A 61-year-old man from California, US is in headlines for his belief that the Earth is flat like a frisbee. Mike Hughes launched himself into the sky in a self-made steam-powered rocket on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;

According to reports, Hughes went as high as 1,875 feet in a rocket that has 'FLAT EARTH' painted on it.

The rocket was launched around 3 pm Pacific time on Saturday and reached its maximum speed at around 350 miles per hour.

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The 61-year-old limo driver believes that the Earth is flat and is on a mission to prove the same to the world. Hughes aims at propelling himself to at least 52 miles above the Earth's surface in order to prove that the planet is flat.

The rocket launch was supposed to happen in November last year but was postponed owing to delay in acquiring necessary permits.

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Another attempt was made in February this year but the rocket failed to ignite during the launch attempt.&nbsp;

 
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The rocket launch was supposed to happen in November last year but was postponed owing to delay in acquiring necessary permits

A 61-year-old man from California, US is in headlines for his belief that the Earth is flat like a frisbee. Mike Hughes launched himself into the sky in a self-made steam-powered rocket on Saturday afternoon. According to reports, Hughes went as high as 1,875 feet in a rocket that has 'FLAT EARTH' painted on it. The rocket was launched around 3 pm Pacific time on Saturday and reached its maximum speed at around 350 miles per hour. × The 61-year-old limo driver believes that the Earth is flat and is on a mission to prove the same to the world. Hughes aims at propelling himself to at least 52 miles above the Earth's surface in order to prove that the planet is flat. The rocket launch was supposed to happen in November last year but was postponed owing to delay in acquiring necessary permits. × Another attempt was made in February this year but the rocket failed to ignite during the launch attempt.

US: Man makes rocket, gets in, hits launch

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">The US government has added seven Pakistani firms to a list of foreign entities that pose a “significant risk” to its national security and interests by allegedly engaging in nuclear trade, denting Islamabad’s bid to join the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). A total of 23 entities were added to the list that was published in the US Federal Register last week by the country’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Besides the Pakistani firms, the list includes 15 entities from South Sudan and one from Singapore.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">The list prepared by the US BIS has declared that all seven Pakistani firms are “reasonably believed to be involved, or to pose a significant risk of being or becoming involved, in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States”. Now all 23 entities face stringent export control measures, which could prevent them from international trade.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">Among the seven Pakistani companies, three are listed for “their involvement in the proliferation of unsafeguarded nuclear activities that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy interests of the US”.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">Two are accused of procuring supplies for nuclear-related entities already on the list and the remaining two are accused of acting as fronts for listed entities. An eighth Pakistani entity is based in Singapore.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">The End-user Review Committee (ERC) of the US Department of Commerce determined that Mushko Logistics, Singapore, and Mushko Electronics, Pakistan, should be added to the list on the grounds that they procured items for several Pakistani entities on the entity list. So far Pakistan authorities have not commented on the US move to sanction the companies.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">The ERC determined that Solutions Engineering, Pakistan should be added to the list based on its involvement in activities contrary to US national security and foreign policy interests. Specifically, the ERC determined that this entity has been involved in the procurement of US-origin items on behalf of nuclear-related entities in Pakistan that are already on the ERC list.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">For the remaining five Pakistani entities, the ERC determined that three of the entities, Akhtar & Munir, Proficient Engineers and Pervaiz Commercial Trading Co (PCTC), be added based for their “involvement in the proliferation of unsafeguarded nuclear activities that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy interests of the US”.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">The ERC also determined that Marine Systems&nbspbe added to the list for assisting Pakistani entities in circumventing US restrictions. The ERC also determined that Engineering and Commercial Services (ECS) be added to the list for its involvement in supplying a Pakistani nuclear-related entity.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">Companies dealing with the 23 entities added to the ERC list could face strict licence conditions or licence denials. The licence requirements apply to any transaction in which items are to be exported, re-exported, or transferred to any of the persons or in which such persons act as purchaser, intermediate consignee, ultimate consignee, or end user.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">In addition, no licence exceptions are available for exports, re-exports, or transfers to the entities being added to the list in this rule. The list also includes several addresses of each of the seven Pakistani companies in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, the Dawn newspaper reported Monday.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">The move would also have a negative impact on Pakistan’s determined bid to join Vienna-based 48-member group which controls the global nuclear trade.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">Pakistan applied for the NSG membership on May 19, 2016, after it appeared that the US and certain other Western nations are actively supporting India’s bid to join the group.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">Pakistan argues that the NSG should adopt a “non-discriminatory, criteria-based” approach for inducting new members.

<p style="box-sizing: border-box outline: 0px !important margin: 0px 0px 20px font-size: 18px color: rgb(51, 51, 51) line-height: 28px position: relative z-index: 99 font-family: "Noto Serif", serif font-style: normal font-variant-ligatures: normal font-variant-caps: normal font-weight: 400 letter-spacing: normal orphans: 2 text-align: start text-indent: 0px text-transform: none white-space: normal widows: 2 word-spacing: 0px -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255) text-decoration-style: initial text-decoration-color: initial">China and Turkey also support Pakistan’s application, but cite procedural issues in adding new members, which has delayed India’s inclusion. The NSG requires a consensus among the member states for adding new countries to the club.

A total of 23 entities were added to the list that was published in the US Federal Register last week by the country’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Besides the Pakistani firms, the list includes 15 entities from South Sudan and one from Singapore

The US government has added seven Pakistani firms to a list of foreign entities that pose a “significant risk” to its national security and interests by allegedly engaging in nuclear trade, denting Islamabad’s bid to join the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). A total of 23 entities were added to the list that was published in the US Federal Register last week by the country’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Besides the Pakistani firms, the list includes 15 entities from South Sudan and one from Singapore. The list prepared by the US BIS has declared that all seven Pakistani firms are “reasonably believed to be involved, or to pose a significant risk of being or becoming involved, in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States”. Now all 23 entities face stringent export control measures, which could prevent them from international trade. Among the seven Pakistani companies, three are listed for “their involvement in the proliferation of unsafeguarded nuclear activities that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy interests of the US”. Two are accused of procuring supplies for nuclear-related entities already on the list and the remaining two are accused of acting as fronts for listed entities. An eighth Pakistani entity is based in Singapore. The End-user Review Committee (ERC) of the US Department of Commerce determined that Mushko Logistics, Singapore, and Mushko Electronics, Pakistan, should be added to the list on the grounds that they procured items for several Pakistani entities on the entity list. So far Pakistan authorities have not commented on the US move to sanction the companies. The ERC determined that Solutions Engineering, Pakistan should be added to the list based on its involvement in activities contrary to US national security and foreign policy interests. Specifically, the ERC determined that this entity has been involved in the procurement of US-origin items on behalf of nuclear-related entities in Pakistan that are already on the ERC list. For the remaining five Pakistani entities, the ERC determined that three of the entities, Akhtar & Munir, Proficient Engineers and Pervaiz Commercial Trading Co (PCTC), be added based for their “involvement in the proliferation of unsafeguarded nuclear activities that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy interests of the US”. The ERC also determined that Marine Systems&nbspbe added to the list for assisting Pakistani entities in circumventing US restrictions. The ERC also determined that Engineering and Commercial Services (ECS) be added to the list for its involvement in supplying a Pakistani nuclear-related entity. Companies dealing with the 23 entities added to the ERC list could face strict licence conditions or licence denials. The licence requirements apply to any transaction in which items are to be exported, re-exported, or transferred to any of the persons or in which such persons act as purchaser, intermediate consignee, ultimate consignee, or end user. In addition, no licence exceptions are available for exports, re-exports, or transfers to the entities being added to the list in this rule. The list also includes several addresses of each of the seven Pakistani companies in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, the Dawn newspaper reported Monday. The move would also have a negative impact on Pakistan’s determined bid to join Vienna-based 48-member group which controls the global nuclear trade. Pakistan applied for the NSG membership on May 19, 2016, after it appeared that the US and certain other Western nations are actively supporting India’s bid to join the group. Pakistan argues that the NSG should adopt a “non-discriminatory, criteria-based” approach for inducting new members. China and Turkey also support Pakistan’s application, but cite procedural issues in adding new members, which has delayed India’s inclusion. The NSG requires a consensus among the member states for adding new countries to the club.

Seven Pakistan firms listed by US for posing risk to national security

North Korea is offering negotiations with the United States in order to buy time to develop its nuclear weapons, the incoming US national security advisor (NSA) John Bolton said on Sunday.

In an interview on the "Cats Roundtable" radio show, Bolton said, "I think we have to look at what North Korea's motivation is here. I think they're very worried that they've got a different president in the White House than Barack Obama. They're worried about the pressure that the president's (Donald Trump) already put on."

"They've got a fairly limited number of things they need to do in North Korea to make their nuclear warheads actually deliverable on targets in the United States. So they want to try and slow roll the negotiations to buy more time. This is something they've done consistently over the last 25 years," he added.

Bolton is known as one of the most hawkish voices in US foreign policy and has recently argued for a preventive strike on North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.

President Trump picked Bolton as his new NSA on Friday, replacing H.R. McMaster, shortly after he replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with another hawk, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo last week.

Both the decisions came after the US president accepted Kim's invitation to a summit, which the former said would take place before the end of May.

He underscored that sooner the meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will happen, the issue of denuclearisation would be solved in a "concrete manner" and not by "theoretical discussion".

Bolton served as the ambassador to the United Nations under former US President George W. Bush during parts of 2005 and 2006. He will take over as the new NSA on April 9.

US National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton underscored that sooner the meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will happen, the issue of denuclearisation would be solved in a "concrete manner" and not by 'theoretical discussion'

North Korea is offering negotiations with the United States in order to buy time to develop its nuclear weapons, the incoming US national security advisor (NSA) John Bolton said on Sunday. In an interview on the "Cats Roundtable" radio show, Bolton said, "I think we have to look at what North Korea's motivation is here. I think they're very worried that they've got a different president in the White House than Barack Obama. They're worried about the pressure that the president's (Donald Trump) already put on." "They've got a fairly limited number of things they need to do in North Korea to make their nuclear warheads actually deliverable on targets in the United States. So they want to try and slow roll the negotiations to buy more time. This is something they've done consistently over the last 25 years," he added. Bolton is known as one of the most hawkish voices in US foreign policy and has recently argued for a preventive strike on North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported. President Trump picked Bolton as his new NSA on Friday, replacing H.R. McMaster, shortly after he replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with another hawk, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo last week. Both the decisions came after the US president accepted Kim's invitation to a summit, which the former said would take place before the end of May. He underscored that sooner the meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will happen, the issue of denuclearisation would be solved in a "concrete manner" and not by "theoretical discussion". Bolton served as the ambassador to the United Nations under former US President George W. Bush during parts of 2005 and 2006. He will take over as the new NSA on April 9.

North Korea buying time to develop nuclear weapons: Bolton

The United States has imposed sanctions on seven Pakistani companies over suspicion they have links to the nuclear trade, potentially hurting Pakistan's ambitions to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Pakistani government spokesmen could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.

Relations between the United States and Pakistan have been strained in recent years over Pakistan's alleged support for Islamist militants waging war in Afghanistan, something Pakistani officials deny.

The US&nbsp;Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce imposed the sanctions on the Pakistani companies on March 22 by placing them on its "Entity List".

The companies had been "determined by the US&nbsp;government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States", the bureau said in a report on a US&nbsp;government website.

The Department of Commerce's Entity List does not freeze assets but requires that US&nbsp;and foreign companies doing business with those on the list first obtain a license.

Companies placed on the Entity List will need special licenses to do business in the United States.

