As US-backed forces fight the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-backed-syrian-fighters-close-in-on-last-islamic-state-held-area-in-eastern-syria-196469">last battle against the Islamic State in Syria</a>, media reports say IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive and narrowly escaped a coup by his own men.&nbsp;

Chaos and rivalry seem to reign within the terror group’s ranks as they try to negotiate a safe passage offering to free hostages. WION's West Asia bureau chief Daniele Pagani has the story.

As per a report recently published in British newspaper The Guardian, on January 10, al-Baghdadi narrowly escaped a coup attempt by some of his own foreign fighters.

This would be the most recent proof that al-Baghdadi is alive and in Syria. August 2018 was the last time the world heard his voice.&nbsp;

Despite a 25 million dollar bounty on his head, local intelligence sources say rumours and information of his whereabouts have not been heard since.

The Islamic State has put a bounty on a veteran foreign fighter, who is believed to be the coup mastermind.&nbsp;

There appears to be chaos within the ranks of the terror group. Captured ISIS fighters talk about growing rivalry between local and foreign fighters.

"I guess there's a lot of bad blood between the foreigners and the Iraqis now, and the Syrians. The foreigners feel they were left out, hung to dry, they've been used and abused and now the trust is not there at all between the foreigners and the locals,” Mohammad Ali, 28, known as Abu Turab al-Kanadi, foreign jihadist fighter of IS was quoted by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

The last Islamic State contingent is trying to play all its cards to avoid total annihilation. Kurdish sources reported that terrorists tried to negotiate safe passage in return for well-known hostages.

Negotiations for safe passage have been common in the Syrian war. It was usually offered in return for surrender.&nbsp;

But now, the Islamic State is offering to free high-profile hostages on top of that. This could be out of desperation or to protect al-Baghdad and grant him the last escape.

All named hostages were kidnapped more than five years ago, which makes it difficult to assess if they are still alive.

The Syrian democratic forces’ spokesperson has recently clarified that, regardless of any ISIS negotiation attempt, no safe passage will be given.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
After saving more than 20K civilians from IS-held area and ensuring their safety in nearby camps, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SDF?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SDF</a> started to move on to the last village remaining under jihadists’ control in N. Syria. Village of Baghuz, which is the only remaining <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ISIS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ISIS</a> pocket, will be cleared soon.
— Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) <a href="https://twitter.com/mustefabali/status/1094258579354324992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The US-backed Syrian democratic forces launched the final offensive against the 500 terrorists holed-up in two villages on the border of Iraq and Syria.

There have been intensive clashes over the weekend. Civilians living in the area have been evacuated to nearby camps.

The US-backed SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) have been fighting the Islamic State since 2014, losing hundreds of men and women on the battlefield. They now, finally, see the end.

"Today, there are no more military gangs (Islamic State militants) left in Rojava. But their masterminds are still hiding. The time will come for them. We will finish them off. But as of today, it's over. We are very joyful. This was the last day. The war with Daesh gangs is over. It's good to finish them off. We avenged our martyrs' death. There is nothing left (of is militants)," Kurdish unidentified man, purported to be an SDF soldier was quoted by news agency Reuters.&nbsp;

As US-backed forces fight the last battle against the Islamic State in Syria, media reports say IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive and narrowly escaped a coup by his own men.

As US-backed forces fight the last battle against the Islamic State in Syria, media reports say IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still alive and narrowly escaped a coup by his own men. Chaos and rivalry seem to reign within the terror group’s ranks as they try to negotiate a safe passage offering to free hostages. WION's West Asia bureau chief Daniele Pagani has the story. As per a report recently published in British newspaper The Guardian, on January 10, al-Baghdadi narrowly escaped a coup attempt by some of his own foreign fighters. This would be the most recent proof that al-Baghdadi is alive and in Syria. August 2018 was the last time the world heard his voice. Despite a 25 million dollar bounty on his head, local intelligence sources say rumours and information of his whereabouts have not been heard since. The Islamic State has put a bounty on a veteran foreign fighter, who is believed to be the coup mastermind. There appears to be chaos within the ranks of the terror group. Captured ISIS fighters talk about growing rivalry between local and foreign fighters. "I guess there's a lot of bad blood between the foreigners and the Iraqis now, and the Syrians. The foreigners feel they were left out, hung to dry, they've been used and abused and now the trust is not there at all between the foreigners and the locals,” Mohammad Ali, 28, known as Abu Turab al-Kanadi, foreign jihadist fighter of IS was quoted by news agency AFP. The last Islamic State contingent is trying to play all its cards to avoid total annihilation. Kurdish sources reported that terrorists tried to negotiate safe passage in return for well-known hostages. Negotiations for safe passage have been common in the Syrian war. It was usually offered in return for surrender. But now, the Islamic State is offering to free high-profile hostages on top of that. This could be out of desperation or to protect al-Baghdad and grant him the last escape. All named hostages were kidnapped more than five years ago, which makes it difficult to assess if they are still alive. The Syrian democratic forces’ spokesperson has recently clarified that, regardless of any ISIS negotiation attempt, no safe passage will be given. After saving more than 20K civilians from IS-held area and ensuring their safety in nearby camps, #SDF started to move on to the last village remaining under jihadists’ control in N. Syria. Village of Baghuz, which is the only remaining #ISIS pocket, will be cleared soon. — Mustafa Bali (@mustefabali) February 9, 2019 × The US-backed Syrian democratic forces launched the final offensive against the 500 terrorists holed-up in two villages on the border of Iraq and Syria. There have been intensive clashes over the weekend. Civilians living in the area have been evacuated to nearby camps. The US-backed SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) have been fighting the Islamic State since 2014, losing hundreds of men and women on the battlefield. They now, finally, see the end. "Today, there are no more military gangs (Islamic State militants) left in Rojava. But their masterminds are still hiding. The time will come for them. We will finish them off. But as of today, it's over. We are very joyful. This was the last day. The war with Daesh gangs is over. It's good to finish them off. We avenged our martyrs' death. There is nothing left (of is militants)," Kurdish unidentified man, purported to be an SDF soldier was quoted by news agency Reuters.

A coup, hostages and chaos: ISIS's final days in Syria 

When the global oil trading industry gathered for its biggest annual meeting in Asia in September last year, US oil producing companies came well prepared.

US giant Exxon Mobil and European rival Royal Dutch/Shell prepared brochures for oil buyers detailing various US crude grades and why they were suitable to replace part of Asia's long-standing supplies from the Middle East, Africa and Russia.

As the oil industry gathers in London this month for the annual IP Week, US crude producers may have every reason to toast the success of their campaign in Europe, as well as Asia.

Only a few years ago, before the hydro-fracking and shale revolution overturned the economics of US oil production, the United States was the world's largest oil importer by far and prohibited exports of oil by law.

Now shipments of US crude into Europe have just hit a new record. January imports were 630,000 barrels per day, still - behind Russia and Iraq but above other OPEC producers including Nigeria and Libya.

Higher US crude exports have been helped by lower supplies of Iranian and Venezuelan crude, which Washington has put under sanctions, scaring buyers across the world.

In the whole of 2018, US supplies to Europe doubled to 430,000 bpd, according to Refinitiv Eikon flows data. That represented 6 per cent of overall imports or equal to the levels of Iranian oil imports to Europe before the United States imposed fresh sanctions on Tehran.

"US crude is a real headache. It puts a lot of pressure on regional light grades. In fact, prices for all grades are affected because it is such a significant extra supply," said a trader with a European trader selling Russian oil.

Pressure will likely only increase as for 2019 US crude oil production is expected to average 12.06 million bpd, up 1.18 million bpd from last year, according to US government.

Future predictions say the United States could produce as much as 15 million bpd of crude and up to 20 million bpd of total oil liquids, giving it complete self-sufficiency as it would fully cover its consumption of 18-19 million bpd.

Booming US production has prompted OPEC and major non-OPEC producers like Russia to slash output by 3-4 per cent since 2017 to prop up prices. The pact has helped double prices to $60 per barrel but at the expense of a market share loss to US firms.

"Welcome to the free market," said a US-based executive of an international trading firm. "Local producers either need to drop their pricing to compete or find other markets".

Competition is particularly acute in northwest Europe, where Britain and the Netherlands imported 6.5 and 5.1 million tonnes of US crude in 2018 respectively.

BP, Litasco, Equinor, Total and ExxonMobil were among the main buyers in the Baltic replacing North Sea barrels with US grades, traders say.

"WTI is the new dated Brent," said a senior crude trader referring to the US and European benchmarks.

BP takes US oil to its Gelsenkirchen refinery in Germany while Poland's PKN Orlen said in January it would cut Russia's Urals purchases from Kremlin oil major Rosneft by 30 per cent and partially replace it with US barrels. In Britain, the main US oil buyers are Essar Oil and Exxon Mobil, traders said.

In the Mediterranean, buyers of US barrels - Italy, Spain, France - tend to use them to replace light Caspian CPC Blend, Russia's Urals and Iranian oil, traders said.

Greece's Hellenic Petroleum added WTI to its list of preferred crude options alongside Urals and CPC as did Turkey's Tupras. In Italy, US oil flows to Kuwait Petroleum's Milazzo refinery and the Swiss Varo Energy's plant.

WTI was by far the most popular US grade among European buyers in 2018, followed by Midland Eagle Ford, Bakken and Mars.

As the world moves to tighter marine fuel regulations, which will increase demand for light barrels, demand for US oil - which is predominantly light - will only rise.

"I expect US crude to become even more popular in Europe. It seems that whatever is happening to oil markets these days, the US benefits," said a trader with large European major.

When the global oil trading industry gathered for its biggest annual meeting in Asia in September last year, US oil producing companies came well prepared. US giant Exxon Mobil and European rival Royal Dutch/Shell prepared brochures for oil buyers detailing various US crude grades and why they were suitable to replace part of Asia's long-standing supplies from the Middle East, Africa and Russia.

When the global oil trading industry gathered for its biggest annual meeting in Asia in September last year, US oil producing companies came well prepared. US giant Exxon Mobil and European rival Royal Dutch/Shell prepared brochures for oil buyers detailing various US crude grades and why they were suitable to replace part of Asia's long-standing supplies from the Middle East, Africa and Russia. As the oil industry gathers in London this month for the annual IP Week, US crude producers may have every reason to toast the success of their campaign in Europe, as well as Asia. Only a few years ago, before the hydro-fracking and shale revolution overturned the economics of US oil production, the United States was the world's largest oil importer by far and prohibited exports of oil by law. Now shipments of US crude into Europe have just hit a new record. January imports were 630,000 barrels per day, still - behind Russia and Iraq but above other OPEC producers including Nigeria and Libya. Higher US crude exports have been helped by lower supplies of Iranian and Venezuelan crude, which Washington has put under sanctions, scaring buyers across the world. In the whole of 2018, US supplies to Europe doubled to 430,000 bpd, according to Refinitiv Eikon flows data. That represented 6 per cent of overall imports or equal to the levels of Iranian oil imports to Europe before the United States imposed fresh sanctions on Tehran. "US crude is a real headache. It puts a lot of pressure on regional light grades. In fact, prices for all grades are affected because it is such a significant extra supply," said a trader with a European trader selling Russian oil. Pressure will likely only increase as for 2019 US crude oil production is expected to average 12.06 million bpd, up 1.18 million bpd from last year, according to US government. Future predictions say the United States could produce as much as 15 million bpd of crude and up to 20 million bpd of total oil liquids, giving it complete self-sufficiency as it would fully cover its consumption of 18-19 million bpd. Booming US production has prompted OPEC and major non-OPEC producers like Russia to slash output by 3-4 per cent since 2017 to prop up prices. The pact has helped double prices to $60 per barrel but at the expense of a market share loss to US firms. "Welcome to the free market," said a US-based executive of an international trading firm. "Local producers either need to drop their pricing to compete or find other markets". Competition is particularly acute in northwest Europe, where Britain and the Netherlands imported 6.5 and 5.1 million tonnes of US crude in 2018 respectively. BP, Litasco, Equinor, Total and ExxonMobil were among the main buyers in the Baltic replacing North Sea barrels with US grades, traders say. "WTI is the new dated Brent," said a senior crude trader referring to the US and European benchmarks. BP takes US oil to its Gelsenkirchen refinery in Germany while Poland's PKN Orlen said in January it would cut Russia's Urals purchases from Kremlin oil major Rosneft by 30 per cent and partially replace it with US barrels. In Britain, the main US oil buyers are Essar Oil and Exxon Mobil, traders said. In the Mediterranean, buyers of US barrels - Italy, Spain, France - tend to use them to replace light Caspian CPC Blend, Russia's Urals and Iranian oil, traders said. Greece's Hellenic Petroleum added WTI to its list of preferred crude options alongside Urals and CPC as did Turkey's Tupras. In Italy, US oil flows to Kuwait Petroleum's Milazzo refinery and the Swiss Varo Energy's plant. WTI was by far the most popular US grade among European buyers in 2018, followed by Midland Eagle Ford, Bakken and Mars. As the world moves to tighter marine fuel regulations, which will increase demand for light barrels, demand for US oil - which is predominantly light - will only rise. "I expect US crude to become even more popular in Europe. It seems that whatever is happening to oil markets these days, the US benefits," said a trader with large European major.

With Iran squeezed out, US oil takes on new rivals in Europe

The agreement for a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/hard-work-still-needed-before-kim-trump-summit-us-envoy-196161">second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong</a> Un was a "remarkable breakthrough" for peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula, President Moon Jae-in said Monday, but he acknowledged doubts remained over denuclearisation.

The US President and North Korean leader are due to meet in Hanoi from February 27 to 28 following their landmark first summit in Singapore last June.

That meeting -- the first-ever between the leaders of the US and North Korea -- produced a vaguely-worded document in which Kim pledged to work towards "the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".

But progress has since stalled with the two sides disagreeing over it means and analysts say tangible progress on denuclearisation will be needed if the talks are to avoid being dismissed as "reality TV".

With the high-stakes summit now two weeks away, Pyongyang has yet to provide any official confirmation of the meeting in the Vietnamese capital.&nbsp;

"For us, the era of peace and prosperity on the peninsula has drawn closer," said Moon in his first comments since the summit was announced.

The meeting was a "remarkable breakthrough in the peace process on the Korean peninsula", the South Korean president added. &nbsp;

But he acknowledged there were "still many doubts about whether the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and peace process can be concluded successfully".

The leaders of the two Koreas and the US have persisted in talks over the issue because of "strong confidence in the direction history should take", added Moon, who has taken on the role of middle man between Pyongyang and Washington, trying to bridge the gap on denuclearisation talks. &nbsp;

Security allies Seoul and Washington have at times pursued divergent approaches toward Pyongyang, with the dovish South Korean leader pursuing engagement while the United States insists pressure must be maintained until the North denuclearises.

But Moon expressed gratitude to both Trump and Kim for their "unprecedented, bold diplomatic efforts", saying they were "crossing a sea of deep mistrust".&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The agreement for a second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un was a "remarkable breakthrough" for peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula, President Moon Jae-in said Monday, but he acknowledged doubts remained over denuclearisation.

The agreement for a second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un was a "remarkable breakthrough" for peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula, President Moon Jae-in said Monday, but he acknowledged doubts remained over denuclearisation. The US President and North Korean leader are due to meet in Hanoi from February 27 to 28 following their landmark first summit in Singapore last June. That meeting -- the first-ever between the leaders of the US and North Korea -- produced a vaguely-worded document in which Kim pledged to work towards "the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula". But progress has since stalled with the two sides disagreeing over it means and analysts say tangible progress on denuclearisation will be needed if the talks are to avoid being dismissed as "reality TV". With the high-stakes summit now two weeks away, Pyongyang has yet to provide any official confirmation of the meeting in the Vietnamese capital. "For us, the era of peace and prosperity on the peninsula has drawn closer," said Moon in his first comments since the summit was announced. The meeting was a "remarkable breakthrough in the peace process on the Korean peninsula", the South Korean president added. But he acknowledged there were "still many doubts about whether the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and peace process can be concluded successfully". The leaders of the two Koreas and the US have persisted in talks over the issue because of "strong confidence in the direction history should take", added Moon, who has taken on the role of middle man between Pyongyang and Washington, trying to bridge the gap on denuclearisation talks. Security allies Seoul and Washington have at times pursued divergent approaches toward Pyongyang, with the dovish South Korean leader pursuing engagement while the United States insists pressure must be maintained until the North denuclearises. But Moon expressed gratitude to both Trump and Kim for their "unprecedented, bold diplomatic efforts", saying they were "crossing a sea of deep mistrust".

Kim-Trump summit a 'remarkable breakthrough' for peace: South Korean President Moon

Iranian <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-to-launch-two-satellites-in-coming-days-190236">President Hassan Rouhani</a> said on Monday that Iran was determined to expand its military power and ballistic missile programme despite mounting pressure from hostile countries to curb Iran's defensive work, state TV reported.

"We have not asked and will not ask for permission to develop different types of ... missiles and will continue our path and our military power," Rouhani said in a speech at Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) square, where tens of thousands gathered to mark the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution.

Rouhani also vowed Iran would defeat US&nbsp;sanctions, reimposed after President Donald Trump withdrew from Tehran's nuclear accord with world powers last year.

"The Iranian people have and will have some economic difficulties (due to the sanctions) but we will overcome the problems by helping each other," Rouhani said.

&nbsp;

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Iran was determined to expand its military power and ballistic missile programme despite mounting pressure from hostile countries to curb Iran's defensive work, state TV reported.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Iran was determined to expand its military power and ballistic missile programme despite mounting pressure from hostile countries to curb Iran's defensive work, state TV reported. "We have not asked and will not ask for permission to develop different types of ... missiles and will continue our path and our military power," Rouhani said in a speech at Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) square, where tens of thousands gathered to mark the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution. Rouhani also vowed Iran would defeat US sanctions, reimposed after President Donald Trump withdrew from Tehran's nuclear accord with world powers last year. "The Iranian people have and will have some economic difficulties (due to the sanctions) but we will overcome the problems by helping each other," Rouhani said.

