we&#39;re all watching very carefully the H1-B visa situation,? the Chief Economic Adviser said.

&quot;On the visa side, I don&#39;t know but as long as you know we can keep this thing manageable. You know it should be okay,? he said.

During his US visit, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had also taken up the the H-1B issue with the American side and highlighted the contribution Indian companies and professionals are making to the US economy.

President Donald Trump had earlier this month signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop its &quot;abuse&quot; and ensure that the visas are given to the &quot;most-skilled or highest paid&quot; petitioners, a decision that would impact India&#39;s USD 150 billion IT industry.

The Indian IT industry expressed serious concerns over this as these visas were mainly used by domestic IT professionals for short-term work in America.

The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields. Indian technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year for their US operations.

The US market accounts for about 60 per cent of the revenue of the Indian IT industry.

Reforming the H-1B visa system was one of the major election promises of Trump. As per several US reports, a majority of the H-1B visas every year are grabbed by Indian IT professionals.

India accounts for the highest pool of qualified IT professionals, whose services go a long way in making American companies globally competitive.&nbsp;

(PTI)

Arvind Subramanian said India will be 'okay' as long as the reforms are manageable

Any "serious actions" taken by the Trump Administration on the H-1B visa programme would be a cause of "worry" as a majority of Indian exports in the services sector go to the US, Chief Economic Adviser to the Indian government Arvind Subramanian has said. "If there are serious actions taken it's something that's going to kind of worry us a lot because, remember that our exports of services are about 40 to 45 per cent of the total exports,? Subramanian told an audience here last week. "Something like 50 to 60 per cent of all our exports of services goes to the United States. So it would worry us quite a bit,? he said while responding to a question on the H1-B visa during his visit at the Peterson Institute, a top American economic think-tank. Subramanian said that India would be "okay" as long as the visa reforms are manageable and it's keeping a close watch on it. "Anything that is going to interfere with export growth creates anxiety (in India). In the context of the United States, we're all watching very carefully the H1-B visa situation,? the Chief Economic Adviser said. "On the visa side, I don't know but as long as you know we can keep this thing manageable. You know it should be okay,? he said. During his US visit, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had also taken up the the H-1B issue with the American side and highlighted the contribution Indian companies and professionals are making to the US economy. President Donald Trump had earlier this month signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop its "abuse" and ensure that the visas are given to the "most-skilled or highest paid" petitioners, a decision that would impact India's USD 150 billion IT industry. The Indian IT industry expressed serious concerns over this as these visas were mainly used by domestic IT professionals for short-term work in America. The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields. Indian technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year for their US operations. The US market accounts for about 60 per cent of the revenue of the Indian IT industry. Reforming the H-1B visa system was one of the major election promises of Trump. As per several US reports, a majority of the H-1B visas every year are grabbed by Indian IT professionals. India accounts for the highest pool of qualified IT professionals, whose services go a long way in making American companies globally competitive. (PTI)

Major action on H1-B visa cause for worry, will impact exports: Chief Economic Adviser

Days after finance minister Arun Jaitley raised the issue of restrictions on H-1B visa with his American counterpart Steven Mnuchin, the US has said that it greatly values investments by Indian companies and wants strong economic ties between the two nations. 
 
&quot;We want to see US-India business-to-business ties remain strong,&quot; State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference yesterday. 
 
He was responding to questions on the ongoing review of H-1B visas by the Trump Administration and its impact on the Indian IT companies, who are heavily dependent on it. 
 
&quot;We greatly value Indian companies&#39; continued investment in the US economy, which also, of course, supports thousands of US jobs,&quot; Toner said. 
 
&quot;With respect to any new requirements on visas, I&#39;d have to check and see if that&#39;s been updated,&quot; he said, adding that under the current government, the US has been looking at ways to strengthen the processes like visa interview and admission processes in new ways. 
 
Toner said that it&#39;s been from the beginnings of this administration and certainly with respect to immigration and with refugee flows as well. 
 
&quot;Those processes are ongoing,&quot; he added. 
 
On being asked about the visa review process, Toner said, &quot;It&#39;s important to remember that this is always a part of how our consular bureau works and our consular officers work overseas, and our embassies and missions work overseas, and that is we&#39;re always reviewing the processes that are in place to issue these visas and finding ways to strengthen them, because we want to ensure the security of the American people&quot;. 
 
During his US visit, Jaitley on Sunday raised the H-1B issue with Mnuchin as India fears the curb would impact the movement of Indian IT professionals to America and highlighted the contribution Indian companies and professionals are making to the US economy. 
 
The development came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop its &quot;abuse&quot;&nbsp;and ensure that the visas are given to the &quot;most-skilled or highest paid&quot; petitioners,&nbsp;a decision that would impact India&#39;s USD 150 billion IT industry. 
 
(PTI)

US says it has been looking at ways to strengthen processes like visa interview and admission processes in new ways

Days after finance minister Arun Jaitley raised the issue of restrictions on H-1B visa with his American counterpart Steven Mnuchin, the US has said that it greatly values investments by Indian companies and wants strong economic ties between the two nations. "We want to see US-India business-to-business ties remain strong," State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner told reporters at his daily news conference yesterday. He was responding to questions on the ongoing review of H-1B visas by the Trump Administration and its impact on the Indian IT companies, who are heavily dependent on it. "We greatly value Indian companies' continued investment in the US economy, which also, of course, supports thousands of US jobs," Toner said. "With respect to any new requirements on visas, I'd have to check and see if that's been updated," he said, adding that under the current government, the US has been looking at ways to strengthen the processes like visa interview and admission processes in new ways. Toner said that it's been from the beginnings of this administration and certainly with respect to immigration and with refugee flows as well. "Those processes are ongoing," he added. On being asked about the visa review process, Toner said, "It's important to remember that this is always a part of how our consular bureau works and our consular officers work overseas, and our embassies and missions work overseas, and that is we're always reviewing the processes that are in place to issue these visas and finding ways to strengthen them, because we want to ensure the security of the American people". During his US visit, Jaitley on Sunday raised the H-1B issue with Mnuchin as India fears the curb would impact the movement of Indian IT professionals to America and highlighted the contribution Indian companies and professionals are making to the US economy. The development came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order for tightening the rules of the H-1B visa programme to stop its "abuse" and ensure that the visas are given to the "most-skilled or highest paid" petitioners, a decision that would impact India's USD 150 billion IT industry. (PTI)

Strengthening processes to issue H1-B visas, want to ensure security of Americans: US

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all sides to exercise restraint on Monday in a call with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, as a nervous South Korea and Japan sought to join drills with a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group headed for Korean waters.