None of the seven sanctioned Pakistani companies, which are not well known, could be immediately reached for comment, nor could a Singapore-based company which the bureau said was linked to one of the Pakistani companies.

Pakistani officials have in the past been accused of handing over nuclear secrets to North Korea. The government has denied the accusations though Pakistan has a poor record on nuclear proliferation.

The Pakistani scientist lionized as the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, in 2004 said he had sold nuclear secrets to North Korea.

A UN&nbsp;nuclear watchdog said in 2008 that Khan`s network smuggled nuclear weaponization blueprints to Iran, Libya and North Korea and was active in 12 countries.

Sanctioned companies

Of the latest companies to be sanctioned, Singapore-based Mushko Logistics and Pakistan-based Mushko Electronics "procured items for several Pakistani entities on the Entity List", the US&nbsp;bureau said in its report.

Another company, Solutions Engineering, "has been involved in the procurement of US-origin items on behalf of nuclear-related entities in Pakistan that are already listed on the Entity List".&nbsp;

Three of the companies - Akhtar & Munir, Proficient Engineers and Pervaiz Commercial Trading Co. (PCTC) - were on the list due to "involvement in the proliferation of unsafeguarded nuclear activities that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy interests of the United States".

Marine Systems was placed on the Entity list for helping other already-sanctioned bodies obtain items without a licence, while Engineering and Commercial Services (ECS) was sanctioned for "involvement in supplying a Pakistani nuclear-related entity on the Entity List".&nbsp;

The sanctions could deal a blow to Pakistan's application to join the NSG, a 48-nation club dedicated to curbing nuclear arms proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that could foster nuclear weapons development.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan applied to join the NSG in 2016 but little progress has been made.

The United States has been concerned about Pakistan's development of new nuclear weapons systems, including small tactical nuclear weapons, and has been trying to persuade Islamabad to make a unilateral declaration of "restraint".

Pakistani government spokesmen could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday.

The United States has imposed sanctions on seven Pakistani companies over suspicion they have links to the nuclear trade, potentially hurting Pakistan's ambitions to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Pakistani government spokesmen could not be immediately reached for comment on Monday. Relations between the United States and Pakistan have been strained in recent years over Pakistan's alleged support for Islamist militants waging war in Afghanistan, something Pakistani officials deny. The US Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce imposed the sanctions on the Pakistani companies on March 22 by placing them on its "Entity List". The companies had been "determined by the US government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States", the bureau said in a report on a US government website. The Department of Commerce's Entity List does not freeze assets but requires that US and foreign companies doing business with those on the list first obtain a license. Companies placed on the Entity List will need special licenses to do business in the United States. None of the seven sanctioned Pakistani companies, which are not well known, could be immediately reached for comment, nor could a Singapore-based company which the bureau said was linked to one of the Pakistani companies. Pakistani officials have in the past been accused of handing over nuclear secrets to North Korea. The government has denied the accusations though Pakistan has a poor record on nuclear proliferation. The Pakistani scientist lionized as the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, in 2004 said he had sold nuclear secrets to North Korea. A UN nuclear watchdog said in 2008 that Khan`s network smuggled nuclear weaponization blueprints to Iran, Libya and North Korea and was active in 12 countries. Sanctioned companies Of the latest companies to be sanctioned, Singapore-based Mushko Logistics and Pakistan-based Mushko Electronics "procured items for several Pakistani entities on the Entity List", the US bureau said in its report. Another company, Solutions Engineering, "has been involved in the procurement of US-origin items on behalf of nuclear-related entities in Pakistan that are already listed on the Entity List". Three of the companies - Akhtar & Munir, Proficient Engineers and Pervaiz Commercial Trading Co. (PCTC) - were on the list due to "involvement in the proliferation of unsafeguarded nuclear activities that are contrary to the national security and/or foreign policy interests of the United States". Marine Systems was placed on the Entity list for helping other already-sanctioned bodies obtain items without a licence, while Engineering and Commercial Services (ECS) was sanctioned for "involvement in supplying a Pakistani nuclear-related entity on the Entity List". The sanctions could deal a blow to Pakistan's application to join the NSG, a 48-nation club dedicated to curbing nuclear arms proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that could foster nuclear weapons development. Nuclear-armed Pakistan applied to join the NSG in 2016 but little progress has been made. The United States has been concerned about Pakistan's development of new nuclear weapons systems, including small tactical nuclear weapons, and has been trying to persuade Islamabad to make a unilateral declaration of "restraint".

US sanctions Pakistani companies over nuclear trade

Described as North Korea`s "biggest hit of the year," next month`s Pyongyang Marathon is expected to have half as many foreign participants as last year, tour operators say, as political tensions and a ban on U.S. visitors take their toll.

International tourism to North Korea dropped last year as tension increased over the county`s testing and development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

In July last year, the United States banned its citizens from visiting North Korea after the death of Otto Warmbier, an American university student who died after being released from 17 months of detention in North Korean.

"Tourism came close to collapse, there were far fewer tourists," said Simon Cockerell, general manager of Koryo Tours, noting that the market was small and easily susceptible to swings.

Tourism numbers have slowly risen amid an easing in those tensions over the past few months - driven by a revival of inter-Korean talks and a push for a summit between Pyongyang and Washington - but that hasn`t translated to a major turnout for the year`s biggest tourism event, operators said.

"Our tourist numbers for our scheduled group tours to North Korea have steadily grown. However, the amount of attendees to this year`s Pyongyang marathon event are down considerately," said Rowan Beard, a manager with Young Pioneer Tours, who noted one of the biggest reasons for the drop is a lack of Americans.&nbsp;

"The majority of the runners who had joined us previously were Americans," he said, describing the marathon as "the biggest hit" of last year. "They were really keen to come to Pyongyang, compete against the locals and check out the country they constantly saw in the news back home."

Last year saw an unusually large number of foreign runners, with around 1,000 participating, while this year around 500 are expected, Cockerell said.

"The marathon, the biggest event that draws tourists at the moment, is less than half the size it was last year," he said.

The American travel ban remains in place for all except a few categories of humanitarian workers and journalists, and in January the U.S. State Department began warning Americans who travel to North Korea or other risky countries to draft a will and discuss their funeral wishes with family members before leaving.

North Korea`s National Tourism Administration launched a revamped tourism website last week, promoting a range of sightseeing and travel itineraries, according to NK News, a website that monitors North Korea. 
Cockerell said he was convinced that tourism could help reduce tensions.

"Honestly I think Americans visiting in jeans and t-shirts can do more than Americans in full combat gear," he said.

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<h5><a href="http://wionews.cloudapp.net/india-news/wion-morning-news-brief-march-27-2018-37207">WION Morning News brief, March 27, 2018 </a></h5>
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Political tensions and a ban on U.S. visitors take their toll

Described as North Korea`s "biggest hit of the year," next month`s Pyongyang Marathon is expected to have half as many foreign participants as last year, tour operators say, as political tensions and a ban on U.S. visitors take their toll. International tourism to North Korea dropped last year as tension increased over the county`s testing and development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. In July last year, the United States banned its citizens from visiting North Korea after the death of Otto Warmbier, an American university student who died after being released from 17 months of detention in North Korean. "Tourism came close to collapse, there were far fewer tourists," said Simon Cockerell, general manager of Koryo Tours, noting that the market was small and easily susceptible to swings. Tourism numbers have slowly risen amid an easing in those tensions over the past few months - driven by a revival of inter-Korean talks and a push for a summit between Pyongyang and Washington - but that hasn`t translated to a major turnout for the year`s biggest tourism event, operators said. "Our tourist numbers for our scheduled group tours to North Korea have steadily grown. However, the amount of attendees to this year`s Pyongyang marathon event are down considerately," said Rowan Beard, a manager with Young Pioneer Tours, who noted one of the biggest reasons for the drop is a lack of Americans. "The majority of the runners who had joined us previously were Americans," he said, describing the marathon as "the biggest hit" of last year. "They were really keen to come to Pyongyang, compete against the locals and check out the country they constantly saw in the news back home." Last year saw an unusually large number of foreign runners, with around 1,000 participating, while this year around 500 are expected, Cockerell said. "The marathon, the biggest event that draws tourists at the moment, is less than half the size it was last year," he said. The American travel ban remains in place for all except a few categories of humanitarian workers and journalists, and in January the U.S. State Department began warning Americans who travel to North Korea or other risky countries to draft a will and discuss their funeral wishes with family members before leaving. North Korea`s National Tourism Administration launched a revamped tourism website last week, promoting a range of sightseeing and travel itineraries, according to NK News, a website that monitors North Korea. Cockerell said he was convinced that tourism could help reduce tensions. "Honestly I think Americans visiting in jeans and t-shirts can do more than Americans in full combat gear," he said. Related Rupee hits a 4-week high, up 9 paise against US dollar Seven Pakistan firms listed by US for posing risk to national... WION Morning News brief, March 27, 2018 US: Man makes rocket, gets in, hits launch

US travel ban hits foreign attendance figures for North Korea marathon

More than a million Americans flooded the streets of cities nationwide for emotional protests demanding tighter gun control on Saturday, protests spearheaded by teenagers from a Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead last month.

&quot;Politicians, either represent the people or get out,&quot; Cameron Kasky, a 17-year-old from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, told the crowd at a huge rally in Washington.

&quot;Stand for us or beware -- the voters are coming,&quot; said Kasky, one of the leaders of a dynamic and passionate student movement which has emerged following the February 14 shooting at his school. 
Large crowds also turned out for demonstrations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Seattle and other cities -- more than 800 in all according to the organizers of the &quot;March For Our Lives.&quot;

Mayor Bill de Blasio said 175,000 people took part at the New York rally, tweeting: &quot;These students WILL change America.&quot;

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Amazing! Final NYC tally: 175,000 joined <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchForOurLives?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchForOurLives</a>. And this is a movement that has JUST BEGUN. These students WILL change America!
&mdash; Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/977641564171272192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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This movement is going to make a huge change in our country. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchForOurLives?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchForOurLives</a> <a href="https://t.co/hknTXcVfTK">pic.twitter.com/hknTXcVfTK</a>
&mdash; Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/977605992350285824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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You have to know when a revolution is starting... Today in NYC already 150,000 have taken to the streets for PEACE <a href="https://t.co/j5y0y0L3IT">pic.twitter.com/j5y0y0L3IT</a>
&mdash; Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/977598947412926465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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But the largest protest was in Washington, where organizers told NBC News the crowd was estimated at more than 800,000 people, the largest gun control rally in the United States since the Million Mom March in 2000.

The main stage for the event in Washington was set up near the US Capitol and lawmakers were the target audience as speakers delivered blistering warnings that the time has come for stricter gun laws.

&quot;The people demand a law banning the sale of assault weapons,&quot; Kasky said. &quot;The people demand we prohibit the sale of high-capacity magazines. The people demand universal background checks.&quot;

March organizers included a link for people to register to vote on their MarchForOurLives.com website as they seek to transform their nascent movement into a potent political force.Signs carried by protestors lambasted lawmakers who oppose tougher laws and the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful US gun lobby.

&quot;These kids are right,&quot; said Jeff Turchin, a 68-year-old retired garment manufacturer who came to Washington from New York to attend the rally.

&quot;They`re basically saying the NRA is paying off these Republicans,&quot; Turchin said of the party of President Donald Trump, which also controls Congress.

The Washington rally kicked off with Andra Day singing &quot;Rise Up&quot; and also featured performances by Jennifer Hudson, whose mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew were shot dead in 2008. 
But the most riveting appearances were by the Stoneman Douglas students.