Iran to continue expanding military might, missile work: President Hassan Rouhani

By Scott Morgenstern and John Polga–Hecimovich

As political and economic crises threaten to topple Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, political scientists like us are not surprised that he has run into trouble.

Instead, we see Venezuela as another example of what scholars call the “resource curse.” That’s the unfortunate correlation first described by the British economic geographer Richard M. Auty between nations with vast wealth from oil or other natural resources and political instability.

Venezuela is a textbook case of the curse, since nearly 90 per cent of its people are now living in poverty in the country with the world’s largest oil reserves. After decades of leaders who failed to harness this commodity for peace and prosperity, it is questionable whether a new government can do a better job.

Only a few oil and natural gas-rich countries, such as the United States, Canada and Norway have avoided this curse – in part because they built solid institutions and diverse economies before their petroleum drilling began.

The resource curse

The resource curse has afflicted many Latin American countries with profligate and populist elected leaders who succumbed to the temptations of corruption and reckless spending when easy money poured in, followed by right-wing dictatorships imposing repressive technocracies. Oil and wealth from other commodities like gold and copper, and foreign aid, have also supported kleptocrats and dictatorships who have often used their fortunes to retain power in other regions.

The scholars Terry Karl and Thad Dunning have persuasively argued that oil export revenue helped sustain Venezuelan democracy from the 1950s to the early 1980s. The government, they explained, could buy support from the elite with lower taxes and from the poor with social programs.

Oil money, in short, can sustain whatever government is in power, be it dictatorship or democracy.

But when crude prices fall, the loss of revenue polarises politics as the wealthy and the poor fight over the reduced proceeds. And when these countries not only rely on one export but also very limited markets, that adds to their vulnerability.

Oil sales constituted 98 per cent of Venezuela’s export earnings in 2017, with the US buying nearly half of the country’s exported crude.

Boom and bust

After several decades of strong economic performance backed by comparatively impressive social programs, Venezuela’s economy started to sputter in the 1980s. The vast sums of money it had borrowed a decade earlier, backed by future oil revenues, were coming due by that time.

President Carlos Andrés Pérez, who had presided over strong economic growth between 1974 and 1979, returned to power in 1989. However, this time the country faced a weak currency, rising poverty rates, and increased foreign and public debt in combination with low oil prices.

To stabilize the economy, Pérez implemented austerity policies that deregulated capital markets and reduced-price controls on gasoline and other products.

These measures exacerbated economic hardships for the poor, and Venezuelans took to the streets to protest in deadly riots known as the Caracazo. Pérez survived two coup attempts in 1992 only to be impeached and forced out of office for embezzlement in 1993.

Popular anger against economic conditions and the dominant political class led voters to back more polarizing politicians. The first coup attempt against Pérez in 1992 was organized by Hugo Chávez, then a lieutenant-colonel, who famously exclaimed to the nation that he had failed “for now.”

He was right. Just six years later, in 1998, he ran for president and won an overwhelming victory.

Building support 
 
Luckily for Chávez, oil prices had started to rise again, eventually reaching record levels while he was in power. Aside from a brief downturn brought on by the Great Recession, those high oil prices raised enough revenue to help sustain his support.

He gained extra revenue by restructuring Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the country’s state-owned oil and natural gas company that now faces U.S. sanctions, to increase his control and to direct a bigger percentage of its export earnings into government coffers.

With that money, he built popular support by paying for dozens of safety net programs, such as the “Barrio Adentro” health initiative for the poor and the “Misión Robinson” literacy program, starting massive infrastructure projects, and continuing to subsidise the world’s cheapest gasoline.

When Chávez appointed allies to prominent posts at PDVSA in 2002, dissident members of the military and radicalized leaders of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce staged a coup attempt that ultimately failed to oust him.

Meanwhile, the government invested too little in the oil industry and mismanaged it. At the same time, it did too little to prepare for the possibility of lower revenue from oil, to boost other exports or to stop depending on the United States as its biggest customer. Following a big decline, Venezuela remained America’s third-largest source of foreign oil as of October 2018.

Maduro’s staying power

Maduro arrived to power in 2013, after the 58-year-old Chávez died from cancer. By then, Venezuelan oil production had declined, and just one year later global oil prices began to collapse.

Maduro’s popularity collapsed too, although he did get re-elected in 2018 in a race without any independent international electoral observers that was marked by boycotts, accusations of repressing the opposition, and vote-rigging.

On top of his misfortune to be leading Venezuela during an oil price slump, Maduro has turned out to be even worse at managing the oil industry than Chávez. He installed military cronies as managers, led by Manuel Quevedo, a major general in Venezuela’s National Guard.

Since his rise, there have been more purges of PDVSA executives, and many reports that lower-level workers are staying home since they can no longer afford the commute on their wages. Adding even further to the commotion, corruption has run rampant.

The increased social and economic upheaval has even led many poor people to withdraw their allegiance to Maduro. Amid the turmoil, the U.S. and many other countries are recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó, as the nation’s legitimate president.

Whether or not Guaidó manages to dislodge Maduro’s grip on power, the country’s turbulent history suggests that long-term success will require much more than removing its current embattled leader. Any future leaders must also build the coalitions and institutions necessary to break the resource curse and thus empower Venezuela to finally draw social and economic stability from its oil wealth.

(Scott Morgenstern is Professor, University of Pittsburgh; John Polga–Hecimovich is Assistant Professor, United States Naval Academy)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

By Scott Morgenstern and John Polga–Hecimovich As political and economic crises threaten to topple Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, political scientists like us are not surprised that he has run into trouble.

By Scott Morgenstern and John Polga–Hecimovich As political and economic crises threaten to topple Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, political scientists like us are not surprised that he has run into trouble. Instead, we see Venezuela as another example of what scholars call the “resource curse.” That’s the unfortunate correlation first described by the British economic geographer Richard M. Auty between nations with vast wealth from oil or other natural resources and political instability. Venezuela is a textbook case of the curse, since nearly 90 per cent of its people are now living in poverty in the country with the world’s largest oil reserves. After decades of leaders who failed to harness this commodity for peace and prosperity, it is questionable whether a new government can do a better job. Only a few oil and natural gas-rich countries, such as the United States, Canada and Norway have avoided this curse – in part because they built solid institutions and diverse economies before their petroleum drilling began. The resource curse The resource curse has afflicted many Latin American countries with profligate and populist elected leaders who succumbed to the temptations of corruption and reckless spending when easy money poured in, followed by right-wing dictatorships imposing repressive technocracies. Oil and wealth from other commodities like gold and copper, and foreign aid, have also supported kleptocrats and dictatorships who have often used their fortunes to retain power in other regions. The scholars Terry Karl and Thad Dunning have persuasively argued that oil export revenue helped sustain Venezuelan democracy from the 1950s to the early 1980s. The government, they explained, could buy support from the elite with lower taxes and from the poor with social programs. Oil money, in short, can sustain whatever government is in power, be it dictatorship or democracy. But when crude prices fall, the loss of revenue polarises politics as the wealthy and the poor fight over the reduced proceeds. And when these countries not only rely on one export but also very limited markets, that adds to their vulnerability. Oil sales constituted 98 per cent of Venezuela’s export earnings in 2017, with the US buying nearly half of the country’s exported crude. Boom and bust After several decades of strong economic performance backed by comparatively impressive social programs, Venezuela’s economy started to sputter in the 1980s. The vast sums of money it had borrowed a decade earlier, backed by future oil revenues, were coming due by that time. President Carlos Andrés Pérez, who had presided over strong economic growth between 1974 and 1979, returned to power in 1989. However, this time the country faced a weak currency, rising poverty rates, and increased foreign and public debt in combination with low oil prices. To stabilize the economy, Pérez implemented austerity policies that deregulated capital markets and reduced-price controls on gasoline and other products. These measures exacerbated economic hardships for the poor, and Venezuelans took to the streets to protest in deadly riots known as the Caracazo. Pérez survived two coup attempts in 1992 only to be impeached and forced out of office for embezzlement in 1993. Popular anger against economic conditions and the dominant political class led voters to back more polarizing politicians. The first coup attempt against Pérez in 1992 was organized by Hugo Chávez, then a lieutenant-colonel, who famously exclaimed to the nation that he had failed “for now.” He was right. Just six years later, in 1998, he ran for president and won an overwhelming victory. Building support Luckily for Chávez, oil prices had started to rise again, eventually reaching record levels while he was in power. Aside from a brief downturn brought on by the Great Recession, those high oil prices raised enough revenue to help sustain his support. He gained extra revenue by restructuring Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the country’s state-owned oil and natural gas company that now faces U.S. sanctions, to increase his control and to direct a bigger percentage of its export earnings into government coffers. With that money, he built popular support by paying for dozens of safety net programs, such as the “Barrio Adentro” health initiative for the poor and the “Misión Robinson” literacy program, starting massive infrastructure projects, and continuing to subsidise the world’s cheapest gasoline. When Chávez appointed allies to prominent posts at PDVSA in 2002, dissident members of the military and radicalized leaders of the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce staged a coup attempt that ultimately failed to oust him. Meanwhile, the government invested too little in the oil industry and mismanaged it. At the same time, it did too little to prepare for the possibility of lower revenue from oil, to boost other exports or to stop depending on the United States as its biggest customer. Following a big decline, Venezuela remained America’s third-largest source of foreign oil as of October 2018. Maduro’s staying power Maduro arrived to power in 2013, after the 58-year-old Chávez died from cancer. By then, Venezuelan oil production had declined, and just one year later global oil prices began to collapse. Maduro’s popularity collapsed too, although he did get re-elected in 2018 in a race without any independent international electoral observers that was marked by boycotts, accusations of repressing the opposition, and vote-rigging. On top of his misfortune to be leading Venezuela during an oil price slump, Maduro has turned out to be even worse at managing the oil industry than Chávez. He installed military cronies as managers, led by Manuel Quevedo, a major general in Venezuela’s National Guard. Since his rise, there have been more purges of PDVSA executives, and many reports that lower-level workers are staying home since they can no longer afford the commute on their wages. Adding even further to the commotion, corruption has run rampant. The increased social and economic upheaval has even led many poor people to withdraw their allegiance to Maduro. Amid the turmoil, the U.S. and many other countries are recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó, as the nation’s legitimate president. Whether or not Guaidó manages to dislodge Maduro’s grip on power, the country’s turbulent history suggests that long-term success will require much more than removing its current embattled leader. Any future leaders must also build the coalitions and institutions necessary to break the resource curse and thus empower Venezuela to finally draw social and economic stability from its oil wealth. (Scott Morgenstern is Professor, University of Pittsburgh; John Polga–Hecimovich is Assistant Professor, United States Naval Academy) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Why Venezuela’s oil money could keep undermining its economy and democracy

The stunning revelation that a tabloid obtained below-the-belt selfies of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos -- the world's richest man -- suggests that even billionaires are not out of the reach of hackers.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-says-has-nothing-to-do-with-bezos-ami-dispute-196445">Bezos came out fighting this week</a>, accusing the National Enquirer of blackmailing him with lurid pictures of him and his mistress and pre-empting the threat to publish by releasing details of the images himself.

But for Mark Johnson, CEO of Sovereign Intelligence, the incident makes clear that "no one is beyond the reach of cyber exploitation."&nbsp;

"It's a curious irony that billionaires demonstrate astounding acumen related to their own industries, and yet seemingly ignore the minutiae of common-place security measures."&nbsp;

Johnson sees billionaires and top executives as especially vulnerable because their personal information is a gold mine for criminals, intelligence agencies and competitors.

"Obtaining their personal data is like having keys to the kingdom," said Johnson, potentially providing priceless insight into the thinking and strategies of the world's most powerful business leaders.

Ian Bremmer, the founder of the Eurasia Group think tank, put it more bluntly.

"If the National Enquirer has @JeffBezos dick pics, don't tell me China doesn't have @Amazon IP and strategy," he tweeted.

Increase in calls&nbsp;

Since the revelations about Bezos, whose fortune is estimated at more than $130 billion, computer security experts interviewed by AFP report an increase in calls from wealthy clients asking them to verify that their computer systems and devices were not hacked.

"Today's threats, however, are not necessarily trying to breach the walls of the castle -- they are already inside, residing on personal devices," said Kris Coleman, the founder of Red Five Security. "Experience has shown that the typical breach is not discovered for eight months."

In this ever-more connected age, more and more personal data is stored online -- from social security numbers to bank details, driver's license numbers and personal addresses.

As a result, the focus of security measures for the ultra-wealthy has shifted from bodyguards and sophisticated alarms towards risk management to protect their assets, their image and their "legacy."

The super-wealthy will typically have their own computer security service and also call on external companies for regular evaluation of their devices because a large number of hacks are detected by third parties, according to observers.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, spent $7.3 million on his security in 2017, up from $4.2 million in 2015 -- astronomical sums that the social network deemed justified due to his prominence.

Last July, Facebook said it would give him $10 million more per year to strengthen his security.

"Protection from colluding insiders working from positions of trust; or, against an intelligence agency trying to attack from the outside is going to require a large investment, a lot of experience, and vigilance," said Coleman.

Entourage

For Johnson, "no one's data is that well protected. Think of all the third-party platforms that have your social security number, or banking information, or that hold your personal pictures."

Just days before Bezos disclosed that a tabloid had obtained his intimate selfies, a fellow billionaire -- Joe Ricketts, the founder of the broker TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation -- was ensnared in scandal following the release of private messages.

The American news site Splinter published a series of racist emails from Ricketts, without saying how it obtained them.

The exchanges, some of which date back to 2009, show the 77-year-old sharing and apparently endorsing racist jokes and conspiracy theories. He has since apologized.

Back in August 2015, a cyber attack on the Ashley-Madison extramarital dating site revealed that American billionaire Dan Loeb had an account there.

Bezos did not say how the National Enquirer obtained his pictures, but experts say the most common method is for a hacker to usurp the identity of a member of a person's entourage.

"The adversary would send a message to the target asking them to click on a link in a text or email," Coleman explained. "The sender's real identity is hidden but the target trusts the message from their 'friend' and clicks the link unlocking malware or another type of attack on that device."

The stunning revelation that a tabloid obtained below-the-belt selfies of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos -- the world's richest man -- suggests that even billionaires are not out of the reach of hackers.

The stunning revelation that a tabloid obtained below-the-belt selfies of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos -- the world's richest man -- suggests that even billionaires are not out of the reach of hackers. Bezos came out fighting this week, accusing the National Enquirer of blackmailing him with lurid pictures of him and his mistress and pre-empting the threat to publish by releasing details of the images himself. But for Mark Johnson, CEO of Sovereign Intelligence, the incident makes clear that "no one is beyond the reach of cyber exploitation." "It's a curious irony that billionaires demonstrate astounding acumen related to their own industries, and yet seemingly ignore the minutiae of common-place security measures." Johnson sees billionaires and top executives as especially vulnerable because their personal information is a gold mine for criminals, intelligence agencies and competitors. "Obtaining their personal data is like having keys to the kingdom," said Johnson, potentially providing priceless insight into the thinking and strategies of the world's most powerful business leaders. Ian Bremmer, the founder of the Eurasia Group think tank, put it more bluntly. "If the National Enquirer has @JeffBezos dick pics, don't tell me China doesn't have @Amazon IP and strategy," he tweeted. Increase in calls Since the revelations about Bezos, whose fortune is estimated at more than $130 billion, computer security experts interviewed by AFP report an increase in calls from wealthy clients asking them to verify that their computer systems and devices were not hacked. "Today's threats, however, are not necessarily trying to breach the walls of the castle -- they are already inside, residing on personal devices," said Kris Coleman, the founder of Red Five Security. "Experience has shown that the typical breach is not discovered for eight months." In this ever-more connected age, more and more personal data is stored online -- from social security numbers to bank details, driver's license numbers and personal addresses. As a result, the focus of security measures for the ultra-wealthy has shifted from bodyguards and sophisticated alarms towards risk management to protect their assets, their image and their "legacy." The super-wealthy will typically have their own computer security service and also call on external companies for regular evaluation of their devices because a large number of hacks are detected by third parties, according to observers. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, spent $7.3 million on his security in 2017, up from $4.2 million in 2015 -- astronomical sums that the social network deemed justified due to his prominence. Last July, Facebook said it would give him $10 million more per year to strengthen his security. "Protection from colluding insiders working from positions of trust; or, against an intelligence agency trying to attack from the outside is going to require a large investment, a lot of experience, and vigilance," said Coleman. Entourage For Johnson, "no one's data is that well protected. Think of all the third-party platforms that have your social security number, or banking information, or that hold your personal pictures." Just days before Bezos disclosed that a tabloid had obtained his intimate selfies, a fellow billionaire -- Joe Ricketts, the founder of the broker TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation -- was ensnared in scandal following the release of private messages. The American news site Splinter published a series of racist emails from Ricketts, without saying how it obtained them. The exchanges, some of which date back to 2009, show the 77-year-old sharing and apparently endorsing racist jokes and conspiracy theories. He has since apologized. Back in August 2015, a cyber attack on the Ashley-Madison extramarital dating site revealed that American billionaire Dan Loeb had an account there. Bezos did not say how the National Enquirer obtained his pictures, but experts say the most common method is for a hacker to usurp the identity of a member of a person's entourage. "The adversary would send a message to the target asking them to click on a link in a text or email," Coleman explained. "The sender's real identity is hidden but the target trusts the message from their 'friend' and clicks the link unlocking malware or another type of attack on that device."

Bezos case exposes billionaires' vulnerability to hackers

Border security talks between Republican and Democratic lawmakers seeking to avert another US&nbsp;government shutdown on Friday have broken down over immigration detention policies, a Republican senator said.

"The talks are stalled right now," Republican Senator Richard Shelby told "Fox News Sunday" after a dispute over immigrant detentions. He said he hoped negotiators would return to the table soon.

