The number of Indians arrested for illegally entering the United States has nearly tripled so far in 2018, making them one of the largest groups of illegal aliens apprehended, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Friday.

Paying smuggling rings between $25,000-$50,000 per person, a growing number of Indians are illegally crossing the US-Mexico border and claiming asylum for persecution, CBP spokesman Salvador Zamora said.

Many present viable claims, but a large number are economic migrants with fraudulent petitions that swamp the system and can cause legitimate cases to be "washed out" in the high volume of fraud, Zamora said in an interview.

The Indian embassy in Washington and the Indian consulate in San Francisco did not respond to requests for comment.

Zamora said the CBP expects that the data for the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30 will show "around 9,000" Indian nationals had been apprehended versus 3,162 in fiscal year 2017.&nbsp;

Around 4,000 Indians who entered the United States illegally this year did so over a three-mile stretch of border fence at Mexicali, Zamora said.&nbsp;

"The word got out that Mexicali is a safe border city which favors their crossing into the United States," he said.

Cut and Paste Evidence

Asylum seekers range from lower caste "untouchable" Indians facing death threats for marrying outside their class to Sikhs claiming political persecution, immigration lawyers said.

Fraudulent asylum seekers often present "cut and paste" evidence identical to that of other migrants, Zamora said.

Some 42.2 per cent of Indian asylum cases were denied between fiscal years 2012 to 2017, according to Syracuse University`s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. That compares with denial rates of 79 per cent for El Salvadorans and 78 per cent for Hondurans.

After Mexicans, citizens of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were most likely to enter the United States illegally in 2018, according to Border Patrol data. Indians still have some way to go to outnumber the roughly 30,000 El Salvadorans who entered the United States illegally in 2018, the data showed.

After being held in the United States, Indians are often bonded out of detention by human trafficking rings, Zamora said. They then enter indentured servitude in businesses ranging from hotels to convenience stores to pay off smuggling debts and bond fees, Zamora said.

The number of Indians arrested for illegally entering the United States has nearly tripled so far in 2018, making them one of the largest groups of illegal aliens apprehended, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Friday.

The number of Indians arrested for illegally entering the United States has nearly tripled so far in 2018, making them one of the largest groups of illegal aliens apprehended, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Friday. Paying smuggling rings between $25,000-$50,000 per person, a growing number of Indians are illegally crossing the US-Mexico border and claiming asylum for persecution, CBP spokesman Salvador Zamora said. Many present viable claims, but a large number are economic migrants with fraudulent petitions that swamp the system and can cause legitimate cases to be "washed out" in the high volume of fraud, Zamora said in an interview. The Indian embassy in Washington and the Indian consulate in San Francisco did not respond to requests for comment. Zamora said the CBP expects that the data for the fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30 will show "around 9,000" Indian nationals had been apprehended versus 3,162 in fiscal year 2017. Around 4,000 Indians who entered the United States illegally this year did so over a three-mile stretch of border fence at Mexicali, Zamora said. "The word got out that Mexicali is a safe border city which favors their crossing into the United States," he said. Cut and Paste Evidence Asylum seekers range from lower caste "untouchable" Indians facing death threats for marrying outside their class to Sikhs claiming political persecution, immigration lawyers said. Fraudulent asylum seekers often present "cut and paste" evidence identical to that of other migrants, Zamora said. Some 42.2 per cent of Indian asylum cases were denied between fiscal years 2012 to 2017, according to Syracuse University`s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. That compares with denial rates of 79 per cent for El Salvadorans and 78 per cent for Hondurans. After Mexicans, citizens of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were most likely to enter the United States illegally in 2018, according to Border Patrol data. Indians still have some way to go to outnumber the roughly 30,000 El Salvadorans who entered the United States illegally in 2018, the data showed. After being held in the United States, Indians are often bonded out of detention by human trafficking rings, Zamora said. They then enter indentured servitude in businesses ranging from hotels to convenience stores to pay off smuggling debts and bond fees, Zamora said.

Indians arrested for illegally entering US nearly triples

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations on Saturday that continued sanctions on Pyongyang were deepening its mistrust in the United States.

"Without any trust in the US&nbsp;there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," Ri told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

He accused the United States of hindering peace efforts on the Korean peninsula with its insistence on enforcing tough economic sanctions.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Ri said "the recent deadlock is because the US relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building."

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations on Saturday that continued sanctions on Pyongyang were deepening its mistrust in the United States.

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations on Saturday that continued sanctions on Pyongyang were deepening its mistrust in the United States. "Without any trust in the US there will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," Ri told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. He accused the United States of hindering peace efforts on the Korean peninsula with its insistence on enforcing tough economic sanctions. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Ri said "the recent deadlock is because the US relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building."

North Korea says continued sanctions deepening mistrust in US

The United States announced on Friday it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including rocket fire.

The decision adds to mounting tension between the United States and Iran, which is the target of increasing US&nbsp;economic sanctions.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the consulate closure was "unjustified and unnecessary", and said Iran condemned any attack on diplomats or diplomatic locations, according to the ministry's website.

US&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as he explained the move, renewed a warning that the United States would hold Iran directly responsible for any attacks on Americans and US&nbsp;diplomatic facilities.

It followed recent rocket attacks that Pompeo said were directed at the consulate in Basra. US&nbsp;officials said the rockets, however, had not impacted the consulate, which is located on the Basra airport compound.

"I have made clear that Iran should understand that the United States will respond promptly and appropriately to any such attacks," Pompeo said in a statement.

Pompeo did not explicitly say whether a US&nbsp;response was imminent, however, and other US&nbsp;officials did not disclose potential response options.

Still, Pompeo said the threats against US&nbsp;personnel and facilities in Iraq were "increasing and specific" and added that Washington was working with Iraqi forces and US&nbsp;allies to address them.

"We look to all international parties interested in peace and stability in Iraq and the region to reinforce our message to Iran regarding the unacceptability of their behavior," he said.

In a statement, the US&nbsp;State Department said the consulate was placed on "ordered departure," which technically involves a drawdown in staff. Although some personnel could remain on the diplomatic compound, the move is believed to effectively close the consulate, at least temporarily.

The decision came days after US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exchanged taunts at the United Nations General Assembly, with Trump vowing more sanctions and accusing Iran's leaders of sowing "chaos, death and destruction."

Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, speaking at a nearby event in New York on Tuesday, warned "there will indeed be hell to pay" if Iran crosses the United States, its allies or harms US&nbsp;citizens.

In May, Trump withdrew the United States from an international deal to put curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions.

France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia have stayed in the pact, vowing to save it despite the restoration of US&nbsp;sanctions. The rial has lost 40 percent of its value against the US&nbsp;dollar since April.

Iran has blamed US&nbsp;sanctions for the currency's fall, saying the measures amount to a "political, psychological and economic" war on Tehran, and accused the United States and Israel of involvement in a deadly attack at a military parade in southwestern Iran this month.

Basra has already been rocked by violent protests seen by experts as a rejection of the Iraqi political establishment that has held on to power -- with the support of the United States and Iran -- despite failing to improve people's lives there.

Protesters in Basra ransacked and torched Iraqi government buildings this month and the Iranian consulate was set alight by demonstrators shouting condemnation of what many see as Iran's sway over Iraq's affairs.

For the first time in several years, mortar shells also landed this month inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses parliament, government buildings and many foreign embassies.

The United States announced on Friday it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including rocket fire.

The United States announced on Friday it will effectively close its consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra and relocate diplomatic personnel assigned there following increasing threats from Iran and Iran-backed militia, including rocket fire. The decision adds to mounting tension between the United States and Iran, which is the target of increasing US economic sanctions. In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the consulate closure was "unjustified and unnecessary", and said Iran condemned any attack on diplomats or diplomatic locations, according to the ministry's website. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as he explained the move, renewed a warning that the United States would hold Iran directly responsible for any attacks on Americans and US diplomatic facilities. It followed recent rocket attacks that Pompeo said were directed at the consulate in Basra. US officials said the rockets, however, had not impacted the consulate, which is located on the Basra airport compound. "I have made clear that Iran should understand that the United States will respond promptly and appropriately to any such attacks," Pompeo said in a statement. Pompeo did not explicitly say whether a US response was imminent, however, and other US officials did not disclose potential response options. Still, Pompeo said the threats against US personnel and facilities in Iraq were "increasing and specific" and added that Washington was working with Iraqi forces and US allies to address them. "We look to all international parties interested in peace and stability in Iraq and the region to reinforce our message to Iran regarding the unacceptability of their behavior," he said. In a statement, the US State Department said the consulate was placed on "ordered departure," which technically involves a drawdown in staff. Although some personnel could remain on the diplomatic compound, the move is believed to effectively close the consulate, at least temporarily. The decision came days after US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani exchanged taunts at the United Nations General Assembly, with Trump vowing more sanctions and accusing Iran's leaders of sowing "chaos, death and destruction." Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, speaking at a nearby event in New York on Tuesday, warned "there will indeed be hell to pay" if Iran crosses the United States, its allies or harms US citizens. In May, Trump withdrew the United States from an international deal to put curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions. France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia have stayed in the pact, vowing to save it despite the restoration of US sanctions. The rial has lost 40 percent of its value against the US dollar since April. Iran has blamed US sanctions for the currency's fall, saying the measures amount to a "political, psychological and economic" war on Tehran, and accused the United States and Israel of involvement in a deadly attack at a military parade in southwestern Iran this month. Basra has already been rocked by violent protests seen by experts as a rejection of the Iraqi political establishment that has held on to power -- with the support of the United States and Iran -- despite failing to improve people's lives there. Protesters in Basra ransacked and torched Iraqi government buildings this month and the Iranian consulate was set alight by demonstrators shouting condemnation of what many see as Iran's sway over Iraq's affairs. For the first time in several years, mortar shells also landed this month inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses parliament, government buildings and many foreign embassies.

US pulls diplomats from Iraqi city, citing threats from Iran

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/exploring-alternative-oil-supplies-ensure-our-friend-indias-economy-not-adversely">Exploring alternative oil supplies to ensure 'our friend India's economy' not adversely affected: US&nbsp;</a>

With a tougher round of US sanctions on Iran coming into effect from November 4, a top Trump administration official said Washington recognises India's need for significant oil imports and is having conversations to ensure there are alternative supplies of the fuel "so that our friend India's economy is not adversely affected".

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/apple-employee-dead-after-being-allegedly-shot-police-168410">Gun went off accidentally, says </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/apple-employee-dead-after-being-allegedly-shot-police-168410">cop</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/apple-employee-dead-after-being-allegedly-shot-police-168410"> who fatally shot Apple employee</a>

The police constable who fatally shot the Apple employee Vivek Tiwari in Lucknow after the latter did not stop the car has said that his gun went off accidentally, reported news agency ANI. &nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-disrespecting-sardar-patel-modi-168441">Congress is spreading lies, disrespecting Sardar Patel, says Modi</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress of spreading lies over the world`s largest statue of Sardar Patel named "Statue of Unity" being built in Gujarat.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/maldives-election-body-endorses-opposition-leader-solihs-victory-amid-threats-168401">Maldives election body endorses opposition leader Solih's victory amid threats</a>

The Elections Commission of Maldives on Saturday officially declared opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih winner of the country's national election, defeating president Abdulla Yameen who had sought a delay in publication of the final results.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/west-asia/swedish-academy-has-postpones-years-nobel-literature-prize-168421">Swedish Academy postpones this year's Nobel Literature Prize</a>

In tatters after a #MeToo scandal, the Swedish Academy has postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize, leaving an empty page for 2018 as it attempts to reform the venerable institution.

Exploring alternative oil supplies to ensure 'our friend India's economy' not adversely affected: US With a tougher round of US sanctions on Iran coming into effect from November 4, a top Trump administration official said Washington recognises India's need for significant oil imports and is having conversations to ensure there are alternative supplies of the fuel "so that our friend India's economy is not adversely affected".

Exploring alternative oil supplies to ensure 'our friend India's economy' not adversely affected: US With a tougher round of US sanctions on Iran coming into effect from November 4, a top Trump administration official said Washington recognises India's need for significant oil imports and is having conversations to ensure there are alternative supplies of the fuel "so that our friend India's economy is not adversely affected". Gun went off accidentally, says cop who fatally shot Apple employee The police constable who fatally shot the Apple employee Vivek Tiwari in Lucknow after the latter did not stop the car has said that his gun went off accidentally, reported news agency ANI. Congress is spreading lies, disrespecting Sardar Patel, says Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress of spreading lies over the world`s largest statue of Sardar Patel named "Statue of Unity" being built in Gujarat. Maldives election body endorses opposition leader Solih's victory amid threats The Elections Commission of Maldives on Saturday officially declared opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih winner of the country's national election, defeating president Abdulla Yameen who had sought a delay in publication of the final results. Swedish Academy postpones this year's Nobel Literature Prize In tatters after a #MeToo scandal, the Swedish Academy has postponed this year's Nobel Literature Prize, leaving an empty page for 2018 as it attempts to reform the venerable institution.

News brief: Big stories of the day

A key diplomatic and security meeting between China and the United States next month may not take place due to tensions in relations, sources briefed on the matter said, potentially the latest casualty of worsening ties.

Beijing and Washington are locked in a spiralling trade war that has seen them level increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other's imports.

Friction between the world's top two economies is now moving beyond trade, with US&nbsp;President Donald Trump accusing Beijing this week of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/russia-notes-trump-blamed-china-instead-for-us-election-meddling-1924066">seeking to interfere in congressional elections</a>, marking what US&nbsp;officials told Reuters was a new phase in an escalating campaign by Washington to put pressure on China.

On the military front, China has been infuriated by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-hits-china-with-sanctions-for-buying-russian-jets-missiles-1919832">United States putting sanctions on the People's Liberation Army (PLA)</a>&nbsp;for buying weapons from Russia, and by what Beijing sees as stepped up US support for self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its sacred territory.

Two Beijing-based diplomatic sources familiar with the plans said US&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US&nbsp;Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were both due in Beijing next month for the US-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, which first took place last year in Washington, a reboot of earlier high-level talks under previous administrations.

However, both sources said that this meeting was now in doubt.

"There is a lot of uncertainty because of the turbulence in the relationship," said one the sources.

The second source said that the People's Liberation Army was especially unhappy with the United States at the moment because of the US&nbsp;sanctions on the Chinese military and US&nbsp;support for Taiwan, including approving a new round of arms sales this week.

"The PLA is fed up over the Taiwan issue. They're increasingly hardline on this," the source said.

Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity as the trips have not been made public. They also cautioned the meetings may still take place as planned, and that no final decisions have been reached.

China's Defence Ministry said it was talking to the United States about the dialogue.

"China and the United States have all along maintained communication about the diplomatic and security dialogue," it said in a statement to Reuters, without elaborating.

China's Foreign Ministry said in a short statement sent to Reuters that the two countries were in "close contact" about the dialogue, and that if it had any other information it would release it in a timely manner.

The US&nbsp;Embassy in Beijing declined to comment, as did the US&nbsp;State Department. The Pentagon said it does not discuss future travel plans.

Decoupling?

In his latest broadside on Wednesday, Trump accused China of seeking to interfere in the November&nbsp;6 US&nbsp;congressional elections, saying that Beijing did not want him or his Republican Party to do well because of his pugnacious stance on trade.

While China has denounced what it called his "slander", it has so far held off taking any direct steps to retaliate.