Emma Gonzalez, 17, took the stage wearing a green military-style jacket and ripped jeans and delivered a eulogy for the 14 students and three adults slain by 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz. 
Tears rolling down her face, she then stood in silence at the podium for a full four and half minutes as the crowd fidgeted and some cried out &quot;We`re with you Emma.&quot;

&quot;Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds,&quot; Gonzalez finally said -- the exact amount of time Cruz spent spraying bullets inside her school before fleeing.

&quot;Fight for your lives before it`s someone else`s job,&quot; Gonzalez said. &quot;Get out there and vote.&quot;

Yolanda Renee King, the nine-year-old granddaughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. brought many to tears with a surprise appearance.

&quot;My grandfather had a dream that his four little children will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character,&quot; she told a rapt crowd.

&quot;I have a dream that enough is enough,&quot; she said, referencing her grandfather`s famous 1963 &quot;I Have a Dream&quot; speech on ending racism.

&quot;And that this should be a gun-free world -- period.&quot;In New York, former Beatle Paul McCartney showed up at a march and spoke of the December 1980 murder of his bandmate John Lennon. 
&quot;Every week you hear about a new shooting and nothing is done about it,&quot; McCartney told AFP. &quot;But I think maybe after this something will be done about it.&quot;

On the other side of the country in Los Angeles, comedian Amy Schumer delivered a passionate plea in front of hundreds of thousands.

&quot;You are killing children,&quot; she said, of the gun lobby. &quot;And they call people like me `Hollywood liberals` like there`s something in it for us.

&quot;Well, what`s in it for us is knowing we`re doing our part to keep our children alive.&quot;

Demonstrations of solidarity also took place around the world, including across cities in Canada, which unveiled stricter gun laws earlier this week including enhanced background checks.

In Scotland, some relatives of those killed in a school shooting in the town of Dunblane in 1996 attended a protest in Edinburgh.

Thousands meanwhile gathered in Parkland to pay tribute to those slain in the city on Valentine`s Day.

&quot;I March Because I Was Almost Silenced,&quot; read a sign carried by Samantha Mayor, 17, who was shot in the knee and wears a heavy brace.

Samantha`s mother, Ellyn, held a sign reading &quot;I`m Marching So No Other Parent Has to Hear `Mom, I`ve Been Shot.`&quot;

Trump was in Florida as marchers gathered in Washington but the White House issued a statement.

&quot;We applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today,&quot; it said. &quot;Keeping our children safe is a top priority of the President`s.&quot;

The protests were spearheaded by teenagers from the Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead last month

More than a million Americans flooded the streets of cities nationwide for emotional protests demanding tighter gun control on Saturday, protests spearheaded by teenagers from a Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead last month. "Politicians, either represent the people or get out," Cameron Kasky, a 17-year-old from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, told the crowd at a huge rally in Washington. "Stand for us or beware -- the voters are coming," said Kasky, one of the leaders of a dynamic and passionate student movement which has emerged following the February 14 shooting at his school. Large crowds also turned out for demonstrations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Seattle and other cities -- more than 800 in all according to the organizers of the "March For Our Lives." Mayor Bill de Blasio said 175,000 people took part at the New York rally, tweeting: "These students WILL change America." Amazing! Final NYC tally: 175,000 joined #MarchForOurLives. And this is a movement that has JUST BEGUN. These students WILL change America! — Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 24, 2018 × This movement is going to make a huge change in our country. #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/hknTXcVfTK — Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 24, 2018 × You have to know when a revolution is starting... Today in NYC already 150,000 have taken to the streets for PEACE pic.twitter.com/j5y0y0L3IT — Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 24, 2018 × But the largest protest was in Washington, where organizers told NBC News the crowd was estimated at more than 800,000 people, the largest gun control rally in the United States since the Million Mom March in 2000. The main stage for the event in Washington was set up near the US Capitol and lawmakers were the target audience as speakers delivered blistering warnings that the time has come for stricter gun laws. "The people demand a law banning the sale of assault weapons," Kasky said. "The people demand we prohibit the sale of high-capacity magazines. The people demand universal background checks." March organizers included a link for people to register to vote on their MarchForOurLives.com website as they seek to transform their nascent movement into a potent political force.Signs carried by protestors lambasted lawmakers who oppose tougher laws and the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful US gun lobby. "These kids are right," said Jeff Turchin, a 68-year-old retired garment manufacturer who came to Washington from New York to attend the rally. "They`re basically saying the NRA is paying off these Republicans," Turchin said of the party of President Donald Trump, which also controls Congress. The Washington rally kicked off with Andra Day singing "Rise Up" and also featured performances by Jennifer Hudson, whose mother, brother and seven-year-old nephew were shot dead in 2008. But the most riveting appearances were by the Stoneman Douglas students. Emma Gonzalez, 17, took the stage wearing a green military-style jacket and ripped jeans and delivered a eulogy for the 14 students and three adults slain by 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz. Tears rolling down her face, she then stood in silence at the podium for a full four and half minutes as the crowd fidgeted and some cried out "We`re with you Emma." "Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds," Gonzalez finally said -- the exact amount of time Cruz spent spraying bullets inside her school before fleeing. "Fight for your lives before it`s someone else`s job," Gonzalez said. "Get out there and vote." Yolanda Renee King, the nine-year-old granddaughter of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. brought many to tears with a surprise appearance. "My grandfather had a dream that his four little children will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character," she told a rapt crowd. "I have a dream that enough is enough," she said, referencing her grandfather`s famous 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech on ending racism. "And that this should be a gun-free world -- period."In New York, former Beatle Paul McCartney showed up at a march and spoke of the December 1980 murder of his bandmate John Lennon. "Every week you hear about a new shooting and nothing is done about it," McCartney told AFP. "But I think maybe after this something will be done about it." On the other side of the country in Los Angeles, comedian Amy Schumer delivered a passionate plea in front of hundreds of thousands. "You are killing children," she said, of the gun lobby. "And they call people like me `Hollywood liberals` like there`s something in it for us. "Well, what`s in it for us is knowing we`re doing our part to keep our children alive." Demonstrations of solidarity also took place around the world, including across cities in Canada, which unveiled stricter gun laws earlier this week including enhanced background checks. In Scotland, some relatives of those killed in a school shooting in the town of Dunblane in 1996 attended a protest in Edinburgh. Thousands meanwhile gathered in Parkland to pay tribute to those slain in the city on Valentine`s Day. "I March Because I Was Almost Silenced," read a sign carried by Samantha Mayor, 17, who was shot in the knee and wears a heavy brace. Samantha`s mother, Ellyn, held a sign reading "I`m Marching So No Other Parent Has to Hear `Mom, I`ve Been Shot.`" Trump was in Florida as marchers gathered in Washington but the White House issued a statement. "We applaud the many courageous young Americans exercising their First Amendment rights today," it said. "Keeping our children safe is a top priority of the President`s."

Over 1 million Americans pour onto streets, demand tighter gun control

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/gun-violence-in-united-states-student-led-protests-draw-huge-crowds-36966" target="_blank">Over 1 million Americans pour out onto streets, demand tighter gun control</a>

More than a million Americans flooded the streets of cities nationwide for emotional protests demanding tighter gun control on Saturday, protests spearheaded by teenagers from a Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead last month.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/90-rajya-sabha-mps-are-crorepatis-adr-report-36972" target="_blank">90% Rajya Sabha MPs are crorepatis: Report</a>

Nearly 90 per cent of the Rajya Sabha MPs are crorepatis while the average of total assets Upper House parliamentarians is Rs 55 crore, says a report.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/granddaughter-of-martin-luther-king-jr-energizes-march-for-our-lives-crowd-36969" target="_blank">US protests: Martin Luther King&#39;s granddaughter leads crowd calling for gun reform</a>

The granddaughter of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. energised the crowd in Washington on Saturday (March 24) during the March For Our Lives Rally demanding tighter gun laws, led by survivors of last month&#39;s Florida school massacre which reignited public anger over mass shootings.

 
<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-takes-full-control-of-syrias-afrin-military-source-36971" target="_blank">Turkey takes full control of Syria&#39;s Afrin: Military source</a>

Turkey&rsquo;s military and its Syrian rebel allies have taken full control of northwest Syria&rsquo;s Afrin region, a Turkish army source said on Saturday, as aid workers distributed food to people in the area.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-captain-smith-fights-for-job-as-ca-announce-ball-tamper-probe-36980" target="_blank">Australia captain Steve Smith fights for job</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-captain-smith-fights-for-job-as-ca-announce-ball-tamper-probe-36980" target="_blank"> as CA announce </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-captain-smith-fights-for-job-as-ca-announce-ball-tamper-probe-36980" target="_blank">ball-tampering</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-captain-smith-fights-for-job-as-ca-announce-ball-tamper-probe-36980" target="_blank"> probe</a>

Australia captain Steve Smith was fighting to save his job and reputation on Sunday after admitting he was the chief plotter in the ball-tampering scandal which has plunged the game into crisis and sparked a Cricket Australia probe.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Over 1 million Americans pour out onto streets, demand tighter gun control More than a million Americans flooded the streets of cities nationwide for emotional protests demanding tighter gun control on Saturday, protests spearheaded by teenagers from a Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead last month. 90% Rajya Sabha MPs are crorepatis: Report Nearly 90 per cent of the Rajya Sabha MPs are crorepatis while the average of total assets Upper House parliamentarians is Rs 55 crore, says a report. US protests: Martin Luther King's granddaughter leads crowd calling for gun reform The granddaughter of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. energised the crowd in Washington on Saturday (March 24) during the March For Our Lives Rally demanding tighter gun laws, led by survivors of last month's Florida school massacre which reignited public anger over mass shootings. Turkey takes full control of Syria's Afrin: Military source Turkey’s military and its Syrian rebel allies have taken full control of northwest Syria’s Afrin region, a Turkish army source said on Saturday, as aid workers distributed food to people in the area. Australia captain Steve Smith fights for job as CA announce ball-tampering probe Australia captain Steve Smith was fighting to save his job and reputation on Sunday after admitting he was the chief plotter in the ball-tampering scandal which has plunged the game into crisis and sparked a Cricket Australia probe.

WION Morning News Brief, March 25, 2018

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to rally nationwide on Saturday for tighter gun laws in &quot;March For Our Lives&quot; protests led by survivors of the Florida school massacre, which reiginited public anger over mass shootings.

Students from the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 students and staff were killed on Feb. 14 will be among the 500,000 people organizers say could rally on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol in Washington.

The protests orchestrated by survivors of the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are aimed at breaking through a legislative gridlock that has long stymied efforts to tighten firearms controls. Mass shootings at American schools and colleges have become a regular occurrence.

&quot;This issue is going to turn into the No. 1 issue in this country. I know that&#39;s not only what I want, but I know it&#39;s what you guys want,&quot; Alfonso Calderon, a junior at the Florida school, told Washington students at a pre-march event on Thursday.

The Washington rally is among more than 800 events scheduled worldwide, with U.S. demonstrations set from San Clemente, California, to New York and Parkland, according to gun-control group Everytown For Gun Safety.

The teenage organizers have won kudos and cash from dozens of celebrities, with singer Ariana Grande and &quot;Hamilton&quot; creator Lin-Manuel Miranda among those performing in Washington.

&quot;Trainwreck&quot; star Amy Schumer is set to appear at the Los Angeles rally. Actor George Clooney and his human rights attorney wife have donated $500,000 and said they would be at the Washington rally.

Organizers want Congress, many of whose members are up for re-election this year, to ban the sale of assault weapons like the one used in the Florida rampage and to tighten background checks for gun buyers. On the other side of the debate, gun rights advocates cite constitutional guarantees of the right to bear arms.