Reclusive North Korea said at the weekend it was ready to sink the US&nbsp;aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, which Trump had ordered to waters off the Korean peninsula as a warning to the nuclear-armed North.

Japan said on Sunday it had sent two Japanese destroyers to join the carrier group for drills, and South Korea said it was also in talks about holding joint naval exercises.

China is increasingly worried the situation may spin out of control, leading to war and a chaotic collapse of its isolated and poverty-struck neighbour.

Xi told Trump that China resolutely opposes any actions that run counter to UN&nbsp;Security Council resolutions, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.

China &quot;hopes that all relevant sides exercise restraint, and avoid doing anything to worsen the tense situation on the peninsula&quot;, the statement paraphrased Xi as saying.

The nuclear issue can only be resolved quickly with all relevant countries pulling in the same direction, and China is willing to work with all parties, including the United States, to ensure peace, Xi said.

Tensions have risen sharply in recent months, with Washington and its allies fearing Pyongyang could conduct another nuclear missile test or launch more ballistic missiles in defiance of United Nations sanctions.

North Korea celebrates the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People`s Army on Tuesday, and has marked similar events in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches.

&#39;Repeated Provocation&#39; 
Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described his conversation with Trump as a &quot;thorough exchange of views&quot;.

&quot;We agreed to strongly demand that North Korea, which is repeating its provocation, show restraint,&quot; Abe told reporters.

&quot;We will maintain close contact with the United States, keep a high level of vigilance and respond firmly,&quot; he said.

Abe also said he and Trump agreed that China, North Korea`s sole major ally, should play a large role in dealing with Pyongyang.

A Japanese official said the phone call between Trump and Abe was not prompted by any specific change in the situation.

The US&nbsp;government has not specified where the carrier strike group is, but U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday it would arrive &quot;within days&quot;.

South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun gave no further details about the South`s plans, other than saying Seoul was holding discussions with the US Navy.

&quot;I can say the South Korean and US militaries are fully ready for North Korea`s nuclear test,&quot; Moon said.

 
South Korean and U.S. officials have feared for some time that North Korea could soon carry out its sixth nuclear test.

Satellite imagery analysed by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, found some activity under way at North Korea`s Punggye-ri nuclear test site last week.

However, the group said it was unclear whether the site was in a &quot;tactical pause&quot; before another test or was carrying out normal operations.

Adding to the heightened tensions, North Korea detained a U.S. citizen on Saturday as he attempted to leave the country.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

China is increasingly worried the situation may spin out of control, and lead to war

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for all sides to exercise restraint on Monday in a call with US President Donald Trump, as a nervous South Korea and Japan sought to join drills with a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group headed for Korean waters. Reclusive North Korea said at the weekend it was ready to sink the US aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, which Trump had ordered to waters off the Korean peninsula as a warning to the nuclear-armed North. Japan said on Sunday it had sent two Japanese destroyers to join the carrier group for drills, and South Korea said it was also in talks about holding joint naval exercises. China is increasingly worried the situation may spin out of control, leading to war and a chaotic collapse of its isolated and poverty-struck neighbour. Xi told Trump that China resolutely opposes any actions that run counter to UN Security Council resolutions, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said. China "hopes that all relevant sides exercise restraint, and avoid doing anything to worsen the tense situation on the peninsula", the statement paraphrased Xi as saying. The nuclear issue can only be resolved quickly with all relevant countries pulling in the same direction, and China is willing to work with all parties, including the United States, to ensure peace, Xi said. Tensions have risen sharply in recent months, with Washington and its allies fearing Pyongyang could conduct another nuclear missile test or launch more ballistic missiles in defiance of United Nations sanctions. North Korea celebrates the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People`s Army on Tuesday, and has marked similar events in the past with nuclear tests or missile launches. 'Repeated Provocation' Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described his conversation with Trump as a "thorough exchange of views". "We agreed to strongly demand that North Korea, which is repeating its provocation, show restraint," Abe told reporters. "We will maintain close contact with the United States, keep a high level of vigilance and respond firmly," he said. Abe also said he and Trump agreed that China, North Korea`s sole major ally, should play a large role in dealing with Pyongyang. A Japanese official said the phone call between Trump and Abe was not prompted by any specific change in the situation. The US government has not specified where the carrier strike group is, but U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday it would arrive "within days". South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun gave no further details about the South`s plans, other than saying Seoul was holding discussions with the US Navy. "I can say the South Korean and US militaries are fully ready for North Korea`s nuclear test," Moon said. South Korean and U.S. officials have feared for some time that North Korea could soon carry out its sixth nuclear test. Satellite imagery analysed by 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, found some activity under way at North Korea`s Punggye-ri nuclear test site last week. However, the group said it was unclear whether the site was in a "tactical pause" before another test or was carrying out normal operations. Adding to the heightened tensions, North Korea detained a U.S. citizen on Saturday as he attempted to leave the country. (Reuters)

China's Xi calls Trump as carrier heads for Korea, calls for restraint

The UN Security Council has to be ready to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, US President Donald Trump said Monday, calling the status quo &quot;unacceptable.&quot;

&quot;This is a real threat to the world,&quot; Trump said while hosting UN Security Council ambassadors at the White House. &quot;North Korea is a big world problem. And it&#39;s a problem we have to finally solve.&quot;

&quot;The council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs,&quot; he said.

The comments are sure to once again ratchet up tensions.

North Korea is pushing on with its ballistic missile program, believed to be preparing a sixth nuclear weapons test, and has detained a US citizen -- the third to be held in the country.

At the same time, the United States has ordered an aircraft carrier strike group to the western Pacific, near North Korea. The group is due to arrive by the end of April.

The Pentagon said its leaders and other top officials will give a classified briefing on North Korea to US senators on Wednesday at the White House, rather than the usual secure rooms at the Capitol.

US Vice President Mike Pence is heading back to Washington after visits to Asia and Australia, with North Korea headlining talks.

Trump has intimated he is willing to ramp up US military pressure on North Korea while simultaneously encouraging China to use its influence on its ally, while rejecting bilateral diplomacy with Pyongyang.

&quot;People have put blindfolds on for decades and now it&#39;s time to solve the problem,&quot; he said.

The US leader spoke about North Korea in telephone conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday and with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, the White House said.