However, prior to Trump's remarks Beijing cancelled a previously set round of military talks with Washington over the sanctions on China's military, and has denied a US&nbsp;warship permission to visit Hong Kong in October.

The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Friday there was "no cause for panic" over friction between Beijing and Washington, but warned that China would not be blackmailed or yield to pressure over trade.

President Xi Jinping said this week that, with the rise of unilateralism and trade protectionism, China should embark on a path of self-reliance, a startling aim for a country that has sought to project itself on the world stage and touts the benefits of global free trade.

China had already been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign technology through its Made in China 2025 initiative, though it stopped openly touting the plan earlier this year in the face of blowback from the United States.

"Divorce is the word I use," Tu Xinquan, a trade expert at Beijing's University of International Business and Economics who has advised the Chinese government, told Reuters recently.

"Now, most people believe Trump is trying to contain China. Many government officials think this way."

Last week, Jack Ma, chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, said bilateral trade frictions could last two decades, and that the firm could no longer meet its promise to create 1 million American jobs.

"I think there are leaders in the US&nbsp;government who believe that so long as the Chinese system is not willing to change, then the next best scenario for the United States is a gradual decoupling of the economies," Tim Stratford, managing partner of law firm Covington &amp; Burling's Beijing office and a former senior US&nbsp;trade diplomat, said in a recent podcast.

China has insisted it wants to resolve all its disputes with the United States.

Ruan Zongze, a former Chinese diplomat now with the China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, called it unrealistic to think the two countries could "decouple" considering how inter-connected they were.

"It's like two people having an argument," said Ruan. "Can you really resolve it if you stop speaking to each other?"

A key diplomatic and security meeting between China and the United States next month may not take place due to tensions in relations, sources briefed on the matter said, potentially the latest casualty of worsening ties.

A key diplomatic and security meeting between China and the United States next month may not take place due to tensions in relations, sources briefed on the matter said, potentially the latest casualty of worsening ties. Beijing and Washington are locked in a spiralling trade war that has seen them level increasingly severe rounds of tariffs on each other's imports. Friction between the world's top two economies is now moving beyond trade, with US President Donald Trump accusing Beijing this week of seeking to interfere in congressional elections, marking what US officials told Reuters was a new phase in an escalating campaign by Washington to put pressure on China. On the military front, China has been infuriated by the United States putting sanctions on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for buying weapons from Russia, and by what Beijing sees as stepped up US support for self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its sacred territory. Two Beijing-based diplomatic sources familiar with the plans said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were both due in Beijing next month for the US-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, which first took place last year in Washington, a reboot of earlier high-level talks under previous administrations. However, both sources said that this meeting was now in doubt. "There is a lot of uncertainty because of the turbulence in the relationship," said one the sources. The second source said that the People's Liberation Army was especially unhappy with the United States at the moment because of the US sanctions on the Chinese military and US support for Taiwan, including approving a new round of arms sales this week. "The PLA is fed up over the Taiwan issue. They're increasingly hardline on this," the source said. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity as the trips have not been made public. They also cautioned the meetings may still take place as planned, and that no final decisions have been reached. China's Defence Ministry said it was talking to the United States about the dialogue. "China and the United States have all along maintained communication about the diplomatic and security dialogue," it said in a statement to Reuters, without elaborating. China's Foreign Ministry said in a short statement sent to Reuters that the two countries were in "close contact" about the dialogue, and that if it had any other information it would release it in a timely manner. The US Embassy in Beijing declined to comment, as did the US State Department. The Pentagon said it does not discuss future travel plans. Decoupling? In his latest broadside on Wednesday, Trump accused China of seeking to interfere in the November 6 US congressional elections, saying that Beijing did not want him or his Republican Party to do well because of his pugnacious stance on trade. While China has denounced what it called his "slander", it has so far held off taking any direct steps to retaliate. However, prior to Trump's remarks Beijing cancelled a previously set round of military talks with Washington over the sanctions on China's military, and has denied a US warship permission to visit Hong Kong in October. The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Friday there was "no cause for panic" over friction between Beijing and Washington, but warned that China would not be blackmailed or yield to pressure over trade. President Xi Jinping said this week that, with the rise of unilateralism and trade protectionism, China should embark on a path of self-reliance, a startling aim for a country that has sought to project itself on the world stage and touts the benefits of global free trade. China had already been trying to reduce its reliance on foreign technology through its Made in China 2025 initiative, though it stopped openly touting the plan earlier this year in the face of blowback from the United States. "Divorce is the word I use," Tu Xinquan, a trade expert at Beijing's University of International Business and Economics who has advised the Chinese government, told Reuters recently. "Now, most people believe Trump is trying to contain China. Many government officials think this way." Last week, Jack Ma, chairman of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, said bilateral trade frictions could last two decades, and that the firm could no longer meet its promise to create 1 million American jobs. "I think there are leaders in the US government who believe that so long as the Chinese system is not willing to change, then the next best scenario for the United States is a gradual decoupling of the economies," Tim Stratford, managing partner of law firm Covington & Burling's Beijing office and a former senior US trade diplomat, said in a recent podcast. China has insisted it wants to resolve all its disputes with the United States. Ruan Zongze, a former Chinese diplomat now with the China Institute of International Studies, a think-tank affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, called it unrealistic to think the two countries could "decouple" considering how inter-connected they were. "It's like two people having an argument," said Ruan. "Can you really resolve it if you stop speaking to each other?"

Amid tensions, US-China security meeting next month may be cancelled

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump is a possible contender for this year's Nobel Peace Prize after holding a historical meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12, 2018 which ambitiously aimed to pave the way for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Trump's journey to peace talks with North Korea began with name calling. But more recently the US&nbsp;president has described Kim as "open" and "honourable," in sharp contrast to deriding the Korean leader in the past -- labelling him "rocket man."

In June, Trump became the first serving US&nbsp;president to meet a North Korean leader in hopes of resolving a crisis over Pyongyang's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States.

The tests and escalating rhetoric between Trump and Kim raised fears of war before the North Korean leader called, in a New Year speech, for lower military tensions and improved ties with South Korea.

Much of the change in tone from confrontation to engagement has been driven by the two Korean leaders, however, starting with Kim's New Year's address, in which he said he was open to reducing tensions with South Korea and was willing to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics.

US&nbsp;Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he had a "very positive" meeting with North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Wednesday and he would travel to Pyongyang again in October to prepare for the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday, October 5, at 1100 am (local time).

US President Donald Trump is a possible contender for this year's Nobel Peace Prize after holding a historical meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12, 2018 which ambitiously aimed to pave the way for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

US President Donald Trump is a possible contender for this year's Nobel Peace Prize after holding a historical meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12, 2018 which ambitiously aimed to pave the way for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Trump's journey to peace talks with North Korea began with name calling. But more recently the US president has described Kim as "open" and "honourable," in sharp contrast to deriding the Korean leader in the past -- labelling him "rocket man." In June, Trump became the first serving US president to meet a North Korean leader in hopes of resolving a crisis over Pyongyang's development of nuclear missiles capable of hitting the United States. The tests and escalating rhetoric between Trump and Kim raised fears of war before the North Korean leader called, in a New Year speech, for lower military tensions and improved ties with South Korea. Much of the change in tone from confrontation to engagement has been driven by the two Korean leaders, however, starting with Kim's New Year's address, in which he said he was open to reducing tensions with South Korea and was willing to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he had a "very positive" meeting with North Korea Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Wednesday and he would travel to Pyongyang again in October to prepare for the second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday, October 5, at 1100 am (local time).

US President Donald Trump possible contender for 2018 Nobel Peace Prize?

Three recent developments lay bare the fragility of Middle Eastern alliances and a rebalancing of their priorities: the Russian-Turkish compromise on an assault on the rebel-held Syrian region of Idlib, the fate of troubled Abu Dhabi airline Ettihad, and battles over reconstruction of Syria.

These developments highlight the fact that competition among Middle Eastern rivals and ultimate power within the region’s various alliances is increasingly as much economic and commercial as it is military and geopolitical. Battles are fought as much on geopolitical fronts as they are on economic and cultural battlefields such as soccer.

As a result, the fault lines of various alliances across the greater Middle East, a region that stretches from North Africa to north-western China, are coming to the fore.

The cracks may be most apparent in the Russian-Turkish-Iranian alliance but lurk in the background of Gulf cooperation with Israel in confronting Iran as well as the unified front put forward by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Russia, prevented, at least for now, a rupture with Turkey, by delaying an all-out attack on Idlib despite Iranian advocacy of an offensive. Turkey, already home to three million Syrians, feared that a Syrian-Russian assault, would push hundreds of thousands, if not millions more across its border.

If Iran was the weakest link in the debate about Idlib, it stands stronger in its coming competition with Russia for the spoils of reconstruction of war-ravaged Syria.

Similarly, Russia appears to be ambivalent towards a continued Iranian military presence in post-war Syria, a potential flashpoint given Israel’s opposition and Israeli attacks that led earlier this month to the downing of a Russian aircraft.

By the same token, Turkey, despite its backing of Qatar in its 15-month-old dispute with a Saudi-UAE-led alliance that is boycotting the Gulf state diplomatically and economically, poses perhaps the greatest challenge to Qatari efforts to project itself globally by operating one of the world’s best airlines and positioning itself as a sports hub.

Turkey, despite its failure this week to win the right to host Euro 2024 and its lack of the Gulf’s financial muscle, competes favourably on every other front with Qatar as well as the UAE that too is seeking to project itself through soft as well as hard power and opposes Mr. Erdogan because of his Islamist leanings, ties to Iran, and support of Qatar. Turkey wins hands down against the small Gulf states when it comes to size, population, location, industrial base, military might, and sports performance.

That, coupled with a determination to undermine Qatar, was likely one reason, why the UAE’s major carriers, Emirates and Etihad that is troubled by a failed business model, have, despite official denials, been quietly discussing a potential merger that would create the world’s largest airline.

Countering competition from Turkish Airlines that outflanks both UAE carriers with 309 passenger planes that service 302 destinations in 120 countries may well have been another reason. Emirates, the larger of the two Emirati carriers, has, a fleet of 256 aircraft flying to 150 destinations in 80 countries.

These recent developments suggest that alliances, particularly the one that groups Russia, Turkey and Iran, are brittle and transactional, geared towards capitalizing on immediate common interests rather than shared long-term goals, let alone values.

That is true even if Russia and Turkey increasingly find common ground in concepts of Eurasianism. It also applies to Turkey and Qatar who both support Islamist groups as well as to Saudi Arabia and the UAE who closely coordinate policies but see their different goals put on display in Yemen.

The fragility of the alliances is further underwritten by Turkish, Russian and Iranian aspirations of resurrecting empire in a 21st century mould and a Saudi quest for regional dominance.

Notions of empire have informed policies long before realignment across Eurasia as a result of the focus of the United States shifting from the Middle East to Asia, the rise of China. increasingly strained relations between the West and Russia, and the greater assertiveness of Middle Eastern states like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran.

Then president Suleyman Demirel told this writer already in the 1990s in the wake of the demise of the Soviet Union and the emergence of independent, mostly ethnically Turkic Central Asian republics that “Turkey’s world stretches from the Adriatic to the Great Wall of China.”

In a world in which globalization is shaped by geopolitical zones rather than individual countries, Russia’s imperative is to be a region by defining itself as an Asian rather than a European power that would be on par with China, the European Union, and a US zone of influence.

“Putin does not think along national lines. He thinks in terms of larger blocks, and, ultimately in terms of the world order,” said former Portuguese minister for Europe, Bruno Macaes in a recently published book, The Dawn of Eurasia.

In doing so, Russia is effectively turning its back on Europe as it reinvents itself as an Asian power on the basis of a Eurasianism, a century-old ideology that defines Russia as a Eurasian rather than a European power.

The Eurasian Economic Union, that groups Russia, Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia, is a vehicle that allows Russia to establish itself as a block in the borderland between Europe and Asia.

Similarly, Eurasianism has gained currency in Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who enabled by the demise of the Soviet Union and the re-emergence of a Turkic world, projects his country as a crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia rather than a European bridge to Asia.

In that vein, Turkish columnist Sinan Baykent projected this week’s fence-mending visit to Germany by Erdogan and his proposal for a summit on Syria of Turkish, Russian, German and French leaders as a Eurasian approach to problem solving.

The meeting between Erdogan and German chancellor Angela Merkel was meant “to pave the way for a Eurasian solution for the region… There is a new axis forming today between Berlin, Moscow, Ankara, Tehran and maybe Paris… All of these countries are fed up with American unilateralism and excessive policies displayed by the Trump administration.,”&nbsp;Baykent said.

If Turkey and Russia’s vision of their place in the world is defined to a large extent by geography, Iran’s topology dictates a more inward-looking view despite accusations that it is seeking to establish itself as the Middle East’s hegemon.

“Iran is a fortress. Surrounded on three sides by mountains and on the fourth by the ocean, with a wasteland at its centre,” noted Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence platform. Gulf fears are rooted not only in deep-seated distrust of Iran’s Islamic regime, but also in the fact that the foundation of past Persian empire relied on control of plains in present-day Iraq.

As a result, the manoeuvring of Gulf states, in contrast to Turkey and Russia, is driven less by a conceptual framing of their place in the world and more by regional rivalry and regime survival. Countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE walk a fine line focusing geopolitically on an increasingly unpredictable United States and economically on China and the rest of Asia, including Russia, Korea and Japan.

What the plight of Idlib, potential change in aviation and competition for reconstruction contracts highlight is the brittleness of Middle Eastern alliances that threatens to be reinforced by economics becoming an increasingly important factor alongside geopolitics.

“Stakes for all parties are starting to divert from each other in Syria and the prospects of cooperation with Russia and Iran are becoming more challenging,” said Turkish columnist Nuray Mert commenting on the situation in Idlib. Her analysis is as valid for Idlib as it for the prospects of many of the Middle East alliances.

 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Three recent developments lay bare the fragility of Middle Eastern alliances and a rebalancing of their priorities: the Russian-Turkish compromise on an assault on the rebel-held Syrian region of Idlib, the fate of troubled Abu Dhabi airline Ettihad, and battles over reconstruction of Syria.