On Friday, Republican President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill that includes modest improvements to background checks for gun sales and grants to help schools prevent gun violence.

David Hogg, a senior at Stoneman Douglas, said the protests were a way for young Americans to show their opposition to the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby.

&quot;We&#39;re asking people (to) put the USA over the NRA,&quot; he said at the Thursday event in Washington.

An NRA spokeswoman said it had not taken a position on the protests.

Democrats and nonpartisan groups hope to register at least 25,000 first-time voters at the rallies, potentially a boost for Democrats, who generally favor stricter gun controls.

Students from the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 students and staff were killed on Feb. 14 will be among the 500,000 people organizers say could rally on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol in Washington

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to rally nationwide on Saturday for tighter gun laws in "March For Our Lives" protests led by survivors of the Florida school massacre, which reiginited public anger over mass shootings. Students from the Parkland, Florida, high school where 17 students and staff were killed on Feb. 14 will be among the 500,000 people organizers say could rally on Pennsylvania Avenue near the Capitol in Washington. The protests orchestrated by survivors of the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are aimed at breaking through a legislative gridlock that has long stymied efforts to tighten firearms controls. Mass shootings at American schools and colleges have become a regular occurrence. "This issue is going to turn into the No. 1 issue in this country. I know that's not only what I want, but I know it's what you guys want," Alfonso Calderon, a junior at the Florida school, told Washington students at a pre-march event on Thursday. The Washington rally is among more than 800 events scheduled worldwide, with U.S. demonstrations set from San Clemente, California, to New York and Parkland, according to gun-control group Everytown For Gun Safety. The teenage organizers have won kudos and cash from dozens of celebrities, with singer Ariana Grande and "Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda among those performing in Washington. "Trainwreck" star Amy Schumer is set to appear at the Los Angeles rally. Actor George Clooney and his human rights attorney wife have donated $500,000 and said they would be at the Washington rally. Organizers want Congress, many of whose members are up for re-election this year, to ban the sale of assault weapons like the one used in the Florida rampage and to tighten background checks for gun buyers. On the other side of the debate, gun rights advocates cite constitutional guarantees of the right to bear arms. On Friday, Republican President Donald Trump signed a $1.3 trillion spending bill that includes modest improvements to background checks for gun sales and grants to help schools prevent gun violence. David Hogg, a senior at Stoneman Douglas, said the protests were a way for young Americans to show their opposition to the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby. "We're asking people (to) put the USA over the NRA," he said at the Thursday event in Washington. An NRA spokeswoman said it had not taken a position on the protests. Democrats and nonpartisan groups hope to register at least 25,000 first-time voters at the rallies, potentially a boost for Democrats, who generally favor stricter gun controls.

Hundreds of thousands set to march for tighter US gun controls

A former Playboy model has now come on record and allegedly claimed that she had a 10-month affair with US President Donald Trump, reports said on Friday.&nbsp;

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By going public, Karen McDougal disregarded legal risks relating to a $150,000 deal she had signed before the November 2016 election that in effect bought her silence.

The former Playboy model, Karen McDougal also claimed that Trump offered her money after they first got intimate.&nbsp;

In an interview to CNN, US-based model McDougal said &quot;After we had been intimate, he tried to pay me, and I actually didn&#39;t know how to take that&quot; post her first alleged sexual encounter with Trump.

The model spoke about her decade-old alleged affair with Trump - which began just three months after the birth of his and Melania&rsquo;s son Barron - and the impact of the same on her personal life.

The ex-Playmate said their first sexual encounter was at the billionaire&rsquo;s bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2006.&nbsp;She thought they were meeting for dinner in the tony hotel restaurant but instead, Trump&#39;s bodyguard ushered her into the reality star&#39;s usual bungalow.

She continued going on several dates after their first encounter and also met Melania at the Playboy Mansion at a party the airing of Celebrity Apprentice, reports said.&nbsp;

Further, McDougal expressed her remorse and apologised to Trump&#39;s wife Melania Trump.

&quot;What can you say except I&#39;m sorry!. I&#39;m sorry. I wouldn&#39;t want it done to me.&quot; McDougal said.

She further claimed to decline the money offered by Trump saying &quot;That&#39;s not me. I&#39;m not that kind of girl&quot;.

However, the White House said that Trump has denied the alleged affair.

McDougal responded to that by saying &quot;I guess I understand because he&#39;s trying to protect his family, his image, things like that. But it was definitely a little like, &#39;Wow, you&#39;re going to lie about that?&quot;

McDougal delved into the lawsuit filed in a California court earlier this week, asking to be released from a contract she signed with American Media Inc. for her life rights.

She said AMI and its owner, David Pecker, in particular, framed the deal as a means to &quot;jump-start&quot; her career and protect her image as &quot;wholesome and pure.&quot;

But things didn&#39;t pan out the way she had anticipated. The company and Pecker, who is a longtime friend of Trump&#39;s, failed to hold up their end of the bargain, according to McDougal. And now she wants out of the contract.

Earlier in January, another US-based adult star <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pornstar-stormy-daniels-lawyer-confirms-her-affair-with-donald-trump-35037">Stormy Daniels</a> had filed a civil lawsuit against Trump to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement which contains details about her alleged nine-month affair with the latter.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pornstar-offers-to-repay-130000-in-dispute-over-alleged-trump-affair-35585">Pornstar offers to repay $130,000 in </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pornstar-offers-to-repay-130000-in-dispute-over-alleged-trump-affair-35585">dispute</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pornstar-offers-to-repay-130000-in-dispute-over-alleged-trump-affair-35585"> over alleged Trump affair</a>

Three women &ndash; Daniels, McDougal, and Summer Zervos, an Apprentice contestant who says she was sexually harassed by Trump &ndash; are all suing the president.

The ex-Playmate said their first sexual encounter was at the billionaire’s bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2006

A former Playboy model has now come on record and allegedly claimed that she had a 10-month affair with US President Donald Trump, reports said on Friday. × By going public, Karen McDougal disregarded legal risks relating to a $150,000 deal she had signed before the November 2016 election that in effect bought her silence. The former Playboy model, Karen McDougal also claimed that Trump offered her money after they first got intimate. In an interview to CNN, US-based model McDougal said "After we had been intimate, he tried to pay me, and I actually didn't know how to take that" post her first alleged sexual encounter with Trump. The model spoke about her decade-old alleged affair with Trump - which began just three months after the birth of his and Melania’s son Barron - and the impact of the same on her personal life. The ex-Playmate said their first sexual encounter was at the billionaire’s bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2006. She thought they were meeting for dinner in the tony hotel restaurant but instead, Trump's bodyguard ushered her into the reality star's usual bungalow. She continued going on several dates after their first encounter and also met Melania at the Playboy Mansion at a party the airing of Celebrity Apprentice, reports said. Further, McDougal expressed her remorse and apologised to Trump's wife Melania Trump. "What can you say except I'm sorry!. I'm sorry. I wouldn't want it done to me." McDougal said. She further claimed to decline the money offered by Trump saying "That's not me. I'm not that kind of girl". However, the White House said that Trump has denied the alleged affair. McDougal responded to that by saying "I guess I understand because he's trying to protect his family, his image, things like that. But it was definitely a little like, 'Wow, you're going to lie about that?" McDougal delved into the lawsuit filed in a California court earlier this week, asking to be released from a contract she signed with American Media Inc. for her life rights. She said AMI and its owner, David Pecker, in particular, framed the deal as a means to "jump-start" her career and protect her image as "wholesome and pure." But things didn't pan out the way she had anticipated. The company and Pecker, who is a longtime friend of Trump's, failed to hold up their end of the bargain, according to McDougal. And now she wants out of the contract. Earlier in January, another US-based adult star Stormy Daniels had filed a civil lawsuit against Trump to invalidate a non-disclosure agreement which contains details about her alleged nine-month affair with the latter. Also read: Pornstar offers to repay $130,000 in dispute over alleged Trump affair Three women – Daniels, McDougal, and Summer Zervos, an Apprentice contestant who says she was sexually harassed by Trump – are all suing the president.

Former Playboy model claims she had a '10-month long affair with Trump'

Apple Inc&#39;s Chief Executive Tim Cook on Saturday called for &quot;calm heads&quot; and more open trade, amid rising fears of a trade war between the United States and China.

Trade tension between China and the United States flared this week when President Donald Trump unveiled plans on Thursday to slap tariffs on potentially up to $60 billion in Chinese goods.

China&#39;s Commerce Ministry on Friday urged the United States to &quot;pull back from the brink&quot;, saying it was not afraid to engage in a trade war.

&quot;I&#39;m cognizant that in both the U.S. and China, there have been cases where everyone hasn&#39;t benefited, where the benefit hasn&#39;t been balanced,&quot; Cook said.

Speaking at the annual China Development Forum in Beijing, Cook said he hoped &quot;calm heads&quot; would prevail.

The sparring has cast a spotlight on hardware makers such as Apple, which assemble the majority of their products in China for export to other countries. Electrical goods and tech are the largest U.S. import item from China.

In the past year, Apple and other foreign tech firms have grappled with a string of new regulatory requirements in China, including a controversial law requiring firms to house user data in data centers overseen by Chinese firms.

Last month, Apple officially moved to store keys for its iCloud data in China, provoking intense criticism from rights groups who say the decision makes it easier for Chinese officials to tap and collect private data.

Despite challenges, the company has sought to expand its services in China, its third-largest market, where roughly 1.8 million developers use its platform.

&quot;My belief is that businesses should be engaged with governments in countries where they are doing business, whether they agree or disagree,&quot; Cook said.

Cook has come to China several times in the past year, and was among executives who met Chinese President Xi Jinping last October.

&quot;My belief is that one plus one equals three. The pie gets larger, working together,&quot; Cook said.

Others attending the three-day forum include the chief executives of IBM Group , Google Inc and Qualcomm Inc.

Cook, who this year co-chaired the event, also attended last year when he called for China to increase trade and continue opening itself up to the world.

Cook was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual China Development Forum in Beijing.

Apple Inc's Chief Executive Tim Cook on Saturday called for "calm heads" and more open trade, amid rising fears of a trade war between the United States and China. Trade tension between China and the United States flared this week when President Donald Trump unveiled plans on Thursday to slap tariffs on potentially up to $60 billion in Chinese goods. China's Commerce Ministry on Friday urged the United States to "pull back from the brink", saying it was not afraid to engage in a trade war. "I'm cognizant that in both the U.S. and China, there have been cases where everyone hasn't benefited, where the benefit hasn't been balanced," Cook said. Speaking at the annual China Development Forum in Beijing, Cook said he hoped "calm heads" would prevail. The sparring has cast a spotlight on hardware makers such as Apple, which assemble the majority of their products in China for export to other countries. Electrical goods and tech are the largest U.S. import item from China. In the past year, Apple and other foreign tech firms have grappled with a string of new regulatory requirements in China, including a controversial law requiring firms to house user data in data centers overseen by Chinese firms. Last month, Apple officially moved to store keys for its iCloud data in China, provoking intense criticism from rights groups who say the decision makes it easier for Chinese officials to tap and collect private data. Despite challenges, the company has sought to expand its services in China, its third-largest market, where roughly 1.8 million developers use its platform. "My belief is that businesses should be engaged with governments in countries where they are doing business, whether they agree or disagree," Cook said. Cook has come to China several times in the past year, and was among executives who met Chinese President Xi Jinping last October. "My belief is that one plus one equals three. The pie gets larger, working together," Cook said. Others attending the three-day forum include the chief executives of IBM Group , Google Inc and Qualcomm Inc. Cook, who this year co-chaired the event, also attended last year when he called for China to increase trade and continue opening itself up to the world.