In the call with Xi, &quot;the two leaders reaffirmed the urgency of the threat posed by North Korea&#39;s missile and nuclear programs, and committed to strengthen coordination in achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,&quot; a White House statement said.

(AFP)

Pyongyang is a real threat to the world, the US president told the United Nations Security Council ambassadors

The UN Security Council has to be ready to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, US President Donald Trump said Monday, calling the status quo "unacceptable." "This is a real threat to the world," Trump said while hosting UN Security Council ambassadors at the White House. "North Korea is a big world problem. And it's a problem we have to finally solve." "The council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs," he said. The comments are sure to once again ratchet up tensions. North Korea is pushing on with its ballistic missile program, believed to be preparing a sixth nuclear weapons test, and has detained a US citizen -- the third to be held in the country. At the same time, the United States has ordered an aircraft carrier strike group to the western Pacific, near North Korea. The group is due to arrive by the end of April. The Pentagon said its leaders and other top officials will give a classified briefing on North Korea to US senators on Wednesday at the White House, rather than the usual secure rooms at the Capitol. US Vice President Mike Pence is heading back to Washington after visits to Asia and Australia, with North Korea headlining talks. Trump has intimated he is willing to ramp up US military pressure on North Korea while simultaneously encouraging China to use its influence on its ally, while rejecting bilateral diplomacy with Pyongyang. "People have put blindfolds on for decades and now it's time to solve the problem," he said. The US leader spoke about North Korea in telephone conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday and with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday, the White House said. In the call with Xi, "the two leaders reaffirmed the urgency of the threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, and committed to strengthen coordination in achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," a White House statement said. (AFP)

Trump urges UN to impose 'stronger sanctions' on North Korea

A US citizen has reportedly been arrested as he tried to fly out of North Korea, becoming the third American to be detained there, South Korea&#39;s Yonhap news agency said Sunday.

The US State Department said it was aware of the reports, but there was no official confirmation of the arrest, which would come at a tense time in relations between Pyongyang and Washington.

Yonhap quoted sources as saying the man, identified only by his surname Kim, was arrested on Friday at Pyongyang International Airport on his way out of the country.

It said Kim, aged in his late 50s and a former professor at China&#39;s Yanbian University of Science and Technology, had been involved in aid programmes for the North.

He reportedly was in North Korea for about a month to discuss relief activities, Yonhap said. The reason for his arrest was unclear.

&quot;We are aware of reports that a US citizen was detained in North Korea,&quot; a State Department official said in Washington.

Due to the lack of diplomatic relations, &quot;In cases where US citizens are reported to be detained in North Korea, we work with the Swedish embassy, which serves as the United States&#39; Protecting Power in North Korea. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment,&quot; the official said.

South Korea&#39;s National Intelligence Service as well as the unification and foreign ministries said they could not confirm the report.

Two other US citizens held&nbsp;

But the director of a Seoul-based group called the World North Korea Research Center said his sources in Pyongyang had confirmed the arrest.

&quot;The reason North Korea is not saying anything yet is because it is not done with the investigations,&quot; Ahn Chan-il, a former defector, told AFP.

&quot;It is important for them to hold a US citizen hostage at this point to prevent Washington from carrying out a decapitation of Kim Jong-Un,&quot; Ahn said, referring to the North&#39;s fears that the US plans a secret military strike to topple its leader.

&quot;It&#39;s also a resolve to point a double-action revolver against the US and China because he is a US citizen who worked in China.&quot;

US President Donald Trump has urged China to take stronger steps to press the North to curb its nuclear and missile programmes.

Vice President Mike Pence, during a regional tour last week, warned that &quot;all options are on the table&quot; to curb the North&#39;s nuclear ambitions as fears grow it may be planning another atomic test.

Two other US citizens -- college student Otto Warmbier and Korean-American pastor Kim Dong-Chul -- are currently being held in the North after being sentenced to long prison terms.

The pastor Kim was sentenced last year to 10 years of hard labour for spying.

Also last year Warmbier was jailed for 15 years for stealing a propaganda sign and for &quot;crimes against the state&quot;.

North Korea has arrested and jailed several US citizens in the past decade, often releasing them only after high-profile visits by current or former US officials.

(AFP)

Although there was no official confirmation, US said a former professor named Kim was barred from flying out of Pyongyang

A US citizen has reportedly been arrested as he tried to fly out of North Korea, becoming the third American to be detained there, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Sunday. The US State Department said it was aware of the reports, but there was no official confirmation of the arrest, which would come at a tense time in relations between Pyongyang and Washington. Yonhap quoted sources as saying the man, identified only by his surname Kim, was arrested on Friday at Pyongyang International Airport on his way out of the country. It said Kim, aged in his late 50s and a former professor at China's Yanbian University of Science and Technology, had been involved in aid programmes for the North. He reportedly was in North Korea for about a month to discuss relief activities, Yonhap said. The reason for his arrest was unclear. "We are aware of reports that a US citizen was detained in North Korea," a State Department official said in Washington. Due to the lack of diplomatic relations, "In cases where US citizens are reported to be detained in North Korea, we work with the Swedish embassy, which serves as the United States' Protecting Power in North Korea. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment," the official said. South Korea's National Intelligence Service as well as the unification and foreign ministries said they could not confirm the report. Two other US citizens held But the director of a Seoul-based group called the World North Korea Research Center said his sources in Pyongyang had confirmed the arrest. "The reason North Korea is not saying anything yet is because it is not done with the investigations," Ahn Chan-il, a former defector, told AFP. "It is important for them to hold a US citizen hostage at this point to prevent Washington from carrying out a decapitation of Kim Jong-Un," Ahn said, referring to the North's fears that the US plans a secret military strike to topple its leader. "It's also a resolve to point a double-action revolver against the US and China because he is a US citizen who worked in China." US President Donald Trump has urged China to take stronger steps to press the North to curb its nuclear and missile programmes. Vice President Mike Pence, during a regional tour last week, warned that "all options are on the table" to curb the North's nuclear ambitions as fears grow it may be planning another atomic test. Two other US citizens -- college student Otto Warmbier and Korean-American pastor Kim Dong-Chul -- are currently being held in the North after being sentenced to long prison terms. The pastor Kim was sentenced last year to 10 years of hard labour for spying. Also last year Warmbier was jailed for 15 years for stealing a propaganda sign and for "crimes against the state". North Korea has arrested and jailed several US citizens in the past decade, often releasing them only after high-profile visits by current or former US officials. (AFP)

North Korea arrests US citizen amid heightened tension

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday will sign an executive order directing federal agencies to recommend changes to a temporary visa program used to bring foreign workers to the United States to fill high-skilled jobs.