Three recent developments lay bare the fragility of Middle Eastern alliances and a rebalancing of their priorities: the Russian-Turkish compromise on an assault on the rebel-held Syrian region of Idlib, the fate of troubled Abu Dhabi airline Ettihad, and battles over reconstruction of Syria. These developments highlight the fact that competition among Middle Eastern rivals and ultimate power within the region’s various alliances is increasingly as much economic and commercial as it is military and geopolitical. Battles are fought as much on geopolitical fronts as they are on economic and cultural battlefields such as soccer. As a result, the fault lines of various alliances across the greater Middle East, a region that stretches from North Africa to north-western China, are coming to the fore. The cracks may be most apparent in the Russian-Turkish-Iranian alliance but lurk in the background of Gulf cooperation with Israel in confronting Iran as well as the unified front put forward by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Russia, prevented, at least for now, a rupture with Turkey, by delaying an all-out attack on Idlib despite Iranian advocacy of an offensive. Turkey, already home to three million Syrians, feared that a Syrian-Russian assault, would push hundreds of thousands, if not millions more across its border. If Iran was the weakest link in the debate about Idlib, it stands stronger in its coming competition with Russia for the spoils of reconstruction of war-ravaged Syria. Similarly, Russia appears to be ambivalent towards a continued Iranian military presence in post-war Syria, a potential flashpoint given Israel’s opposition and Israeli attacks that led earlier this month to the downing of a Russian aircraft. By the same token, Turkey, despite its backing of Qatar in its 15-month-old dispute with a Saudi-UAE-led alliance that is boycotting the Gulf state diplomatically and economically, poses perhaps the greatest challenge to Qatari efforts to project itself globally by operating one of the world’s best airlines and positioning itself as a sports hub. Turkey, despite its failure this week to win the right to host Euro 2024 and its lack of the Gulf’s financial muscle, competes favourably on every other front with Qatar as well as the UAE that too is seeking to project itself through soft as well as hard power and opposes Mr. Erdogan because of his Islamist leanings, ties to Iran, and support of Qatar. Turkey wins hands down against the small Gulf states when it comes to size, population, location, industrial base, military might, and sports performance. That, coupled with a determination to undermine Qatar, was likely one reason, why the UAE’s major carriers, Emirates and Etihad that is troubled by a failed business model, have, despite official denials, been quietly discussing a potential merger that would create the world’s largest airline. Countering competition from Turkish Airlines that outflanks both UAE carriers with 309 passenger planes that service 302 destinations in 120 countries may well have been another reason. Emirates, the larger of the two Emirati carriers, has, a fleet of 256 aircraft flying to 150 destinations in 80 countries. These recent developments suggest that alliances, particularly the one that groups Russia, Turkey and Iran, are brittle and transactional, geared towards capitalizing on immediate common interests rather than shared long-term goals, let alone values. That is true even if Russia and Turkey increasingly find common ground in concepts of Eurasianism. It also applies to Turkey and Qatar who both support Islamist groups as well as to Saudi Arabia and the UAE who closely coordinate policies but see their different goals put on display in Yemen. The fragility of the alliances is further underwritten by Turkish, Russian and Iranian aspirations of resurrecting empire in a 21st century mould and a Saudi quest for regional dominance. Notions of empire have informed policies long before realignment across Eurasia as a result of the focus of the United States shifting from the Middle East to Asia, the rise of China. increasingly strained relations between the West and Russia, and the greater assertiveness of Middle Eastern states like Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran. Then president Suleyman Demirel told this writer already in the 1990s in the wake of the demise of the Soviet Union and the emergence of independent, mostly ethnically Turkic Central Asian republics that “Turkey’s world stretches from the Adriatic to the Great Wall of China.” In a world in which globalization is shaped by geopolitical zones rather than individual countries, Russia’s imperative is to be a region by defining itself as an Asian rather than a European power that would be on par with China, the European Union, and a US zone of influence. “Putin does not think along national lines. He thinks in terms of larger blocks, and, ultimately in terms of the world order,” said former Portuguese minister for Europe, Bruno Macaes in a recently published book, The Dawn of Eurasia. In doing so, Russia is effectively turning its back on Europe as it reinvents itself as an Asian power on the basis of a Eurasianism, a century-old ideology that defines Russia as a Eurasian rather than a European power. The Eurasian Economic Union, that groups Russia, Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia, is a vehicle that allows Russia to establish itself as a block in the borderland between Europe and Asia. Similarly, Eurasianism has gained currency in Turkey with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who enabled by the demise of the Soviet Union and the re-emergence of a Turkic world, projects his country as a crossroads between Europe, Africa and Asia rather than a European bridge to Asia. In that vein, Turkish columnist Sinan Baykent projected this week’s fence-mending visit to Germany by Erdogan and his proposal for a summit on Syria of Turkish, Russian, German and French leaders as a Eurasian approach to problem solving. The meeting between Erdogan and German chancellor Angela Merkel was meant “to pave the way for a Eurasian solution for the region… There is a new axis forming today between Berlin, Moscow, Ankara, Tehran and maybe Paris… All of these countries are fed up with American unilateralism and excessive policies displayed by the Trump administration.,” Baykent said. If Turkey and Russia’s vision of their place in the world is defined to a large extent by geography, Iran’s topology dictates a more inward-looking view despite accusations that it is seeking to establish itself as the Middle East’s hegemon. “Iran is a fortress. Surrounded on three sides by mountains and on the fourth by the ocean, with a wasteland at its centre,” noted Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence platform. Gulf fears are rooted not only in deep-seated distrust of Iran’s Islamic regime, but also in the fact that the foundation of past Persian empire relied on control of plains in present-day Iraq. As a result, the manoeuvring of Gulf states, in contrast to Turkey and Russia, is driven less by a conceptual framing of their place in the world and more by regional rivalry and regime survival. Countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE walk a fine line focusing geopolitically on an increasingly unpredictable United States and economically on China and the rest of Asia, including Russia, Korea and Japan. What the plight of Idlib, potential change in aviation and competition for reconstruction contracts highlight is the brittleness of Middle Eastern alliances that threatens to be reinforced by economics becoming an increasingly important factor alongside geopolitics. “Stakes for all parties are starting to divert from each other in Syria and the prospects of cooperation with Russia and Iran are becoming more challenging,” said Turkish columnist Nuray Mert commenting on the situation in Idlib. Her analysis is as valid for Idlib as it for the prospects of many of the Middle East alliances. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Fragility of Middle East alliances becomes more apparent

By Scott Shackelford and Matthew Sussex

In the drumbeat of reports about Russian attempts to undermine US democratic institutions with trolls, Twitter bots and cyber attacks on congressional candidates, it is easy to forget that the problem of election security is not isolated to the United States, and extends far beyond safeguarding insecure voting machines.

Consider Australia, which has been grappling with repeated Chinese attempts to interfere with its political system. One 2018 report, for example, found that the Chinese have infiltrated “every layer of Australian Government, right down to local councils.” 
 
That’s why a group of academics and policymakers from Indiana University and the Australian National University recently met to discuss how we might make democracy harder to hack. We found that we had far more to work on together than we had anticipated.

Protecting a diverse, widespread system

In the wake of the 2016 US elections, scholars, government officials and concerned citizens are debating how to mitigate the risk of foreign groups targeting the election machinery upon which democratic societies are built.

Vulnerabilities are widespread across the thousands of largely locally managed systems that together comprise US election infrastructure. These vulnerabilities include voting machines that in some cases still have no paper trails and are often running “severely outdated operating systems like Windows XP,” which has not been patched since 2014.

But that is just a taste of the parade of horribles against which people must inoculate the election system. Other risks include hacked tabulation systems, which was a major concern in the 2017 Dutch elections, as well as compromised media outlets, as in Ukraine.

What’s been done so far? 
 
Since 2016, the US government has made progress in protecting democratic institutions. In January 2017, for example, the US Department of Homeland Security reclassified elections as critical infrastructure, which has helped to focus attention on the issue. Congress has also appropriated $380 million to help speed the purchase of new, more secure voting machines.

In addition, local and state election officials have a new way to get up-to-date cyber threat information from the federal government. But further progress has stalled, including the Secure Elections Act, which would, among other things, ensure that every vote cast in the US is on a verifiable paper ballot.

What more should Americans be doing, and what can Australia teach us?

Protecting democracy down under

Threats to Australia’s democracy differ in several key respects from those facing the US. To begin with, voting is mandatory in Australia, so there aren’t thorny political battles over who is allowed to vote. The major parties also agree on electoral boundaries so as to prevent gerrymandering.

Voting itself is different, too. When Australian voters enter a booth, they use paper forms, which are tallied by hand. And the election process is overseen by a central federally mandated body, the Australian Electoral Commission. This contrasts significantly to the US, where voting processes and infrastructure are heavily privatized, using antiquated technologies, though various constituencies have experimented with different forms of electronic voting.

With centralised operations, the Australian government has more control over the voting process and less need to worry about local variations that might threaten its integrity. At the same, such centralization makes for a tempting target.

Lessons from afar

Both countries do have reasons to worry, though. Their shared concerns include manipulation of public opinion via social media; alleged foreign influence over politicians; diminished public confidence around trust, privacy and data; and overseas ownership of news outlets. Fixing these depends much more on addressing human shortcomings than vulnerabilities in digital systems or formal institutions.

Australia also recognises that political parties are potential targets – as the US found out when the Democratic National Committee’s emails were hacked in 2016 – as well as the lesser-known hack of Republican National Committee emails.

Australia is also working to reduce foreign influence in other aspects of its political and business activities. Like the US, Australia has passed tough new foreign agent registration laws with bipartisan support. It has also blocked attempts by Chinese firms to buy controlling stakes in resource companies or large amounts of agricultural and urban land. And it recently excluded the Chinese tech giant Huawei from bidding to provide an Australian 5G mobile data network, citing a potential threat to national security.

And Australia has decided to invest early to guard against future information warfare, such as micro-targeting audiences with tailor-made messaging and machine learning-enhanced deep fake videos. The country has assigned top government officials to focus on cyber threats and begun an effort to ask all citizens to improve their cybersecurity.

Protecting political parties and citizens? 
 
The US&nbsp;has not yet followed Australia’s lead in providing government cyberdefense for political parties. Other aspects of civil society are also left undefended. Hackers have stolen public servants’ data, making them vulnerable to blackmail or fraud. Think tanks and research centers, as well as businesses, have data and other documents that are tempting targets. 
 
The US&nbsp;could do more, perhaps even designating citizens themselves as critical to society and in need of government support and protection against hacking and other online threats. That would acknowledge the many efforts underway to influence voters with false and misleading information.

By taking a lead from Australia – and by learning from successes and failures there, and in other countries – the US could find ways to protect democracy at home and abroad. 
 
(Scott Shackelford is Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University; &nbsp;Matthew Sussex is Academic Director, National Security College, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-australia-can-help-the-us-make-democracy-harder-to-hack-102954">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

By Scott Shackelford and Matthew Sussex In the drumbeat of reports about Russian attempts to undermine US democratic institutions with trolls, Twitter bots and cyber attacks on congressional candidates, it is easy to forget that the problem of election security is not isolated to the United States, and extends far beyond safeguarding insecure voting machines.

By Scott Shackelford and Matthew Sussex In the drumbeat of reports about Russian attempts to undermine US democratic institutions with trolls, Twitter bots and cyber attacks on congressional candidates, it is easy to forget that the problem of election security is not isolated to the United States, and extends far beyond safeguarding insecure voting machines. Consider Australia, which has been grappling with repeated Chinese attempts to interfere with its political system. One 2018 report, for example, found that the Chinese have infiltrated “every layer of Australian Government, right down to local councils.” That’s why a group of academics and policymakers from Indiana University and the Australian National University recently met to discuss how we might make democracy harder to hack. We found that we had far more to work on together than we had anticipated. Protecting a diverse, widespread system In the wake of the 2016 US elections, scholars, government officials and concerned citizens are debating how to mitigate the risk of foreign groups targeting the election machinery upon which democratic societies are built. Vulnerabilities are widespread across the thousands of largely locally managed systems that together comprise US election infrastructure. These vulnerabilities include voting machines that in some cases still have no paper trails and are often running “severely outdated operating systems like Windows XP,” which has not been patched since 2014. But that is just a taste of the parade of horribles against which people must inoculate the election system. Other risks include hacked tabulation systems, which was a major concern in the 2017 Dutch elections, as well as compromised media outlets, as in Ukraine. What’s been done so far? Since 2016, the US government has made progress in protecting democratic institutions. In January 2017, for example, the US Department of Homeland Security reclassified elections as critical infrastructure, which has helped to focus attention on the issue. Congress has also appropriated $380 million to help speed the purchase of new, more secure voting machines. In addition, local and state election officials have a new way to get up-to-date cyber threat information from the federal government. But further progress has stalled, including the Secure Elections Act, which would, among other things, ensure that every vote cast in the US is on a verifiable paper ballot. What more should Americans be doing, and what can Australia teach us? Protecting democracy down under Threats to Australia’s democracy differ in several key respects from those facing the US. To begin with, voting is mandatory in Australia, so there aren’t thorny political battles over who is allowed to vote. The major parties also agree on electoral boundaries so as to prevent gerrymandering. Voting itself is different, too. When Australian voters enter a booth, they use paper forms, which are tallied by hand. And the election process is overseen by a central federally mandated body, the Australian Electoral Commission. This contrasts significantly to the US, where voting processes and infrastructure are heavily privatized, using antiquated technologies, though various constituencies have experimented with different forms of electronic voting. With centralised operations, the Australian government has more control over the voting process and less need to worry about local variations that might threaten its integrity. At the same, such centralization makes for a tempting target. Lessons from afar Both countries do have reasons to worry, though. Their shared concerns include manipulation of public opinion via social media; alleged foreign influence over politicians; diminished public confidence around trust, privacy and data; and overseas ownership of news outlets. Fixing these depends much more on addressing human shortcomings than vulnerabilities in digital systems or formal institutions. Australia also recognises that political parties are potential targets – as the US found out when the Democratic National Committee’s emails were hacked in 2016 – as well as the lesser-known hack of Republican National Committee emails. Australia is also working to reduce foreign influence in other aspects of its political and business activities. Like the US, Australia has passed tough new foreign agent registration laws with bipartisan support. It has also blocked attempts by Chinese firms to buy controlling stakes in resource companies or large amounts of agricultural and urban land. And it recently excluded the Chinese tech giant Huawei from bidding to provide an Australian 5G mobile data network, citing a potential threat to national security. And Australia has decided to invest early to guard against future information warfare, such as micro-targeting audiences with tailor-made messaging and machine learning-enhanced deep fake videos. The country has assigned top government officials to focus on cyber threats and begun an effort to ask all citizens to improve their cybersecurity. Protecting political parties and citizens? The US has not yet followed Australia’s lead in providing government cyberdefense for political parties. Other aspects of civil society are also left undefended. Hackers have stolen public servants’ data, making them vulnerable to blackmail or fraud. Think tanks and research centers, as well as businesses, have data and other documents that are tempting targets. The US could do more, perhaps even designating citizens themselves as critical to society and in need of government support and protection against hacking and other online threats. That would acknowledge the many efforts underway to influence voters with false and misleading information. By taking a lead from Australia – and by learning from successes and failures there, and in other countries – the US could find ways to protect democracy at home and abroad. (Scott Shackelford is Associate Professor of Business Law and Ethics, Indiana University; Matthew Sussex is Academic Director, National Security College, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Australia can help the US make democracy harder to hack

By Gaurav Khanna and Munseob Lee

Much of the current debate over immigration is about what kind of impact immigrants have on jobs and wages for workers born in the United States.

Seldom does anyone talk about how immigration leads to a wider variety of better products for the American consumer. We recently conducted a study to shine more light on the matter.

We are economists with a keen interest in growth and innovation and how immigration affects the economy.

What we found is that the more companies hire certain highly skilled and mostly college-educated foreign workers, the more those businesses create new products. In fact, we found that hiring high-skill immigrants has a stronger association with innovation than spending money on research and development.

In other words, more highly educated immigrant workers means more and better products – such as more efficient laptops, TVs and other electronics – on the American marketplace.

The creation of newer, better products

We discovered this by taking a closer look at “product reallocation.”

Economists have long regarded product reallocation as a primary indicator of how innovation affects economic growth. Product reallocation is simply the entry of newer products and exit of older products. For instance, innovation will lead to incremental changes to electronic products like laptops and TVs, which will make them more efficient. When these changes are made, a new model of the product is introduced in the market, and the older, obsolete model is phased out. The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter referred to this type of innovation as “creative destruction.”