Efforts to resolve an impasse over border security funding extended into the weekend as a special congressional negotiating panel aimed to reach a deal by Monday, lawmakers and aides said.

Democratic Senator Jon Tester played down any breakdown in talks. "It is a negotiation. Negotiations seldom go smooth all the way through," he told the Fox program. He said he was hopeful a deal could be reached.

However, no further talks were scheduled, a source told Reuters on Sunday on condition of anonymity.

The group of 17 lawmakers are hoping to reach a deal to allow time for the legislation to pass the US House of Representatives and Senate and get to President Donald Trump by Friday when federal funding is due to expire.

Trump agreed on Jan. 25 to end a 35-day partial US government shutdown without getting the $5.7 billion he had demanded from Congress for a wall along the border with Mexico, handing a political victory to Democrats.

Instead, a three-week spending deal was reached with congressional leaders to give lawmakers time to resolve their disagreements about how to address security along the border.

One sticking point has been Democrats' demands for funding fewer detention beds for people detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) than the Trump administration seeks. Republicans want to increase the number as part of their drive to speed immigrant deportations.

Shelby said talks were suspended over the issue but he hoped negotiators would come back to the table soon.

"I am hoping we can get off the dime later in the day or the morning," he said. "We have some problems with the Democrats dealing with ICE detaining criminals ... They want a cap on them. We don't want a cap on that."

While a number of Republicans in Congress have made it clear they would not embrace another shutdown, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said he could not rule it out.

"You absolutely cannot," Mulvaney, who is also Trump's acting chief of staff, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "Is a shutdown entirely off the table? The answer is no."

Border security talks between Republican and Democratic lawmakers seeking to avert another US government shutdown on Friday have broken down over immigration detention policies, a Republican senator said.

Border security talks between Republican and Democratic lawmakers seeking to avert another US government shutdown on Friday have broken down over immigration detention policies, a Republican senator said. "The talks are stalled right now," Republican Senator Richard Shelby told "Fox News Sunday" after a dispute over immigrant detentions. He said he hoped negotiators would return to the table soon. Efforts to resolve an impasse over border security funding extended into the weekend as a special congressional negotiating panel aimed to reach a deal by Monday, lawmakers and aides said. Democratic Senator Jon Tester played down any breakdown in talks. "It is a negotiation. Negotiations seldom go smooth all the way through," he told the Fox program. He said he was hopeful a deal could be reached. However, no further talks were scheduled, a source told Reuters on Sunday on condition of anonymity. The group of 17 lawmakers are hoping to reach a deal to allow time for the legislation to pass the US House of Representatives and Senate and get to President Donald Trump by Friday when federal funding is due to expire. Trump agreed on Jan. 25 to end a 35-day partial US government shutdown without getting the $5.7 billion he had demanded from Congress for a wall along the border with Mexico, handing a political victory to Democrats. Instead, a three-week spending deal was reached with congressional leaders to give lawmakers time to resolve their disagreements about how to address security along the border. One sticking point has been Democrats' demands for funding fewer detention beds for people detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) than the Trump administration seeks. Republicans want to increase the number as part of their drive to speed immigrant deportations. Shelby said talks were suspended over the issue but he hoped negotiators would come back to the table soon. "I am hoping we can get off the dime later in the day or the morning," he said. "We have some problems with the Democrats dealing with ICE detaining criminals ... They want a cap on them. We don't want a cap on that." While a number of Republicans in Congress have made it clear they would not embrace another shutdown, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said he could not rule it out. "You absolutely cannot," Mulvaney, who is also Trump's acting chief of staff, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "Is a shutdown entirely off the table? The answer is no."

Congressional talks to avert shutdown stall over detention policies

Venezuela's most successful financial operations in recent years have not taken place on Wall Street, but in primitive gold-mining camps in the nation's southern reaches.

With the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/humanitarian-aid-is-a-big-lie-venezuelan-vice-president-196432">country's economy in meltdown</a>, an estimated 300,000 fortune hunters have descended on this mineral-rich jungle area to earn a living pulling gold-flecked earth from makeshift mines.

Their picks and shovels are helping to prop up the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro. Since 2016, his administration has purchased 17 tonnes of the metal worth around $650 million from so-called artisan miners, according to the most recent data from the nation's central bank.

Paid with the country's near-worthless bank notes, these amateurs, in turn, supply the government with hard currency to purchase badly needed imports of food and hygiene products. This gold trade is a blip on international markets. Still, the United States is using sanctions and intimidation in an effort to stop Maduro from using his nation's gold to stay afloat.

The Trump administration is pressuring the United Kingdom not to release $1.2 billion in gold reserves Venezuela has stored in the Bank of England. US&nbsp;officials recently castigated an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm for its Venezuela gold purchases, and have warned other potential foreign buyers to back off.

The existence of Maduro's gold program is well-known. How it functions is not.

To get a glimpse inside, Reuters tracked Venezuela's gold from steamy jungle mines, through the central bank in the capital of Caracas to gold refineries and food exporters abroad, speaking with more than 30 people with knowledge of the trade. They included miners, intermediaries, merchants, academic researchers, diplomats and government officials. Almost all requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, or because they feared retribution from Venezuelan or US&nbsp;authorities.

What emerges is the portrait of a desperate experiment in laissez-faire industrial policy by Venezuela's socialist leaders. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/venezuela-shifts-oil-ventures-accounts-to-russian-bank-document-and-sources-196318">US&nbsp;sanctions have hammered the nation's oil industry</a> and crippled its ability to borrow. The formal mining sector has been decimated by nationalization. So Maduro has unleashed freelance prospectors to extract the nation's mineral wealth with virtually no regulation or state investment.

The Bolivarian Revolution now leans heavily on ragtag labourers such as Jose Aular, a teenager who says he has contracted malaria five times at a wildcat mine near Venezuela's border with Brazil. Aular works 12 hours daily lugging sacks of the earth to a small mill that uses toxic mercury to extract flecks of precious metal. Mining accidents are common in these ramshackle operations, workers said. So are shootings and robberies.

"The government knows what happens in these mines and it benefits from it," said Aular, 18. "Our gold goes into their hands."

Maduro has also received a crucial assist from Turkish President Recep Erdogan, a fellow strongman who has likewise sparred with the Trump administration.

Venezuela sells most of its gold to Turkish refineries, then uses some of the proceeds to buy that nation's consumer goods, according to people with direct knowledge of the trade. Turkish pasta and powdered milk are now staples in Maduro's subsidized food program. Trade between the two nations grew eightfold last year.

But scrutiny is intensifying as Venezuela's politics reach the boiling point. In recent days, many Western countries have recognized Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido as the South American nation's rightful president.

Maduro's adversaries have called on foreign buyers of Venezuela's precious metal to stop doing business with what they say is an illegitimate regime.

"We are going to protect our gold," opposition legislator Carlos Paparoni told Reuters in an interview.

Gold fever

The gold road begins in places like La Culebra, an isolated jungle area in southern Venezuela. Here, hundreds of men labour in crude mining operations that would be at home in the 19th century. They excavate mineral-laden dirt with picks in hand-dug tunnels, hauling it out with pulleys and winches.

Their activity is laying waste to fragile forest ecosystems and spreading mosquito-borne diseases. Miners complain of shakedowns by military forces sent to guard the region, whose homicide rate is seven times the national average. Venezuela's ministries of defence and information did not respond to requests for comment.

Miner Jose Rondon is used to hardship. Now 47, he arrived in 2016 from northeast Venezuela with his two adult sons. His bus driver's salary could not keep pace with Venezuela's hyperinflation, which the International Monetary Fund projects will hit 10 million per cent this year.

The three men net roughly 10 grams of gold monthly from backbreaking work. Still, it is roughly 20 times what they could earn back home.

"Here I do much better," said Rondon, resting in a crude bunkhouse strung with hammocks.

Gold in hand, miners head to the town of El Callao to sell their nuggets. Most buyers are unlicensed, small-scale traders working in cramped shops fitted with alarms and steel doors.

"The state is buying gold, everyone is buying gold, because it's what is doing well," said Jhony Diaz, a licensed wholesaler in Puerto Ordaz, 171 kilometres (106 miles) north of El Callao. Diaz says he buys gold from traders and resells every three days to the central bank.

Because Venezuela's currency, the bolivar, is worthless every hour someone holds it, the state pays a premium over international prices to make it worthwhile for those who could smuggle gold out of the country to exchange for dollars.

Traders who sell to Diaz end up with bricks of cash to carry back to El Callao and other gold-rush towns to pay miners, who use it to buy food, supplies and send whatever is left to their families.

Gold purchased by the government is smelted in the nearby furnaces of Minerven, the state-run mining company, according to a high-ranking employee. It is then transported to the vaults of the central bank in the capital Caracas, 843 kilometres (524 miles) away.

The gold does not stay there long. The central bank's gold reserves have plummeted to their lowest levels in 75 years. Venezuela is selling the artisan metal as well as existing reserves to pay its bills, according to two high-ranking government officials.

The main buyer these days is Turkey, the officials said.

Turkish alliance

Maduro's gold program has developed in tandem with his deepening relationship with Turkey's Erdogan. Both leaders have been criticized internationally for cracking down on political dissent and undermining democratic norms to concentrate power.

A November 1 executive order signed by US&nbsp;President Donald Trump bars US&nbsp;persons and entities from buying gold from Venezuela. It does not apply to foreigners. Ankara has assured the US&nbsp;Treasury that all of Turkey's trade with Venezuela is in accordance with international law.

Venezuela in December 2016 announced a direct flight from Caracas to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. The development was surprising given low demand for travel between the two nations.

Trade data show those planes are carrying more than passengers. On New Year's Day, 2018, Venezuela's central bank began shipping gold to Turkey with a $36 million air shipment of the metal to Istanbul. It came just weeks after a visit by Maduro to Turkey.

Shipments last year reached $900 million, according to Turkish government data and trade reports.

Venezuela's central bank has been selling its artisan gold directly to Turkish refiners, according to two senior Venezuelan officials. Proceeds go to the Venezuelan state development bank Bandes to purchase Turkish consumer goods, the officials said.

Gold buyers include Istanbul Gold Refinery, or IGR; and Sardes Kiymetli Mandele, a Turkish trading firm, according to a person who works in Turkey's gold industry as well as a Caracas-based diplomat and the two senior Venezuelan officials.

In an interview with Reuters, IGR CEO Aysan Esen denied the company has been involved in any Venezuelan gold deals. In a written statement, she said she met with Venezuelan and Turkish officials in Istanbul in April to offer her views on compliance with international regulations.

Esen said she advised the Turkish government that working with Venezuela "would not be right for leading institutions or the state."

As for Sardes Kiymetli Mandele, no one at its Istanbul offices responded to inquiries from Reuters.

Turkish consumer products, meanwhile, are making their way to Venezuelan tables. In early December, 54 containers of Turkish powdered milk arrived at the port of La Guaira near Caracas, according to port records seen by Reuters.

The Istanbul-based shipper, Mulberry Proje Yatirim, shares an address with Marilyns Proje Yatirin, a mining company that signed a joint venture with Venezuela's state mining firm Minerven last year, according to filings with a Turkish trade registry gazette in September.

The companies did not respond to a request for comment.

Even Maduro's critics acknowledge he has pulled off a neat trick of alchemy: By compensating hard-pressed citizen miners with inflation-ravaged bolivars and obtaining precious metal in return, he has found a way to spin straw into gold.

Venezuelan economist Angel Alvarado, an opposition lawmaker, said "dark operations and unusual mechanisms of commercial exchange," are among the few tools Maduro has left.

"There is a desperation to stay in power at all costs," Alvarado said.

Venezuela's most successful financial operations in recent years have not taken place on Wall Street, but in primitive gold-mining camps in the nation's southern reaches.

Venezuela's most successful financial operations in recent years have not taken place on Wall Street, but in primitive gold-mining camps in the nation's southern reaches. With the country's economy in meltdown, an estimated 300,000 fortune hunters have descended on this mineral-rich jungle area to earn a living pulling gold-flecked earth from makeshift mines. Their picks and shovels are helping to prop up the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro. Since 2016, his administration has purchased 17 tonnes of the metal worth around $650 million from so-called artisan miners, according to the most recent data from the nation's central bank. Paid with the country's near-worthless bank notes, these amateurs, in turn, supply the government with hard currency to purchase badly needed imports of food and hygiene products. This gold trade is a blip on international markets. Still, the United States is using sanctions and intimidation in an effort to stop Maduro from using his nation's gold to stay afloat. The Trump administration is pressuring the United Kingdom not to release $1.2 billion in gold reserves Venezuela has stored in the Bank of England. US officials recently castigated an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm for its Venezuela gold purchases, and have warned other potential foreign buyers to back off. The existence of Maduro's gold program is well-known. How it functions is not. To get a glimpse inside, Reuters tracked Venezuela's gold from steamy jungle mines, through the central bank in the capital of Caracas to gold refineries and food exporters abroad, speaking with more than 30 people with knowledge of the trade. They included miners, intermediaries, merchants, academic researchers, diplomats and government officials. Almost all requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, or because they feared retribution from Venezuelan or US authorities. What emerges is the portrait of a desperate experiment in laissez-faire industrial policy by Venezuela's socialist leaders. US sanctions have hammered the nation's oil industry and crippled its ability to borrow. The formal mining sector has been decimated by nationalization. So Maduro has unleashed freelance prospectors to extract the nation's mineral wealth with virtually no regulation or state investment. The Bolivarian Revolution now leans heavily on ragtag labourers such as Jose Aular, a teenager who says he has contracted malaria five times at a wildcat mine near Venezuela's border with Brazil. Aular works 12 hours daily lugging sacks of the earth to a small mill that uses toxic mercury to extract flecks of precious metal. Mining accidents are common in these ramshackle operations, workers said. So are shootings and robberies. "The government knows what happens in these mines and it benefits from it," said Aular, 18. "Our gold goes into their hands." Maduro has also received a crucial assist from Turkish President Recep Erdogan, a fellow strongman who has likewise sparred with the Trump administration. Venezuela sells most of its gold to Turkish refineries, then uses some of the proceeds to buy that nation's consumer goods, according to people with direct knowledge of the trade. Turkish pasta and powdered milk are now staples in Maduro's subsidized food program. Trade between the two nations grew eightfold last year. But scrutiny is intensifying as Venezuela's politics reach the boiling point. In recent days, many Western countries have recognized Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido as the South American nation's rightful president. Maduro's adversaries have called on foreign buyers of Venezuela's precious metal to stop doing business with what they say is an illegitimate regime. "We are going to protect our gold," opposition legislator Carlos Paparoni told Reuters in an interview. Gold fever The gold road begins in places like La Culebra, an isolated jungle area in southern Venezuela. Here, hundreds of men labour in crude mining operations that would be at home in the 19th century. They excavate mineral-laden dirt with picks in hand-dug tunnels, hauling it out with pulleys and winches. Their activity is laying waste to fragile forest ecosystems and spreading mosquito-borne diseases. Miners complain of shakedowns by military forces sent to guard the region, whose homicide rate is seven times the national average. Venezuela's ministries of defence and information did not respond to requests for comment. Miner Jose Rondon is used to hardship. Now 47, he arrived in 2016 from northeast Venezuela with his two adult sons. His bus driver's salary could not keep pace with Venezuela's hyperinflation, which the International Monetary Fund projects will hit 10 million per cent this year. The three men net roughly 10 grams of gold monthly from backbreaking work. Still, it is roughly 20 times what they could earn back home. "Here I do much better," said Rondon, resting in a crude bunkhouse strung with hammocks. Gold in hand, miners head to the town of El Callao to sell their nuggets. Most buyers are unlicensed, small-scale traders working in cramped shops fitted with alarms and steel doors. "The state is buying gold, everyone is buying gold, because it's what is doing well," said Jhony Diaz, a licensed wholesaler in Puerto Ordaz, 171 kilometres (106 miles) north of El Callao. Diaz says he buys gold from traders and resells every three days to the central bank. Because Venezuela's currency, the bolivar, is worthless every hour someone holds it, the state pays a premium over international prices to make it worthwhile for those who could smuggle gold out of the country to exchange for dollars. Traders who sell to Diaz end up with bricks of cash to carry back to El Callao and other gold-rush towns to pay miners, who use it to buy food, supplies and send whatever is left to their families. Gold purchased by the government is smelted in the nearby furnaces of Minerven, the state-run mining company, according to a high-ranking employee. It is then transported to the vaults of the central bank in the capital Caracas, 843 kilometres (524 miles) away. The gold does not stay there long. The central bank's gold reserves have plummeted to their lowest levels in 75 years. Venezuela is selling the artisan metal as well as existing reserves to pay its bills, according to two high-ranking government officials. The main buyer these days is Turkey, the officials said. Turkish alliance Maduro's gold program has developed in tandem with his deepening relationship with Turkey's Erdogan. Both leaders have been criticized internationally for cracking down on political dissent and undermining democratic norms to concentrate power. A November 1 executive order signed by US President Donald Trump bars US persons and entities from buying gold from Venezuela. It does not apply to foreigners. Ankara has assured the US Treasury that all of Turkey's trade with Venezuela is in accordance with international law. Venezuela in December 2016 announced a direct flight from Caracas to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines. The development was surprising given low demand for travel between the two nations. Trade data show those planes are carrying more than passengers. On New Year's Day, 2018, Venezuela's central bank began shipping gold to Turkey with a $36 million air shipment of the metal to Istanbul. It came just weeks after a visit by Maduro to Turkey. Shipments last year reached $900 million, according to Turkish government data and trade reports. Venezuela's central bank has been selling its artisan gold directly to Turkish refiners, according to two senior Venezuelan officials. Proceeds go to the Venezuelan state development bank Bandes to purchase Turkish consumer goods, the officials said. Gold buyers include Istanbul Gold Refinery, or IGR; and Sardes Kiymetli Mandele, a Turkish trading firm, according to a person who works in Turkey's gold industry as well as a Caracas-based diplomat and the two senior Venezuelan officials. In an interview with Reuters, IGR CEO Aysan Esen denied the company has been involved in any Venezuelan gold deals. In a written statement, she said she met with Venezuelan and Turkish officials in Istanbul in April to offer her views on compliance with international regulations. Esen said she advised the Turkish government that working with Venezuela "would not be right for leading institutions or the state." As for Sardes Kiymetli Mandele, no one at its Istanbul offices responded to inquiries from Reuters. Turkish consumer products, meanwhile, are making their way to Venezuelan tables. In early December, 54 containers of Turkish powdered milk arrived at the port of La Guaira near Caracas, according to port records seen by Reuters. The Istanbul-based shipper, Mulberry Proje Yatirim, shares an address with Marilyns Proje Yatirin, a mining company that signed a joint venture with Venezuela's state mining firm Minerven last year, according to filings with a Turkish trade registry gazette in September. The companies did not respond to a request for comment. Even Maduro's critics acknowledge he has pulled off a neat trick of alchemy: By compensating hard-pressed citizen miners with inflation-ravaged bolivars and obtaining precious metal in return, he has found a way to spin straw into gold. Venezuelan economist Angel Alvarado, an opposition lawmaker, said "dark operations and unusual mechanisms of commercial exchange," are among the few tools Maduro has left. "There is a desperation to stay in power at all costs," Alvarado said.