The order call for &quot;the strict enforcement of all laws governing entry into the United States of labour from abroad for the stated purpose of creating higher wages and higher employment rates for workers in the United States,&quot; one of the senior officials said.

It will call on the departments of Labour, Justice, Homeland Security and State to take action to crack down on what the official called &quot;fraud and abuse&quot; in the US&nbsp;immigration system to protect American workers.

The order will call on those four federal departments to propose reforms to ensure H-1B visas are awarded to the most skilled or highest paid applicant.

Two senior Trump administration officials who briefed reporters at the White House said Trump will also use the &quot;buy American and hire American&quot; order to seek changes in government procurement practices to increase the purchase of American products in federal contracts.&nbsp;

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Trump is to sign the order when he visits the world headquarters of Snap-On Inc, a tool manufacturer in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The order is an attempt by Trump to carry out his &quot;America First&quot; campaign pledges to reform US&nbsp;immigration policies and encourage purchases of American products.

As he nears the 100-day benchmark of his presidency, Trump has no major legislative achievements to tout but has used executive orders to seek regulatory changes to help the US&nbsp;economy.

H-1B visas are intended for foreign nationals in &quot;specialty&quot; occupations that generally require higher education, which according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) includes, but is not limited to, scientists, engineers or computer programmers. The government uses a lottery to award 65,000 visas every year and randomly distributes another 20,000 to graduate student workers.

The number of applications for H-1B visas fell to 199,000 this year from 236,000 in 2016, according U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Companies say they use visas to recruit top talent. More than 15 percent of Facebook Inc&#39;s U.S. employees in 2016 used a temporary work visa, according to a Reuters analysis of U.S. Labor Department filings.

But a majority of the visas are awarded to outsourcing firms, sparking criticism by skeptics who say those firms use the visas to fill lower-level information technology jobs. Critics also say the lottery system benefits outsourcing firms that flood the system with mass applications.

The senior official said the end result of how the system currently works is that foreign workers are often brought in at less pay to replace American workers, &quot;violating the principle of the program.&quot;

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, Republican Representative Darrell Issa of California and Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren of California were not immediately available to comment.

Facebook, Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc were also not immediately available after normal business hours.

The order also asks federal agencies to look at how to get rid of loopholes in the government procurement process.

Specifically, the review will take into account whether waivers in free-trade agreements are leading to unfair trade by allowing foreign companies to undercut American companies in the global government procurement market.

&quot;If it turns out America is a net loser because of those free-trade agreement waivers, which apply to almost 60 countries, these waivers may be promptly renegotiated or revoked,&quot; the second official said.

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday will sign an executive order directing federal agencies to recommend changes to a temporary visa program used to bring foreign workers to the United States to fill high-skilled jobs. The order call for "the strict enforcement of all laws governing entry into the United States of labour from abroad for the stated purpose of creating higher wages and higher employment rates for workers in the United States," one of the senior officials said. It will call on the departments of Labour, Justice, Homeland Security and State to take action to crack down on what the official called "fraud and abuse" in the US immigration system to protect American workers. The order will call on those four federal departments to propose reforms to ensure H-1B visas are awarded to the most skilled or highest paid applicant. Two senior Trump administration officials who briefed reporters at the White House said Trump will also use the "buy American and hire American" order to seek changes in government procurement practices to increase the purchase of American products in federal contracts. The order call for 'the strict enforcement of all laws governing entry into the United States of labour from abroad for the stated purpose of creating higher wages and higher employment rates for workers in the United States' × Trump is to sign the order when he visits the world headquarters of Snap-On Inc, a tool manufacturer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The order is an attempt by Trump to carry out his "America First" campaign pledges to reform US immigration policies and encourage purchases of American products. As he nears the 100-day benchmark of his presidency, Trump has no major legislative achievements to tout but has used executive orders to seek regulatory changes to help the US economy. H-1B visas are intended for foreign nationals in "specialty" occupations that generally require higher education, which according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) includes, but is not limited to, scientists, engineers or computer programmers. The government uses a lottery to award 65,000 visas every year and randomly distributes another 20,000 to graduate student workers. The number of applications for H-1B visas fell to 199,000 this year from 236,000 in 2016, according U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Companies say they use visas to recruit top talent. More than 15 percent of Facebook Inc's U.S. employees in 2016 used a temporary work visa, according to a Reuters analysis of U.S. Labor Department filings. But a majority of the visas are awarded to outsourcing firms, sparking criticism by skeptics who say those firms use the visas to fill lower-level information technology jobs. Critics also say the lottery system benefits outsourcing firms that flood the system with mass applications. The senior official said the end result of how the system currently works is that foreign workers are often brought in at less pay to replace American workers, "violating the principle of the program." Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, Republican Representative Darrell Issa of California and Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren of California were not immediately available to comment. Facebook, Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc were also not immediately available after normal business hours. The order also asks federal agencies to look at how to get rid of loopholes in the government procurement process. Specifically, the review will take into account whether waivers in free-trade agreements are leading to unfair trade by allowing foreign companies to undercut American companies in the global government procurement market. "If it turns out America is a net loser because of those free-trade agreement waivers, which apply to almost 60 countries, these waivers may be promptly renegotiated or revoked," the second official said. (Reuters)

Trump to seek changes in H-1B visa programme to encourage hiring of Americans

US President Donald Trump took time out on Easter Sunday to deliver a terse message to North Korea: &quot;Got to behave.&quot;

Trump made the remark to a CNN reporter after kicking off the 139th annual Easter egg roll with First Lady Melania Trump.

Earlier in the day, the country&#39;s vice president Mike Pence warned&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;Monday not to test Donald Trump&#39;s resolve, declaring that &quot;all options are on the table&quot; in curbing its missile and nuclear weapons programmes.

Defying international pressure, the&nbsp;North&nbsp;Sunday test-fired another missile as fears grow that it may be preparing for its sixth atomic weapons test.

&quot;We hope to achieve this objective (the&nbsp;North&#39;s denuclearisation) through peaceful means but all options are on the table,&quot; Pence told a press conference in the South Korean capital after his trip to the tense border with the&nbsp;North.

&quot;Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan.

&quot;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;would do well not to test his resolve, or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region,&quot; Pence said at the press conference with South&nbsp;Korea&#39;s Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn.

Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have soared in recent weeks, as a series of&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korean missile tests have prompted ever-more bellicose warnings from Trump&#39;s administration.