Creative destruction, like other forms of innovation, drives companies to grow and increases the productivity of the economy as a whole. In addition, other work has shown that immigration is also strongly associated with patenting.

While patenting is a useful measure of innovation, it captures a very specific type of innovation. This is because some industries are more likely to get their innovations patented than others, depending on changes that may take place as a result of court rulings, new policies and the tax code. Consequently, many important innovations never get patented, and many things that get patented rarely get used.

The advantage of product reallocation – our measure of innovation – is that it captures incremental innovations that are usually not patented and thereby missed by previous research on the impact of immigration.

The connection between migration and production

There happens to be a good way to figure out which firms are hiring high-skill foreign workers.

To hire such a worker, companies must file a labour certification application to obtain an H-1B visa for the employee. H-1B visas allow US companies to temporarily hire foreign workers in jobs that require the “theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in the specific speciality, or its equivalent,” according to the federal agency that oversees the program.

We obtained data on all labour certification applications for every company that filed at least one from 2001 to 2015. This data shows the employer name and location, details about the work start and end dates, the occupation and job title.

We combined this dataset with product details by looking at barcodes generated from point-of-sale systems, like the cash registers or payment terminals, from about 35,000 stores across the country. The first few digits of a barcode on products actually identify which company produced these products. This allows us to create measures of product entry and exit – that is, reallocation – at the company level.

Our research looks at the level of innovation, or reallocation rates, by four different types of business: those that hire H-1B workers, those that don’t, those that spend a lot on research and development and those that have different combinations of both.

If anything is clear from our study, it is that companies that hire more H-1B workers, regardless of how much they spend on research and development, have higher rates of product reallocation.

One of the main reasons we’re confident in our conclusion is the timing of the effects. Hiring an H-1B employee today was clearly associated with innovation gains in subsequent years. Specifically, a 10 per cent increase in the share of H-1B workers is associated with a 2 per cent increase in product reallocation – a rather meaningful increase in innovation.

In short, H-1B hiring seems to have a stronger association with reallocation rates than research and development, often seen as a wellspring for innovation.

Economic growth and consumer welfare

The US has the advantage of being a profitable hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. It can attract the best and the brightest minds from around the world, offering not just commensurate compensation but also the chance to interact with other innovators and entrepreneurs.

Given the rapidly increasing number of college graduates from populous countries like India and China, especially those specializing in science and engineering degrees, there is a growing pool of potential workers that US employers can choose from.

An added perk: Foreign workers may bring a slightly different set of skills, which in combination with the skill-set of US-born workers, can help produce new and more efficient products. As faster laptops, more effective pharmaceuticals, better cellphones and other higher quality electronics are introduced into the market, we reap their benefits as consumers.

Innovation also helps drive growth and raises productivity across sectors of the economy. For instance, many industries – from car manufacturers to bankers – use software and electronics in their production processes.

To that end, more efficient electronics not only benefit consumers, but also raise the productivity of all sectors that use such products, fueling growth for the economy as a whole.

(Gaurav Khanna is Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California San Diego; &nbsp;Munseob Lee is Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California San Diego)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/hiring-highly-educated-immigrants-leads-to-more-innovation-and-better-products-100087">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Gaurav Khanna and Munseob Lee Much of the current debate over immigration is about what kind of impact immigrants have on jobs and wages for workers born in the United States.

By Gaurav Khanna and Munseob Lee Much of the current debate over immigration is about what kind of impact immigrants have on jobs and wages for workers born in the United States. Seldom does anyone talk about how immigration leads to a wider variety of better products for the American consumer. We recently conducted a study to shine more light on the matter. We are economists with a keen interest in growth and innovation and how immigration affects the economy. What we found is that the more companies hire certain highly skilled and mostly college-educated foreign workers, the more those businesses create new products. In fact, we found that hiring high-skill immigrants has a stronger association with innovation than spending money on research and development. In other words, more highly educated immigrant workers means more and better products – such as more efficient laptops, TVs and other electronics – on the American marketplace. The creation of newer, better products We discovered this by taking a closer look at “product reallocation.” Economists have long regarded product reallocation as a primary indicator of how innovation affects economic growth. Product reallocation is simply the entry of newer products and exit of older products. For instance, innovation will lead to incremental changes to electronic products like laptops and TVs, which will make them more efficient. When these changes are made, a new model of the product is introduced in the market, and the older, obsolete model is phased out. The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter referred to this type of innovation as “creative destruction.” Creative destruction, like other forms of innovation, drives companies to grow and increases the productivity of the economy as a whole. In addition, other work has shown that immigration is also strongly associated with patenting. While patenting is a useful measure of innovation, it captures a very specific type of innovation. This is because some industries are more likely to get their innovations patented than others, depending on changes that may take place as a result of court rulings, new policies and the tax code. Consequently, many important innovations never get patented, and many things that get patented rarely get used. The advantage of product reallocation – our measure of innovation – is that it captures incremental innovations that are usually not patented and thereby missed by previous research on the impact of immigration. The connection between migration and production There happens to be a good way to figure out which firms are hiring high-skill foreign workers. To hire such a worker, companies must file a labour certification application to obtain an H-1B visa for the employee. H-1B visas allow US companies to temporarily hire foreign workers in jobs that require the “theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in the specific speciality, or its equivalent,” according to the federal agency that oversees the program. We obtained data on all labour certification applications for every company that filed at least one from 2001 to 2015. This data shows the employer name and location, details about the work start and end dates, the occupation and job title. We combined this dataset with product details by looking at barcodes generated from point-of-sale systems, like the cash registers or payment terminals, from about 35,000 stores across the country. The first few digits of a barcode on products actually identify which company produced these products. This allows us to create measures of product entry and exit – that is, reallocation – at the company level. Our research looks at the level of innovation, or reallocation rates, by four different types of business: those that hire H-1B workers, those that don’t, those that spend a lot on research and development and those that have different combinations of both. If anything is clear from our study, it is that companies that hire more H-1B workers, regardless of how much they spend on research and development, have higher rates of product reallocation. One of the main reasons we’re confident in our conclusion is the timing of the effects. Hiring an H-1B employee today was clearly associated with innovation gains in subsequent years. Specifically, a 10 per cent increase in the share of H-1B workers is associated with a 2 per cent increase in product reallocation – a rather meaningful increase in innovation. In short, H-1B hiring seems to have a stronger association with reallocation rates than research and development, often seen as a wellspring for innovation. Economic growth and consumer welfare The US has the advantage of being a profitable hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. It can attract the best and the brightest minds from around the world, offering not just commensurate compensation but also the chance to interact with other innovators and entrepreneurs. Given the rapidly increasing number of college graduates from populous countries like India and China, especially those specializing in science and engineering degrees, there is a growing pool of potential workers that US employers can choose from. An added perk: Foreign workers may bring a slightly different set of skills, which in combination with the skill-set of US-born workers, can help produce new and more efficient products. As faster laptops, more effective pharmaceuticals, better cellphones and other higher quality electronics are introduced into the market, we reap their benefits as consumers. Innovation also helps drive growth and raises productivity across sectors of the economy. For instance, many industries – from car manufacturers to bankers – use software and electronics in their production processes. To that end, more efficient electronics not only benefit consumers, but also raise the productivity of all sectors that use such products, fueling growth for the economy as a whole. (Gaurav Khanna is Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California San Diego; Munseob Lee is Assistant Professor of Economics, University of California San Diego) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Hiring educated immigrants leads to more innovation

India Thursday expressed hope that other member states, including the traditional donors, will step in to support the UN agency for Palestinian refugees which is facing serious resource crunch after the US decided not to provide further funding to it.

The Trump administration had last month announced that after carefully reviewing the issue it has decided not to make additional contributions to the United Nation Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"India has supported UNRWA's work since its establishment. UNRWA has been carrying out commendable work for Palestine refugees," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said at the Ministerial Committee of the NAM on Palestine held Wednesday on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly.

She said from this year, India has increased its contribution to UNRWA from US $1.25 million to US $5 million annually, the country's highest annual voluntary contribution to any of the UN's funds and programmes.&nbsp;

"We hope other member states, including the traditional donors will also step in to support UNRWA at a time when it is faced with a serious resource crunch," Swaraj said. 
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert had announced that the US was no longer willing to shoulder the very disproportionate share of the burden of UNRWA's costs.&nbsp;

"When we made a US contribution of US $60 million in January, we made it clear that the US was no longer willing to shoulder the very disproportionate share of the burden of UNRWA's costs that we had assumed for many years," Nauert had said in a statement on August 31.

Swaraj also voiced concern over the deterioration in the security situation in the region, reiterating that a negotiated two-State solution remains the only viable solution to the issue to bring sustainable peace and lasting security.&nbsp;

"Restraint and moderation are required on all sides. The stagnation since the collapse of talks four years ago and the deterioration in the security situation continues to cause serious concern. We hope for an early resumption of talks between Israel and Palestine that can move towards finding out a comprehensive resolution of the issue," she said.

She said India's continued commitment to the Palestinian cause and earnestness to develop stronger bilateral relations is demonstrated in the successive high level visit in the recent past.&nbsp;

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Palestine in a "historic" trip.&nbsp;

Swaraj told the meeting that India is investing in projects of healthcare, educational infrastructure, women empowerment and a printing press, in addition to other capacity building programmes.&nbsp;

India has also set up various bilateral institutional consultation mechanisms including Foreign Office consultations and a Joint Commission, which pursues these partnership projects.

Development partnership projects worth around US $70 million are under implementation during the last five years, including flagship projects like the super-specialty hospital in Beit Sahour and the India-Palestine Technology Park, which was inaugurated last year in Ramallah, she added.&nbsp;

Skills and capacity development for the youth and their enhanced engagement, as an investment in a better future, is also one of the focus of India-Palestine partnership, she said.&nbsp;

While the number of youth delegates to participate in the youth exchange programme has been doubled this year, India has also substantially enhanced the scholarships made available for Palestinian professionals and students for technical training and higher education from this year, Swaraj said.

India Thursday expressed hope that other member states, including the traditional donors, will step in to support the UN agency for Palestinian refugees which is facing serious resource crunch after the US decided not to provide further funding to it.

India Thursday expressed hope that other member states, including the traditional donors, will step in to support the UN agency for Palestinian refugees which is facing serious resource crunch after the US decided not to provide further funding to it. The Trump administration had last month announced that after carefully reviewing the issue it has decided not to make additional contributions to the United Nation Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). "India has supported UNRWA's work since its establishment. UNRWA has been carrying out commendable work for Palestine refugees," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said at the Ministerial Committee of the NAM on Palestine held Wednesday on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. She said from this year, India has increased its contribution to UNRWA from US $1.25 million to US $5 million annually, the country's highest annual voluntary contribution to any of the UN's funds and programmes. "We hope other member states, including the traditional donors will also step in to support UNRWA at a time when it is faced with a serious resource crunch," Swaraj said. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert had announced that the US was no longer willing to shoulder the very disproportionate share of the burden of UNRWA's costs. "When we made a US contribution of US $60 million in January, we made it clear that the US was no longer willing to shoulder the very disproportionate share of the burden of UNRWA's costs that we had assumed for many years," Nauert had said in a statement on August 31. Swaraj also voiced concern over the deterioration in the security situation in the region, reiterating that a negotiated two-State solution remains the only viable solution to the issue to bring sustainable peace and lasting security. "Restraint and moderation are required on all sides. The stagnation since the collapse of talks four years ago and the deterioration in the security situation continues to cause serious concern. We hope for an early resumption of talks between Israel and Palestine that can move towards finding out a comprehensive resolution of the issue," she said. She said India's continued commitment to the Palestinian cause and earnestness to develop stronger bilateral relations is demonstrated in the successive high level visit in the recent past. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Palestine in a "historic" trip. Swaraj told the meeting that India is investing in projects of healthcare, educational infrastructure, women empowerment and a printing press, in addition to other capacity building programmes. India has also set up various bilateral institutional consultation mechanisms including Foreign Office consultations and a Joint Commission, which pursues these partnership projects. Development partnership projects worth around US $70 million are under implementation during the last five years, including flagship projects like the super-specialty hospital in Beit Sahour and the India-Palestine Technology Park, which was inaugurated last year in Ramallah, she added. Skills and capacity development for the youth and their enhanced engagement, as an investment in a better future, is also one of the focus of India-Palestine partnership, she said. While the number of youth delegates to participate in the youth exchange programme has been doubled this year, India has also substantially enhanced the scholarships made available for Palestinian professionals and students for technical training and higher education from this year, Swaraj said.

Members states will step in to support UNRWA after US' refusal to provide funds to it: Swaraj

India is committed to buying&nbsp;Iranian oil and continuing the two nations' economic cooperation, the&nbsp;Iranian foreign minister said after a meeting with his Indian counterpart and ahead of US&nbsp;sanctions aimed at halting Tehran's oil exports.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's May withdrawal from an international nuclear pact with&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;was followed up with plans to impose new sanctions against the third-largest producer among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Washington is pushing allies to cut&nbsp;Iranian oil imports to zero once the sanctions start on November&nbsp;4.

Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, in New York on the sidelines of United Nation General Assembly, according to a video from news agency ANI, a Reuters affiliate.

"Our Indian friends have always been categorical in terms of their intention to continue economic cooperation and (the) import of oil from&nbsp;Iran. And I heard the same statement from my Indian counterpart," Zarif said when asked if India has given an assurance about continuing with oil imports.

India,&nbsp;Iran's second-biggest oil client behind China, has already reduced its intake of&nbsp;Iranian oil but has not yet decided whether to end purchases completely.

"We have comprehensive cooperation with India and that comprehensive cooperation also includes energy cooperation because&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;has always been a reliable source of energy for India," Zarif added.

Iran&nbsp;is India's third-biggest oil supplier and the South Asian nation had drawn plans to increase purchases this financial year after Tehran offered almost free shipping and extended credit period.

In the previous round of sanctions, India was one of the few countries that continued to trade with Iran.

Zarif said&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;wants to expand its bilateral relations with India.

The Indian-backed Chabahar port complex in&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;is being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for land-locked Afghanistan. The complex could open the way for millions of dollars in trade and cut India's dependence on sometimes-hostile neighbour Pakistan.

The plant is expected to be operational by 2019.

India is looking at providing a US $3.5 million-equivalent bank guarantee for development of the port through UCO Bank, another Indian government source said.

Zarif said that Chabahar is still functional and&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;wants to expand its capacity with support from Indian and other investors.

India is committed to buying Iranian oil and continuing the two nations' economic cooperation, the Iranian foreign minister said after a meeting with his Indian counterpart and ahead of US sanctions aimed at halting Tehran's oil exports.