How Venezuela turns its useless bank notes into gold

The United States has presented a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council calling for international aid deliveries and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/india-should-be-wary-of-the-us-sponsored-crisis-in-venezuela-194281">a presidential vote in Venezuela</a>, triggering a Russian counter-proposal.

While no date has yet been set for a vote on the American draft, and negotiations are ongoing, Russia is likely to use its veto power to block it as part of its support of Nicolas Maduro's regime, diplomats said.

The text, a copy of which was obtained by AFP on Saturday, expresses "full support for the National Assembly as the only democratically elected institution in Venezuela."

The legislative body's chairman, Juan Guaido, has declared himself interim president of Venezuela, challenging Maduro's rule.

The draft resolution stresses "deep concern with the violence and excessive use of force by Venezuelan security forces against unarmed, peaceful protesters."

It also "calls for the immediate start of a political process leading to free, fair and credible presidential elections, with international electoral observation, in line with Venezuela's constitution."

The text also requests that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "utilize his good offices" to obtain such elections.

It also "stresses the need to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Venezuela and to facilitate access and delivery of assistance to all in need in the entirety of the territory of Venezuela."

On Friday, Moscow proposed an alternative resolution to the American one, diplomats said.

It expresses "concern over the threats to use force against the territorial integrity and political independence of... Venezuela," according to a draft seen by AFP.

The draft also criticizes "attempts to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of... Venezuela."

Calling for a "peaceful" resolution of the stalemate in Venezuela, it "supports all initiatives aimed at reaching a political solution amongst Venezuelans to the current situation... through a genuine and inclusive process of national dialogue."

However, a diplomat told AFP that if put to a vote, the Russian text would fail to obtain the minimum of nine votes to pass without another veto-wielding country blocking it.

Humanitarian aid sent by the United States recently arrived in the Colombian city of Cucuta at the border with Venezuela, but Maduro has refused to let in the shipments.&nbsp;

Guaido said Friday he was ready to take any necessary measures, including authorizing a US military intervention, to force Maduro from power and alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

The United States has presented a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council calling for international aid deliveries and a presidential vote in Venezuela, triggering a Russian counter-proposal.

The United States has presented a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council calling for international aid deliveries and a presidential vote in Venezuela, triggering a Russian counter-proposal. While no date has yet been set for a vote on the American draft, and negotiations are ongoing, Russia is likely to use its veto power to block it as part of its support of Nicolas Maduro's regime, diplomats said. The text, a copy of which was obtained by AFP on Saturday, expresses "full support for the National Assembly as the only democratically elected institution in Venezuela." The legislative body's chairman, Juan Guaido, has declared himself interim president of Venezuela, challenging Maduro's rule. The draft resolution stresses "deep concern with the violence and excessive use of force by Venezuelan security forces against unarmed, peaceful protesters." It also "calls for the immediate start of a political process leading to free, fair and credible presidential elections, with international electoral observation, in line with Venezuela's constitution." The text also requests that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "utilize his good offices" to obtain such elections. It also "stresses the need to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Venezuela and to facilitate access and delivery of assistance to all in need in the entirety of the territory of Venezuela." On Friday, Moscow proposed an alternative resolution to the American one, diplomats said. It expresses "concern over the threats to use force against the territorial integrity and political independence of... Venezuela," according to a draft seen by AFP. The draft also criticizes "attempts to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of... Venezuela." Calling for a "peaceful" resolution of the stalemate in Venezuela, it "supports all initiatives aimed at reaching a political solution amongst Venezuelans to the current situation... through a genuine and inclusive process of national dialogue." However, a diplomat told AFP that if put to a vote, the Russian text would fail to obtain the minimum of nine votes to pass without another veto-wielding country blocking it. Humanitarian aid sent by the United States recently arrived in the Colombian city of Cucuta at the border with Venezuela, but Maduro has refused to let in the shipments. Guaido said Friday he was ready to take any necessary measures, including authorizing a US military intervention, to force Maduro from power and alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

US seeks United Nations resolution calling for Venezuela elections

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie on Saturday said that former United States vice president Joe Biden has the best chance of beating President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

“I think the one that the President would be most afraid of if he can stay in his lane is Biden. And the reason why Biden could go to Ohio and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Michigan and appeal to white working-class voters. And if he does that, he only has to peel off 7,000-10,000 votes in each one of those states, and he only has to win two of them,” said Christie&nbsp;during HBO's Real Time with Bill Mahar.

The Republican leader made these remarks while appearing on the HBO's Real Time with Bill Mahar show for the promotion of his recently launched book 'Let Me Speak'.

According to a poll surveying 689 Democratic and independent voters conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University, Obama-era vice president Biden, 76, is now the most popular option to be the next presidential candidate for the Democrats, as fifty-three per cent of voters said they felt excited about Biden running, while only seven per cent expressed the same enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton, reported Sputnik.

The former governor also heaped praise on the three-term independent senator Bernie Sanders by saying that Sanders has an outlook. "I think Bernie has a little bit of that. You know, Bernie doesn’t back down to anybody and when Bernie’s got a point of view, he’s gonna say it and he doesn’t really sugarcoat anything. So I think Sanders is one of those people,” he said.

However, Sanders has not yet announced a run for the White House, though he has said he will “probably run” for president in 2020.

When asked about President Trump's "not so good" presidency, the former governor said, "We had a lot of President in the history who had a questionable moral code."&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie on Saturday said that former United States vice president Joe Biden has the best chance of beating President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie on Saturday said that former United States vice president Joe Biden has the best chance of beating President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. “I think the one that the President would be most afraid of if he can stay in his lane is Biden. And the reason why Biden could go to Ohio and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Michigan and appeal to white working-class voters. And if he does that, he only has to peel off 7,000-10,000 votes in each one of those states, and he only has to win two of them,” said Christie during HBO's Real Time with Bill Mahar. The Republican leader made these remarks while appearing on the HBO's Real Time with Bill Mahar show for the promotion of his recently launched book 'Let Me Speak'. According to a poll surveying 689 Democratic and independent voters conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University, Obama-era vice president Biden, 76, is now the most popular option to be the next presidential candidate for the Democrats, as fifty-three per cent of voters said they felt excited about Biden running, while only seven per cent expressed the same enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton, reported Sputnik. The former governor also heaped praise on the three-term independent senator Bernie Sanders by saying that Sanders has an outlook. "I think Bernie has a little bit of that. You know, Bernie doesn’t back down to anybody and when Bernie’s got a point of view, he’s gonna say it and he doesn’t really sugarcoat anything. So I think Sanders is one of those people,” he said. However, Sanders has not yet announced a run for the White House, though he has said he will “probably run” for president in 2020. When asked about President Trump's "not so good" presidency, the former governor said, "We had a lot of President in the history who had a questionable moral code."

US: Republican thinks former Vice President Biden can beat Trump

US&nbsp;Senator Elizabeth Warren, struggling to move past criticism over her claims of Native American heritage, aimed for a fresh start on Saturday with the formal launch of her 2020 presidential campaign, saying that she is fighting for all Americans.

The Massachusetts Democrat, a leader of the party's progressive wing, made her announcement from a historic site in Lawrence, northwest of Boston, that launched the US&nbsp;organized labour movement. Warren, 69, has made worker rights, fair wages and access to health care central to her campaign.

"This is the fight of our lives. The fight to build an America where dreams are possible, an America that works for everyone," Warren said. "And that is why I stand here today: to declare that I am a candidate for President of the United States of America."

Warren is part of an increasingly crowded and diverse field of Democrats vying for the chance to challenge President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee. A year before any ballots are cast in a Democratic primary, many of those candidates are spending this weekend talking to voters in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Warren's announcement will be followed on Sunday by US&nbsp;Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has said she will reveal her presidential plans in her home state of Minnesota.

Warren's heritage claims have dogged her since her first campaign for the Senate in 2012, and Trump mockingly refers to her as "Pocahontas." Her ancestry drew fresh scrutiny earlier this week with the discovery that she described her race as American Indian on a form to join the Texas legal bar in the 1980s.

Warren has repeatedly apologized, saying the claim was based on "family lore" and she now understands tribal sovereignty dictates membership.

In addition to being a fierce Trump critic, Warren is an outspoken critic of Wall Street who gained national notoriety for her efforts to create the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to regulate large banks.

Warren is one of four women so far seeking the Democratic nomination, an unprecedented number of female candidates vying to lead a country that has never had a woman chief executive.

Warren and the other women running so far, among whom are Senators Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, are hoping to build on the success of women candidates who played a significant role in Democrats regaining control of the US&nbsp;House of Representatives in November's congressional elections.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, struggling to move past criticism over her claims of Native American heritage, aimed for a fresh start on Saturday with the formal launch of her 2020 presidential campaign, saying that she is fighting for all Americans.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, struggling to move past criticism over her claims of Native American heritage, aimed for a fresh start on Saturday with the formal launch of her 2020 presidential campaign, saying that she is fighting for all Americans. The Massachusetts Democrat, a leader of the party's progressive wing, made her announcement from a historic site in Lawrence, northwest of Boston, that launched the US organized labour movement. Warren, 69, has made worker rights, fair wages and access to health care central to her campaign. "This is the fight of our lives. The fight to build an America where dreams are possible, an America that works for everyone," Warren said. "And that is why I stand here today: to declare that I am a candidate for President of the United States of America." Warren is part of an increasingly crowded and diverse field of Democrats vying for the chance to challenge President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee. A year before any ballots are cast in a Democratic primary, many of those candidates are spending this weekend talking to voters in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Warren's announcement will be followed on Sunday by US Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has said she will reveal her presidential plans in her home state of Minnesota. Warren's heritage claims have dogged her since her first campaign for the Senate in 2012, and Trump mockingly refers to her as "Pocahontas." Her ancestry drew fresh scrutiny earlier this week with the discovery that she described her race as American Indian on a form to join the Texas legal bar in the 1980s. Warren has repeatedly apologized, saying the claim was based on "family lore" and she now understands tribal sovereignty dictates membership. In addition to being a fierce Trump critic, Warren is an outspoken critic of Wall Street who gained national notoriety for her efforts to create the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to regulate large banks. Warren is one of four women so far seeking the Democratic nomination, an unprecedented number of female candidates vying to lead a country that has never had a woman chief executive. Warren and the other women running so far, among whom are Senators Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, are hoping to build on the success of women candidates who played a significant role in Democrats regaining control of the US House of Representatives in November's congressional elections.

US Senator Warren formally launches 2020 campaign, sounds note of economic equality

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will start an assault on Saturday against Islamic State's last enclave in the part of Syria where a US-led coalition has been supporting operations against the group, an SDF official told Reuters.

The United States said on January&nbsp;29 that Islamic State was expected to lose the final chunk of territory within a couple of weeks.

"The battle will be launched this evening and its mission will be to eliminate the last remnants of the terrorist organisation," Mustafa Bali, the head of the SDF media office, said, describing it as the "last battle".

He said in the last 10 days SDF fighters had handled the battle "patiently" as more than 20,000 civilians were evacuated from the besieged enclave comprising two villages near the Iraqi border.

The SDF, backed by the US-led coalition, has driven Islamic State out of a swathe of territory in northern and eastern Syria.

After defeating the jihadists from their Syrian headquarters at Raqqa in October 2017, the SDF advanced southwards into Deir al-Zor province, attacking them in territory on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.

Islamic State still has a territorial foothold in Syria west of the Euphrates in a part of the country otherwise held by the Syrian government and its allies.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will start an assault on Saturday against Islamic State's last enclave in the part of Syria where a US-led coalition has been supporting operations against the group, an SDF official told Reuters.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will start an assault on Saturday against Islamic State's last enclave in the part of Syria where a US-led coalition has been supporting operations against the group, an SDF official told Reuters. The United States said on January 29 that Islamic State was expected to lose the final chunk of territory within a couple of weeks. "The battle will be launched this evening and its mission will be to eliminate the last remnants of the terrorist organisation," Mustafa Bali, the head of the SDF media office, said, describing it as the "last battle". He said in the last 10 days SDF fighters had handled the battle "patiently" as more than 20,000 civilians were evacuated from the besieged enclave comprising two villages near the Iraqi border. The SDF, backed by the US-led coalition, has driven Islamic State out of a swathe of territory in northern and eastern Syria. After defeating the jihadists from their Syrian headquarters at Raqqa in October 2017, the SDF advanced southwards into Deir al-Zor province, attacking them in territory on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Islamic State still has a territorial foothold in Syria west of the Euphrates in a part of the country otherwise held by the Syrian government and its allies.

US-backed Syrian force to start 'final battle' against IS enclave

Venezuela's government on Friday said the United States should distribute humanitarian aid in Colombia where it is being stockpiled, while the opposition warned that blocking much-needed food and medicine could constitute crimes against humanity.

A day after the aid convoy arrived in the border city of Cucuta, President Nicolas Maduro ridiculed the United States for offering small amounts of assistance while maintaining sanctions that block some $10 billion of offshore assets and revenue.

Rival Juan Guaido, who is recognised by dozens of countries as Venezuela's legitimate leader, warned military officers against blocking the arrival of aid amid spiralling disease and malnutrition brought on by a hyperinflationary collapse.

"Take all that humanitarian aid and give it to the people of Cucuta, where there is a lot of need," Maduro said in a news conference. "This is a macabre game, you see? They squeeze us by the neck and then make us beg for crumbs."

"They offer us toilet paper, like (US&nbsp;President) Donald Trump threw at the people of Puerto Rico," he said at the conference, which experienced technical difficulties including a blackout and a microphone failure. He was referring to Trump's improvised 2018 aid distribution in the US&nbsp;territory following a hurricane, during which he threw rolls of paper towels.

Venezuela's dire situation has fuelled a political crisis that has peaked over the last month with Guaido invoking a constitutional provision to declare himself the legitimate, interim president.

The 35-year-old argues Maduro was re-elected last year in a sham vote and the country must hold new presidential elections.

More than 40 nations including the United States, major European powers and most of Latin America have recognised Guaido as the country's rightful head of state.

"I want to see how many military officers are willing to commit crimes against humanity by not allowing the lives of the most vulnerable to be saved, 250,000 to 300,000 are at risk of dying if they do not receive immediate attention," Guaido said during a gathering of university students.

Officials at a Cucuta warehouse organised staple foods and sanitary products into sacks during an event attended by US&nbsp;Ambassador to Colombia Kevin Whitaker and called on the armed forces to help it across.

The aid seems unlikely to move into Venezuela.

Humanitarian organizations have warned that attempting to force the aid into the country would be dangerous, and a top U.S. official on Thursday said Washington did not plan to do so.

The Red Cross urged Venezuelans not to politicize the aid issue, without saying how or if the aid would arrive.

In an ironic twist, a Venezuelan navy ship laden with equipment sent by Maduro's government to help Cuba rebuild after a tornado hit Havana last month arrived in the city's port on Friday, Cuban state media reported.

Cuba is one of Venezuela's few remaining allies in the region although the country retains the powerful backing of Russia, China and Turkey too, which have warned others against intervening in its domestic affairs.

The Trump administration last week issued sweeping sanctions against state oil company PDVSA, froze profits generated by refining subsidiary Citgo, and has vowed to starve Maduro's government of all revenue.

Maduro said blocking the OPEC nation's oil shipments would be economically and socially "catastrophic" for the country, adding that anyone who accepted a nomination from Guaido to posts at PDVSA or Citgo would "face justice."

European nations have been broadly critical of Maduro but have sought to strike a counterpoint to the aggressive U.S. stance by urging dialogue.

Maduro said he was willing to meet with envoys of the so-called International Contact Group, that is backed by the European Union, but said a statement from its first meeting on Thursday was partisan and ideological.

"You're deaf to the reality of a revolution with 20 years of democratic patrimony; you only follow the script written by the extreme right," he said.

Critics say three previous rounds of dialogue have allowed the ruling Socialist Party to stall for time without making major concessions on key issues including imprisoned opposition politicians and electoral transparency.

Guaido has said the time for dialogue has passed.

Venezuela's government on Friday said the United States should distribute humanitarian aid in Colombia where it is being stockpiled, while the opposition warned that blocking much-needed food and medicine could constitute crimes against humanity.