Apple CEO calls for 'calm heads' and open trade, amid fears of US, China trade war

Turkey continues to hold talks with the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium and the United States to buy missile defense systems, Ankara&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday.

The US has decided to offer the country an alternative to the Russian S-440s, reports say. The decision comes following threats by the US lawmakers to introduce sanctions against Russia if it sells its S-400 Triumf mobile surface-to-air missile systems to other countries.&nbsp;

As per reports, US State Department acting assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs Tina Kaidanow is expected to travel to Turkey next week to offer Ankara the US Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

In January, Turkey awarded Eurosam an 18-month contract for a study into the development and production of a long-range air and missile defence system, in a move towards closer defence cooperation with France and Italy.

In December last year, Turkey and Russia signed an accord for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries, finalising a deal set to deepen military ties between NATO member Turkey and the Kremlin.&nbsp;

Russia and Turkey reached an agreement of US $2.5 billion on the sale of S-400 in 2017 and is expected to ship the first batch by 2019.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Russia and US reached an agreement of US $2.5 billion on the sale of S-400 in 2017 and is expected to ship the first batch by 2019

Turkey continues to hold talks with the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium and the United States to buy missile defense systems, Ankara's foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday. The US has decided to offer the country an alternative to the Russian S-440s, reports say. The decision comes following threats by the US lawmakers to introduce sanctions against Russia if it sells its S-400 Triumf mobile surface-to-air missile systems to other countries. As per reports, US State Department acting assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs Tina Kaidanow is expected to travel to Turkey next week to offer Ankara the US Patriot surface-to-air missile system. In January, Turkey awarded Eurosam an 18-month contract for a study into the development and production of a long-range air and missile defence system, in a move towards closer defence cooperation with France and Italy. In December last year, Turkey and Russia signed an accord for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries, finalising a deal set to deepen military ties between NATO member Turkey and the Kremlin. Russia and Turkey reached an agreement of US $2.5 billion on the sale of S-400 in 2017 and is expected to ship the first batch by 2019.

Turkey in talks to buy missile defense systems from US

&nbsp;The newly appointed United States National Security Advisor (NSA), John Bolton, who had been a US ambassador to the United Nations, has had grave concerns about Pakistan&#39;s nuclear arsenal.

Last year, he said if Pakistan&#39;s nuclear arms fall into the hands of terrorists, it would be like NorthKorea or Iran on steroids.

&quot;Pakistan is a nuclear power and if it were to tip into terrorist control it would be like #NorthKorea or #Iran on steroids,&quot; Bolton tweeted last year.

Bolton, who was also an analyst on the Fox News Channel, is also of the opinion that more pressure should be exerted on Pakistan government to compel it to take action against terrorist groups operating from their territory.

&quot;Look, I think Afghanistan will be won or lost in Pakistan. And I certainly think that more pressure on the government there because of its support for terrorist groups, giving them safe haven in Pakistan is welcome,&quot; he said on the channel last year.

Yesterday, President Trump appointed Bolton as the NSA, replacing HR McMaster.

Bolton served as the ambassador to the United Nations under former US President George W Bush during parts of 2005 and 2006.&nbsp;

"Pakistan is a nuclear power and if it were to tip into terrorist control it would be like #NorthKorea or #Iran on steroids," Bolton tweeted last year

The newly appointed United States National Security Advisor (NSA), John Bolton, who had been a US ambassador to the United Nations, has had grave concerns about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. Last year, he said if Pakistan's nuclear arms fall into the hands of terrorists, it would be like NorthKorea or Iran on steroids. "Pakistan is a nuclear power and if it were to tip into terrorist control it would be like #NorthKorea or #Iran on steroids," Bolton tweeted last year. Bolton, who was also an analyst on the Fox News Channel, is also of the opinion that more pressure should be exerted on Pakistan government to compel it to take action against terrorist groups operating from their territory. "Look, I think Afghanistan will be won or lost in Pakistan. And I certainly think that more pressure on the government there because of its support for terrorist groups, giving them safe haven in Pakistan is welcome," he said on the channel last year. Yesterday, President Trump appointed Bolton as the NSA, replacing HR McMaster. Bolton served as the ambassador to the United Nations under former US President George W Bush during parts of 2005 and 2006.

New US  National Security Advisor once compared Pak's nukes to 'North Korea on steroids'

Two Canadian brothers of Indian-origin have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly operating an Internet-based unlicensed money service business that processed more than $250 million in transactions.

Firoz Patel, 43, and Ferhan Patel, 37, who live in the area of Montreal, Quebec, are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and to violate anti-money laundering programme requirements, one count of a money laundering conspiracy and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in the District of Columbia.

Each of the brothers faces a maximum sentence of more than 25 years if convicted, US Attorney Jessie Liu and Special Agent in Charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement&#39;s Homeland Security Investigations Washington DC Patrick Lechleitner said.

Ferhan Patel was arrested on March 18 in Detroit. He remains held pending further proceedings in the District of Columbia. His brother remains at large.

&quot;Money transmitting businesses are required to be registered federally and licensed in most states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia. Consumers should beware of those that do not follow these laws because they could be acting as a cover for other illegal activity,&#39;&#39; Liu said.

The indictment alleges that the criminal activity took place from in or about March 2012 until the present. The defendants, through their company Payza.Com, are accused of operating a money transmitting business that operated without the necessary state licenses and knowingly transmitting funds that were derived from illegal activity.

Payza.Com allegedly processed more than $250 million of proceeds from Ponzi schemes, child pornography rings, and other criminal enterprises.

Despite receiving cease and desist letters from various states, and being told by a consultant that operating a money transmission business without the necessary licenses was a crime, Firoz and Ferhan Patel continued their illegal activity, the indictment alleges.

The indictment alleges that the Patels, together with other co-conspirators, are responsible for transmitting over $250 million throughout the United States and elsewhere. The investigation is continuing.

The Patels opened bank accounts in the US and laundered their illegal proceeds through those accounts. The indictment seeks forfeiture of any property involved in these offences or traceable to these offences as well as specific forfeiture of approximately $10 million that has already been seized and frozen.

The brothers have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly operating an Internet-based unlicensed money service business

Two Canadian brothers of Indian-origin have been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly operating an Internet-based unlicensed money service business that processed more than $250 million in transactions. Firoz Patel, 43, and Ferhan Patel, 37, who live in the area of Montreal, Quebec, are charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and to violate anti-money laundering programme requirements, one count of a money laundering conspiracy and one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in the District of Columbia. Each of the brothers faces a maximum sentence of more than 25 years if convicted, US Attorney Jessie Liu and Special Agent in Charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations Washington DC Patrick Lechleitner said. Ferhan Patel was arrested on March 18 in Detroit. He remains held pending further proceedings in the District of Columbia. His brother remains at large. "Money transmitting businesses are required to be registered federally and licensed in most states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia. Consumers should beware of those that do not follow these laws because they could be acting as a cover for other illegal activity,'' Liu said. The indictment alleges that the criminal activity took place from in or about March 2012 until the present. The defendants, through their company Payza.Com, are accused of operating a money transmitting business that operated without the necessary state licenses and knowingly transmitting funds that were derived from illegal activity. Payza.Com allegedly processed more than $250 million of proceeds from Ponzi schemes, child pornography rings, and other criminal enterprises. Despite receiving cease and desist letters from various states, and being told by a consultant that operating a money transmission business without the necessary licenses was a crime, Firoz and Ferhan Patel continued their illegal activity, the indictment alleges. The indictment alleges that the Patels, together with other co-conspirators, are responsible for transmitting over $250 million throughout the United States and elsewhere. The investigation is continuing. The Patels opened bank accounts in the US and laundered their illegal proceeds through those accounts. The indictment seeks forfeiture of any property involved in these offences or traceable to these offences as well as specific forfeiture of approximately $10 million that has already been seized and frozen.

Two Indian-origin brothers indicted for money laundering by US court

China unveiled plans on Friday to impose tariffs on up to $3 billion of US&nbsp;imports in retaliation against US&nbsp;tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium products, as the world&#39;s two largest economies stood on the brink of a trade war.

China was considering a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/president-trump-to-impose-tariffs-worth-50-billion-on-chinese-goods-white-house-36777">15 percent tariff on US&nbsp;products</a> including dried fruit, wine and steel pipes and a 25 percent tariff on pork products and recycled aluminium, the commerce ministry said in a statement on it website.

China has assembled a list of 128 US&nbsp;products in total that could be targeted if the two countries are unable to reach an agreement on trade issues, the ministry added.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday targeting up to $60 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs, but only after a 30-day consultation period that starts once a list is published.

Beijing&#39;s disclosure of its planned retaliation to proposed tariffs on Chinese metal exports to the United States, served as a warning to Washington as both sides brandished their weapons while holding off from starting a full-blown trade war.

The commerce ministry said China would implement the measures in two stages: first the 15 percent tariff on 120 products including steel pipes and wine worth $977 million and later the higher 25 percent tariff on $1.99 billion of pork and aluminium.

&quot;We intend to impose tariffs on certain US&nbsp;imports to balance out the losses caused to Chinese interests by the US&nbsp;tariffs on imported steel and aluminium,&quot; the ministry said.

The ministry added it would take legal action under the framework of the World Trade Organization to maintain the stability of global trading rules. It added, however, it hoped it could resolve issues with the U.S. through dialogue.

China has assembled a list of 128 US products in total that could be targeted if the two countries are unable to reach an agreement on trade issues, the ministry added

China unveiled plans on Friday to impose tariffs on up to $3 billion of US imports in retaliation against US tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium products, as the world's two largest economies stood on the brink of a trade war. China was considering a 15 percent tariff on US products including dried fruit, wine and steel pipes and a 25 percent tariff on pork products and recycled aluminium, the commerce ministry said in a statement on it website. China has assembled a list of 128 US products in total that could be targeted if the two countries are unable to reach an agreement on trade issues, the ministry added. US President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum on Thursday targeting up to $60 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs, but only after a 30-day consultation period that starts once a list is published. Beijing's disclosure of its planned retaliation to proposed tariffs on Chinese metal exports to the United States, served as a warning to Washington as both sides brandished their weapons while holding off from starting a full-blown trade war. The commerce ministry said China would implement the measures in two stages: first the 15 percent tariff on 120 products including steel pipes and wine worth $977 million and later the higher 25 percent tariff on $1.99 billion of pork and aluminium. "We intend to impose tariffs on certain US imports to balance out the losses caused to Chinese interests by the US tariffs on imported steel and aluminium," the ministry said. The ministry added it would take legal action under the framework of the World Trade Organization to maintain the stability of global trading rules. It added, however, it hoped it could resolve issues with the U.S. through dialogue.

China strikes back in trade spat, aims tariffs at $3 billion US goods

The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on 10 Iranians and an Iranian company for alleged hacking hundreds of universities in the US and abroad and the theft of &quot;valuable intellectual property and data.&quot;

The Mabna Institute engaged in &quot;the theft of personal identifiers and economic resources for private financial gain&quot; and for the benefit of Iran&#39;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the US Treasury Department said.

The two founders of the Mabna Institute are among the 10 people whose assets are subject to US seizure, it said. Nine of the 10 were indicted separately for conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and other charges.