India is committed to buying Iranian oil and continuing the two nations' economic cooperation, the Iranian foreign minister said after a meeting with his Indian counterpart and ahead of US sanctions aimed at halting Tehran's oil exports. US President Donald Trump's May withdrawal from an international nuclear pact with Iran was followed up with plans to impose new sanctions against the third-largest producer among the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Washington is pushing allies to cut Iranian oil imports to zero once the sanctions start on November 4. Iran's Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, in New York on the sidelines of United Nation General Assembly, according to a video from news agency ANI, a Reuters affiliate. "Our Indian friends have always been categorical in terms of their intention to continue economic cooperation and (the) import of oil from Iran. And I heard the same statement from my Indian counterpart," Zarif said when asked if India has given an assurance about continuing with oil imports. India, Iran's second-biggest oil client behind China, has already reduced its intake of Iranian oil but has not yet decided whether to end purchases completely. "We have comprehensive cooperation with India and that comprehensive cooperation also includes energy cooperation because Iran has always been a reliable source of energy for India," Zarif added. Iran is India's third-biggest oil supplier and the South Asian nation had drawn plans to increase purchases this financial year after Tehran offered almost free shipping and extended credit period. In the previous round of sanctions, India was one of the few countries that continued to trade with Iran. Zarif said Iran wants to expand its bilateral relations with India. The Indian-backed Chabahar port complex in Iran is being developed as part of a new transportation corridor for land-locked Afghanistan. The complex could open the way for millions of dollars in trade and cut India's dependence on sometimes-hostile neighbour Pakistan. The plant is expected to be operational by 2019. India is looking at providing a US $3.5 million-equivalent bank guarantee for development of the port through UCO Bank, another Indian government source said. Zarif said that Chabahar is still functional and Iran wants to expand its capacity with support from Indian and other investors.

India will continue to buy Iran's oil: Iranian foreign minister

From Monday, the US would start implementing a new rule which allows initiation of deportation process of people whose legal status to stay in America has expired for reasons such as denial of visa extension application or change in status, officials said. 
 
However, in a relief to H-1B visa holders, a federal agency tasked with this said that for the time being this policy will not be implemented with respect to employment-based petitions and humanitarian applications and petitions.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), tasked with granting visa or its extension to non-immigrants, said Wednesday they will start taking an incremental approach to implement the new rule from October 1. 
 
Under the new rule, they will issue notices to appear (NTA) to people whose applications regarding visa extension or changes in status have been denied.

NTA, in immigration law parlance, is considered the first step towards deportation of foreign nationals who do not have valid papers to legally stay in the US. It is a document that instructs an individual to appear before an immigration judge. 
 
Given that in recent months, applications of extension of H-1B visa holders have been denied, a significant number of whom are Indian nationals, the new rule could have a major impact on Indians living in the US. But for the time being, issue of NTA to those categories have been put on hold. 
 
USCIS said it will send denial letters for status-impacting applications that ensures benefit seekers are provided adequate notice when an application for a benefit is denied. 
 
It said it will provide details on how applicants can review information regarding their period of authorised stay, check travel compliance, or validate departure from the US. 
 
The federal agency will continue to prioritise cases of individuals with criminal records, fraud, or national security concerns. 
 
"There has been no change to the current processes for issuing NTAs on these case types, and USCIS will continue to use its discretion in issuing NTAs for these cases," it said.

From Monday, the US would start implementing a new rule which allows initiation of deportation process of people whose legal status to stay in America has expired for reasons such as denial of visa extension application or change in status, officials said.

From Monday, the US would start implementing a new rule which allows initiation of deportation process of people whose legal status to stay in America has expired for reasons such as denial of visa extension application or change in status, officials said. However, in a relief to H-1B visa holders, a federal agency tasked with this said that for the time being this policy will not be implemented with respect to employment-based petitions and humanitarian applications and petitions. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), tasked with granting visa or its extension to non-immigrants, said Wednesday they will start taking an incremental approach to implement the new rule from October 1. Under the new rule, they will issue notices to appear (NTA) to people whose applications regarding visa extension or changes in status have been denied. NTA, in immigration law parlance, is considered the first step towards deportation of foreign nationals who do not have valid papers to legally stay in the US. It is a document that instructs an individual to appear before an immigration judge. Given that in recent months, applications of extension of H-1B visa holders have been denied, a significant number of whom are Indian nationals, the new rule could have a major impact on Indians living in the US. But for the time being, issue of NTA to those categories have been put on hold. USCIS said it will send denial letters for status-impacting applications that ensures benefit seekers are provided adequate notice when an application for a benefit is denied. It said it will provide details on how applicants can review information regarding their period of authorised stay, check travel compliance, or validate departure from the US. The federal agency will continue to prioritise cases of individuals with criminal records, fraud, or national security concerns. "There has been no change to the current processes for issuing NTAs on these case types, and USCIS will continue to use its discretion in issuing NTAs for these cases," it said.

How new deportation rule in US may impact Indian H-1B visa holders from Monday 

US National Security Advisor has warned Iran's clerics that the country may have to "hell to pay" if they harm US citizens.

While addressing an anti-Iran conference in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Bolton said, " The murderous regime and its supporters will face significant consequences if they do not change their behavior. Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you".

He also said that the US would be aggressive in enforcing economic sanctions on Iran.

Bolton's comments came hours after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/irans-corrupt-dictatorship-plundering-its-people-pay-aggression-abroad-donald-trump-un-167667">Trump accused Iran of sowing "chaos, death and destruction"</a> across the Middle East.

Trump criticised Iran on Tuesday as a "corrupt dictatorship" that is plundering the Iranian people to pay for aggression abroad, using his speech to the United Nations General Assembly to lay down a tough message for Tehran.

"Iran's leaders sow chaos, death and destruction," Trump told the annual gathering. "They do not respect their neighbours or borders or the sovereign rights of nations."

Iran President Hassan Rouhani responded to Bolton by criticising Trump administration for hostility.

(With inputs from agencies)

US National Security Advisor has warned Iran's clerics that the country may have to "hell to pay" if they harm US citizens. While addressing an anti-Iran conference in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Bolton said, " The murderous regime and its supporters will face significant consequences if they do not change their behavior.

US National Security Advisor has warned Iran's clerics that the country may have to "hell to pay" if they harm US citizens. While addressing an anti-Iran conference in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Bolton said, " The murderous regime and its supporters will face significant consequences if they do not change their behavior. Let my message today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you". He also said that the US would be aggressive in enforcing economic sanctions on Iran. Bolton's comments came hours after Trump accused Iran of sowing "chaos, death and destruction" across the Middle East. Trump criticised Iran on Tuesday as a "corrupt dictatorship" that is plundering the Iranian people to pay for aggression abroad, using his speech to the United Nations General Assembly to lay down a tough message for Tehran. "Iran's leaders sow chaos, death and destruction," Trump told the annual gathering. "They do not respect their neighbours or borders or the sovereign rights of nations." Iran President Hassan Rouhani responded to Bolton by criticising Trump administration for hostility. (With inputs from agencies)

There will be hell to pay: Trump's security advisor warns Iran's clerics

United States Ambassador to United Nations, Nikki Haley, on Monday announced White House's decision to almost double&nbsp;its aid for displaced Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Haley said the United States would give an extra $185 million, of which $156 million would go to refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, taking its total humanitarian aid for the crisis to nearly $389 million in the past year.

Over 700,000 Rohingyas crossed the border to Bangladesh after a Myanmar military crackdown unleashed in the western state of Rakhine last year.

UN-mandated investigators have said the military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with "genocidal intent." Myanmar rejected the findings as "one-sided" and said it was a legitimate counterinsurgency operation.

Meanwhile, a US government investigation has found that Myanmar’s military waged a "well-planned and coordinated" campaign of mass killings, gang rapes and other atrocities against the Southeast Asian nation’s Rohingya Muslim minority.

The US State Department report, reviewed by Reuters ahead of its expected public release on Monday, could be used to justify further US sanctions or other punitive measures against Myanmar authorities, said US officials.

The findings resulted from more than a thousand interviews of Rohingya men and women in refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, where almost 700,000 Rohingya have fled after a military campaign last year in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

“The survey reveals that the recent violence in northern Rakhine State was extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents,” according to the 20-page report. “The scope and scale of the military’s operations indicate they were well-planned and coordinated.”

 
(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

United States Ambassador to United Nations, Nikki Haley, on Monday announced White House's decision to almost double its aid for displaced Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

United States Ambassador to United Nations, Nikki Haley, on Monday announced White House's decision to almost double its aid for displaced Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Haley said the United States would give an extra $185 million, of which $156 million would go to refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, taking its total humanitarian aid for the crisis to nearly $389 million in the past year. Over 700,000 Rohingyas crossed the border to Bangladesh after a Myanmar military crackdown unleashed in the western state of Rakhine last year. UN-mandated investigators have said the military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya with "genocidal intent." Myanmar rejected the findings as "one-sided" and said it was a legitimate counterinsurgency operation. Meanwhile, a US government investigation has found that Myanmar’s military waged a "well-planned and coordinated" campaign of mass killings, gang rapes and other atrocities against the Southeast Asian nation’s Rohingya Muslim minority. The US State Department report, reviewed by Reuters ahead of its expected public release on Monday, could be used to justify further US sanctions or other punitive measures against Myanmar authorities, said US officials. The findings resulted from more than a thousand interviews of Rohingya men and women in refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, where almost 700,000 Rohingya have fled after a military campaign last year in Myanmar's Rakhine State. “The survey reveals that the recent violence in northern Rakhine State was extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents,” according to the 20-page report. “The scope and scale of the military’s operations indicate they were well-planned and coordinated.” (With inputs from Reuters)

Aid doubled for Rohingyas in Bangladesh, Myanmar: Nikki Haley 

United States and allied forces came under attack in Somalia, triggering an air strike which killed 18 Al-Shabaab militants, the US military said on Saturday.

The incident occurred on Friday 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Kismayo in the south of the Horn of Africa country where Somali commandos work side-by-side with the American forces that train them.

Air assaults and missile strikes have increased in recent months.

"The US airstrike was conducted against militants after US and partner forces came under attack," US Africa Command said in a statement.

US forces also partner with the United Nations-backed African Union Mission in Somalia, which aims to counter the threat from Al-Shabaab jihadists.

The air strike was conducted "in self-defense," killing 18 militants, Africa Command said.

Two other militants "were killed by Somali forces with small arms fire during the engagement," it added.

In June an American commando was killed during an attack in southern Somalia that also wounded four US military members and a Somali soldier, officials said at the time.

More than 500 American personnel are partnered with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces.

Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed Somali government in Mogadishu.

United States and allied forces came under attack in Somalia, triggering an air strike which killed 18 Al-Shabaab militants, the US military said on Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Kismayo in the south of the Horn of Africa country where Somali commandos work side-by-side with the American forces that train them.

United States and allied forces came under attack in Somalia, triggering an air strike which killed 18 Al-Shabaab militants, the US military said on Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Kismayo in the south of the Horn of Africa country where Somali commandos work side-by-side with the American forces that train them. Air assaults and missile strikes have increased in recent months. "The US airstrike was conducted against militants after US and partner forces came under attack," US Africa Command said in a statement. US forces also partner with the United Nations-backed African Union Mission in Somalia, which aims to counter the threat from Al-Shabaab jihadists. The air strike was conducted "in self-defense," killing 18 militants, Africa Command said. Two other militants "were killed by Somali forces with small arms fire during the engagement," it added. In June an American commando was killed during an attack in southern Somalia that also wounded four US military members and a Somali soldier, officials said at the time. More than 500 American personnel are partnered with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali national security forces. Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed Somali government in Mogadishu.

US, allied forces attacked in Somalia: Pentagon

China summoned the US ambassador on Saturday to lodge an official protest over <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-urges-us-to-show-sincerity-in-trade-actions-166831">sanctions imposed by the United States against a Chinese</a> military organisation for buying Russian fighter jets and missiles, state media said.

The announcement came a day after China called on the United States to withdraw the sanctions or "bear the consequences".

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-urges-us-withdraw-sanctions-over-purchase-russian-warplanes-missiles-166908">China urges </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-urges-us-withdraw-sanctions-over-purchase-russian-warplanes-missiles-166908">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-urges-us-withdraw-sanctions-over-purchase-russian-warplanes-missiles-166908"> to withdraw sanctions over </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-urges-us-withdraw-sanctions-over-purchase-russian-warplanes-missiles-166908">purchase</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-urges-us-withdraw-sanctions-over-purchase-russian-warplanes-missiles-166908"> of Russian warplanes, missiles</a>

The spat adds to tensions between the two global powers over trade, China's treatment of religious groups and the Asian country's claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Ambassador Terry Branstad and "lodged solemn representations over US sanctions against (the) Chinese military," the People's Daily said in a brief report online.

On Thursday, Washington placed financial sanctions on the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Defence Ministry, and its top administrator, for its recent purchase of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems.

Officials said it was the first time a third country has been punished under the CAATSA sanctions legislation for dealing with Russia, and signalled the Trump administration's willingness to risk relations with other countries in its campaign against Moscow.

Russia also lashed out at the US sanctions, accusing Washington of playing unfairly and using new measures to squeeze Moscow out of the global arms market.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that "Washington's continued sanctions hysterics" dealt a new blow to US-Russia ties but could not immediately say if Moscow would retaliate, or how.

The Chinese military expressed "strong indignation and resolute opposition" to the sanctions, the defence ministry said Saturday, echoing a foreign ministry statement the previous day.

Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the US move was a "a flagrant breach of basic rules of international relations" and "a stark show of hegemonism" that severely damages relations between the two countries and their militaries, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

United in their resentment of America's global influence, China and Russia have sought in recent years to tighten up their ties and this month conducted week-long joint military drills in Moscow's largest ever war games.

US officials said that the US could consider similar action against other countries taking delivery of Russian fighter jets and missiles.&nbsp; 
The State Department also placed 33 Russian intelligence and military-linked actors on its sanctions blacklist.

All of them -- defence related firms, officers of the GRU military intelligence agency, and people associated with the Saint Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency disinformation group -- have been on previous US sanctions lists.

A senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, insisted the ultimate target was Russia and not "the defence capabilities" of third countries.

CAATSA, or the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, was passed in 2017 as a tool that gives Washington more ways to target Russia, Iran and North Korea with economic and political sanctions.

China summoned the US ambassador on Saturday to lodge an official protest over sanctions imposed by the United States against a Chinese military organisation for buying Russian fighter jets and missiles, state media said.

China summoned the US ambassador on Saturday to lodge an official protest over sanctions imposed by the United States against a Chinese military organisation for buying Russian fighter jets and missiles, state media said. The announcement came a day after China called on the United States to withdraw the sanctions or "bear the consequences". Also read: China urges US to withdraw sanctions over purchase of Russian warplanes, missiles The spat adds to tensions between the two global powers over trade, China's treatment of religious groups and the Asian country's claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea. Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned Ambassador Terry Branstad and "lodged solemn representations over US sanctions against (the) Chinese military," the People's Daily said in a brief report online. On Thursday, Washington placed financial sanctions on the Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Defence Ministry, and its top administrator, for its recent purchase of Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems. Officials said it was the first time a third country has been punished under the CAATSA sanctions legislation for dealing with Russia, and signalled the Trump administration's willingness to risk relations with other countries in its campaign against Moscow. Russia also lashed out at the US sanctions, accusing Washington of playing unfairly and using new measures to squeeze Moscow out of the global arms market. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that "Washington's continued sanctions hysterics" dealt a new blow to US-Russia ties but could not immediately say if Moscow would retaliate, or how. The Chinese military expressed "strong indignation and resolute opposition" to the sanctions, the defence ministry said Saturday, echoing a foreign ministry statement the previous day. Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said the US move was a "a flagrant breach of basic rules of international relations" and "a stark show of hegemonism" that severely damages relations between the two countries and their militaries, according to the official Xinhua news agency. United in their resentment of America's global influence, China and Russia have sought in recent years to tighten up their ties and this month conducted week-long joint military drills in Moscow's largest ever war games. US officials said that the US could consider similar action against other countries taking delivery of Russian fighter jets and missiles. The State Department also placed 33 Russian intelligence and military-linked actors on its sanctions blacklist. All of them -- defence related firms, officers of the GRU military intelligence agency, and people associated with the Saint Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency disinformation group -- have been on previous US sanctions lists. A senior US administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, insisted the ultimate target was Russia and not "the defence capabilities" of third countries. CAATSA, or the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, was passed in 2017 as a tool that gives Washington more ways to target Russia, Iran and North Korea with economic and political sanctions.