The new and inexperienced US president has indicated he will not allow&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the western United States.

Pence declared that the era of US &quot;strategic patience&quot; in dealing with the&nbsp;North&nbsp;was over, after more than two decades.

North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;&quot;answered our overtures with wilful deception, broken promises and nuclear and missile tests&quot;, he said.

The US, which stations 28,500 troops in South&nbsp;Korea, would &quot;defeat any attack and we will meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective response&quot;.

Pence&#39;s trip earlier Monday to the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas -- one of the most heavily fortified frontiers on the planet -- underscored Washington&#39;s changing policy towards the isolated state.

The visit came after a huge military parade Saturday during which&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;showcased apparent intercontinental ballistic missiles, and as a US carrier group converges on the Korean peninsula.

It also came the day after&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&#39;s latest launch -- which failed when the missile blew up seconds after blast-off.

Speaking at the village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ, Pence said America&#39;s relationship with South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;was &quot;ironclad and immutable&quot;.

Tensions&nbsp;

Pyongyang insists it needs a powerful arsenal -- including atomic weapons -- to protect itself from what it says is the ever-present threat of US invasion.

A top White House foreign policy adviser on Sunday became the latest Trump official to warn that while diplomatic pressure was preferable, US military action is very much on the table.

Pence urged the international community to join US and regional demands for an end to the&nbsp;North&#39;s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

&quot;It is heartening to see China commit to these actions. But the United States is troubled by China&#39;s economic retaliation against South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;for taking appropriate steps to defend itself,&quot; he said, referring to the US THAAD missile defence system.

The system being installed in South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;is designed to shoot down missiles from&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;or elsewhere. But China furiously objects to its deployment, saying it could spy on its own defence installations, and has taken apparent retaliatory action against South Korean firms operating in its country.

Pence said he and Trump &quot;have great confidence that China will properly deal with&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea&quot;.

&quot;But as President Trump made clear just a few short days ago, if China is unable to deal with&nbsp;North&nbsp;Korea, the United States and our allies will.&quot;

This is Pence&#39;s first visit to South&nbsp;Korea&nbsp;-- part of an Asia swing that will also include stops in Japan, Indonesia and Australia -- and although it was conceived months ago, could hardly come at a time of higher tension.

(AFP)

Earlier in the day, Vice President Mike Pence said 'all options are on the table' to nullify North's nuclear programme

US President Donald Trump took time out on Easter Sunday to deliver a terse message to North Korea: "Got to behave." Trump made the remark to a CNN reporter after kicking off the 139th annual Easter egg roll with First Lady Melania Trump. Earlier in the day, the country's vice president Mike Pence warned North Korea Monday not to test Donald Trump's resolve, declaring that "all options are on the table" in curbing its missile and nuclear weapons programmes. Defying international pressure, the North Sunday test-fired another missile as fears grow that it may be preparing for its sixth atomic weapons test. "We hope to achieve this objective (the North's denuclearisation) through peaceful means but all options are on the table," Pence told a press conference in the South Korean capital after his trip to the tense border with the North. "Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan. "North Korea would do well not to test his resolve, or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region," Pence said at the press conference with South Korea's Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn. Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have soared in recent weeks, as a series of North Korean missile tests have prompted ever-more bellicose warnings from Trump's administration. The new and inexperienced US president has indicated he will not allow North Korea to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the western United States. Pence declared that the era of US "strategic patience" in dealing with the North was over, after more than two decades. North Korea "answered our overtures with wilful deception, broken promises and nuclear and missile tests", he said. The US, which stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, would "defeat any attack and we will meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective response". Pence's trip earlier Monday to the Demilitarised Zone between the two Koreas -- one of the most heavily fortified frontiers on the planet -- underscored Washington's changing policy towards the isolated state. The visit came after a huge military parade Saturday during which North Korea showcased apparent intercontinental ballistic missiles, and as a US carrier group converges on the Korean peninsula. It also came the day after North Korea's latest launch -- which failed when the missile blew up seconds after blast-off. Speaking at the village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ, Pence said America's relationship with South Korea was "ironclad and immutable". Tensions Pyongyang insists it needs a powerful arsenal -- including atomic weapons -- to protect itself from what it says is the ever-present threat of US invasion. A top White House foreign policy adviser on Sunday became the latest Trump official to warn that while diplomatic pressure was preferable, US military action is very much on the table. Pence urged the international community to join US and regional demands for an end to the North's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. "It is heartening to see China commit to these actions. But the United States is troubled by China's economic retaliation against South Korea for taking appropriate steps to defend itself," he said, referring to the US THAAD missile defence system. The system being installed in South Korea is designed to shoot down missiles from North Korea or elsewhere. But China furiously objects to its deployment, saying it could spy on its own defence installations, and has taken apparent retaliatory action against South Korean firms operating in its country. Pence said he and Trump "have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea". "But as President Trump made clear just a few short days ago, if China is unable to deal with North Korea, the United States and our allies will." This is Pence's first visit to South Korea -- part of an Asia swing that will also include stops in Japan, Indonesia and Australia -- and although it was conceived months ago, could hardly come at a time of higher tension. (AFP)

Trump's message to North Korea: 'Got to behave'

China issued a stern warning Friday that a conflict over North Korea could break out &quot;at any moment&quot;, as Pyongyang vowed a &quot;merciless&quot; response to any US military action. 
 
Tensions in the region have surged to fresh heights in recent days with speculation mounting that the North is preparing a sixth nuclear test.&nbsp; 
 
A US naval strike force has been deployed near the Korean peninsula, and President Donald Trump has issued stark warnings that the threat posed by Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear weapons programme &quot;will be taken care of&quot;. 
 
A clearly rattled China, under pressure from Trump to prevent any North Korean provocation, said the situation had reached breaking point. 
 
&quot;One has the feeling that a conflict could break out at any moment,&quot; Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;If a war occurs, the result is a situation in which everybody loses and there can be no winner,&quot; he added during a joint press conference in Beijing with the visiting French foreign minister. 
 
Wang`s comments mirrored a warning from the North Korean foreign ministry`s Institute for Disarmament and Peace that &quot;thermo-nuclear war may break out any moment&quot;. North Korea has invoked similarly dire scenarios on previous occasions when tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiked, but Beijing`s warnings have fuelled international concerns that the current situation is reaching tipping point. 
 
The North&#39;s Korean People`s Army (KPA) added its voice to the bellicose rhetoric on Friday with a statement threatening strikes against US military bases and other targets in South Korea. 
 