Venezuela's government on Friday said the United States should distribute humanitarian aid in Colombia where it is being stockpiled, while the opposition warned that blocking much-needed food and medicine could constitute crimes against humanity. A day after the aid convoy arrived in the border city of Cucuta, President Nicolas Maduro ridiculed the United States for offering small amounts of assistance while maintaining sanctions that block some $10 billion of offshore assets and revenue. Rival Juan Guaido, who is recognised by dozens of countries as Venezuela's legitimate leader, warned military officers against blocking the arrival of aid amid spiralling disease and malnutrition brought on by a hyperinflationary collapse. "Take all that humanitarian aid and give it to the people of Cucuta, where there is a lot of need," Maduro said in a news conference. "This is a macabre game, you see? They squeeze us by the neck and then make us beg for crumbs." "They offer us toilet paper, like (US President) Donald Trump threw at the people of Puerto Rico," he said at the conference, which experienced technical difficulties including a blackout and a microphone failure. He was referring to Trump's improvised 2018 aid distribution in the US territory following a hurricane, during which he threw rolls of paper towels. Venezuela's dire situation has fuelled a political crisis that has peaked over the last month with Guaido invoking a constitutional provision to declare himself the legitimate, interim president. The 35-year-old argues Maduro was re-elected last year in a sham vote and the country must hold new presidential elections. More than 40 nations including the United States, major European powers and most of Latin America have recognised Guaido as the country's rightful head of state. "I want to see how many military officers are willing to commit crimes against humanity by not allowing the lives of the most vulnerable to be saved, 250,000 to 300,000 are at risk of dying if they do not receive immediate attention," Guaido said during a gathering of university students. Officials at a Cucuta warehouse organised staple foods and sanitary products into sacks during an event attended by US Ambassador to Colombia Kevin Whitaker and called on the armed forces to help it across. The aid seems unlikely to move into Venezuela. Humanitarian organizations have warned that attempting to force the aid into the country would be dangerous, and a top U.S. official on Thursday said Washington did not plan to do so. The Red Cross urged Venezuelans not to politicize the aid issue, without saying how or if the aid would arrive. In an ironic twist, a Venezuelan navy ship laden with equipment sent by Maduro's government to help Cuba rebuild after a tornado hit Havana last month arrived in the city's port on Friday, Cuban state media reported. Cuba is one of Venezuela's few remaining allies in the region although the country retains the powerful backing of Russia, China and Turkey too, which have warned others against intervening in its domestic affairs. The Trump administration last week issued sweeping sanctions against state oil company PDVSA, froze profits generated by refining subsidiary Citgo, and has vowed to starve Maduro's government of all revenue. Maduro said blocking the OPEC nation's oil shipments would be economically and socially "catastrophic" for the country, adding that anyone who accepted a nomination from Guaido to posts at PDVSA or Citgo would "face justice." European nations have been broadly critical of Maduro but have sought to strike a counterpoint to the aggressive U.S. stance by urging dialogue. Maduro said he was willing to meet with envoys of the so-called International Contact Group, that is backed by the European Union, but said a statement from its first meeting on Thursday was partisan and ideological. "You're deaf to the reality of a revolution with 20 years of democratic patrimony; you only follow the script written by the extreme right," he said. Critics say three previous rounds of dialogue have allowed the ruling Socialist Party to stall for time without making major concessions on key issues including imprisoned opposition politicians and electoral transparency. Guaido has said the time for dialogue has passed.

Venezuela's Maduro spurns US aid, rival warns military not to block it

BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who had been undergoing medical treatment in the United States, returned to India on Saturday.

Upon his return, the minister tweeted, "Delighted to be back home".

Jaitley, who is currently without a portfolio, had last month flown to New York for the treatment after being reportedly diagnosed with soft tissue cancer which required surgery.

In his absence, the responsibility of the Finance Ministry was given to Union Minister Piyush Goyal who also presented the Interim Budget this year.

Although Jaitley was away from India in the past few weeks, he has remained active on Twitter and was regular with his blog posts. He also met reporters through a video call from New York and gave interviews on Budget.

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Delighted to be back home.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley/status/1094174087071629313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Jaitley had stopped attending office at the beginning of April last year due to his kidney ailment. He was back in North Block - the seat of Finance Ministry - on August 23, 2018. Even then, Goyal had manned the Ministry for about 100 days.

The 66-year-old BJP leader&nbsp;underwent a renal transplant in May last year at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi.

Earlier in September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a long-standing diabetic condition.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who had been undergoing medical treatment in the United States, returned to India on Saturday. Upon his return, the minister tweeted, "Delighted to be back home".

BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who had been undergoing medical treatment in the United States, returned to India on Saturday. Upon his return, the minister tweeted, "Delighted to be back home". Jaitley, who is currently without a portfolio, had last month flown to New York for the treatment after being reportedly diagnosed with soft tissue cancer which required surgery. In his absence, the responsibility of the Finance Ministry was given to Union Minister Piyush Goyal who also presented the Interim Budget this year. Although Jaitley was away from India in the past few weeks, he has remained active on Twitter and was regular with his blog posts. He also met reporters through a video call from New York and gave interviews on Budget. Delighted to be back home. — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) February 9, 2019 × Jaitley had stopped attending office at the beginning of April last year due to his kidney ailment. He was back in North Block - the seat of Finance Ministry - on August 23, 2018. Even then, Goyal had manned the Ministry for about 100 days. The 66-year-old BJP leader underwent a renal transplant in May last year at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Earlier in September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a long-standing diabetic condition. (With inputs from agencies)

Delighted to be back home: Jaitley returns to India after medical treatment in US

US&nbsp;negotiators are preparing to press China next week on longstanding demands that it reform how it treats American companies' intellectual property in order to seal a trade deal that could prevent tariffs from rising on Chinese imports.

A new round of trade talks begins in Beijing on Monday, after the most recent set of negotiations concluded in Washington last week without a deal and with the top US&nbsp;negotiator declaring that a lot more work needed to be done.

A White House official said on Friday that preparations were under way and the talks would continue to focus on pressing Beijing to make structural reforms.

The White House announced a timeframe for the Beijing talks in a statement. It said lower-level officials will kick off the meetings on Monday, led on the American side by Deputy US&nbsp;Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish.

Higher principal-level talks will take place Thursday and Friday with US&nbsp;Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Lighthizer, named by Trump to spearhead the process after agreeing a 90-day truce in the trade war with Beijing, has been a strong proponent of pushing China to make such reforms and end what the United States views as unfair trade practices including stealing intellectual property and forcing US&nbsp;companies to share their technology with Chinese firms.

China has denied it engages in such practices.

"The United States is a great producer of technology, and innovation, and know-how, and trade secrets. And we have to operate in an environment where those things are protected," Lighthizer said last week after talks at the White House.

"I'm by no means predicting success; there is a lot of work that has to be done," he said.

The two sides are trying to hammer out a deal ahead of the March 1 deadline when US&nbsp;tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25 percent from 10 percent.

China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the two countries would have a "further deep discussion on issues of mutual concern" on the basis of what they talked about at the last round of talks in Washington. It gave no details.

China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said in Michigan on Friday that a "zero-sum game" mindset was destructive to China-US&nbsp;ties, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Chinese and US&nbsp;companies should compete as well as cooperate with each other, Cui said.

"The real story in business is not that black and white," the report quoted him as saying.

Trump said on Thursday he did not plan to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before that deadline, dampening hopes that a trade pact could be reached quickly.

"We are hearing the list of issues the two presidents will ultimately have to make decisions on is being narrowed, so that's an indication that things are being addressed. But we're also hearing that there's a lot of work to be done," said Erin Ennis, senior vice president of the US-China Business Council, who says she has spoken with officials in both the United States and China. "I don’t think either side is expecting a draft of something next week."

Another source who had been briefed on the talks said a lot of work also needed to be done on an enforcement mechanism for a potential deal.

"If there's some indication that they're making progress on subsidies, forced tech transfer and the constellation of issues there and an enforcement mechanism, that would be interesting. The word coming out of this last round was that there was very limited, measly progress on those issues," the source said.

Escalating tensions between the United States and China have cost both countries billions of dollars and roiled global financial markets.

If the negotiations do not progress sufficiently, the US&nbsp;officials said increased tariffs will take effect.

Washington could agree to extend the deadline without a deal if talks are progressing. Trump said last week he did not think the deadline would need to be extended, though he said a deal might not be on paper by then.

&nbsp;

US negotiators are preparing to press China next week on longstanding demands that it reform how it treats American companies' intellectual property in order to seal a trade deal that could prevent tariffs from rising on Chinese imports.

US negotiators are preparing to press China next week on longstanding demands that it reform how it treats American companies' intellectual property in order to seal a trade deal that could prevent tariffs from rising on Chinese imports. A new round of trade talks begins in Beijing on Monday, after the most recent set of negotiations concluded in Washington last week without a deal and with the top US negotiator declaring that a lot more work needed to be done. A White House official said on Friday that preparations were under way and the talks would continue to focus on pressing Beijing to make structural reforms. The White House announced a timeframe for the Beijing talks in a statement. It said lower-level officials will kick off the meetings on Monday, led on the American side by Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish. Higher principal-level talks will take place Thursday and Friday with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Lighthizer, named by Trump to spearhead the process after agreeing a 90-day truce in the trade war with Beijing, has been a strong proponent of pushing China to make such reforms and end what the United States views as unfair trade practices including stealing intellectual property and forcing US companies to share their technology with Chinese firms. China has denied it engages in such practices. "The United States is a great producer of technology, and innovation, and know-how, and trade secrets. And we have to operate in an environment where those things are protected," Lighthizer said last week after talks at the White House. "I'm by no means predicting success; there is a lot of work that has to be done," he said. The two sides are trying to hammer out a deal ahead of the March 1 deadline when US tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25 percent from 10 percent. China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the two countries would have a "further deep discussion on issues of mutual concern" on the basis of what they talked about at the last round of talks in Washington. It gave no details. China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said in Michigan on Friday that a "zero-sum game" mindset was destructive to China-US ties, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported. Chinese and US companies should compete as well as cooperate with each other, Cui said. "The real story in business is not that black and white," the report quoted him as saying. Trump said on Thursday he did not plan to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before that deadline, dampening hopes that a trade pact could be reached quickly. "We are hearing the list of issues the two presidents will ultimately have to make decisions on is being narrowed, so that's an indication that things are being addressed. But we're also hearing that there's a lot of work to be done," said Erin Ennis, senior vice president of the US-China Business Council, who says she has spoken with officials in both the United States and China. "I don’t think either side is expecting a draft of something next week." Another source who had been briefed on the talks said a lot of work also needed to be done on an enforcement mechanism for a potential deal. "If there's some indication that they're making progress on subsidies, forced tech transfer and the constellation of issues there and an enforcement mechanism, that would be interesting. The word coming out of this last round was that there was very limited, measly progress on those issues," the source said. Escalating tensions between the United States and China have cost both countries billions of dollars and roiled global financial markets. If the negotiations do not progress sufficiently, the US officials said increased tariffs will take effect. Washington could agree to extend the deadline without a deal if talks are progressing. Trump said last week he did not think the deadline would need to be extended, though he said a deal might not be on paper by then.

US-China trade talks resume next week, focus on intellectual property

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir on Friday told members of US-based media that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not order the killing of the Washington Post's Jamal Khashoggi but declined to comment on a New York Times story <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-crown-prince-told-aide-he-would-use-a-bullet-on-khashoggi-report-195901">the prince would use "a bullet" on the journalist</a>.

"We know that this was not an authorized operation. There was no order given to conduct this operation," al-Jubeir said.

Khashoggi's fiancée seeks change in US approach

The fiancée of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday she would welcome a change in Donald Trump's approach to the killing, and may visit the United States in March, having previously rejected an invitation from the president.

Khashoggi, a royal insider who became a critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a team of Saudi operatives on October&nbsp;2, provoking international revulsion.

Trump has resisted efforts in the US&nbsp;Congress to rebuke the Saudis, pointing to weapons sales as an important source of US&nbsp;jobs. His administration is also reluctant to disturb the strategic relationship with the kingdom, seen as an important regional counterbalance to Iran, arch-rival of US&nbsp;ally Israel.

"I might visit America in March," Khashoggi's fiancée Hatice Cengiz told a news conference to mark the release of her book on Khashoggi. "I would welcome it if he (Trump) has a new approach on following this issue closely, or new actions to take."

Trump previously invited Cengiz to the United States but she said she had rejected the invitation as she thought it was aimed at influencing public opinion in his own favour.

Earlier on Friday, an aide to President Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi officials' "complete lack of transparency" on the murder investigation is deeply concerning and detrimental to their credibility.

"Over the past four months, the Saudi authorities have been less than forthcoming in their dealings with their Turkish counterparts and the international community," said Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan's communications director.

"Saudi authorities must extradite Mr. Khashoggi's killers to Turkey, where they committed a premeditated murder, as proof of their willingness to serve the cause of justice," he said in a written statement to Reuters.

After making numerous contradictory statements about Khashoggi's fate, Riyadh said he had been killed and his body dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed.

US&nbsp;lawmakers seek penalties

Republican and Democratic US&nbsp;lawmakers renewed their push on Thursday to penalize Saudi Arabia for the murder ahead of Friday's deadline for Trump's administration to submit a report on whether the crown prince ordered the killing.

"The Congress is renewed, the members are changed. I am hopeful. There is still hope. I believe the new Congress would follow this issue closer," Cengiz said. Democrats now control the US&nbsp;House of Representatives.

Cengiz, a Turkish researcher, had waited outside the Istanbul consulate for hours on the day Khashoggi was killed and alerted the authorities and media when he did not leave.

Saudi Arabia has previously denied Turkey's extradition request for the 11 suspects, five of whom are facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan has said Khashoggi's killing was ordered by the highest level of Saudi leadership. Riyadh has rejected accusations that the crown prince was involved.

On Thursday, a United Nations-led inquiry into the murder said evidence pointed to a brutal crime "planned and perpetrated" by Saudi officials, adding that Saudi officials had "seriously undermined" and delayed Turkey's investigation.

"I wish this report will accelerate the process so that more concrete things will be done on this situation," Cengiz said. "I believe the UN&nbsp;report would have an international impact.

Altun said Turkey's findings on the case were in line with those of the UN-led inquiry, adding that Ankara was committed to cooperating in a potential UN&nbsp;investigation into the case.

Despite Turkey's joint investigation with Saudi officials looking at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, the consul's residence and several other locations, the whereabouts of Khashoggi's remains are still unknown.

Khashoggi's killing has severely strained ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, although Erdogan has good ties with the Saudi monarch, King Salman.

In an interview with Turkey's state broadcaster on Sunday, Erdogan said both the crown prince and Saudi's Adel al-Jubeir had lied about the case and pressure from Turkey had led to Jubeir being removed from his post as foreign minister in December.

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir on Friday told members of US-based media that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not order the killing of the Washington Post's Jamal Khashoggi but declined to comment on a New York Times story the prince would use "a bullet" on the journalist.

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir on Friday told members of US-based media that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not order the killing of the Washington Post's Jamal Khashoggi but declined to comment on a New York Times story the prince would use "a bullet" on the journalist. "We know that this was not an authorized operation. There was no order given to conduct this operation," al-Jubeir said. Khashoggi's fiancée seeks change in US approach The fiancée of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday she would welcome a change in Donald Trump's approach to the killing, and may visit the United States in March, having previously rejected an invitation from the president. Khashoggi, a royal insider who became a critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a team of Saudi operatives on October 2, provoking international revulsion. Trump has resisted efforts in the US Congress to rebuke the Saudis, pointing to weapons sales as an important source of US jobs. His administration is also reluctant to disturb the strategic relationship with the kingdom, seen as an important regional counterbalance to Iran, arch-rival of US ally Israel. "I might visit America in March," Khashoggi's fiancée Hatice Cengiz told a news conference to mark the release of her book on Khashoggi. "I would welcome it if he (Trump) has a new approach on following this issue closely, or new actions to take." Trump previously invited Cengiz to the United States but she said she had rejected the invitation as she thought it was aimed at influencing public opinion in his own favour. Earlier on Friday, an aide to President Tayyip Erdogan said Saudi officials' "complete lack of transparency" on the murder investigation is deeply concerning and detrimental to their credibility. "Over the past four months, the Saudi authorities have been less than forthcoming in their dealings with their Turkish counterparts and the international community," said Fahrettin Altun, Erdogan's communications director. "Saudi authorities must extradite Mr. Khashoggi's killers to Turkey, where they committed a premeditated murder, as proof of their willingness to serve the cause of justice," he said in a written statement to Reuters. After making numerous contradictory statements about Khashoggi's fate, Riyadh said he had been killed and his body dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed. US lawmakers seek penalties Republican and Democratic US lawmakers renewed their push on Thursday to penalize Saudi Arabia for the murder ahead of Friday's deadline for Trump's administration to submit a report on whether the crown prince ordered the killing. "The Congress is renewed, the members are changed. I am hopeful. There is still hope. I believe the new Congress would follow this issue closer," Cengiz said. Democrats now control the US House of Representatives. Cengiz, a Turkish researcher, had waited outside the Istanbul consulate for hours on the day Khashoggi was killed and alerted the authorities and media when he did not leave. Saudi Arabia has previously denied Turkey's extradition request for the 11 suspects, five of whom are facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. Erdogan has said Khashoggi's killing was ordered by the highest level of Saudi leadership. Riyadh has rejected accusations that the crown prince was involved. On Thursday, a United Nations-led inquiry into the murder said evidence pointed to a brutal crime "planned and perpetrated" by Saudi officials, adding that Saudi officials had "seriously undermined" and delayed Turkey's investigation. "I wish this report will accelerate the process so that more concrete things will be done on this situation," Cengiz said. "I believe the UN report would have an international impact. Altun said Turkey's findings on the case were in line with those of the UN-led inquiry, adding that Ankara was committed to cooperating in a potential UN investigation into the case. Despite Turkey's joint investigation with Saudi officials looking at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul, the consul's residence and several other locations, the whereabouts of Khashoggi's remains are still unknown. Khashoggi's killing has severely strained ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, although Erdogan has good ties with the Saudi monarch, King Salman. In an interview with Turkey's state broadcaster on Sunday, Erdogan said both the crown prince and Saudi's Adel al-Jubeir had lied about the case and pressure from Turkey had led to Jubeir being removed from his post as foreign minister in December.