China summons US ambassador over military sanctions

The US is not interested in regime change in Tehran, but wants it to change its behaviour and stop continuing with their terror threats to the world, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday as he described Iran as the world's "largest state sponsor of terror".

Earlier this year, the Trump administration had withdrawn from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed a series of tough sanctions on Iran.&nbsp;

While the first phase of sanctions is already in place, the sanctions would come into full force on November 4 and the US expects all countries, including India, to bring down their import of Iranian oil to zero by then.

"We have made very clear that regime change is not President (Donald) Trump's policy. We've laid out what it is we want from the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo told MSNBC in an interview.

The demand from the US, he said, is pretty straightforward.&nbsp;

"For starters, stop launching missiles into Riyadh, arming Hizbollah, and threatening Israel. How about ceasing to be the world's largest state sponsor of terror. These are simple demands that we make of every country in the world, and that's what we are looking for from Iran as well," Pompeo said.

"When the Islamic regime makes that change, we'll be happy to have a conversation with them. President Trump's made that very clear. But there's no signs that they're backing off continuing their terror threats around the world," he said.

In another interview with CNN, Pompeo alleged that Iran has been confronting the world as the world's largest state sponsor of terror for quite some time.

"They have armed militias the Lebanese Hizbollah, Kata'ib Hizballah, and militias in Iraq. They are arming the Houthis in Yemen, launching missiles into the Gulf states. The US has begun to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to prevent them from doing this. That's our mission," he said.

The Trump administration, he said, has told the Islamic Republic of Iran that using a proxy force to attack an American interest will not prevent US from responding against the prime actor.&nbsp;

"That is, we will not let Iran get away with using a proxy force to attack an American interest. Iran will be held accountable for those incidents," he said.

Pompeo said that Iran is going to be held accountable for those acts. "If they're responsible for the arming and training of these militias, we're going to go to the source," he said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to be the world's largest state sponsor of terror," Pompeo told Fox News in another interview.

"We are determined to stop that behaviour and to change the way the Iranian regime inflicts horrors all around the world," he said.&nbsp;

A good piece of that was President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which to him made no sense whatsoever, to begin to reimpose costs on Iran so that they don't have the wealth, the contacts around the world, and the capacity to inflict harm on the American people and others around the world.&nbsp;

"We're looking for our European partners to join us, but we have a big coalition that understands that these sanctions make sense and will continue to assist us in enforcing them," Pompeo told Fox News.

The US is not interested in regime change in Tehran, but wants it to change its behaviour and stop continuing with their terror threats to the world, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday as he described Iran as the world's "largest state sponsor of terror".

The US is not interested in regime change in Tehran, but wants it to change its behaviour and stop continuing with their terror threats to the world, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday as he described Iran as the world's "largest state sponsor of terror". Earlier this year, the Trump administration had withdrawn from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed a series of tough sanctions on Iran. While the first phase of sanctions is already in place, the sanctions would come into full force on November 4 and the US expects all countries, including India, to bring down their import of Iranian oil to zero by then. "We have made very clear that regime change is not President (Donald) Trump's policy. We've laid out what it is we want from the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo told MSNBC in an interview. The demand from the US, he said, is pretty straightforward. "For starters, stop launching missiles into Riyadh, arming Hizbollah, and threatening Israel. How about ceasing to be the world's largest state sponsor of terror. These are simple demands that we make of every country in the world, and that's what we are looking for from Iran as well," Pompeo said. "When the Islamic regime makes that change, we'll be happy to have a conversation with them. President Trump's made that very clear. But there's no signs that they're backing off continuing their terror threats around the world," he said. In another interview with CNN, Pompeo alleged that Iran has been confronting the world as the world's largest state sponsor of terror for quite some time. "They have armed militias the Lebanese Hizbollah, Kata'ib Hizballah, and militias in Iraq. They are arming the Houthis in Yemen, launching missiles into the Gulf states. The US has begun to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to prevent them from doing this. That's our mission," he said. The Trump administration, he said, has told the Islamic Republic of Iran that using a proxy force to attack an American interest will not prevent US from responding against the prime actor. "That is, we will not let Iran get away with using a proxy force to attack an American interest. Iran will be held accountable for those incidents," he said. Pompeo said that Iran is going to be held accountable for those acts. "If they're responsible for the arming and training of these militias, we're going to go to the source," he said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to be the world's largest state sponsor of terror," Pompeo told Fox News in another interview. "We are determined to stop that behaviour and to change the way the Iranian regime inflicts horrors all around the world," he said. A good piece of that was President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which to him made no sense whatsoever, to begin to reimpose costs on Iran so that they don't have the wealth, the contacts around the world, and the capacity to inflict harm on the American people and others around the world. "We're looking for our European partners to join us, but we have a big coalition that understands that these sanctions make sense and will continue to assist us in enforcing them," Pompeo told Fox News.

Not interested in regime change but want Iran to change its behaviour: Pompeo

US President Donald Trump will fail in his confrontation with Iran, just like Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, referring to the war between the two Middle Eastern powers and vowing that Tehran will not abandon its missiles.

Tensions have ramped up between Iran and the United States after Trump withdrew from a landmark multilateral nuclear deal in May and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic last month.

As Rouhani spoke, Iran began displaying its naval power in the Gulf during annual parades in the capital Tehran and the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf marking the start of the country’s 1980-88 war with Iraq.

Iran has suggested in recent weeks that it could take military action in the Gulf to block other countries’ oil exports in retaliation for US sanctions intended to halt its sales of crude.

Washington maintains a fleet in the Gulf that protects oil shipping routes.

"The same will happen to Trump. America will suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein," Rouhani said in a speech carried live by state television.

"Iran will not abandon its defensive weapons ... including its missiles that make America so angry," Rouhani said.

State media said about 600 vessels took part in the Gulf naval drill on Saturday, a day after Iran held aerial exercises in the waterway, vowing that a "pounding reply" awaited the country's enemies.

US President Donald Trump will fail in his confrontation with Iran, just like Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, referring to the war between the two Middle Eastern powers and vowing that Tehran will not abandon its missiles.

US President Donald Trump will fail in his confrontation with Iran, just like Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday, referring to the war between the two Middle Eastern powers and vowing that Tehran will not abandon its missiles. Tensions have ramped up between Iran and the United States after Trump withdrew from a landmark multilateral nuclear deal in May and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic last month. As Rouhani spoke, Iran began displaying its naval power in the Gulf during annual parades in the capital Tehran and the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf marking the start of the country’s 1980-88 war with Iraq. Iran has suggested in recent weeks that it could take military action in the Gulf to block other countries’ oil exports in retaliation for US sanctions intended to halt its sales of crude. Washington maintains a fleet in the Gulf that protects oil shipping routes. "The same will happen to Trump. America will suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein," Rouhani said in a speech carried live by state television. "Iran will not abandon its defensive weapons ... including its missiles that make America so angry," Rouhani said. State media said about 600 vessels took part in the Gulf naval drill on Saturday, a day after Iran held aerial exercises in the waterway, vowing that a "pounding reply" awaited the country's enemies.

Iran will defeat Trump just like it did Saddam, won't abandon missiles: Hassan Rouhani

US unveils new cyber security strategy: Russia and China stealing public information 

US: China is treating minorities horribly 

Iran hit back at a US&nbsp;offer of negotiations on Thursday, saying Washington had violated the terms of the last big deal they agreed, the 2015 nuclear accord.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump pulled out of that nuclear accord - which curbed Iran's atomic activities in return for sanctions relief - in May, saying it did not go far enough.

The US&nbsp;special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, said on Wednesday that Washington now wanted to negotiate a treaty that included Tehran's ballistic missile programme and its regional behaviour.

Hook said the new deal that Washington hoped to sign with Iran, would not be a "personal agreement between two governments like the last one, we seek a treaty."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter to dismiss the characterisation of last deal as a "personal agreement", saying it was "an int'l accord enshrined in a UN (Security Council resolution)".

"US&nbsp;has violated its treaty obligations too... Apparently, U.S. only mocks calls for peace," he added in the message that was attached to a video of a protester who took to the stage after Hook's speech, shouting that sanctions were hurting Iranian people.

The five other world powers that signed the 2015 accord with Iran - France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia - have been trying to salvage it, saying it offers the best chance to stop Iran developing a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its nuclear work is for electricity generation and other peaceful purposes.

Iran hit back at a US offer of negotiations on Thursday, saying Washington had violated the terms of the last big deal they agreed, the 2015 nuclear accord. US President Donald Trump pulled out of that nuclear accord - which curbed Iran's atomic activities in return for sanctions relief - in May, saying it did not go far enough.

Iran hit back at a US offer of negotiations on Thursday, saying Washington had violated the terms of the last big deal they agreed, the 2015 nuclear accord. US President Donald Trump pulled out of that nuclear accord - which curbed Iran's atomic activities in return for sanctions relief - in May, saying it did not go far enough. The US special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, said on Wednesday that Washington now wanted to negotiate a treaty that included Tehran's ballistic missile programme and its regional behaviour. Hook said the new deal that Washington hoped to sign with Iran, would not be a "personal agreement between two governments like the last one, we seek a treaty." Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter to dismiss the characterisation of last deal as a "personal agreement", saying it was "an int'l accord enshrined in a UN (Security Council resolution)". "US has violated its treaty obligations too... Apparently, U.S. only mocks calls for peace," he added in the message that was attached to a video of a protester who took to the stage after Hook's speech, shouting that sanctions were hurting Iranian people. The five other world powers that signed the 2015 accord with Iran - France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia - have been trying to salvage it, saying it offers the best chance to stop Iran developing a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its nuclear work is for electricity generation and other peaceful purposes.

Iran dismisses US offer of talks, says Washington broke last deal

The world is talking of this Summit as a historic moment with hopes that it will bring peace to Korean Peninsula. Reading between the lines, beyond the niceties and magnificent optics displayed, some realities do emerge, which will indicate that it is beginning of a great gamble by both sides. This issue had crossed the limit of being a bilateral one and it impacts other stakeholders as well, hence this may not be the last call on peace of Korean Peninsula. In real terms North Korea continues to be saddled with continued economic sanctions and US continues to be suspicious of implementation of the complete, irreversible, verifiable denuclearisation, hence will lift sanctions only 'when nukes are no longer an issue'. Both leaders can pat their back as the US has made Kim sign the document on denuclearisation in a manner it suits them, and Kim has been able to get the offensive military exercises/war games off his mind at least for some time, having bought time for the next step.

A happy ending Summit: Was there any other option?

The US and North Korea have called the Summit a historic success, but it was also a compulsion in light of lack of alternatives. It was the only practical option because a failed summit was not suiting either side. At the face value all world leaders have expressed happiness over the Summit and have hoped for a peaceful Korean Peninsula, but it needs to be analysed whether their concerns have been met or otherwise.

-US will continue to be apprehensive till it is verified that N Korea is no more capable to nuke its mainland. The US may have taken off the continuation of military exercises, but it is yet to be clarified if it is going to take off THAAD, which was a concern of China and Russia also.

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<h5>Kim can claim accolade over making President Trump talk to him through nuclear blackmail</h5>
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-North Korea having signed the document, will be forced to think that with economic sanctions being in place, was it a big gamble to give away its only strategic leverage? As an analyst, it looks too good to be true. It, however, remains to be seen that will China allow Kim to be stripped of all nukes. Kim can claim accolade over making President Trump talk to him through nuclear blackmail. This will enhance his credibility in his country as well as in the global arena.

-China highlighting its influence did talk of its efforts in getting both leaders together, but in a subtle message has indirectly shown concern about reasonable security and safety of North Korea. Kim had consulted President

Xi Jinping twice before the Summit, but it is not sure that the document signed is as per the narrative of President Xi or a variation of the same. China will also be concerned about THAAD and continued sanctions, leaving an ambiguity to send their trade items and essentialities to North Korea or otherwise.

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<h5>South Korea will be happy as its efforts to get the two leaders across the table have finally borne fruits, and there is a move forward</h5>
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-Japan will continue to be skeptical of North Korea, because even if North Korea does denuclearize, the missile threat will continue to loom over its territory, notwithstanding a remark by President Trump that Kim has agreed to destroy a missile site.

-South Korea will be happy as its efforts to get the two leaders across the table have finally borne fruits, and there is a move forward. They would genuinely look for peace, as Seoul is within reach of conventional weapons of North Korea.

-Russian may have to wait for clarifications on THAAD deployment, a concern they have been airing earlier.

-India will welcome a peaceful Korean Peninsula but would be keen on some control on North Korea on an alleged proliferation of missile technology to Pakistan.

It remains to be seen as to what the future has for Korean Peninsula, but it was interesting to see the diplomatic negotiations at its best in the run-up for the Summit. It was a commendable diplomatic breakthrough after decades of hostility, but there is still no guarantee that North Korea would follow it up. Equally interesting were the two unpredictable leaders conducting themselves with grace and maturity in a well-choreographed event. It will also be interesting to see that in case of leakages in sanctions by any third country, how will the US respond after display of such niceties? The final test will be the response of North Korea to the international inspectors of nukes.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

It remains to be seen as to what the future has for Korean Peninsula, but it was interesting to see the diplomatic negotiations at its best in the run-up for the Summit

The world is talking of this Summit as a historic moment with hopes that it will bring peace to Korean Peninsula. Reading between the lines, beyond the niceties and magnificent optics displayed, some realities do emerge, which will indicate that it is beginning of a great gamble by both sides. This issue had crossed the limit of being a bilateral one and it impacts other stakeholders as well, hence this may not be the last call on peace of Korean Peninsula. In real terms North Korea continues to be saddled with continued economic sanctions and US continues to be suspicious of implementation of the complete, irreversible, verifiable denuclearisation, hence will lift sanctions only 'when nukes are no longer an issue'. Both leaders can pat their back as the US has made Kim sign the document on denuclearisation in a manner it suits them, and Kim has been able to get the offensive military exercises/war games off his mind at least for some time, having bought time for the next step. A happy ending Summit: Was there any other option? The US and North Korea have called the Summit a historic success, but it was also a compulsion in light of lack of alternatives. It was the only practical option because a failed summit was not suiting either side. At the face value all world leaders have expressed happiness over the Summit and have hoped for a peaceful Korean Peninsula, but it needs to be analysed whether their concerns have been met or otherwise. -US will continue to be apprehensive till it is verified that N Korea is no more capable to nuke its mainland. The US may have taken off the continuation of military exercises, but it is yet to be clarified if it is going to take off THAAD, which was a concern of China and Russia also. Kim can claim accolade over making President Trump talk to him through nuclear blackmail × -North Korea having signed the document, will be forced to think that with economic sanctions being in place, was it a big gamble to give away its only strategic leverage? As an analyst, it looks too good to be true. It, however, remains to be seen that will China allow Kim to be stripped of all nukes. Kim can claim accolade over making President Trump talk to him through nuclear blackmail. This will enhance his credibility in his country as well as in the global arena. -China highlighting its influence did talk of its efforts in getting both leaders together, but in a subtle message has indirectly shown concern about reasonable security and safety of North Korea. Kim had consulted President Xi Jinping twice before the Summit, but it is not sure that the document signed is as per the narrative of President Xi or a variation of the same. China will also be concerned about THAAD and continued sanctions, leaving an ambiguity to send their trade items and essentialities to North Korea or otherwise. South Korea will be happy as its efforts to get the two leaders across the table have finally borne fruits, and there is a move forward × -Japan will continue to be skeptical of North Korea, because even if North Korea does denuclearize, the missile threat will continue to loom over its territory, notwithstanding a remark by President Trump that Kim has agreed to destroy a missile site. -South Korea will be happy as its efforts to get the two leaders across the table have finally borne fruits, and there is a move forward. They would genuinely look for peace, as Seoul is within reach of conventional weapons of North Korea. -Russian may have to wait for clarifications on THAAD deployment, a concern they have been airing earlier. -India will welcome a peaceful Korean Peninsula but would be keen on some control on North Korea on an alleged proliferation of missile technology to Pakistan. It remains to be seen as to what the future has for Korean Peninsula, but it was interesting to see the diplomatic negotiations at its best in the run-up for the Summit. It was a commendable diplomatic breakthrough after decades of hostility, but there is still no guarantee that North Korea would follow it up. Equally interesting were the two unpredictable leaders conducting themselves with grace and maturity in a well-choreographed event. It will also be interesting to see that in case of leakages in sanctions by any third country, how will the US respond after display of such niceties? The final test will be the response of North Korea to the international inspectors of nukes. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Trump-Kim Summit was a gamble beyond optics

North Korea's Kim Jong Un understands that denuclearisation must happen "quickly", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday, warning there will be no sanctions relief for Pyongyang until the process is complete.