&quot;The closer such big targets as nuclear powered aircraft carriers come, the greater would be the effect of merciless strikes,&quot; said the statement carried by the North`s official KCNA news agency. 
Citing the recent missile strike Trump ordered against Syria -- which was widely interpreted as a warning to Pyongyang -- the KPA denounced the US president for embarking on a path of &quot;open threat and blackmail&quot; against the North. 
 
It also urged Washington to &quot;come to its senses&quot; and find a &quot;proper&quot; solution to the current stand-off.&nbsp; 
 
Trump&#39;s military muscle-flexing was on display again Thursday when the US on dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb it possesses on Afghanistan, targeting a complex used by the Islamic State group. 
 
The American president has repeatedly said he will prevent Pyongyang from its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland United States. 
 
A White House foreign policy advisor said Friday that the US was assessing military options, and added that another provocative test was a question of &quot;when&quot; rather than &quot;if.&quot; 
 
Satellite imagery analysis has noted activity at the North`s main nuclear test site ahead of Saturday`s 105th anniversary of the birth of the country`s founder leader Kim Il-Sung.The North&#39;s sabre-rattling has encouraged a rapprochement between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who met face-to-face for the first time late last week at Trump`s Mar-a-Lago resort.&nbsp; 
 
Though his election campaign was marked with acerbic denouncements of China`s &quot;rape&quot; of the US economy, Trump dropped his anti-China bombast in Florida, afterwards hailing an &quot;outstanding&quot; relationship with Xi.&nbsp; 
 
But he insists China -- the North`s sole major ally and economic lifeline -- must exert more leverage on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions or suffer the consequences. 
 
Beijing has long opposed dramatic action against the North, fearing the regime`s collapse would send a flood of refugees across its borders and leave the US military on its doorstep. 
 
China&#39;s state broadcaster CCTV announced Friday that Air China -- the only foreign carrier operating commercial flights into North Korea -- would suspend services to Pyongyang from next week. 
The report gave no reason for the suspension, but noted that Air China has taken similar action in the past because of low passenger volumes. 
 
Despite the mounting tensions, there has been little sign of strain on the streets of Pyongyang in recent days, where the focus has been on preparations for Saturday`s anniversary. 
 
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Thursday unveiled the sprawling Ryomyong street development, a prestige housing project repeatedly promised in time to mark the occasion.&nbsp; 
 
Before the international press and tens of thousands of his adoring citizens, he cut a wide red ribbon to rhythmic cheers, before waving and returning to his Mercedes limousine.&nbsp;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

A US naval strike force has been deployed near the Korean peninsula. A clearly rattled China says the situation has reached breaking point

China issued a stern warning Friday that a conflict over North Korea could break out "at any moment", as Pyongyang vowed a "merciless" response to any US military action. Tensions in the region have surged to fresh heights in recent days with speculation mounting that the North is preparing a sixth nuclear test. A US naval strike force has been deployed near the Korean peninsula, and President Donald Trump has issued stark warnings that the threat posed by Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme "will be taken care of". A clearly rattled China, under pressure from Trump to prevent any North Korean provocation, said the situation had reached breaking point. "One has the feeling that a conflict could break out at any moment," Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said. "If a war occurs, the result is a situation in which everybody loses and there can be no winner," he added during a joint press conference in Beijing with the visiting French foreign minister. Wang`s comments mirrored a warning from the North Korean foreign ministry`s Institute for Disarmament and Peace that "thermo-nuclear war may break out any moment". North Korea has invoked similarly dire scenarios on previous occasions when tensions on the Korean peninsula have spiked, but Beijing`s warnings have fuelled international concerns that the current situation is reaching tipping point. The North's Korean People`s Army (KPA) added its voice to the bellicose rhetoric on Friday with a statement threatening strikes against US military bases and other targets in South Korea. "The closer such big targets as nuclear powered aircraft carriers come, the greater would be the effect of merciless strikes," said the statement carried by the North`s official KCNA news agency. Citing the recent missile strike Trump ordered against Syria -- which was widely interpreted as a warning to Pyongyang -- the KPA denounced the US president for embarking on a path of "open threat and blackmail" against the North. It also urged Washington to "come to its senses" and find a "proper" solution to the current stand-off. Trump's military muscle-flexing was on display again Thursday when the US on dropped the biggest non-nuclear bomb it possesses on Afghanistan, targeting a complex used by the Islamic State group. The American president has repeatedly said he will prevent Pyongyang from its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile capable of reaching the mainland United States. A White House foreign policy advisor said Friday that the US was assessing military options, and added that another provocative test was a question of "when" rather than "if." Satellite imagery analysis has noted activity at the North`s main nuclear test site ahead of Saturday`s 105th anniversary of the birth of the country`s founder leader Kim Il-Sung.The North's sabre-rattling has encouraged a rapprochement between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who met face-to-face for the first time late last week at Trump`s Mar-a-Lago resort. Though his election campaign was marked with acerbic denouncements of China`s "rape" of the US economy, Trump dropped his anti-China bombast in Florida, afterwards hailing an "outstanding" relationship with Xi. But he insists China -- the North`s sole major ally and economic lifeline -- must exert more leverage on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions or suffer the consequences. Beijing has long opposed dramatic action against the North, fearing the regime`s collapse would send a flood of refugees across its borders and leave the US military on its doorstep. China's state broadcaster CCTV announced Friday that Air China -- the only foreign carrier operating commercial flights into North Korea -- would suspend services to Pyongyang from next week. The report gave no reason for the suspension, but noted that Air China has taken similar action in the past because of low passenger volumes. Despite the mounting tensions, there has been little sign of strain on the streets of Pyongyang in recent days, where the focus has been on preparations for Saturday`s anniversary. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Thursday unveiled the sprawling Ryomyong street development, a prestige housing project repeatedly promised in time to mark the occasion. Before the international press and tens of thousands of his adoring citizens, he cut a wide red ribbon to rhythmic cheers, before waving and returning to his Mercedes limousine. (AFP)

China warns of war 'at any moment' as North Korea vows 'merciless' response to US

After less than three months in office, President Donald Trump has abruptly indicated a shift in&nbsp;his stance on an array of foreign policy issues from the US&nbsp;relationship with Russia and China to the value of the NATO alliance.

Trump, who ran for the White House on a pledge to shake up the status quo in Washington, repeatedly lashed out at China during the campaign, accusing Beijing of being a &quot;grand champion&quot; of currency manipulation. Candidate Trump also dismissed the NATO military alliance as obsolete and said he hoped to build warmer ties with Russia.