Crown prince did not order Khashoggi killing: Saudi minister for foreign affairs

American Media Inc, the owner of the National Enquirer, said on Friday it acted lawfully in its reporting on Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon.com Inc, and that it would thoroughly investigate his claims of blackmail and take whatever action was necessary.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/amazons-jeff-bezos-accuses-national-enquirer-of-blackmail-over-intimate-photos-195903">Bezos on Thursday accused AMI of trying to blackmail him</a> with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to his girlfriend unless he said in public that the supermarket tabloid's reporting on him was not politically motivated.

It comes after the tabloid last month reported Bezos was in a relationship with former news anchor and entertainment reporter Lauren Sanchez -- having accessed private text messages.

In a post on blogging platform Medium Thursday, Bezos said Enquirer publisher American Media Inc (AMI), led by David Pecker, approached him with a threat to publish the photos if he did not halt an investigation into the motives behind that leak.

He added the publication demanded he and security consultant Gavin de Becker, who is leading the probe, publically state they had "no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI's coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces."

De Becker mentioned in a recent Daily Beast recent that "strong leads point to political motives." Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, is a consistent subject of criticism by US President Donald Trump.

"Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I've decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten," Bezos wrote in the post, which was entitled "No thank you, Mr Pecker" and included copies of emails from AMI.

"Be assured, no real journalists ever propose anything like what is happening here," he added.

American Media Inc, the owner of the National Enquirer, said on Friday it acted lawfully in its reporting on Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon.com Inc, and that it would thoroughly investigate his claims of blackmail and take whatever action was necessary.

American Media Inc, the owner of the National Enquirer, said on Friday it acted lawfully in its reporting on Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon.com Inc, and that it would thoroughly investigate his claims of blackmail and take whatever action was necessary. Bezos on Thursday accused AMI of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to his girlfriend unless he said in public that the supermarket tabloid's reporting on him was not politically motivated. It comes after the tabloid last month reported Bezos was in a relationship with former news anchor and entertainment reporter Lauren Sanchez -- having accessed private text messages. In a post on blogging platform Medium Thursday, Bezos said Enquirer publisher American Media Inc (AMI), led by David Pecker, approached him with a threat to publish the photos if he did not halt an investigation into the motives behind that leak. He added the publication demanded he and security consultant Gavin de Becker, who is leading the probe, publically state they had "no knowledge or basis for suggesting that AMI's coverage was politically motivated or influenced by political forces." De Becker mentioned in a recent Daily Beast recent that "strong leads point to political motives." Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, is a consistent subject of criticism by US President Donald Trump. "Rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail, I've decided to publish exactly what they sent me, despite the personal cost and embarrassment they threaten," Bezos wrote in the post, which was entitled "No thank you, Mr Pecker" and included copies of emails from AMI. "Be assured, no real journalists ever propose anything like what is happening here," he added.

American Media says it acted lawfully in reporting on Amazon's Bezos

India could lose a vital US&nbsp;trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States, amid a widening dispute over its trade and investment policies, people with close knowledge of the matter said.

A move to withdraw the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) from India, the world’s largest beneficiary of a scheme that has been in force since the 1970s, would be the strongest punitive action since President Donald Trump took office in 2017 vowing to reduce the US&nbsp;deficit with large economies.

Trump has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs.&nbsp;

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has courted foreign investment as part of his Make-in-India campaign to turn India into a manufacturing hub and deliver jobs to the millions of youth entering the workforce.

Trump, for his part, has pushed for US&nbsp;manufacturing to return home as part of his Make America Great Again campaign.

The trigger for the latest downturn in trade ties was India’s new rules on e-commerce that restrict the way Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-backed Flipkart do business in a rapidly growing online market set to touch $200 billion by 2027.

That, coming on top of a drive to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard and Visa to move their data to India and the imposition of higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones, left a broader trade package the two sides were working on through last year in tatters.&nbsp;

The GSP was tied to the trade package and since that deal had slipped further away, the United States was considering withdrawing or scaling back the preferential arrangement, two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The US&nbsp;Trade Representative (USTR) was completing a review of India’s status as a GSP beneficiary and an announcement was expected over the next two weeks, the sources said.

“(The two sides) were trying to sort out the trade package, but were not able to actually finish the deal. In the meantime these other things, data localisation and e-commerce, have come along,” one of the sources said. “In a sense it’s like someone has rained on the parade.”

India and the United States have developed close political and security ties. But bilateral trade, which stood at $126 billion in 2017, is widely seen to be performing at nearly a quarter of its potential.

US&nbsp;Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is due in New Delhi next week where he is expected to raise concerns about the e-commerce policy and data localisation, officials said.

Various new policies

New Indian rules announced in December for the e-commerce sector banned companies such as Amazon and Flipkart from striking exclusive deals with sellers, restricted their ability to offer discounts and barred them from selling products via vendors in which they have an equity interest.

The move disrupted product listings on Amazon’s India website and forced it to change its business structures. Amazon and Walmart, as well as the US&nbsp;government, had lobbied against the move, Reuters reported earlier.

The new rules, coming ahead of a general election, were seen as a bid by Modi to placate small traders, who had for years complained about business practices of large e-commerce players.

They form a key voter base for Modi who is facing a tightening election in the next few months.

The idea of the policy was to foster healthy competition and promote India’s e-commerce, an Indian government official involved in trade issues said, defending the curbs on the big firms.

But companies disagree and decry such sudden policy changes.

“These types of actions can really put a negative view on India as an investment destination,” one of the sources said.

India last year also announced proposals to force foreign companies to store more of their user data locally, in a bid to better conduct legal investigations. US&nbsp;lobby groups had voiced concerns about those proposals too, saying they made it difficult for companies to do business in the country.

Possible India setback

If the United States eliminates duty-free access for about 2,000 Indian product lines, it will mostly hurt small businesses such as jewellery, said one of the sources. The number of goods qualifying for preferential treatment could be reduced, or the whole programme could be withdrawn.

There was no response to a request for comment from the USTR or the US&nbsp;Embassy. India’s trade ministry also did not answer questions emailed to them about trade differences with the United States.

But an Indian government official briefed on the trade discussions said the trade package under which the two sides were negotiating better access to each other’s farm and dairy markets was unlikely until the elections in India this spring.

Talks on US&nbsp;demands to relax India’s decision to cap prices of medical devices made in the United States had also got stuck, the official said.

“The list of grievances is getting bigger, now with e-commerce added in,” he said.

India fears Trump may demand a free trade agreement if both sides fail to reach a compromise on the trade package. Such a pact would mean zero tariffs for US&nbsp;goods arriving in India, further threatening local industry.

India could lose a vital US trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States, amid a widening dispute over its trade and investment policies, people with close knowledge of the matter said.

India could lose a vital US trade concession, under which it enjoys zero tariffs on $5.6 billion of exports to the United States, amid a widening dispute over its trade and investment policies, people with close knowledge of the matter said. A move to withdraw the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) from India, the world’s largest beneficiary of a scheme that has been in force since the 1970s, would be the strongest punitive action since President Donald Trump took office in 2017 vowing to reduce the US deficit with large economies. Trump has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has courted foreign investment as part of his Make-in-India campaign to turn India into a manufacturing hub and deliver jobs to the millions of youth entering the workforce. Trump, for his part, has pushed for US manufacturing to return home as part of his Make America Great Again campaign. The trigger for the latest downturn in trade ties was India’s new rules on e-commerce that restrict the way Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-backed Flipkart do business in a rapidly growing online market set to touch $200 billion by 2027. That, coming on top of a drive to force global card payments companies such as Mastercard and Visa to move their data to India and the imposition of higher tariffs on electronic products and smartphones, left a broader trade package the two sides were working on through last year in tatters. The GSP was tied to the trade package and since that deal had slipped further away, the United States was considering withdrawing or scaling back the preferential arrangement, two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The US Trade Representative (USTR) was completing a review of India’s status as a GSP beneficiary and an announcement was expected over the next two weeks, the sources said. “(The two sides) were trying to sort out the trade package, but were not able to actually finish the deal. In the meantime these other things, data localisation and e-commerce, have come along,” one of the sources said. “In a sense it’s like someone has rained on the parade.” India and the United States have developed close political and security ties. But bilateral trade, which stood at $126 billion in 2017, is widely seen to be performing at nearly a quarter of its potential. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is due in New Delhi next week where he is expected to raise concerns about the e-commerce policy and data localisation, officials said. Various new policies New Indian rules announced in December for the e-commerce sector banned companies such as Amazon and Flipkart from striking exclusive deals with sellers, restricted their ability to offer discounts and barred them from selling products via vendors in which they have an equity interest. The move disrupted product listings on Amazon’s India website and forced it to change its business structures. Amazon and Walmart, as well as the US government, had lobbied against the move, Reuters reported earlier. The new rules, coming ahead of a general election, were seen as a bid by Modi to placate small traders, who had for years complained about business practices of large e-commerce players. They form a key voter base for Modi who is facing a tightening election in the next few months. The idea of the policy was to foster healthy competition and promote India’s e-commerce, an Indian government official involved in trade issues said, defending the curbs on the big firms. But companies disagree and decry such sudden policy changes. “These types of actions can really put a negative view on India as an investment destination,” one of the sources said. India last year also announced proposals to force foreign companies to store more of their user data locally, in a bid to better conduct legal investigations. US lobby groups had voiced concerns about those proposals too, saying they made it difficult for companies to do business in the country. Possible India setback If the United States eliminates duty-free access for about 2,000 Indian product lines, it will mostly hurt small businesses such as jewellery, said one of the sources. The number of goods qualifying for preferential treatment could be reduced, or the whole programme could be withdrawn. There was no response to a request for comment from the USTR or the US Embassy. India’s trade ministry also did not answer questions emailed to them about trade differences with the United States. But an Indian government official briefed on the trade discussions said the trade package under which the two sides were negotiating better access to each other’s farm and dairy markets was unlikely until the elections in India this spring. Talks on US demands to relax India’s decision to cap prices of medical devices made in the United States had also got stuck, the official said. “The list of grievances is getting bigger, now with e-commerce added in,” he said. India fears Trump may demand a free trade agreement if both sides fail to reach a compromise on the trade package. Such a pact would mean zero tariffs for US goods arriving in India, further threatening local industry.

India could lose vital US trade concession as Trump considers withdrawal of zero tariffs

In the world of states, there is no such thing as “humanitarian intervention”. But, there is a military intervention which states only take recourse to when their interests are at stake. In the general schema of state interest(s), there is a hierarchy of these and it is only when a given state’s fundamental interests are at stake, that it opts for military intervention. &nbsp;

From this perspective, Venezuela’s warning to the United States that there will be “irregular warfare” if the country intervenes militarily is rich and gratuitous.

It may be recalled that Venezuela is in the midst of a severe political and economic crisis, where the charismatic former president of the country, Hugo Chavez’ successor’s legitimacy and thereby the country’s future is at stake. But, the Venezuelan crisis, as important it is from a humanitarian angle, is a “low stakes game”. It is low stakes because Venezuela, even though an important oil producer and exporter, is neither a significant state in the region nor a swing one.&nbsp;

This is not to detract from the country’s intrinsic importance (because all nations and countries are important in their own right) but to put matters into perspective.

Moreover, the drift, thrust and tenor of international politics and relations is such that Venezuela, in the schema of powers that be constitute a lower order interest, perhaps because of oil and its politics thereof. But, there appears to be a humanitarian crisis brewing in the country. Given all this, will the international community led by the United States opt for military intervention?

No is the flat answer.

Besides the reasons delineated in this essay, other factors that militate against a full-blown military intervention pertain to the United States itself. The country, under Trump, has and is retreated inward into a quasi-isolationist and protectionist posture.&nbsp;

It has exited from Syria, is considering a retreat from Afghanistan and is confrontational toward China in trade matters. Against this backdrop, and the general aversion toward military intervention after the second Gulf War, it is well nigh impossible that the country will put “ boots on the ground” in Venezuela. &nbsp;

Even if these reasons and factors were to be discounted, the United States, at this point in time, does not have the absorptive capacity for the military option even of a limited and sort.

All this then rules out the military instrument. &nbsp;But, the international community along with the United States is not staying silent. It is doing something. The nature of the international community’s commission with respect to Venezuela lies in denying&nbsp;Nicolas Maduro and his government legitimacy.&nbsp;

This is a form of pressure that accrues from the very nature of international relations and politics. The state as a unit in international relations and in the international system derives legitimacy from two sides: internally and externally. It is upon the latter that the international community is focusing on. The hope here appears to be that if the Venezuelan state, in its current form and avatar, is denied legitimacy externally and with sufficient unrest, protests and perhaps even anarchy within, implied and even tacit support for the opposition forces, Maduro’s regime will collapse.&nbsp;

But, there are a plethora of assumptions involved in this approach. That is, there are too many if’s and but’s in it.

But, whatever be the case and howsoever, conditions in Venezuela will pan out and denoue, there will be no military intervention. Venezuela will be in the nature of a split and divided country and too conflicted for its own good.&nbsp;

The international community, by employing the tools and instruments it is taking recourse to, is essentially banking upon a scenario, which might or might not come to pass. &nbsp;But, it is the people of Venezuela that will suffer on a range of levels. However, all said and done, it is the people of Venezuela, not some distant politicians or technocratic experts, sitting in foreign capitals, that must choose and determine their future, how they want to live and be governed, and what system they adopt in a fair and a transparent manner. This choice must then be respected by all.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.) 
&nbsp;

In the world of states, there is no such thing as “humanitarian intervention”. But, there is a military intervention which states only take recourse to when their interests are at stake.

In the world of states, there is no such thing as “humanitarian intervention”. But, there is a military intervention which states only take recourse to when their interests are at stake. In the general schema of state interest(s), there is a hierarchy of these and it is only when a given state’s fundamental interests are at stake, that it opts for military intervention. From this perspective, Venezuela’s warning to the United States that there will be “irregular warfare” if the country intervenes militarily is rich and gratuitous. It may be recalled that Venezuela is in the midst of a severe political and economic crisis, where the charismatic former president of the country, Hugo Chavez’ successor’s legitimacy and thereby the country’s future is at stake. But, the Venezuelan crisis, as important it is from a humanitarian angle, is a “low stakes game”. It is low stakes because Venezuela, even though an important oil producer and exporter, is neither a significant state in the region nor a swing one. This is not to detract from the country’s intrinsic importance (because all nations and countries are important in their own right) but to put matters into perspective. Moreover, the drift, thrust and tenor of international politics and relations is such that Venezuela, in the schema of powers that be constitute a lower order interest, perhaps because of oil and its politics thereof. But, there appears to be a humanitarian crisis brewing in the country. Given all this, will the international community led by the United States opt for military intervention? No is the flat answer. Besides the reasons delineated in this essay, other factors that militate against a full-blown military intervention pertain to the United States itself. The country, under Trump, has and is retreated inward into a quasi-isolationist and protectionist posture. It has exited from Syria, is considering a retreat from Afghanistan and is confrontational toward China in trade matters. Against this backdrop, and the general aversion toward military intervention after the second Gulf War, it is well nigh impossible that the country will put “ boots on the ground” in Venezuela. Even if these reasons and factors were to be discounted, the United States, at this point in time, does not have the absorptive capacity for the military option even of a limited and sort. All this then rules out the military instrument. But, the international community along with the United States is not staying silent. It is doing something. The nature of the international community’s commission with respect to Venezuela lies in denying Nicolas Maduro and his government legitimacy. This is a form of pressure that accrues from the very nature of international relations and politics. The state as a unit in international relations and in the international system derives legitimacy from two sides: internally and externally. It is upon the latter that the international community is focusing on. The hope here appears to be that if the Venezuelan state, in its current form and avatar, is denied legitimacy externally and with sufficient unrest, protests and perhaps even anarchy within, implied and even tacit support for the opposition forces, Maduro’s regime will collapse. But, there are a plethora of assumptions involved in this approach. That is, there are too many if’s and but’s in it. But, whatever be the case and howsoever, conditions in Venezuela will pan out and denoue, there will be no military intervention. Venezuela will be in the nature of a split and divided country and too conflicted for its own good. The international community, by employing the tools and instruments it is taking recourse to, is essentially banking upon a scenario, which might or might not come to pass. But, it is the people of Venezuela that will suffer on a range of levels. However, all said and done, it is the people of Venezuela, not some distant politicians or technocratic experts, sitting in foreign capitals, that must choose and determine their future, how they want to live and be governed, and what system they adopt in a fair and a transparent manner. This choice must then be respected by all. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Venezuela crisis: Will the US opt for military intervention?

The US has agreed to sell two state-of-the-art missile defence systems to Air India One for an estimated cost of US $190 million, a move that will enhance the security of planes flying the prime minister and the president.

According to the Pentagon, the sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the US by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

The Trump administrations approved the purchase of the two systems known as Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) for an estimated cost of US $190 million, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a notification to the Congress on Wednesday.

The US decision came after the Indian Government recently made a request for LAIRCAM SPS, given the high-level threat to the prime minister and the president.&nbsp;

The defence systems, which would bring security of Air India One at par with that of Air Force One, would be installed in two Boeing 777 Head-of- State aircraft, the Pentagon said.

The Indian Government plans to buy two Bowing 777 from the national carrier Air India for this specific purpose and unlike in the past would not be used for commercial purposes.&nbsp;

The purpose of the LAIRCM programme is to protect large aircraft from man-portable missiles. Once installed, the LAIRCAM system increases crew-warning time, decreases false alarm rates and automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems, according to the Federation of American Scientists.