Pompeo said Washington remained committed to the "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearisation of North Korea, after the joint statement from the US-North Korea summit in Singapore drew criticism for lack of detail on the key issue.

"We believe that Kim Jong Un understands the urgency... that we must do this quickly," he said of the effort to have North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons.

Washington's top diplomat is in Seoul to brief his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on Tuesday's historic talks -- the first between sitting leaders of the two countries -- after which a triumphant President Donald Trump said the world can "sleep well".

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/we-got-along-from-the-beginning-trump-says-of-kim-commentators-say-us-prez-got-outfoxed-144089">'We got along from the beginning,' Trump says of Kim. Commentators say Trump got outfoxed</a>

Following the summit, Trump said the US would halt its "provocative" joint military drills with South Korea as long as negotiations are ongoing with the North, an announcement that caught Seoul by surprise.

But the US-South Korea alliance remains "as robust as ever", Seoul's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha said at a press conference with Pompeo and Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono.

Pompeo is scheduled to fly to Beijing to meet his Chinese counterpart after the meetings in Seoul.

The comment was made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who added that there would be no sanctions relief for Pyongyang until the process is complete

North Korea's Kim Jong Un understands that denuclearisation must happen "quickly", US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday, warning there will be no sanctions relief for Pyongyang until the process is complete. Pompeo said Washington remained committed to the "complete, verifiable and irreversible" denuclearisation of North Korea, after the joint statement from the US-North Korea summit in Singapore drew criticism for lack of detail on the key issue. "We believe that Kim Jong Un understands the urgency... that we must do this quickly," he said of the effort to have North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons. Washington's top diplomat is in Seoul to brief his South Korean and Japanese counterparts on Tuesday's historic talks -- the first between sitting leaders of the two countries -- after which a triumphant President Donald Trump said the world can "sleep well". Also read: 'We got along from the beginning,' Trump says of Kim. Commentators say Trump got outfoxed Following the summit, Trump said the US would halt its "provocative" joint military drills with South Korea as long as negotiations are ongoing with the North, an announcement that caught Seoul by surprise. But the US-South Korea alliance remains "as robust as ever", Seoul's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha said at a press conference with Pompeo and Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono. Pompeo is scheduled to fly to Beijing to meet his Chinese counterpart after the meetings in Seoul.

Kim Jong-Un knows denuclearisation must be 'quick': US

The US should express publicly that China needs to engage in a meaningful and direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told lawmakers, ahead of his visit to Beijing.

In response to written questions from Members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Pompeo said he was committed to press for respect of human rights for Tibetans, including freedom of religion and belief, in his conversations with the Chinese officials, and advocating for the release of Tibetan political prisoners.

Pompeo will visit China tomorrow and will exchange views with his Chinese counterpart on bilateral ties and major global and regional issues of common concern , Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said today.

"I will recommend that the United States express publicly, and at the highest levels of government that Chinese authorities need to engage in meaningful and direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to lower tensions and resolve differences," Pompeo said.

Pompeo said he will also raise concerns about the lack of regular access to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) for US journalists, diplomats, academics and others.

The written answers to the questions were submitted by Pompeo as part of his confirmation process. These answers were recently released by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The top American diplomat assured the lawmakers that he will fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act and in particular "will urge China to cease restrictions on the human rights of Tibetans as well as their religious, linguistic and cultural traditions and practices.

"I will be committed to pressing for respect for human rights, including freedom of religion and belief, in my conversations with Chinese officials, and advocating for the release of Tibetan political prisoners," he said.

On the issue of the Chinese government's interference on religious freedom and the reincarnation process of the Dalai Lama, Pompeo committed himself to "press the Chinese government to respect the legitimacy of Tibetan Buddhists' religious practices. This includes the decisions of Tibetan Buddhists in selecting, educating, and venerating the lamas who lead the faith, such as the Dalai Lama," he said.

In its latest Tibet negotiations report sent to the Congress, the Trump administration said it was concerned by the Chinese government's interference in the selection, education and veneration of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders.

China says that the successor to the Dalai Lama must be chosen according to the religious rituals and historical conventions as well as the backing from the ruling Communist Party.

Last year, the Chinese foreign ministry said the successor to the Dharamshala-based 14th Dalai Lama must be chosen according to the religious rituals and historical conventions, including drawing of lots from the Golden Urn in front of the Shakyamuni (Buddha) statue at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, followed by the mandatory approval from the ruling Communist Party of China.

Since he fled Tibet in 1959 to escape from the Chinese occupation, the Dalai Lama, 82, has been keeping China on tenterhooks about his successor.&nbsp

Pompeo will visit China tomorrow and will exchange views with his Chinese counterpart on bilateral ties and major global and regional issues of common concern , Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said today

The US should express publicly that China needs to engage in a meaningful and direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told lawmakers, ahead of his visit to Beijing. In response to written questions from Members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Pompeo said he was committed to press for respect of human rights for Tibetans, including freedom of religion and belief, in his conversations with the Chinese officials, and advocating for the release of Tibetan political prisoners. Pompeo will visit China tomorrow and will exchange views with his Chinese counterpart on bilateral ties and major global and regional issues of common concern , Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said today. "I will recommend that the United States express publicly, and at the highest levels of government that Chinese authorities need to engage in meaningful and direct dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to lower tensions and resolve differences," Pompeo said. Pompeo said he will also raise concerns about the lack of regular access to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) for US journalists, diplomats, academics and others. The written answers to the questions were submitted by Pompeo as part of his confirmation process. These answers were recently released by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The top American diplomat assured the lawmakers that he will fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act and in particular "will urge China to cease restrictions on the human rights of Tibetans as well as their religious, linguistic and cultural traditions and practices. "I will be committed to pressing for respect for human rights, including freedom of religion and belief, in my conversations with Chinese officials, and advocating for the release of Tibetan political prisoners," he said. On the issue of the Chinese government's interference on religious freedom and the reincarnation process of the Dalai Lama, Pompeo committed himself to "press the Chinese government to respect the legitimacy of Tibetan Buddhists' religious practices. This includes the decisions of Tibetan Buddhists in selecting, educating, and venerating the lamas who lead the faith, such as the Dalai Lama," he said. In its latest Tibet negotiations report sent to the Congress, the Trump administration said it was concerned by the Chinese government's interference in the selection, education and veneration of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders. China says that the successor to the Dalai Lama must be chosen according to the religious rituals and historical conventions as well as the backing from the ruling Communist Party. Last year, the Chinese foreign ministry said the successor to the Dharamshala-based 14th Dalai Lama must be chosen according to the religious rituals and historical conventions, including drawing of lots from the Golden Urn in front of the Shakyamuni (Buddha) statue at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, followed by the mandatory approval from the ruling Communist Party of China. Since he fled Tibet in 1959 to escape from the Chinese occupation, the Dalai Lama, 82, has been keeping China on tenterhooks about his successor.

US should express China engages in direct dialogue with Dalai Lama: Pompeo

Washington, Jun 13 (PTI) India and the US have agreed to hold official-level comprehensive talks to address trade and economic issues, days after President Donald Trump accused New Delhi of charging 100 per cent tariff on some of the US' goods.

The decision in this regard was taken during a series of meetings visiting Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu had with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

"We will now work together to expand (bilateral) trade," Prabhu told a group of Indian reporters here yesterday at the conclusion of his two-day trip to the US.&nbsp

India will send an official team to work out the details and initiate a comprehensive negotiation on all issues concerning trade and economic relationship between the two countries. "The team will come within the next few days," Prabhu said.&nbsp

Acknowledging that both sides have trade and tariff issues with each other, the minister said officials would hold talks on all of them.&nbsp

President Trump, in a press conference in Canada's Quebec City where he attended the G7 summit, took a swipe at India along with the world's other top economies and accused New Delhi of charging 100 per cent tariff on some of the US' goods, as he threatened to cut trade ties with countries who are robbing America.

Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Singh Sarna said New Delhi has written to the US on steel and aluminum tariff.&nbsp

A full-fledged case has been made by India for waiver of steel and aluminum tariffs, he added. "It has been a very positive engagement."

In addition to Ross and Lighthizer, Prabhu held talks with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. He also met two powerful Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner - the two co-chairs of the Senate India caucus.

"The meetings were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere, with appreciation for each other's points of view. Discussions centered around bilateral trade and commercial relations between the two countries and focused on finding the way forward to address concerns of both sides," the Indian Embassy said in a readout of the meetings.

"In this context, it was agreed that Indian and US officials would meet at a senior level at an early date to discuss various issues of interest to both sides and carry forward the discussions in a positive, constructive and result oriented manner," it said.

During his two-day visit to Washington DC, Prabhu addressed business and industry leaders in meetings organised by US-India Business Council (USIBC) and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and held meetings with other stakeholders.

"It's a great time to join hands with each other. And that's the realisation within the (Trump) administration as well. Therefore, we have really decided to move on. As you know, we always hear the trade disputes between US and India, but when I had meeting with the USTR, with the Commerce Secretary, with Agriculture Secretary, with Senators, it is very clear that we must move on, keep the issues behind," Prabhu told industry leaders at a reception hosted by USIBC in association with the FICCI and Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

In his interaction with industry leaders at an event organised by the USISPF, Prabhu spoke about the improvements that have been made in the trade relationship, including trade deficit reduction.&nbsp

"Every great partnership has areas of agreement and disagreement. I'm hopeful that the US investment corridor is only going to grow, and I'm confident that we will be able to bridge our gaps," Prabhu noted.

The industry interaction included senior officials from leading US companies such as: Boston Scientific, FedEx, Walmart, Abbott, UTC, Honeywell, PhRMA, MoneyGram International, Lockheed Martin, Koch Industries, Amway, Uber, 21st Century Fox, and Medtronic.

Noting that India and the US have an important strategic relationship and shared goals, USIBC president Nisha Desai Biswal said the council is a constructive partner in achieving the full potential of the US-India commercial opportunity.

The USIBC roundtable organised in association with the CII comprised of US and Indian industry giants from the energy, aerospace, ICT, life sciences and defence sectors who reiterated India's position as a critical market while also raising issues facing their companies such as data localization and price controls, as well as public procurement and operational hurdles.

In engaging with critical stakeholders, Prabhu highlighted the ongoing policy reforms being pursued by India to improve its business climate and remove bureaucratic hurdles.&nbsp

Prabhu noted that India will soon release its new Industrial Policy, aimed at transforming India into a modern, flourishing, economic powerhouse.&nbsp

During the interaction, he emphasized the importance of a dispute redressal mechanism, and resolving such issues together in a way that does not derail but rather strengthens bilateral ties.&nbsp

Under Trump, trade dispute between India and the US has increased, with his administration asking New Delhi to lower its trade barriers and open up its market.&nbsp

Trump has repeatedly raked up the issue of India imposing high import duty on the iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles and threatened to increase the import tariff on "thousands and thousands" of Indian motorcycles to the US.&nbsp

Trump had at the recent G7 summit taken a swipe at the world's top economies and India, accusing New Delhi of charging a 100 per cent tariff on some of the US' goods

Washington, Jun 13 (PTI) India and the US have agreed to hold official-level comprehensive talks to address trade and economic issues, days after President Donald Trump accused New Delhi of charging 100 per cent tariff on some of the US' goods. The decision in this regard was taken during a series of meetings visiting Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu had with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. "We will now work together to expand (bilateral) trade," Prabhu told a group of Indian reporters here yesterday at the conclusion of his two-day trip to the US. India will send an official team to work out the details and initiate a comprehensive negotiation on all issues concerning trade and economic relationship between the two countries. "The team will come within the next few days," Prabhu said. Acknowledging that both sides have trade and tariff issues with each other, the minister said officials would hold talks on all of them. President Trump, in a press conference in Canada's Quebec City where he attended the G7 summit, took a swipe at India along with the world's other top economies and accused New Delhi of charging 100 per cent tariff on some of the US' goods, as he threatened to cut trade ties with countries who are robbing America. Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Singh Sarna said New Delhi has written to the US on steel and aluminum tariff. A full-fledged case has been made by India for waiver of steel and aluminum tariffs, he added. "It has been a very positive engagement." In addition to Ross and Lighthizer, Prabhu held talks with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. He also met two powerful Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner - the two co-chairs of the Senate India caucus. "The meetings were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere, with appreciation for each other's points of view. Discussions centered around bilateral trade and commercial relations between the two countries and focused on finding the way forward to address concerns of both sides," the Indian Embassy said in a readout of the meetings. "In this context, it was agreed that Indian and US officials would meet at a senior level at an early date to discuss various issues of interest to both sides and carry forward the discussions in a positive, constructive and result oriented manner," it said. During his two-day visit to Washington DC, Prabhu addressed business and industry leaders in meetings organised by US-India Business Council (USIBC) and US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) and held meetings with other stakeholders. "It's a great time to join hands with each other. And that's the realisation within the (Trump) administration as well. Therefore, we have really decided to move on. As you know, we always hear the trade disputes between US and India, but when I had meeting with the USTR, with the Commerce Secretary, with Agriculture Secretary, with Senators, it is very clear that we must move on, keep the issues behind," Prabhu told industry leaders at a reception hosted by USIBC in association with the FICCI and Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. In his interaction with industry leaders at an event organised by the USISPF, Prabhu spoke about the improvements that have been made in the trade relationship, including trade deficit reduction. "Every great partnership has areas of agreement and disagreement. I'm hopeful that the US investment corridor is only going to grow, and I'm confident that we will be able to bridge our gaps," Prabhu noted. The industry interaction included senior officials from leading US companies such as: Boston Scientific, FedEx, Walmart, Abbott, UTC, Honeywell, PhRMA, MoneyGram International, Lockheed Martin, Koch Industries, Amway, Uber, 21st Century Fox, and Medtronic. Noting that India and the US have an important strategic relationship and shared goals, USIBC president Nisha Desai Biswal said the council is a constructive partner in achieving the full potential of the US-India commercial opportunity. The USIBC roundtable organised in association with the CII comprised of US and Indian industry giants from the energy, aerospace, ICT, life sciences and defence sectors who reiterated India's position as a critical market while also raising issues facing their companies such as data localization and price controls, as well as public procurement and operational hurdles. In engaging with critical stakeholders, Prabhu highlighted the ongoing policy reforms being pursued by India to improve its business climate and remove bureaucratic hurdles. Prabhu noted that India will soon release its new Industrial Policy, aimed at transforming India into a modern, flourishing, economic powerhouse. During the interaction, he emphasized the importance of a dispute redressal mechanism, and resolving such issues together in a way that does not derail but rather strengthens bilateral ties. Under Trump, trade dispute between India and the US has increased, with his administration asking New Delhi to lower its trade barriers and open up its market. Trump has repeatedly raked up the issue of India imposing high import duty on the iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles and threatened to increase the import tariff on "thousands and thousands" of Indian motorcycles to the US.