But at a White House news conference and in a newspaper interview on Wednesday, he offered starkly different views on those issues, saying his relationship with Moscow was souring while ties with Beijing were improving. He also lavished praise on NATO, saying it was adapting to changing global threats.

&quot;I said it was obsolete. It&#39;s no longer obsolete,&quot; Trump said as he stood at a news conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the White House East Room on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The apparent reversals on Russia and NATO could reassure US&nbsp;allies in Europe who were rattled by Trump&#39;s overtures toward Moscow during the campaign. But the president&#39;s talk of &quot;bonding&quot; with Chinese President Xi Jinping could sow confusion in Asia, where US&nbsp;allies are fearful of a rising China.

&nbsp;

Trump&nbsp;claims US-Russia relations are at&nbsp;&quot;all time low&quot;&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s U-turn&nbsp;in&nbsp;foreign policy came amid infighting within his administration that has lately seen a decline in the influence of political operatives, mainly his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, whose former publication <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/03/21/fbi-probing-breitbart-infowars-in-russian-influence-investigation/">Breitbart News</a> is&nbsp;under FBI investigation for links to Russia.

Six months ago, candidate Trump suggested he was eager for an alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;If he says great things about me, I&#39;m going to say great things about him,&quot; Trump said last September.

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U.S. President Donald Trump voiced caution on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he would wait and see about future ties with Moscow (Reuters)
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

On Wednesday, however, Trump said he had growing concerns about Russia&#39;s support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

&quot;We may be at an all-time low in terms of a relationship with Russia,&quot; said Trump, who ordered the firing of US&nbsp;cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield last week after Putin-backed Assad was&nbsp;suspected of using&nbsp;poison gas against civilians in Syria&#39;s civil war.

While many are focused on Trump&#39;s claim that US-Russia relations are at a low, he also said in the very same press conference, &quot;It would be wonderful...if Nato and our country could get along with Russia.&quot;

The Trump administration itself is currently under FBI investigation for its links to Russia, and for its possible role in working with Moscow&#39;s effort to interfere in the 2016 US election to benefit Trump.

&nbsp;

China reversal

While criticising Russia on Wednesday, Trump said he and Xi had bonded during the Chinese president&#39;s visit to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where they dined together with their wives and held talks.

Ahead of that visit, Trump had predicted &quot;difficult&quot; discussions on trade.

The improving ties with Beijing were underscored when Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on Wednesday that he would not declare China a currency manipulator as he had pledged to do on his first day in office.

Trump, a former real estate developer, took office in January as a government novice whose foreign policy mantra was a vow to keep America safe and build up the US&nbsp;military.

&nbsp;

Another reversal: Distancing himself from his own administration, again

In an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday, Trump offered only lukewarm support for Bannon.

&ldquo;I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late. I had already beaten all the senators and governors, and I didn&#39;t know Steve. I&#39;m my own strategist, and it&#39;s not like I was going to change strategies because I was facing&nbsp;crooked Hillary,&rdquo; Trump said.

The claim that he didn&#39;t know Steve Bannon until the 2016 is false, the same <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/us/politics/trump-steven-bannon-fox-business-news-interview.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a> reports.

&nbsp;

Critics have pointed out that the Trump administration&nbsp;made similar distancing statements with&nbsp;former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and former National Security adviser Michael Flynn.&nbsp;

White House S<a href="http://fortune.com/2017/03/22/paul-manafort-donald-trump-vladimir-putin/" target="_blank">pokesman </a>Sean Spicer said that Flynn was only a &quot;campaign volunteer&quot;.&nbsp;Michael Flynn&nbsp;was forced to resign on February&nbsp;13 for contacts with Russia&#39;s ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, contacts which he misled the Vice President about.

In another&nbsp;example, a few weeks ago Spicer said&nbsp;that in the 2016 election campaign Manafort only played &quot;a very limited role for a very limited time&quot;. Manafort worked on the campaign for five months, during a crucial time, and was the campaign manager for three of those months, <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/03/22/paul-manafort-donald-trump-vladimir-putin/" target="_blank">Fortune </a>reports.&nbsp;

He only resigned after a barrage of negative press after it came to light that he received millions of dollars in undisclosed payments from the party of the Russia-backed Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich.

Hours ago Manafort&#39;s&nbsp;spokesman said he is planning to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent,<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/12/paul-manafort-foreign-agent-trump-russia" target="_blank"> The Guardian</a> reports. He denies any impropriety.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

These drastic reversals come as the Trump administration faces more pressure under the ongoing investigation for their links to Russia

After less than three months in office, President Donald Trump has abruptly indicated a shift in his stance on an array of foreign policy issues from the US relationship with Russia and China to the value of the NATO alliance. Trump, who ran for the White House on a pledge to shake up the status quo in Washington, repeatedly lashed out at China during the campaign, accusing Beijing of being a "grand champion" of currency manipulation. Candidate Trump also dismissed the NATO military alliance as obsolete and said he hoped to build warmer ties with Russia. But at a White House news conference and in a newspaper interview on Wednesday, he offered starkly different views on those issues, saying his relationship with Moscow was souring while ties with Beijing were improving. He also lavished praise on NATO, saying it was adapting to changing global threats. "I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete," Trump said as he stood at a news conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the White House East Room on Wednesday. The apparent reversals on Russia and NATO could reassure US allies in Europe who were rattled by Trump's overtures toward Moscow during the campaign. But the president's talk of "bonding" with Chinese President Xi Jinping could sow confusion in Asia, where US allies are fearful of a rising China. Trump claims US-Russia relations are at "all time low" Trump's U-turn in foreign policy came amid infighting within his administration that has lately seen a decline in the influence of political operatives, mainly his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, whose former publication Breitbart News is under FBI investigation for links to Russia. Six months ago, candidate Trump suggested he was eager for an alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him," Trump said last September. U.S. President Donald Trump voiced caution on his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he would wait and see about future ties with Moscow (Reuters) × On Wednesday, however, Trump said he had growing concerns about Russia's support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "We may be at an all-time low in terms of a relationship with Russia," said Trump, who ordered the firing of US cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield last week after Putin-backed Assad was suspected of using poison gas against civilians in Syria's civil war. While many are focused on Trump's claim that US-Russia relations are at a low, he also said in the very same press conference, "It would be wonderful...if Nato and our country could get along with Russia." The Trump administration itself is currently under FBI investigation for its links to Russia, and for its possible role in working with Moscow's effort to interfere in the 2016 US election to benefit Trump. China reversal While criticising Russia on Wednesday, Trump said he and Xi had bonded during the Chinese president's visit to the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where they dined together with their wives and held talks. Ahead of that visit, Trump had predicted "difficult" discussions on trade. The improving ties with Beijing were underscored when Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview on Wednesday that he would not declare China a currency manipulator as he had pledged to do on his first day in office. Trump, a former real estate developer, took office in January as a government novice whose foreign policy mantra was a vow to keep America safe and build up the US military. Another reversal: Distancing himself from his own administration, again In an interview with the New York Post on Tuesday, Trump offered only lukewarm support for Bannon. “I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late. I had already beaten all the senators and governors, and I didn't know Steve. I'm my own strategist, and it's not like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary,” Trump said. The claim that he didn't know Steve Bannon until the 2016 is false, the same New York Times reports. Critics have pointed out that the Trump administration made similar distancing statements with former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and former National Security adviser Michael Flynn. White House Spokesman Sean Spicer said that Flynn was only a "campaign volunteer". Michael Flynn was forced to resign on February 13 for contacts with Russia's ambassador to the United States before Trump took office, contacts which he misled the Vice President about. In another example, a few weeks ago Spicer said that in the 2016 election campaign Manafort only played "a very limited role for a very limited time". Manafort worked on the campaign for five months, during a crucial time, and was the campaign manager for three of those months, Fortune reports. He only resigned after a barrage of negative press after it came to light that he received millions of dollars in undisclosed payments from the party of the Russia-backed Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich. Hours ago Manafort's spokesman said he is planning to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent, The Guardian reports. He denies any impropriety. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