The missile warning subsystem will use multiple sensors to provide full spatial coverage.&nbsp;

The counter-measures subsystem will use lasers mounted in pointer-tracker turret assemblies. It also automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems with no action required by the crew.&nbsp;

The pilot will simply be informed that a threat missile was detected and jammed.&nbsp;

Observing that it will improve India's capability to deter regional threats, the Congressional notification said SPS will facilitate a more robust capability into areas of increased missile threats.&nbsp;

"India will have no problem absorbing and using this system, it said.&nbsp;

According to the notification, India had requested to buy two SPS consisting of AN/AAQ 24(V)N Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM), ALQ-211(V)8 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) and AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing System (CMDS) to protect two (2) Boeing-777 Head-of-State aircraft.&nbsp;

"This potential sale would include twelve Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (6 installed and 6 spares), eight (8) LAIRCM System Processor Replacements (LSPR) AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (2 installed and 6 spares); twenty-three (23) Missile Warning Sensors (MWS) for AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (12 installed and 11 spares), five (5) AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing System (CMDS) (2 installed and 3 spares)," the notification said.

Also included in this sale are Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suites (AIDEWS), LAIRCM CIURs, SCAs, HCCs, and UDM cards, initial spares, consumables, repair and return support and support equipment.&nbsp;

The department also assured that the sale will not "alter the basic military balance in the region".

The US is the second-largest arms supplier to India. It has already recognised India as a "major defence partner", a status that which commits the US to facilitate technology sharing with India.

In 2018, the US granted India Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status. India is the only South Asian country to get STA1 status and third Asian country after Japan and South Korea. The status eases defence procurement from US.

Last year both New Delhi and Washington signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement).

The US has agreed to sell two state-of-the-art missile defence systems to Air India One for an estimated cost of US $190 million, a move that will enhance the security of planes flying the prime minister and the president.

The US has agreed to sell two state-of-the-art missile defence systems to Air India One for an estimated cost of US $190 million, a move that will enhance the security of planes flying the prime minister and the president. According to the Pentagon, the sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the US by helping to strengthen the US-Indian strategic relationship. The Trump administrations approved the purchase of the two systems known as Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCAM) and Self-Protection Suites (SPS) for an estimated cost of US $190 million, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a notification to the Congress on Wednesday. The US decision came after the Indian Government recently made a request for LAIRCAM SPS, given the high-level threat to the prime minister and the president. The defence systems, which would bring security of Air India One at par with that of Air Force One, would be installed in two Boeing 777 Head-of- State aircraft, the Pentagon said. The Indian Government plans to buy two Bowing 777 from the national carrier Air India for this specific purpose and unlike in the past would not be used for commercial purposes. The purpose of the LAIRCM programme is to protect large aircraft from man-portable missiles. Once installed, the LAIRCAM system increases crew-warning time, decreases false alarm rates and automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems, according to the Federation of American Scientists. The missile warning subsystem will use multiple sensors to provide full spatial coverage. The counter-measures subsystem will use lasers mounted in pointer-tracker turret assemblies. It also automatically counters advanced intermediate range missile systems with no action required by the crew. The pilot will simply be informed that a threat missile was detected and jammed. Observing that it will improve India's capability to deter regional threats, the Congressional notification said SPS will facilitate a more robust capability into areas of increased missile threats. "India will have no problem absorbing and using this system, it said. According to the notification, India had requested to buy two SPS consisting of AN/AAQ 24(V)N Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM), ALQ-211(V)8 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suite (AIDEWS) and AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing System (CMDS) to protect two (2) Boeing-777 Head-of-State aircraft. "This potential sale would include twelve Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (6 installed and 6 spares), eight (8) LAIRCM System Processor Replacements (LSPR) AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (2 installed and 6 spares); twenty-three (23) Missile Warning Sensors (MWS) for AN/AAQ-24 (V)N (12 installed and 11 spares), five (5) AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing System (CMDS) (2 installed and 3 spares)," the notification said. Also included in this sale are Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Suites (AIDEWS), LAIRCM CIURs, SCAs, HCCs, and UDM cards, initial spares, consumables, repair and return support and support equipment. The department also assured that the sale will not "alter the basic military balance in the region". The US is the second-largest arms supplier to India. It has already recognised India as a "major defence partner", a status that which commits the US to facilitate technology sharing with India. In 2018, the US granted India Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) status. India is the only South Asian country to get STA1 status and third Asian country after Japan and South Korea. The status eases defence procurement from US. Last year both New Delhi and Washington signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement).

US approves sale of two missile defence systems for Air India One 

<a href="US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard officially declares 2020 presidential nomination">Democratic presidential aspirant and the first Hindu lawmaker in the Congress Tulsi Gabbard</a> has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "not the enemy" of the US and the war-torn country does not pose a "direct threat" to America.

Gabbard, 37, who recently announced her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, has previously been criticised for meeting with Assad in 2017. The Syrian leader is believed to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians in the ongoing brutal civil war.

"Assad is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States," Gabbard, elected to the House of Representatives from Hawaii, said Wednesday on MSNBC.

When pressed over whether Assad, who has been accused of using chemical weapons on his own people over the course of a more than five-year civil war, is an adversary of the US, Gabbard said "you can describe it however you want to describe it.

My point is that whether it is Syria or any of these other countries, we need to look at how their interests are counter to or aligned with ours," she said.

When asked if she thought Assad was a good person, Gabbard said, "No, I don't," and asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was an adversary to the US, she responded, "Yes."

Gabbard has previously defended her 2017 meeting with Assad, saying American leaders must meet with foreign leaders "if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country."

She said last month that there is no possibility for a "viable" peace agreement in the war-torn country unless Assad is part of the conversation.

Democratic presidential aspirant and the first Hindu lawmaker in the Congress Tulsi Gabbard has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "not the enemy" of the US and the war-torn country does not pose a "direct threat" to America.

Democratic presidential aspirant and the first Hindu lawmaker in the Congress Tulsi Gabbard has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is "not the enemy" of the US and the war-torn country does not pose a "direct threat" to America. Gabbard, 37, who recently announced her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, has previously been criticised for meeting with Assad in 2017. The Syrian leader is believed to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians in the ongoing brutal civil war. "Assad is not the enemy of the United States because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the United States," Gabbard, elected to the House of Representatives from Hawaii, said Wednesday on MSNBC. When pressed over whether Assad, who has been accused of using chemical weapons on his own people over the course of a more than five-year civil war, is an adversary of the US, Gabbard said "you can describe it however you want to describe it. My point is that whether it is Syria or any of these other countries, we need to look at how their interests are counter to or aligned with ours," she said. When asked if she thought Assad was a good person, Gabbard said, "No, I don't," and asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin was an adversary to the US, she responded, "Yes." Gabbard has previously defended her 2017 meeting with Assad, saying American leaders must meet with foreign leaders "if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country." She said last month that there is no possibility for a "viable" peace agreement in the war-torn country unless Assad is part of the conversation.

Syrian President Bashar Assad not enemy of US says Tulsi Gabbard

One year on, the legacy of the Parkland shooting

Joshua Trump was invited, by First Lady Melania, to Donald Trump's State of the Union address Wednesday morning.

Joshua is not related&nbsp;to the Trumps but he has been bullied at school — he was forced to drop out — because of his surname.

The 11-year-old walked into the House of Representatives looking, well, presidential in a white shirt and dark tie — and soon fell off to sleep.&nbsp;

Images of Joshua taking a nap during Trump's 82-minute&nbsp;speech quickly went viral on Twitter.&nbsp;

Twitter couldn't get enough of it.

"Joshua Trump is a Trump I can get behind," one user said.&nbsp;

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Joshua Trump is a Trump I can get behind. <a href="https://t.co/fCO2o7duj7">pic.twitter.com/fCO2o7duj7</a>
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) <a href="https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1092997537257086978?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"Joshua Trump rules," said another.

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JOSHUA TRUMP RULES <a href="https://t.co/Opc88adMfB">pic.twitter.com/Opc88adMfB</a>
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Joshua, a middle school student from Delaware sat two seats up from First Lady Melania Trump.

Joshua had to drop out of school in 2017 because of constant&nbsp;bullying by other students over his surname, after which he told his mother he had lost the will to live.

He was home-schooled for a year and then Joshua's parents decided to change schools where they&nbsp;were instructed by teachers to not use that surname any more.

National fame was never my goal, said the sixth-grader adding that he just wanted to fit in.

"They say are you related to Donald Trump? And I say, 'Would I be here if I'm related to him?" the schoolboy told the news site Inside Edition in December.&nbsp;

Joshua was one of the 13 people to receive special invitations to the address by the president and first lady.

Melania Trump has made her anti-bullying campaign the centrepiece of her legacy as first lady, although there have been few concrete steps aside from public appearances and roundtable discussions.&nbsp;

(With inputs from AFP)

Joshua Trump was invited, by First Lady Melania, to Donald Trump's State of the Union address Wednesday morning. Joshua is not related to the Trumps but he has been bullied at school — he was forced to drop out — because of his surname.

Joshua Trump was invited, by First Lady Melania, to Donald Trump's State of the Union address Wednesday morning. Joshua is not related to the Trumps but he has been bullied at school — he was forced to drop out — because of his surname. The 11-year-old walked into the House of Representatives looking, well, presidential in a white shirt and dark tie — and soon fell off to sleep. Images of Joshua taking a nap during Trump's 82-minute speech quickly went viral on Twitter. Twitter couldn't get enough of it. "Joshua Trump is a Trump I can get behind," one user said. Joshua Trump is a Trump I can get behind. pic.twitter.com/fCO2o7duj7 — Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) February 6, 2019 × "Joshua Trump rules," said another. JOSHUA TRUMP RULES pic.twitter.com/Opc88adMfB — Josh Weinberg (@josh_weinberg) February 6, 2019 × Joshua, a middle school student from Delaware sat two seats up from First Lady Melania Trump. Joshua had to drop out of school in 2017 because of constant bullying by other students over his surname, after which he told his mother he had lost the will to live. He was home-schooled for a year and then Joshua's parents decided to change schools where they were instructed by teachers to not use that surname any more. National fame was never my goal, said the sixth-grader adding that he just wanted to fit in. "They say are you related to Donald Trump? And I say, 'Would I be here if I'm related to him?" the schoolboy told the news site Inside Edition in December. Joshua was one of the 13 people to receive special invitations to the address by the president and first lady. Melania Trump has made her anti-bullying campaign the centrepiece of her legacy as first lady, although there have been few concrete steps aside from public appearances and roundtable discussions. (With inputs from AFP)

Special invitee Joshua Trump falls off to sleep at Trump's State of the Union address

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered most of the National Guard troops deployed at the state's border with Mexico to withdraw, rejecting US President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-hardens-stance-on-mexico-border-says-15000-troops-could-be-sent-174771">Donald Trump's contention there was a border crisis</a>.

Most of the 118 National Guard troops deployed in the state will be withdrawn, Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a statement late Tuesday. She called Trump's frequent declarations of an immigration crisis at the border a "charade."

The troops had been deployed by her Republican predecessor, Susana Martinez, last year at the request of Trump, also a Republican.

A small, though unspecified, number of troops will remain in place to help with the "humanitarian needs" of communities near the border and vulnerable migrants arriving at the border, Lujan Grisham said.

"We will support our neighbours where the need for assistance is great, and we will offer a helping hand when we can to those vulnerable people who arrive at our border, but New Mexico will not take part in the president's charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops," her statement said.

Trump's promise to build a wall on the border, with construction paid for by Mexico, was a key message of his 2016 campaign. Mexico has refused to fund the project and Congress rejected Trump's demands for $5.7 billion in funding for the project. That triggered a 35-day partial US government shutdown, the longest in the nation's history.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered most of the National Guard troops deployed at the state's border with Mexico to withdraw, rejecting US President Donald Trump's contention there was a border crisis.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered most of the National Guard troops deployed at the state's border with Mexico to withdraw, rejecting US President Donald Trump's contention there was a border crisis. Most of the 118 National Guard troops deployed in the state will be withdrawn, Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a statement late Tuesday. She called Trump's frequent declarations of an immigration crisis at the border a "charade." The troops had been deployed by her Republican predecessor, Susana Martinez, last year at the request of Trump, also a Republican. A small, though unspecified, number of troops will remain in place to help with the "humanitarian needs" of communities near the border and vulnerable migrants arriving at the border, Lujan Grisham said. "We will support our neighbours where the need for assistance is great, and we will offer a helping hand when we can to those vulnerable people who arrive at our border, but New Mexico will not take part in the president's charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops," her statement said. Trump's promise to build a wall on the border, with construction paid for by Mexico, was a key message of his 2016 campaign. Mexico has refused to fund the project and Congress rejected Trump's demands for $5.7 billion in funding for the project. That triggered a 35-day partial US government shutdown, the longest in the nation's history.

In defiance of Trump, New Mexico governor pulls National Guard troops from US-Mexico border

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States remained committed to permanently destroying the Islamic State group despite pulling forces from Syria, as he asked concerned allies to do more.

Pompeo offered assurances as top officials from 79 countries met in Washington on how to move ahead in the fight against the Islamic State movement, also known as ISIS, after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-islamic-state-defeated-us-will-pull-all-forces-out-of-syira-185369">President Donald Trump's sudden decision in December to remove all 2,000 troops from Syria</a>.

"America will continue to lead in giving those who would destroy us no quarter," Pompeo said.

"We ask each of your countries to stand with us and, through our efforts and God's help, the day will come when the permanent defeat of ISIS is a reality," he said.

Pompeo, one of Trump's most stalwart defenders, described the troop withdrawal as "essentially a tactical change" as extremists scatter around the world.

"It is not a change in the mission," Pompeo said, adding "our fight will not necessarily always be military-led."

"We are entering an era of decentralized jihad so we must be nimble in our approach as well," he said.

Trump pullout 
Trump, who will address the conference at the State Department later Wednesday, stunned many allies by ordering the troop pullout, although the US military has slowed down the pace of the exit.

In his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night, Trump renewed his pledge to avoid "endless wars" and said that nearly all of the once vast territory held by the "bloodthirsty monsters" in the Islamic State group had been taken back.

But Trump's own intelligence chief has warned that the Islamic State group, whose once-mighty stronghold in Syria is down to a narrow sliver of territory, would try to stage a comeback with a troop withdrawal.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that the Islamic State group still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Hoping to avoid the worst outcomes, Pompeo asked US partners to step up intelligence-sharing and also to make up a $350 million shortfall in a fund intended to bring stability to Iraq.

"Now is the time for all of us, not just America, to put our money where our mouth is," Pompeo said.

He also renewed calls on countries to take back foreign fighters -- a sensitive issue for allies such as France and Britain which see little upside to bringing home hardened jihadists, including militants behind videotaped beheadings that has sickened viewers around the world.&nbsp;

"Members of this coalition must be willing to take back foreign terrorist fighters, prosecute them and punish them," Pompeo said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who were at the forefront of the battle that crushed the Islamic State's self-styled "caliphate," have warned that they may no longer be able to guard prisons housing foreign jihadists after the US withdrawal if Turkey attacks.

Turkey -- whose foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, is taking part in the Washington talks -- has been one of the few countries to cheer Trump's withdrawal.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who spoke to Trump before the pullout orders, has vowed to crush the Kurdish fighters in Syria, linking them to separatists at home.

The talks in Washington are expected to look more closely at a proposal for a buffer zone on the Syria-Turkish border aimed at averting conflict.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States remained committed to permanently destroying the Islamic State group despite pulling forces from Syria, as he asked concerned allies to do more.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States remained committed to permanently destroying the Islamic State group despite pulling forces from Syria, as he asked concerned allies to do more. Pompeo offered assurances as top officials from 79 countries met in Washington on how to move ahead in the fight against the Islamic State movement, also known as ISIS, after President Donald Trump's sudden decision in December to remove all 2,000 troops from Syria. "America will continue to lead in giving those who would destroy us no quarter," Pompeo said. "We ask each of your countries to stand with us and, through our efforts and God's help, the day will come when the permanent defeat of ISIS is a reality," he said. Pompeo, one of Trump's most stalwart defenders, described the troop withdrawal as "essentially a tactical change" as extremists scatter around the world. "It is not a change in the mission," Pompeo said, adding "our fight will not necessarily always be military-led." "We are entering an era of decentralized jihad so we must be nimble in our approach as well," he said. Trump pullout Trump, who will address the conference at the State Department later Wednesday, stunned many allies by ordering the troop pullout, although the US military has slowed down the pace of the exit. In his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night, Trump renewed his pledge to avoid "endless wars" and said that nearly all of the once vast territory held by the "bloodthirsty monsters" in the Islamic State group had been taken back. But Trump's own intelligence chief has warned that the Islamic State group, whose once-mighty stronghold in Syria is down to a narrow sliver of territory, would try to stage a comeback with a troop withdrawal. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told Congress last week that the Islamic State group still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq and Syria. Hoping to avoid the worst outcomes, Pompeo asked US partners to step up intelligence-sharing and also to make up a $350 million shortfall in a fund intended to bring stability to Iraq. "Now is the time for all of us, not just America, to put our money where our mouth is," Pompeo said. He also renewed calls on countries to take back foreign fighters -- a sensitive issue for allies such as France and Britain which see little upside to bringing home hardened jihadists, including militants behind videotaped beheadings that has sickened viewers around the world. "Members of this coalition must be willing to take back foreign terrorist fighters, prosecute them and punish them," Pompeo said. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who were at the forefront of the battle that crushed the Islamic State's self-styled "caliphate," have warned that they may no longer be able to guard prisons housing foreign jihadists after the US withdrawal if Turkey attacks. Turkey -- whose foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, is taking part in the Washington talks -- has been one of the few countries to cheer Trump's withdrawal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who spoke to Trump before the pullout orders, has vowed to crush the Kurdish fighters in Syria, linking them to separatists at home. The talks in Washington are expected to look more closely at a proposal for a buffer zone on the Syria-Turkish border aimed at averting conflict.

Pompeo says US will still lead fight against IS, asks allies to do more

Senior Iranian figures said on Wednesday that Syria was a top foreign policy priority and American troops should withdraw, as planned by US President Donald Trump.