After Trump accuses Delhi of high tariffs, US & India agree to hold trade talks

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's brother and PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif has asked India to resume peace talks with Islamabad, saying the Singapore summit between the US and North Korea should set a good precedent for both the bickering neighbours to follow.

Marking an epoch in the history of the decades-long tense relationship between the US and North Korea, leaders of the two countries yesterday met in Singapore for a summit where the North's Kim Jong-un pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearisation" in return for security guarantees from Washington.&nbsp;

"Ever since the start of Korean War, the two nations have been at odds with one another - both threatening to use military force with their nuclear arsenals facing each other.

"If the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same ... Beginning with a dialogue on Kashmir whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation," Shahbaz Sharif said in a series of tweets.

He further said: "It is time for comprehensive peace talks in our region. International community must focus on the peace process in Afghanistan. Dialogue between Pakistan and India over Kashmir should also resume so that the long-festering Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with the UN resolutions."

This is a rare statement from Shahbaz Sharif on India, contrary to his elder brother (Nawaz Sharif) whose one of the major reasons behind his ouster, as many political pundits here say, was his efforts to normalise ties with New Delhi.

Shahbaz, who is a prime ministerial candidate from his party, also asked India to leave behind the past tensions between the arch-rivals and starts afresh.

"The US and North Korea talks should be a role model for Pakistan and Indian. If they can return from their previous hostile positions of attacking each other, Pakistan and India can also resume composite dialogue," he said.

The leader said a dialogue between Pakistan and India over Kashmir was needed to resolve the long-festering dispute in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.

The PML-N chief said if his party returns to power in&nbsp;July 25&nbsp;elections, it will promote peace in the region with a focus on Afghanistan, as peace in Afghanistan is "inextricably intertwined" with peace and security in Pakistan.

He welcomed the initiatives mooted by the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban for ceasefire in Afghanistan during Eid-ul-Fitr.

Terming it as a positive first step towards promoting an Afghan-led Afghan-owned peace process, Shahbaz said the PML-N government had played a pivotal role in initiating steps for peace in Afghanistan, including hosting the first-ever direct, face-to-face talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban in Murree in July 2015.

Ever since the start of Korean War, the two nations have been at odds with one another - both threatening to use military force with their nuclear arsenals facing each other

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's brother and PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif has asked India to resume peace talks with Islamabad, saying the Singapore summit between the US and North Korea should set a good precedent for both the bickering neighbours to follow. Marking an epoch in the history of the decades-long tense relationship between the US and North Korea, leaders of the two countries yesterday met in Singapore for a summit where the North's Kim Jong-un pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearisation" in return for security guarantees from Washington. "Ever since the start of Korean War, the two nations have been at odds with one another - both threatening to use military force with their nuclear arsenals facing each other. "If the United States and North Korea can return from the brink of a nuclear flashpoint, there is no reason why Pakistan and India cannot do the same ... Beginning with a dialogue on Kashmir whose heroic people have resisted and rejected Indian occupation," Shahbaz Sharif said in a series of tweets. He further said: "It is time for comprehensive peace talks in our region. International community must focus on the peace process in Afghanistan. Dialogue between Pakistan and India over Kashmir should also resume so that the long-festering Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with the UN resolutions." This is a rare statement from Shahbaz Sharif on India, contrary to his elder brother (Nawaz Sharif) whose one of the major reasons behind his ouster, as many political pundits here say, was his efforts to normalise ties with New Delhi. Shahbaz, who is a prime ministerial candidate from his party, also asked India to leave behind the past tensions between the arch-rivals and starts afresh. "The US and North Korea talks should be a role model for Pakistan and Indian. If they can return from their previous hostile positions of attacking each other, Pakistan and India can also resume composite dialogue," he said. The leader said a dialogue between Pakistan and India over Kashmir was needed to resolve the long-festering dispute in accordance with the United Nations resolutions. The PML-N chief said if his party returns to power in July 25 elections, it will promote peace in the region with a focus on Afghanistan, as peace in Afghanistan is "inextricably intertwined" with peace and security in Pakistan. He welcomed the initiatives mooted by the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban for ceasefire in Afghanistan during Eid-ul-Fitr. Terming it as a positive first step towards promoting an Afghan-led Afghan-owned peace process, Shahbaz said the PML-N government had played a pivotal role in initiating steps for peace in Afghanistan, including hosting the first-ever direct, face-to-face talks between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban in Murree in July 2015.

After US-North Korea summit, PML-N chief Shahbaz Sharif asks India to follow suit

The United States government has approved a deal to sell the Indian military six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million, the State Department said Tuesday.

The agreement has been passed to the US Congress for approval, but if no US lawmaker raises an objection the contract is expected to go ahead.

Boeing and Indian partner Tata have begun to produce Apache fuselages at a plant in India, but Tuesday's approval concerns a direct sale of finished products from US manufacturers.

The lead contractors are US arms, aviation and engineering giants Lockheed Martin, General Electric and Raytheon.&nbsp

In addition to aircraft, the contract includes night vision sensors, GPS guidance and hundreds of Hellfire anti-armor and Stinger air-to-air missiles.

"This support for the AH-64E will provide an increase in India's defensive capability to counter ground-armoured threats and modernize its armed forces," the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said, in a statement.&nbsp

"India will have no difficulty absorbing the helicopters and support equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region."

The agreement has been passed to the US Congress for approval, but if no US lawmaker raises an objection the contract is expected to go ahead.

The United States government has approved a deal to sell the Indian military six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for $930 million, the State Department said Tuesday. The agreement has been passed to the US Congress for approval, but if no US lawmaker raises an objection the contract is expected to go ahead. Boeing and Indian partner Tata have begun to produce Apache fuselages at a plant in India, but Tuesday's approval concerns a direct sale of finished products from US manufacturers. The lead contractors are US arms, aviation and engineering giants Lockheed Martin, General Electric and Raytheon. In addition to aircraft, the contract includes night vision sensors, GPS guidance and hundreds of Hellfire anti-armor and Stinger air-to-air missiles. "This support for the AH-64E will provide an increase in India's defensive capability to counter ground-armoured threats and modernize its armed forces," the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said, in a statement. "India will have no difficulty absorbing the helicopters and support equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region."

US clears $930 million deal to sell 6 Apache helicopters to India

The United Nations General Assembly will vote Wednesday on condemning Israel for Palestinian deaths in Gaza in a resolution fiercely opposed by the United States, which wants Hamas to face condemnation.&nbsp

US Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed the Arab-backed measure as "fundamentally imbalanced" for its failure to mention Hamas and has proposed an amendment that condemns the Palestinian militant group.

"Any resolution focused on the protection of civilians in Gaza must recognize the destabilizing and reckless actions of Hamas, which endanger the lives and livelihoods of innocent civilians," Haley wrote in a letter sent to fellow ambassadors on the eve of the vote.

At least 129 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire during protests near the border with Gaza that began at the end of March.

The Arab-drafted text condemns Israel's use of "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" against Palestinian civilians and calls for protection measures for Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The 193-nation assembly will vote first on the US-drafted amendment condemning Hamas for "inciting violence" along the border with Gaza before the vote on the resolution.&nbsp

Diplomats expect the US amendment to fail and the Arab-backed resolution to be adopted, but it remains unclear how many votes it will garner in the face of strong US opposition.

Arab countries backing the measure turned to the General Assembly after the United States used its veto in the Security Council to block the resolution on June 1.

The text was put forward by Algeria and Turkey on behalf of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed the Arab-backed measure as 'fundamentally imbalanced' for its failure to mention Hamas and has proposed an amendment that condemns the Palestinian militant group

The United Nations General Assembly will vote Wednesday on condemning Israel for Palestinian deaths in Gaza in a resolution fiercely opposed by the United States, which wants Hamas to face condemnation. US Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed the Arab-backed measure as "fundamentally imbalanced" for its failure to mention Hamas and has proposed an amendment that condemns the Palestinian militant group. "Any resolution focused on the protection of civilians in Gaza must recognize the destabilizing and reckless actions of Hamas, which endanger the lives and livelihoods of innocent civilians," Haley wrote in a letter sent to fellow ambassadors on the eve of the vote. At least 129 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire during protests near the border with Gaza that began at the end of March. The Arab-drafted text condemns Israel's use of "excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate force" against Palestinian civilians and calls for protection measures for Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The 193-nation assembly will vote first on the US-drafted amendment condemning Hamas for "inciting violence" along the border with Gaza before the vote on the resolution. Diplomats expect the US amendment to fail and the Arab-backed resolution to be adopted, but it remains unclear how many votes it will garner in the face of strong US opposition. Arab countries backing the measure turned to the General Assembly after the United States used its veto in the Security Council to block the resolution on June 1. The text was put forward by Algeria and Turkey on behalf of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

UN votes on condemning Israel over Gaza violence

US President Donald Trump congratulated North American (US, Mexico and Canada) countries over winning the joint bid to host the football World Cup 2026.

The US will be hosting the FIFA World Cup after 1994, and Mexico after 1986. For Canda, this is the first opportunity to host the football carnival.

On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, delegates from 207 nations gathered and delivered a clear result.

The North American bid received 134 of the 203 votes, while Morocco polled 65 in the ballot at a FIFA Congress held in Moscow.

US President Trump expressed joy via Twitter from his official handle, he said, "The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup. Congratulations - a great deal of hard work!"

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The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup. Congratulations - a great deal of hard work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1006866089110892545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The North American bid received 134 of the 203 votes, while Morocco polled 65 in the ballot

US President Donald Trump congratulated North American (US, Mexico and Canada) countries over winning the joint bid to host the football World Cup 2026. The US will be hosting the FIFA World Cup after 1994, and Mexico after 1986. For Canda, this is the first opportunity to host the football carnival. On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, delegates from 207 nations gathered and delivered a clear result. The North American bid received 134 of the 203 votes, while Morocco polled 65 in the ballot at a FIFA Congress held in Moscow. US President Trump expressed joy via Twitter from his official handle, he said, "The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup. Congratulations - a great deal of hard work!" The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup. Congratulations - a great deal of hard work! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018 ×

President Trump congratulates US, Mexico, Canada on World Cup 2026 bid victory

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will return to Goa on Friday (June 15), according to the Goa chief minister office sources.

Parrikar was in the United States for medical attention as he had reportedly contracted pancreatic cancer.

Last month, in a video message, Parrikar said that his treatment was giving successful results.

Before moving to the United States for further medical treatment, Goa chief minister was hospitalised at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on February 15, following mild pancreatitis problems and was discharged from there on February 22.

Parrikar was in the United States for medical attention as he had reportedly contracted pancreatic cancer

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will return to Goa on Friday (June 15), according to the Goa chief minister office sources. Parrikar was in the United States for medical attention as he had reportedly contracted pancreatic cancer. Last month, in a video message, Parrikar said that his treatment was giving successful results. Before moving to the United States for further medical treatment, Goa chief minister was hospitalised at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on February 15, following mild pancreatitis problems and was discharged from there on February 22.

Parrikar likely to return to Goa on Friday

China urges all parties concerned to the Korean Peninsula issue to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts to find a political settlement of the Peninsula issue, said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang.

Geng, the spokesman, made the remarks at a regular briefing in Beijing&nbsp;on Wednesday.

The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and US&nbsp;President Donald Trump met in Singapore&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;for a landmark summit. The two leaders signed a "comprehensive" joint statement after their summit. The United States would be committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK in exchange for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Geng said that a good beginning is half done.

"We think that after a long time of hostility and confrontation between the DPRK and the US, it was of great and positive historic significance for the top leaders of the two countries to sit together and have dialogue on an equal footing. The achievements reached by the two leaders are an important step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, ending hostility and confrontation, and pursuing lasting peace and prosperity of the peninsula. The Korean Peninsula issue has its complexity and particularity, which cannot be resolved overnight. It requires all parties to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts over the Korean Peninsula issue," said Geng.

Geng said China hopes and supports the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, promote follow-up consultations, further consolidate and expand the achievements, and make the political settlement of the Peninsula issue a sustainable and irreversible process.

"As a close neighbor of the peninsula and an important party to the issue, China stands ready to work with other relevant parties toward denuclearization and the establishment of a mechanism for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and make positive efforts and contribution to early realization of long-term peace and stability of the peninsula," said Geng.

Geng also reiterated China's stance over the sanctions that United Nations (UN) has imposed on DPRK when answering a reporter's question.

"China always believes that sanctions are not the goals. All parties should support and cooperate with the efforts of diplomatic dialogues and denuclearization, and push forward the process of political settlement of the Peninsula issue," said Geng.

&nbsp;

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The two leaders signed a "comprehensive" joint statement after their summit

China urges all parties concerned to the Korean Peninsula issue to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts to find a political settlement of the Peninsula issue, said Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang. Geng, the spokesman, made the remarks at a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday. The top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump met in Singapore on Tuesday for a landmark summit. The two leaders signed a "comprehensive" joint statement after their summit. The United States would be committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK in exchange for Pyongyang's commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Geng said that a good beginning is half done. "We think that after a long time of hostility and confrontation between the DPRK and the US, it was of great and positive historic significance for the top leaders of the two countries to sit together and have dialogue on an equal footing. The achievements reached by the two leaders are an important step toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, ending hostility and confrontation, and pursuing lasting peace and prosperity of the peninsula. The Korean Peninsula issue has its complexity and particularity, which cannot be resolved overnight. It requires all parties to build perseverance, maintain patience and make unremitting efforts over the Korean Peninsula issue," said Geng. Geng said China hopes and supports the two sides to implement the consensus reached by the two leaders, promote follow-up consultations, further consolidate and expand the achievements, and make the political settlement of the Peninsula issue a sustainable and irreversible process. "As a close neighbor of the peninsula and an important party to the issue, China stands ready to work with other relevant parties toward denuclearization and the establishment of a mechanism for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and make positive efforts and contribution to early realization of long-term peace and stability of the peninsula," said Geng. Geng also reiterated China's stance over the sanctions that United Nations (UN) has imposed on DPRK when answering a reporter's question. "China always believes that sanctions are not the goals. All parties should support and cooperate with the efforts of diplomatic dialogues and denuclearization, and push forward the process of political settlement of the Peninsula issue," said Geng.

China urges perseverance, patience from all parties over Korean Peninsula

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