The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on 10 Iranians and an Iranian company for alleged hacking hundreds of universities in the US and abroad and the theft of 'valuable intellectual property and data'

The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on 10 Iranians and an Iranian company for alleged hacking hundreds of universities in the US and abroad and the theft of "valuable intellectual property and data." The Mabna Institute engaged in "the theft of personal identifiers and economic resources for private financial gain" and for the benefit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the US Treasury Department said. The two founders of the Mabna Institute are among the 10 people whose assets are subject to US seizure, it said. Nine of the 10 were indicted separately for conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and other charges.

US imposes sanctions on Iranians for hacking

India and the US have a shared interest that their navies provide security which guarantees a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, a US Navy chief has said.

US chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson had a meeting at the Pentagon with Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba who is on a five-day visit to America.

It was Richardson&#39;s fourth meeting with Lanba. The two had last met at the IMDEX Asia defence conference in May 2017.

&quot;We have a shared interest that our navies provide the security that underwrites a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,&quot; Richardson told PTI yesterday after his meeting with Lanba.

&quot;I&#39;ve met often with Admiral Lanba and our discussions center on a naval partnership built on respect and trust,&quot; he said.

The two heads of Navy met with Secretary of Navy Richard V Spencer and discussed ways to improve interoperability to include additional naval exercises and staff talks, said a Pentagon readout of the meeting.

&quot;Naval exercises like Malabar and the Rim-of-the-Pacific are examples of our deepening cooperation and I look forward to continuing to explore opportunities that increase our interoperability,&quot; Richardson said.

He is on a five-day visit to the US during which he will hold extensive talks with the top military brass of the Trump administration to consolidate bilateral naval cooperation, including in the Indo-Pacific region.

The US has been pushing for a broader role for India in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region.

In November last year, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending Quad or quadrilateral corridor to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free from Chinese influence.

&quot;The relationship between the US Navy and the Indian Navy has never been stronger,&quot; said Richardson.

&quot;There has been meaningful progress made in strengthening the cooperation between our two-great democratic and maritime nations. We are exploring every way to expand that partnership even further based on our shared interests,&quot; he said.

India was accorded Major Defence Partner status by the US in 2016, bringing New Delhi on par with Washington&#39;s closest allies for defence-related trade and technology transfer.

The Indian Navy cooperates with the US Navy on several fronts which include operational interactions such as the Malabar naval exercise and exchange of white shipping information. 
Warships from both navies have also been regularly visiting each other&#39;s ports.

US chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson had a meeting at the Pentagon with Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba who is on a five-day visit to America

India and the US have a shared interest that their navies provide security which guarantees a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, a US Navy chief has said. US chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson had a meeting at the Pentagon with Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba who is on a five-day visit to America. It was Richardson's fourth meeting with Lanba. The two had last met at the IMDEX Asia defence conference in May 2017. "We have a shared interest that our navies provide the security that underwrites a peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," Richardson told PTI yesterday after his meeting with Lanba. "I've met often with Admiral Lanba and our discussions center on a naval partnership built on respect and trust," he said. The two heads of Navy met with Secretary of Navy Richard V Spencer and discussed ways to improve interoperability to include additional naval exercises and staff talks, said a Pentagon readout of the meeting. "Naval exercises like Malabar and the Rim-of-the-Pacific are examples of our deepening cooperation and I look forward to continuing to explore opportunities that increase our interoperability," Richardson said. He is on a five-day visit to the US during which he will hold extensive talks with the top military brass of the Trump administration to consolidate bilateral naval cooperation, including in the Indo-Pacific region. The US has been pushing for a broader role for India in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region. In November last year, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending Quad or quadrilateral corridor to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free from Chinese influence. "The relationship between the US Navy and the Indian Navy has never been stronger," said Richardson. "There has been meaningful progress made in strengthening the cooperation between our two-great democratic and maritime nations. We are exploring every way to expand that partnership even further based on our shared interests," he said. India was accorded Major Defence Partner status by the US in 2016, bringing New Delhi on par with Washington's closest allies for defence-related trade and technology transfer. The Indian Navy cooperates with the US Navy on several fronts which include operational interactions such as the Malabar naval exercise and exchange of white shipping information. Warships from both navies have also been regularly visiting each other's ports.

Indian, US navies have 'shared interest': US Navy chief

A British parliamentary committee on Tuesday summoned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer questions on the fake news as authorities step up efforts to determine whether data has been improperly used to influence elections, reports said.

The European Parliament also invited Zuckerberg to speak following revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump&#39;s US presidential campaign harvested data on 50 million users.&nbsp;

The parliament and the European Commission, the 28-nation EU executive, have already called for an urgent probe into the scandal.

Data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica harvested private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer reported on Saturday.

The newspapers, which cited former Cambridge Analytica employees, associates and documents, said the data breach was one of the largest in the history of Facebook Inc.

Facebook on Friday said it was suspending Cambridge Analytica after finding data privacy policies had been violated.

The European Parliament also invited Zuckerberg to speak following revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump's US presidential campaign harvested data on 50 million users.

A British parliamentary committee on Tuesday summoned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to answer questions on the fake news as authorities step up efforts to determine whether data has been improperly used to influence elections, reports said. The European Parliament also invited Zuckerberg to speak following revelations that a firm working for Donald Trump's US presidential campaign harvested data on 50 million users. The parliament and the European Commission, the 28-nation EU executive, have already called for an urgent probe into the scandal. Data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica harvested private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday. The newspapers, which cited former Cambridge Analytica employees, associates and documents, said the data breach was one of the largest in the history of Facebook Inc. Facebook on Friday said it was suspending Cambridge Analytica after finding data privacy policies had been violated.

Mark Zuckerberg Summoned by House Panel in UK; stock slides

North Korea has broken its silence on the diplomatic thaw with Washington and Seoul, saying it is driving the &quot;peace offensive&quot; and rejecting suggestions that sanctions forced it to the negotiating table.

The commentary from the state-run KCNA news agency came with a rapid rapprochement on the Korean peninsula underway, after a period of heightened tensions stoked by the missile and nuclear tests.

But as diplomats scurry to arrange two proposed summits - North-South talks followed by a face-to-face meet between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un - the North&#39;s silence had raised concerns over its intentions.

The KCNA commentary late Tuesday did not directly mention the summits but noted the &quot;dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation&quot; with the South and &quot;a sign of change&quot; with the US.&nbsp;

It said Pyongyang&#39;s overtures came from a position of strength, not from weakness, even as it confronts intense international pressure as well as biting economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.

&quot;The dialogue peace offensive of the DPRK is an expression of self-confidence as it has acquired everything it desires,&quot; it said, using the North&#39;s official name.&nbsp;

It also slammed hawks in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo for questioning the sincerity and motivation behind the North&#39;s willingness to step back from the brink.

&quot;Such rubbish as &#39;result of sanctions and pressure&#39;... spread by hostile forces is just as meaningless as a dog barking at the moon,&quot; it said, urging &quot;prudence&quot; for all parties involved.

&quot;It is really an expression of small-mindedness for the riff-raffs to spoil the atmosphere and say this or that even before the parties concerned are given a chance to study the inner thoughts of the other side and are seated at a negotiating table,&quot; it said in typically colourful language.&nbsp;

Since floating the idea for a summit with the US, &quot;the North has been carefully watching how the situation is developing, including the US-South Korea joint military drills, before making it public to the people&quot;, Professor Kim Yong-hyun at Dongguk University told.

The South and the US announced Tuesday a plan to resume annual joint military exercises on April 1, with its main drill shortened by a month - in an apparent conciliatory gesture over an event that infuriates the North.

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said the North also needs time to prepare its people for a drastic policy turnaround toward the United States.

&quot;The North won&#39;t confirm the two summits until dates and venues are fixed and it needs to educate its people through party cells slowly for a policy U-turn&quot;, Yang said.

The North&#39;s state media has not reported any public activities by Kim since March 6, when it said he held talks with South Korean envoys.

Kim learned of South Korean President Moon Jae-in&#39;s intention for an inter-Korean summit from the envoys, exchanged views and made a &quot;satisfactory agreement,&quot; the North&#39;s KCNA said at that time.

Trump&#39;s announcement earlier this month that he was willing to meet with the North&#39;s young leader - after an invitation conveyed by envoys from the South - has triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity.

The North&#39;s foreign minister Ri Yong Ho met his counterpart from Sweden, which represents Washington&#39;s interests in North Korea, in Stockholm over the weekend, with reports saying they discussed the release of three Americans detained in the North.&nbsp;

Choe Kang Il, a senior Pyongyang diplomat handling ties with the US, is currently in Finland for discussions with the retired former US ambassador to Seoul, Kathleen Stephens.&nbsp;

Moon on Wednesday said a three-way summit including the two Koreas and the US could be possible, depending on the outcomes of the inter-Korean and US-North Korean summits.

&quot;We must completely resolve the issues of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula and establishing peace&quot;, he said.

North Korea says it is driving the 'peace offensive' and rejecting suggestions that sanctions forced it to the negotiating table

North Korea has broken its silence on the diplomatic thaw with Washington and Seoul, saying it is driving the "peace offensive" and rejecting suggestions that sanctions forced it to the negotiating table. The commentary from the state-run KCNA news agency came with a rapid rapprochement on the Korean peninsula underway, after a period of heightened tensions stoked by the missile and nuclear tests. But as diplomats scurry to arrange two proposed summits - North-South talks followed by a face-to-face meet between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un - the North's silence had raised concerns over its intentions. The KCNA commentary late Tuesday did not directly mention the summits but noted the "dramatic atmosphere for reconciliation" with the South and "a sign of change" with the US. It said Pyongyang's overtures came from a position of strength, not from weakness, even as it confronts intense international pressure as well as biting economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme. "The dialogue peace offensive of the DPRK is an expression of self-confidence as it has acquired everything it desires," it said, using the North's official name. It also slammed hawks in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo for questioning the sincerity and motivation behind the North's willingness to step back from the brink. "Such rubbish as 'result of sanctions and pressure'... spread by hostile forces is just as meaningless as a dog barking at the moon," it said, urging "prudence" for all parties involved. "It is really an expression of small-mindedness for the riff-raffs to spoil the atmosphere and say this or that even before the parties concerned are given a chance to study the inner thoughts of the other side and are seated at a negotiating table," it said in typically colourful language. Since floating the idea for a summit with the US, "the North has been carefully watching how the situation is developing, including the US-South Korea joint military drills, before making it public to the people", Professor Kim Yong-hyun at Dongguk University told. The South and the US announced Tuesday a plan to resume annual joint military exercises on April 1, with its main drill shortened by a month - in an apparent conciliatory gesture over an event that infuriates the North. Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies said the North also needs time to prepare its people for a drastic policy turnaround toward the United States. "The North won't confirm the two summits until dates and venues are fixed and it needs to educate its people through party cells slowly for a policy U-turn", Yang said. The North's state media has not reported any public activities by Kim since March 6, when it said he held talks with South Korean envoys. Kim learned of South Korean President Moon Jae-in's intention for an inter-Korean summit from the envoys, exchanged views and made a "satisfactory agreement," the North's KCNA said at that time. Trump's announcement earlier this month that he was willing to meet with the North's young leader - after an invitation conveyed by envoys from the South - has triggered a flurry of diplomatic activity. The North's foreign minister Ri Yong Ho met his counterpart from Sweden, which represents Washington's interests in North Korea, in Stockholm over the weekend, with reports saying they discussed the release of three Americans detained in the North. Choe Kang Il, a senior Pyongyang diplomat handling ties with the US, is currently in Finland for discussions with the retired former US ambassador to Seoul, Kathleen Stephens. Moon on Wednesday said a three-way summit including the two Koreas and the US could be possible, depending on the outcomes of the inter-Korean and US-North Korean summits. "We must completely resolve the issues of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula and establishing peace", he said.