In abrupt shift, Trump appears to sour on Russia but warm to China and NATO

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence Thursday that US-Russian relations will &quot;work out fine&quot; after icy bilateral talks in Moscow, as he looked to China to &quot;deal properly&quot; with North Korea.

Trump faces crucial tests in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula, with tensions building on both fronts over a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria and a mounting challenge from North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong-Un.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Wednesday that relations between Washington and Moscow, a key ally of the Damascus regime, were at a &quot;low point.&quot;

&quot;Things will work out fine between the U.S.A. and Russia,&quot; Trump said in his tweet.

&quot;At the right time everyone will come to their senses &amp; there will be lasting peace!&quot;

The Russians are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against US charges that his air force dropped a bomb loaded with the nerve agent sarin on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun on April 4, killing 87 people, many of them children.

Russia on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding that the Syrian government cooperate with an investigation into the attack.

In an exclusive interview with AFP, Assad insisted his army had given up its chemical weapons and called reports of the attack &quot;fabrication.&quot;

On North Korea, with Pyongyang reportedly poised to conduct a nuclear test, Trump said he had &quot;great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea&quot;.

He, however, added: &quot;If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will! U.S.A.&quot;

A US monitoring group said North Korea&#39;s Punggye-ri nuclear test site is &quot;primed and ready&quot; to conduct its sixth nuclear test, possibly to coincide with celebrations Saturday marking the birthdate of regime founder Kim Il-Sung.

The Voice of America, quoting US government and other sources, said North Korea &quot;has apparently placed a nuclear device in a tunnel and it could be detonated Saturday AM Korea time&quot;.

Trump has asked his advisers to give him all options for dealing with the nuclear-armed North, and a US carrier strike group has been ordered to the region as a precaution.

(AFP)

The tweet was made after bilateral relations hit a low point following the alleged chemical attack in Syria

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence Thursday that US-Russian relations will "work out fine" after icy bilateral talks in Moscow, as he looked to China to "deal properly" with North Korea. Trump faces crucial tests in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula, with tensions building on both fronts over a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria and a mounting challenge from North Korea's Kim Jong-Un. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow Wednesday that relations between Washington and Moscow, a key ally of the Damascus regime, were at a "low point." "Things will work out fine between the U.S.A. and Russia," Trump said in his tweet. "At the right time everyone will come to their senses & there will be lasting peace!" The Russians are backing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against US charges that his air force dropped a bomb loaded with the nerve agent sarin on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun on April 4, killing 87 people, many of them children. Russia on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding that the Syrian government cooperate with an investigation into the attack. In an exclusive interview with AFP, Assad insisted his army had given up its chemical weapons and called reports of the attack "fabrication." On North Korea, with Pyongyang reportedly poised to conduct a nuclear test, Trump said he had "great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea". He, however, added: "If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will! U.S.A." A US monitoring group said North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site is "primed and ready" to conduct its sixth nuclear test, possibly to coincide with celebrations Saturday marking the birthdate of regime founder Kim Il-Sung. The Voice of America, quoting US government and other sources, said North Korea "has apparently placed a nuclear device in a tunnel and it could be detonated Saturday AM Korea time". Trump has asked his advisers to give him all options for dealing with the nuclear-armed North, and a US carrier strike group has been ordered to the region as a precaution. (AFP)

Things will work out fine between US and Russia: Trump

China will offer the Trump administration better market access for financial sector investments and US&nbsp;beef exports to help avert a trade war, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing officials familiar with the matter.

China is prepared to raise the investment ceiling in the Bilateral Investment treaty and is also willing to end the ban on US&nbsp;beef imports, the newspaper also reported.

&quot;China was prepared to (raise the investment ceilings) in the BIT but those negotiations were put on hold (after Trump&#39;s election victory),&quot; the Financial Times also reported citing a Chinese official involved in the talks.

US&nbsp;Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Friday that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to a new 100-day plan for trade talks on Friday.

The US&nbsp;trade department was not immediately available for comment while the China&#39;s ministry of commerce could not be reached for comment.

(Reuters)

China is prepared to raise the investment ceiling in the Bilateral Investment treaty, and is also willing to end the ban on US beef imports

China will offer the Trump administration better market access for financial sector investments and US beef exports to help avert a trade war, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing officials familiar with the matter. China is prepared to raise the investment ceiling in the Bilateral Investment treaty and is also willing to end the ban on US beef imports, the newspaper also reported. "China was prepared to (raise the investment ceilings) in the BIT but those negotiations were put on hold (after Trump's election victory)," the Financial Times also reported citing a Chinese official involved in the talks. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Friday that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to a new 100-day plan for trade talks on Friday. The US trade department was not immediately available for comment while the China's ministry of commerce could not be reached for comment. (Reuters)

China offers concessions to avert trade war with US: Financial Times

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