"Whether they want to or not, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/iran-takes-us-to-icj-over-re-imposed-sanctions--152409">the Americans must leave Syria</a>," Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reported as saying.

There are fears in the West that Trump's plan to extricate about 2,000 soldiers from Syria will cede influence to Tehran, which has backed President Bashar al-Assad in the nearly eight-year war, and also allow Islamic State militants to regroup.

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<h5>'Now 90 per cent of Syrian soil is under the control of the government and the rest will soon be freed by the Syrian army,' Velayati added</h5>
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"Now 90 per cent of Syrian soil is under the control of the government and the rest will soon be freed by the Syrian army," Velayati added during a meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem in Tehran, according to the Tasnim news agency.

President Hassan Rouhani told Moualem that peace in Syria was a priority. "One of the important regional and foreign policy goals of the Islamic Republic is the stability and complete security of Syria," Tasnim quoted him as saying.

"And establishing normal conditions in Syria and the return of the people of this country to their normal lives."

Moualem was in Tehran for negotiations before the meeting of leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Russian Black Sea resort town Sochi on Feb. 14 over Syria.

Separately, Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular armed forces, said on Wednesday that Iran plans to extend the range of its land-to-sea missiles beyond 300 kilometres (186 miles), according to the Fars news agency.

Iran has expanded its missile program, particularly its ballistic missiles, in defiance of opposition from the United States and expressions of concern by European countries.

Tehran says the programme is purely defensive.

The European Union said on Monday it was gravely concerned by Iran's ballistic missile launches and tests and urged it to stop activity that deepens mistrust and destabilises the region.

Senior Iranian figures said on Wednesday that Syria was a top foreign policy priority and American troops should withdraw, as planned by US President Donald Trump.

Senior Iranian figures said on Wednesday that Syria was a top foreign policy priority and American troops should withdraw, as planned by US President Donald Trump. "Whether they want to or not, the Americans must leave Syria," Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reported as saying. There are fears in the West that Trump's plan to extricate about 2,000 soldiers from Syria will cede influence to Tehran, which has backed President Bashar al-Assad in the nearly eight-year war, and also allow Islamic State militants to regroup. 'Now 90 per cent of Syrian soil is under the control of the government and the rest will soon be freed by the Syrian army,' Velayati added × "Now 90 per cent of Syrian soil is under the control of the government and the rest will soon be freed by the Syrian army," Velayati added during a meeting with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem in Tehran, according to the Tasnim news agency. President Hassan Rouhani told Moualem that peace in Syria was a priority. "One of the important regional and foreign policy goals of the Islamic Republic is the stability and complete security of Syria," Tasnim quoted him as saying. "And establishing normal conditions in Syria and the return of the people of this country to their normal lives." Moualem was in Tehran for negotiations before the meeting of leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Russian Black Sea resort town Sochi on Feb. 14 over Syria. Separately, Rear-Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi, a deputy commander of the regular armed forces, said on Wednesday that Iran plans to extend the range of its land-to-sea missiles beyond 300 kilometres (186 miles), according to the Fars news agency. Iran has expanded its missile program, particularly its ballistic missiles, in defiance of opposition from the United States and expressions of concern by European countries. Tehran says the programme is purely defensive. The European Union said on Monday it was gravely concerned by Iran's ballistic missile launches and tests and urged it to stop activity that deepens mistrust and destabilises the region.

'Get out of Syria,' Iran tells US

The head of a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-demand-new-constitution-for-afghanistan-at-rare-talks-195428">Taliban delegation</a> visiting Moscow said on Tuesday that Afghanistan peace talks with the United States last month had been a success, the Interfax news agency reported.

The United States held peace negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar that ended with signs of progress towards the withdrawal of thousands of foreign troops from Afghanistan and an end to more than 17 years of war.

The head of the delegation, who is in Russia for talks between Taliban militants and opposition politicians, was quoted as saying no agreement had been reached with Washington on a timeframe for a troop pullout, but that he hoped it would happen soon.

A top US general said that talks between the United States and Taliban were in their "very, very early" stages and the Afghan government, so far excluded from talks, would have to be part of the solution.

"I would characterize where we are in the process as very, very early in the process," US General Joseph Votel, head of the US military's Central Command, told a Senate hearing.

"We clearly recognize that they (Afghan government) have to be a part of this solution and must be in the negotiation aspects of this, we can't do that on their behalf."

Votel also said that the United States would need to continue to support Afghan security forces financially even if US troops withdrew from Afghanistan.

The head of a Taliban delegation visiting Moscow said on Tuesday that Afghanistan peace talks with the United States last month had been a success, the Interfax news agency reported.

The head of a Taliban delegation visiting Moscow said on Tuesday that Afghanistan peace talks with the United States last month had been a success, the Interfax news agency reported. The United States held peace negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar that ended with signs of progress towards the withdrawal of thousands of foreign troops from Afghanistan and an end to more than 17 years of war. The head of the delegation, who is in Russia for talks between Taliban militants and opposition politicians, was quoted as saying no agreement had been reached with Washington on a timeframe for a troop pullout, but that he hoped it would happen soon. A top US general said that talks between the United States and Taliban were in their "very, very early" stages and the Afghan government, so far excluded from talks, would have to be part of the solution. "I would characterize where we are in the process as very, very early in the process," US General Joseph Votel, head of the US military's Central Command, told a Senate hearing. "We clearly recognize that they (Afghan government) have to be a part of this solution and must be in the negotiation aspects of this, we can't do that on their behalf." Votel also said that the United States would need to continue to support Afghan security forces financially even if US troops withdrew from Afghanistan.

Taliban calls recent Afghanistan peace talks with US successful: Report

India has gained consular access to 117 students, out of a total of 129 individuals, detained by the United States on charges of exploiting the US visa system by taking admission in a fake "university". The fake "university" was set up by the US Department of Homeland Security in Farmington Hills, Michigan to nab 8 people involved in a scam.

Indian embassy and consulate officials visited 36 different detention sites across the US to meet the students. Consular access to the remaining students is expected to be granted soon. The Indian mission has already set up a 24/7 helpline to help the detained Indian students.&nbsp;

India is in touch with US authorities both at the "federal and local level" and has called for a "humane and dignified treatment of the Indian students and custom-sensitive dietary and living arrangement for them during the period of their detention".

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MEA: Consular access to the remaining students, estimated at about a dozen, are continuing, including through the 24/7 helpline set up by the Embassy and outreach to the community. (2/2) <a href="https://t.co/0JXQGLgJmH">https://t.co/0JXQGLgJmH</a>
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In a release issued on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "Government of India continues to attach high priority to the well-being of the detained students and will remain constantly engaged with the US authorities and other stakeholders to address the issue".

The US State Department had said that all the detained students "knew that the University of Farmington had no instructors or classes" and were aware they were "committing a crime in an attempt to fraudulently remain in the United States".

The detained individuals have been placed in removal proceedings by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which means they will be deported to India.

India has gained consular access to 117 students, out of a total of 129 individuals, detained by the United States on charges of exploiting the US visa system by taking admission in a fake "university".

India has gained consular access to 117 students, out of a total of 129 individuals, detained by the United States on charges of exploiting the US visa system by taking admission in a fake "university". The fake "university" was set up by the US Department of Homeland Security in Farmington Hills, Michigan to nab 8 people involved in a scam. Indian embassy and consulate officials visited 36 different detention sites across the US to meet the students. Consular access to the remaining students is expected to be granted soon. The Indian mission has already set up a 24/7 helpline to help the detained Indian students. India is in touch with US authorities both at the "federal and local level" and has called for a "humane and dignified treatment of the Indian students and custom-sensitive dietary and living arrangement for them during the period of their detention". MEA: Consular access to the remaining students, estimated at about a dozen, are continuing, including through the 24/7 helpline set up by the Embassy and outreach to the community. (2/2) https://t.co/0JXQGLgJmH — ANI (@ANI) February 5, 2019 × In a release issued on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "Government of India continues to attach high priority to the well-being of the detained students and will remain constantly engaged with the US authorities and other stakeholders to address the issue". The US State Department had said that all the detained students "knew that the University of Farmington had no instructors or classes" and were aware they were "committing a crime in an attempt to fraudulently remain in the United States". The detained individuals have been placed in removal proceedings by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which means they will be deported to India.

India calls for dignified treatment of students detained in US, gets consular access to 117

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday&nbsp;he had not yet seen an acceptable plan for the creation of a safe zone in northeastern Syria, three weeks after US President Donald Trump suggested establishing the zone.

"There is no satisfactory plan that is put before us concretely yet," Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his AK Party.

"Of course we are loyal to our agreements, our promise is a promise. But our patience is not limitless," he added.

Turkey wants to set up the safe zone with logistical support from allies and says it should be cleared of the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia which Ankara considers a terrorist group.

Erdogan also said that if terrorists are not removed from the northern town of Manbij in a few weeks, Turkey's waiting time will end.

The safe zone will be an issue at a meeting on Wednesday in the United States of ministers from a coalition of countries fighting the Islamic State militant group. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend those talks.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he had not yet seen an acceptable plan for the creation of a safe zone in northeastern Syria, three weeks after US President Donald Trump suggested establishing the zone.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he had not yet seen an acceptable plan for the creation of a safe zone in northeastern Syria, three weeks after US President Donald Trump suggested establishing the zone. "There is no satisfactory plan that is put before us concretely yet," Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his AK Party. "Of course we are loyal to our agreements, our promise is a promise. But our patience is not limitless," he added. Turkey wants to set up the safe zone with logistical support from allies and says it should be cleared of the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia which Ankara considers a terrorist group. Erdogan also said that if terrorists are not removed from the northern town of Manbij in a few weeks, Turkey's waiting time will end. The safe zone will be an issue at a meeting on Wednesday in the United States of ministers from a coalition of countries fighting the Islamic State militant group. Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend those talks.

Turkey's Erdogan says no satisfactory plan with US on north Syria safe zone

India is among the several countries that stand to benefit from the ongoing trade tensions between the world's top two economies - the US and China, the UN has said in its latest report.

The US and China are locked in a trade war since President Donald Trump imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items in March last year, a move that sparked fears of a global trade war.

In response, China imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American imports.

The United Nations experts said Monday that the tit-for-tat trade dispute between China and the United States may do little to protect domestic producers in either country and could have "massive" implications on the global economy unless it is resolved.

Of the $250 billion in Chinese exports that are subject to US tariffs, only about six per cent will be picked up by firms in the US, according to a report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

And of the approximately $85 billion in US exports that are subject to China's tariffs, only about five per cent of this will be taken up by Chinese firms, according to the UN research.

In a bid to meet the US' demand for bringing down the $375 billion bilateral trade deficit, China has pledged to take measures to step-up American imports and investments. March 1, 2019, is the deadline for implementing the measures.

Unless the US and China agree to drop their tariff dispute by March 1, duty on each country's products will rise to 25 per cent, up from the current 10 per cent level, the UN said.

Countries that are expected to benefit the most from the trade war are the EU members as exports in the bloc are likely to grow by $70 billion. Japan and Canada will see exports increase by more than $20 billion each, it said.

Other countries set to benefit from the trade tensions include Australia, with 4.6 per cent export gains, Brazil (3.8) India (3.5), Philippines (3.2) and Vietnam (5), the study said.

Quoting former US Secretary of State Cordell Hull, UNCTAD's Pamela Coke-Hamilton repeated his description of protective tariffs as "a gun that recoils on ourselves", which had also contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s and the rise of extremism.

"I think that is a single lesson from what we have had here today. If - barring an agreement between the US, China on March 1 - tariffs will escalate to 25 per cent, which is a significant difference from the 10 per cent as it currently exists," Coke-Hamilton said.

The implications of such a development would be "massive", the UNCTAD Director, Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities continued, adding that its effects would, first of all, involve "an economic downturn... Due to instability in commodities and financial markets".

"One major concern is the risk that trade tensions could spiral into currency wars, making dollar-denominated debt more difficult to service," the report added.

Imposing tariffs make US-made products cheaper than imported ones and encourage consumers to buy American.&nbsp;

India is among the several countries that stand to benefit from the ongoing trade tensions between the world's top two economies - the US and China, the UN has said in its latest report.

India is among the several countries that stand to benefit from the ongoing trade tensions between the world's top two economies - the US and China, the UN has said in its latest report. The US and China are locked in a trade war since President Donald Trump imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items in March last year, a move that sparked fears of a global trade war. In response, China imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American imports. The United Nations experts said Monday that the tit-for-tat trade dispute between China and the United States may do little to protect domestic producers in either country and could have "massive" implications on the global economy unless it is resolved. Of the $250 billion in Chinese exports that are subject to US tariffs, only about six per cent will be picked up by firms in the US, according to a report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). And of the approximately $85 billion in US exports that are subject to China's tariffs, only about five per cent of this will be taken up by Chinese firms, according to the UN research. In a bid to meet the US' demand for bringing down the $375 billion bilateral trade deficit, China has pledged to take measures to step-up American imports and investments. March 1, 2019, is the deadline for implementing the measures. Unless the US and China agree to drop their tariff dispute by March 1, duty on each country's products will rise to 25 per cent, up from the current 10 per cent level, the UN said. Countries that are expected to benefit the most from the trade war are the EU members as exports in the bloc are likely to grow by $70 billion. Japan and Canada will see exports increase by more than $20 billion each, it said. Other countries set to benefit from the trade tensions include Australia, with 4.6 per cent export gains, Brazil (3.8) India (3.5), Philippines (3.2) and Vietnam (5), the study said. Quoting former US Secretary of State Cordell Hull, UNCTAD's Pamela Coke-Hamilton repeated his description of protective tariffs as "a gun that recoils on ourselves", which had also contributed to the Great Depression of the 1930s and the rise of extremism. "I think that is a single lesson from what we have had here today. If - barring an agreement between the US, China on March 1 - tariffs will escalate to 25 per cent, which is a significant difference from the 10 per cent as it currently exists," Coke-Hamilton said. The implications of such a development would be "massive", the UNCTAD Director, Division on International Trade in Goods and Services, and Commodities continued, adding that its effects would, first of all, involve "an economic downturn... Due to instability in commodities and financial markets". "One major concern is the risk that trade tensions could spiral into currency wars, making dollar-denominated debt more difficult to service," the report added. Imposing tariffs make US-made products cheaper than imported ones and encourage consumers to buy American.

India among countries to benefit from US-China trade war: United Nations

Union Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to return back from the United States, where he has been undergoing medical treatment, by this weekend, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

Jaitley, who was Finance Minister before a medical procedure led to the charge being temporarily taken away from him, missed presenting the sixth and the final Budget of the Narendra Modi Government. In his absence, the charge of the Ministry was given to Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.

Jaitley, however, has been active on social media tweeting and writing Facebook posts and had also met reporters through a video call from New York and fielded questions on the Budget. He also gave interviews on the subject.

The source said Jaitley is recovering well and is likely to be back in India by this weekend and depending on doctor's advice, may also attend Parliament next week. 
He, however, did not offer any details.

It is unclear if he would be renamed the finance minister soon after his return.

In an interview to PTI in New York after the Budget presentation, he said he was on recovery course and return to India in time to reply to the Budget debate in Parliament will depend on when his doctors allow him to leave.

"It depends on after my treatment here, which is all over. I am on the recovery course. It's when my doctors allow me to go back. As of present, as I understand, Piyush Goyal will be replying (to the Budget debate in Parliament)," he said.

The Budget session of Parliament ends on February 13, and debate on the interim budget, presented by Goyal, is supposed to happen before that.

"Will be back soon. I am much better now. Hopefully, will be back soon," Jaitley had said on February 1, when asked when would he come back.

Jaitley, 66, had last month flown to New York for the treatment after being reportedly diagnosed with soft tissue cancer which required surgery.

This is his first overseas visit after he underwent renal transplant surgery on May 14, 2018, at AIIMS.

He had stopped attending office at the beginning of April last year due to his kidney ailment and was back in North Block - the seat of Finance Ministry - on August 23, 2018. Even then, Goyal had manned the Ministry for about 100 days.

Jaitley in September 2014 underwent bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a long-standing diabetic condition.&nbsp;

Union Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to return back from the United States, where he has been undergoing medical treatment, by this weekend, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

Union Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to return back from the United States, where he has been undergoing medical treatment, by this weekend, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Jaitley, who was Finance Minister before a medical procedure led to the charge being temporarily taken away from him, missed presenting the sixth and the final Budget of the Narendra Modi Government. In his absence, the charge of the Ministry was given to Railways Minister Piyush Goyal. Jaitley, however, has been active on social media tweeting and writing Facebook posts and had also met reporters through a video call from New York and fielded questions on the Budget. He also gave interviews on the subject. The source said Jaitley is recovering well and is likely to be back in India by this weekend and depending on doctor's advice, may also attend Parliament next week. He, however, did not offer any details. It is unclear if he would be renamed the finance minister soon after his return. In an interview to PTI in New York after the Budget presentation, he said he was on recovery course and return to India in time to reply to the Budget debate in Parliament will depend on when his doctors allow him to leave. "It depends on after my treatment here, which is all over. I am on the recovery course. It's when my doctors allow me to go back. As of present, as I understand, Piyush Goyal will be replying (to the Budget debate in Parliament)," he said. The Budget session of Parliament ends on February 13, and debate on the interim budget, presented by Goyal, is supposed to happen before that. "Will be back soon. I am much better now. Hopefully, will be back soon," Jaitley had said on February 1, when asked when would he come back. Jaitley, 66, had last month flown to New York for the treatment after being reportedly diagnosed with soft tissue cancer which required surgery. This is his first overseas visit after he underwent renal transplant surgery on May 14, 2018, at AIIMS. He had stopped attending office at the beginning of April last year due to his kidney ailment and was back in North Block - the seat of Finance Ministry - on August 23, 2018. Even then, Goyal had manned the Ministry for about 100 days. Jaitley in September 2014 underwent bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a long-standing diabetic condition.

Arun Jaitley likely to return from US by this weekend

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