North Korea denies sanctions prompted diplomatic thaw

Turkey and the United States have reached an understanding, but not full agreement, about stabilising the town of Manbij and other areas of Kurdish-controlled northern Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Turkey, which on Sunday stormed the northern Syrian town of Afrin after a two-month offensive against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, has repeatedly threatened to push its operations further east to Manbij where US&nbsp;troops are stationed.

Expanding Turkey&#39;s military campaign into the much larger Kurdish-held territory further east, which President Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to do, would risk confrontation between the NATO allies who have been at loggerheads over the US&nbsp;policy in Syria and other issues.

Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, Cavusoglu denied media reports that Ankara and Washington had agreed a deal on the fate of Manbij, 100 km (60 miles) east of Afrin.

&quot;We said we reached an understanding, which is mainly that Syria&#39;s Manbij and the east of the Euphrates be stabilised. We said we reached an understanding, not an agreement,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Ankara was seeking an agreement with Washington over who will secure Manbij after the YPG, which Turkey considers a terrorist organisation, withdraws from the area. Pulling out only from Manbij would not be enough, Cavusoglu said.

&quot;The YPG will withdraw from these areas, like Manbij for example. We will work together for the security of these areas.

&quot;Manbij is, of course, not enough. First, the YPG will leave and the people of Manbij will govern it. The security of the area will be ensured. We will apply the Manbij model to other areas controlled by the YPG as well,&quot; he said.

Turkey considers the YPG to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the state, and has been infuriated by the support Washington has provided the Syrian Kurdish fighters.

The issue caused a crisis between the NATO allies. Outgoing US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had taken a leading role in recent weeks to resolve the dispute, promising to find a solution for Manbij during a visit to Turkey last month.

However Turkey said US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s announcement that he was removing Tillerson from office may delay a potential deal between Ankara and Washington. 
&nbsp;

Ankara was seeking an agreement with Washington over who will secure Manbij after the YPG

Turkey and the United States have reached an understanding, but not full agreement, about stabilising the town of Manbij and other areas of Kurdish-controlled northern Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday. Turkey, which on Sunday stormed the northern Syrian town of Afrin after a two-month offensive against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, has repeatedly threatened to push its operations further east to Manbij where US troops are stationed. Expanding Turkey's military campaign into the much larger Kurdish-held territory further east, which President Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to do, would risk confrontation between the NATO allies who have been at loggerheads over the US policy in Syria and other issues. Speaking at a news conference in Ankara, Cavusoglu denied media reports that Ankara and Washington had agreed a deal on the fate of Manbij, 100 km (60 miles) east of Afrin. "We said we reached an understanding, which is mainly that Syria's Manbij and the east of the Euphrates be stabilised. We said we reached an understanding, not an agreement," he said. Ankara was seeking an agreement with Washington over who will secure Manbij after the YPG, which Turkey considers a terrorist organisation, withdraws from the area. Pulling out only from Manbij would not be enough, Cavusoglu said. "The YPG will withdraw from these areas, like Manbij for example. We will work together for the security of these areas. "Manbij is, of course, not enough. First, the YPG will leave and the people of Manbij will govern it. The security of the area will be ensured. We will apply the Manbij model to other areas controlled by the YPG as well," he said. Turkey considers the YPG to be an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the state, and has been infuriated by the support Washington has provided the Syrian Kurdish fighters. The issue caused a crisis between the NATO allies. Outgoing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had taken a leading role in recent weeks to resolve the dispute, promising to find a solution for Manbij during a visit to Turkey last month. However Turkey said US President Donald Trump's announcement that he was removing Tillerson from office may delay a potential deal between Ankara and Washington.

Reached understanding but no deal with US: Turkey on Syria's Manbij

United States President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the building of US-Mexico border would help to stem the flow of illegal drugs, such as heroin and narcotics into the country.

While speaking in Manchester, New Hampshire, which has been the primary city exposed to opioid deaths Trump came up with the decision to build the wall to &quot;keep the damn drugs out&quot; and has come up with numerous ways to fight the epidemic.&nbsp;

&quot;Eventually the Democrats will agree with us and we&#39;ll build the wall to keep the damn drugs out,&quot; he said.

The drug overdose rose to 23 per cent in the city in the first two months of 2018, reports said.&nbsp;

At the same time, the outlet reported that overdose deaths were down 27 percent. Trump said 90 percent of illicit drugs come into the United States via the Mexican border.

In a speech on opioid epidemic at New Hampshire, President Trump vowed to be &quot;extremely tough&quot; on rampant drug crime in the country, adding that he would give &#39;death penalty&#39; to the country&#39;s drug dealers.

&quot;If we don&#39;t get tough on drug dealers, we are wasting our time, and that toughness includes the death penalty. We have got to get tough. This isn&#39;t about nice anymore,&quot; he asserted.

He spoke in front of a banner that read, &quot;Opioids: The Crisis Next Door&quot; and was flanked by law enforcement members.

He vowed that his administration would be spending a lot of money on a public awareness campaign to prevent American youth from taking drugs.

&quot;That&#39;s the least expensive thing we can do, where you scare them from ending up like the people in the commercials. And we&#39;ll make them very bad commercials; we&#39;ll make them very unsavoury situations,&quot; added President Trump.

The US President also called for greater access to treatment and praised American pharmaceutical companies that are making &quot;lifesaving overdose-reversing drugs&quot;.

The Trump administration is also calling for a national prescription-drug-monitoring database, where prescriptions can be tracked across the country. Each state has its own system and some share data. The administration also wants to cut opioid prescriptions by one-third nationwide.

&quot;The plan contains some important steps that will increase access to effective, evidence-based treatment, particularly Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction,&quot; Chuck Ingoglia, senior vice president for public policy and practice improvement at the National Council for Behavioral Health, said in a statement.

The opioid epidemic or opioid crisis is the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in the United States and Canada beginning in the late 1990s and continuing throughout the first two decades of the 2000s.&nbsp;

Opioids are a diverse class of moderately strong painkillers, including oxycodone (commonly sold under the trade names OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is synthesized to resemble other opiates such as opium-derived morphine and heroin.

(With inputs from ANI)

In a speech on opioid epidemic at New Hampshire, President Trump vowed to be 'extremely tough' on rampant drug crime in the country, adding that he would give 'death penalty' to the country's drug dealers

United States President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the building of US-Mexico border would help to stem the flow of illegal drugs, such as heroin and narcotics into the country. While speaking in Manchester, New Hampshire, which has been the primary city exposed to opioid deaths Trump came up with the decision to build the wall to "keep the damn drugs out" and has come up with numerous ways to fight the epidemic. "Eventually the Democrats will agree with us and we'll build the wall to keep the damn drugs out," he said. The drug overdose rose to 23 per cent in the city in the first two months of 2018, reports said. At the same time, the outlet reported that overdose deaths were down 27 percent. Trump said 90 percent of illicit drugs come into the United States via the Mexican border. In a speech on opioid epidemic at New Hampshire, President Trump vowed to be "extremely tough" on rampant drug crime in the country, adding that he would give 'death penalty' to the country's drug dealers. "If we don't get tough on drug dealers, we are wasting our time, and that toughness includes the death penalty. We have got to get tough. This isn't about nice anymore," he asserted. He spoke in front of a banner that read, "Opioids: The Crisis Next Door" and was flanked by law enforcement members. He vowed that his administration would be spending a lot of money on a public awareness campaign to prevent American youth from taking drugs. "That's the least expensive thing we can do, where you scare them from ending up like the people in the commercials. And we'll make them very bad commercials; we'll make them very unsavoury situations," added President Trump. The US President also called for greater access to treatment and praised American pharmaceutical companies that are making "lifesaving overdose-reversing drugs". The Trump administration is also calling for a national prescription-drug-monitoring database, where prescriptions can be tracked across the country. Each state has its own system and some share data. The administration also wants to cut opioid prescriptions by one-third nationwide. "The plan contains some important steps that will increase access to effective, evidence-based treatment, particularly Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid addiction," Chuck Ingoglia, senior vice president for public policy and practice improvement at the National Council for Behavioral Health, said in a statement. The opioid epidemic or opioid crisis is the rapid increase in the use of prescription and non-prescription opioid drugs in the United States and Canada beginning in the late 1990s and continuing throughout the first two decades of the 2000s. Opioids are a diverse class of moderately strong painkillers, including oxycodone (commonly sold under the trade names OxyContin and Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and a very strong painkiller, fentanyl, which is synthesized to resemble other opiates such as opium-derived morphine and heroin. (With inputs from ANI)

Building US-Mexico border to 'keep the damn drugs out': Trump

According to Britain's Financial Times, volunteers in the UK will be infected with coronavirus in order to test a possible vaccine to combat the virus.

Watch:&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="http://www.wionews.com/videos/us-health-body-contradicts-trumps-claim-on-vaccine-arrival-328283/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The Boris Johnson government has reportedly been discussing the possibility of "human challenge studies" to develop the vaccine. The "challenge" if it is approved will be the first of its kind in the world as the world grapples with the virus.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-offers-to-give-free-coronavirus-vaccine-for-un-staff-across-globe-329566">Also Read:&nbsp;Russia offers to give free coronavirus vaccine for UN staff across globe</a>

The UK government had recently announced fresh guidelines to combat the virus which has begun spreading rapidly once again as the country reopened with harsh social distancing measures being put in place across the country with pubs, bars and other venues ordered to close by 10pm.&nbsp;

The race for the vaccine has been going around the world with Johnson &amp; Johnson announcing on Wednesday that it was entered the final Phase-3 stage of vaccine trials.

Johnson &amp; Johnson will seek to enrol up to 60,000 volunteers across over 200 sites in the United States and around the world to conduct the trials. J&amp;J would become the tenth vaccine maker globally to conduct the Phase 3 trial against coronavirus, and the fourth in the US.

"As COVID-19 continues to impact the daily lives of people around the world, our goal remains the same -- leveraging the global reach and scientific innovation of our company to help bring an end to this pandemic," &nbsp;Alex Gorsky, chairman and CEO of the company said.

Meanwhile, French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi and UK's GSK have promised up to 72 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine candidate to the Canadian government as countries race to get their hands on potential vaccine early to combat the virus.

Canada had earlier announced an agreement with Gilead Sciences and McKesson Canada for up to 150,000 vials of remdesivir.

Amid the race for the vaccine, the World Health Organization(WHO) said that over 60 wealthy nations have joined its programme to facilitate poor countries' to access the vaccine but the US and China haven't joined the list.

A Seoul defence ministry spokesman Tuesday confirmed the main exercise, expected to resume on April 1, would be truncated

According to Britain's Financial Times, volunteers in the UK will be infected with coronavirus in order to test a possible vaccine to combat the virus. Watch: The Boris Johnson government has reportedly been discussing the possibility of "human challenge studies" to develop the vaccine. The "challenge" if it is approved will be the first of its kind in the world as the world grapples with the virus. Also Read: Russia offers to give free coronavirus vaccine for UN staff across globe The UK government had recently announced fresh guidelines to combat the virus which has begun spreading rapidly once again as the country reopened with harsh social distancing measures being put in place across the country with pubs, bars and other venues ordered to close by 10pm. The race for the vaccine has been going around the world with Johnson & Johnson announcing on Wednesday that it was entered the final Phase-3 stage of vaccine trials. Johnson & Johnson will seek to enrol up to 60,000 volunteers across over 200 sites in the United States and around the world to conduct the trials. J&J would become the tenth vaccine maker globally to conduct the Phase 3 trial against coronavirus, and the fourth in the US. "As COVID-19 continues to impact the daily lives of people around the world, our goal remains the same -- leveraging the global reach and scientific innovation of our company to help bring an end to this pandemic," Alex Gorsky, chairman and CEO of the company said. Meanwhile, French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi and UK's GSK have promised up to 72 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine candidate to the Canadian government as countries race to get their hands on potential vaccine early to combat the virus. Canada had earlier announced an agreement with Gilead Sciences and McKesson Canada for up to 150,000 vials of remdesivir. Amid the race for the vaccine, the World Health Organization(WHO) said that over 60 wealthy nations have joined its programme to facilitate poor countries' to access the vaccine but the US and China haven't joined the list.

US, South Korea military drills to resume

The bodies of 23 Bangladeshi nationals, from the devastating US-Bangla plane crash that killed 49 people last week in Nepal, will be brought back to Bangladesh, said an official on Monday.

&quot;A cargo plane of Bangladesh Air Force, carrying the bodies, is scheduled to land at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 4 pm&quot;, said Kamrul Islam, general manager (marketing support and public relations) of US-Bangla Airlines.

Prior to this, a &#39;namaz-e-janaza&#39; was held for the 23 nationals at the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu on Monday morning, according to US-Bangla Airlines Chief Executive Officer Imran Asif, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

Bangladeshi and Nepali authorities announced on Sunday that the identification process of the deceased nationals was completed.

Last Monday, 49 people were killed after the plane evaded the runway at Kathmandu&#39;s Tribhuvan International Airport and crashed into a fence on the ground and burst into flames.

The plane, which was en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, had 33 Nepali, 32 Bangladeshi and one passenger each from China and the Maldives.

Other 21 passengers out of total 71 (Including crew member) in the US-Bangla plane are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kathmandu.

The reason behind the crash of the ill-fated aircraft is yet to be established, but the rescuers and other aviation staffs have recovered the black box of the flight.&nbsp;

"A cargo plane of Bangladesh Air Force, carrying the bodies, is scheduled to land at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 4 pm", said Kamrul Islam

The bodies of 23 Bangladeshi nationals, from the devastating US-Bangla plane crash that killed 49 people last week in Nepal, will be brought back to Bangladesh, said an official on Monday. "A cargo plane of Bangladesh Air Force, carrying the bodies, is scheduled to land at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 4 pm", said Kamrul Islam, general manager (marketing support and public relations) of US-Bangla Airlines. Prior to this, a 'namaz-e-janaza' was held for the 23 nationals at the Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu on Monday morning, according to US-Bangla Airlines Chief Executive Officer Imran Asif, The Dhaka Tribune reported. Bangladeshi and Nepali authorities announced on Sunday that the identification process of the deceased nationals was completed. Last Monday, 49 people were killed after the plane evaded the runway at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport and crashed into a fence on the ground and burst into flames. The plane, which was en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, had 33 Nepali, 32 Bangladeshi and one passenger each from China and the Maldives. Other 21 passengers out of total 71 (Including crew member) in the US-Bangla plane are undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kathmandu. The reason behind the crash of the ill-fated aircraft is yet to be established, but the rescuers and other aviation staffs have recovered the black box of the flight.

US-Bangladesh plane crash: 23 bodies to be brought back to Bangladesh today

Anti-H1B posters have come up in local metro stations and commuter trains in San Francisco and California, ahead of the work visa, which is popular among Indian IT professionals, filing season beginning in April.&nbsp;

The Progressives for Immigration Reform which has bought advertisements worth $80,000 for the San Francisco&rsquo;s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations and trains, argues that their purpose is to create awareness about the misuse and abuse of the H-1B visa.&nbsp;

&ldquo;This is to get exposure to the H-1B programme. And with that attention, with that visibility, begin conversations on the abuses of the programmes what it was intended to be and what it has become,&rdquo; Kevin Lynn, director of the Washington Dc-based Progressive for Information Reform said.&nbsp;

Kevin Lynn, executive director of the group, denied the campaign had anything to do with the fact that most H-1B recipients are from India.

He added that the goal of the campaign was to organise American tech workers to &ldquo;demand better protections from exploitation in the tech industry&rdquo;.

&quot;In fact, I would say the positive responses are half and half between people who are who are foreign and people who are US citizens. Because there are two groups being abused here and exploited. One are foreign nationals who are working for companies that they have no protection, no labour laws in America are protecting the H1B worker. If company decides to fire them, they go back to whatever country they came from,&quot; Lynn said.

&quot;At the same time, companies are using H-1B workers to displace or not even think of seeking to hire an American worker who&#39;s qualified to do the job,&quot; he asserted.

He said the solution is that, a company should be made to seek and hire American workers first. &quot;Two, when we work through a programme like this, should not be for people with ordinary skills, but only the exceptionally talented. That was the intention in 1990s. It was called the genius visa,&quot; Lynn said.&nbsp;

Most of the H-1B visa holders hold a bachelor&#39;s degree from a foreign university and 26 per cent of those have only an associate&#39;s degree, he said. &quot;So, we&#39;re not seeing the very talented people coming to the country, but we&#39;re seeing people brought over to displace American workers,&quot; he alleged. The intention of the programme initially was to bring the best and the brightest, he said.

Lynn said this publicity is &quot;already expanding&quot; into other cities. The nature of campaign differs from city to city.

The campaign started on March 15, and would last till April 1, he said, adding that he has been receiving &quot;amazingly positive&quot; response from the users of BART. &quot;Your companies think you are expensive, undeserving &amp; expendable,&quot; the advertisement said.

The ads call on Congress to reform the H-1B visa program, which tech companies use to bring in workers from overseas. The ads have caused some controversy, but BART says it can&#39;t do anything about them because of free speech laws.

&quot;While there have certainly been instances of abuse of the H-1B visa programme by large staffing companies that should be addressed, H-1B workers and immigrants have been a great benefit to our country. They&#39;ve helped spur innovation and have made tremendous contributions to our economy and broader society,&quot; &nbsp;Samir Kalra, San Francisco Bay Area based managing director of the Hindu American Foundation said.&nbsp;

&quot;More importantly, these ads further contribute to the growing anti-immigrant sentiment and unnecessarily demonize H-1B workers, many of whom face obstacles in obtaining visas and are forced to wait decades to receive green cards and build a secure life in this country,&quot; Kalra said.

BART itself seemed embarrassed and said in a statement it &ldquo;does not endorse the ads&rdquo; but it could not take them down as the &ldquo;campaign complies with free speech laws that allow advertisers to express a point of view without regard to the viewpoint. BART must post these ads to comply with the law. Court rulings reinforce the fact that we can&rsquo;t deny the ads&rdquo;.

(With inputs from PTI)

The Progressives for Immigration Reform which has bought advertisements worth USD 80,000 for the San Francisco’s BART stations and trains, argues that their purpose is to create awareness about the misuse and abuse of the H-1B visa

Anti-H1B posters have come up in local metro stations and commuter trains in San Francisco and California, ahead of the work visa, which is popular among Indian IT professionals, filing season beginning in April. The Progressives for Immigration Reform which has bought advertisements worth $80,000 for the San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations and trains, argues that their purpose is to create awareness about the misuse and abuse of the H-1B visa. “This is to get exposure to the H-1B programme. And with that attention, with that visibility, begin conversations on the abuses of the programmes what it was intended to be and what it has become,” Kevin Lynn, director of the Washington Dc-based Progressive for Information Reform said. Kevin Lynn, executive director of the group, denied the campaign had anything to do with the fact that most H-1B recipients are from India. He added that the goal of the campaign was to organise American tech workers to “demand better protections from exploitation in the tech industry”. "In fact, I would say the positive responses are half and half between people who are who are foreign and people who are US citizens. Because there are two groups being abused here and exploited. One are foreign nationals who are working for companies that they have no protection, no labour laws in America are protecting the H1B worker. If company decides to fire them, they go back to whatever country they came from," Lynn said. "At the same time, companies are using H-1B workers to displace or not even think of seeking to hire an American worker who's qualified to do the job," he asserted. He said the solution is that, a company should be made to seek and hire American workers first. "Two, when we work through a programme like this, should not be for people with ordinary skills, but only the exceptionally talented. That was the intention in 1990s. It was called the genius visa," Lynn said. Most of the H-1B visa holders hold a bachelor's degree from a foreign university and 26 per cent of those have only an associate's degree, he said. "So, we're not seeing the very talented people coming to the country, but we're seeing people brought over to displace American workers," he alleged. The intention of the programme initially was to bring the best and the brightest, he said. Lynn said this publicity is "already expanding" into other cities. The nature of campaign differs from city to city. The campaign started on March 15, and would last till April 1, he said, adding that he has been receiving "amazingly positive" response from the users of BART. "Your companies think you are expensive, undeserving & expendable," the advertisement said. The ads call on Congress to reform the H-1B visa program, which tech companies use to bring in workers from overseas. The ads have caused some controversy, but BART says it can't do anything about them because of free speech laws. "While there have certainly been instances of abuse of the H-1B visa programme by large staffing companies that should be addressed, H-1B workers and immigrants have been a great benefit to our country. They've helped spur innovation and have made tremendous contributions to our economy and broader society," Samir Kalra, San Francisco Bay Area based managing director of the Hindu American Foundation said. "More importantly, these ads further contribute to the growing anti-immigrant sentiment and unnecessarily demonize H-1B workers, many of whom face obstacles in obtaining visas and are forced to wait decades to receive green cards and build a secure life in this country," Kalra said. BART itself seemed embarrassed and said in a statement it “does not endorse the ads” but it could not take them down as the “campaign complies with free speech laws that allow advertisers to express a point of view without regard to the viewpoint. BART must post these ads to comply with the law. Court rulings reinforce the fact that we can’t deny the ads”. (With inputs from PTI)

Watch: 'Anti-H1B posters' on San Francisco train network

Saudi Arabia&#39;s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman doesn&#39;t do things by halves, and his meeting on Tuesday with President Donald Trump is just the beginning of a three-week US tour.

Hot on the heels of securing his role as de facto Saudi leader and launching a controversial reform drive, the ambitious 32-year-old is keen to cement ties with the kingdom&#39;s most important ally.

Relations with the US &quot;are at an all-time high,&quot; Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, a former ambassador to Washington, boasted at a news conference on the eve of the White House talks.

After a week of meetings in Washington, Prince Mohammed will head to the US financial center in New York on Saturday.

There he will discuss the planned partial sale of Saudi Aramco, the kingdom&#39;s oil giant and the golden egg underpinning the prince&#39;s Vision 2030 strategy of economic and social reform.

The IPO, with the potential of raising roughly $100 billion based on a valuation of $2 trillion for Aramco, would be the world&#39;s largest-ever share offering.

London, Hong Kong and New York were competing to host the offer, but Riyadh fears the firm would be exposed to litigation if listed in the United States, and reports Monday could disappoint all three.

According to The Wall Street Journal, officials are now planning to offer the stock solely on the Saudi exchange, and waiting to see if it is worth seeking an international listing later.

While in New York, MBS, as he is often known, will also meet United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, head of an organization that has criticized Saudi conduct of the war in Yemen.

&#39;Vision of darkness&#39; 
Saudi Arabia leads a coalition fighting the Huthi rebels, who are allegedly backed by Iran, but has come under criticism for strikes on civilian targets and blockades of humanitarian aid.

The heir to the Saudi throne will not expect much pushback from the White House, though.&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s administration has been firmly behind the Sunni kingdom as it frames all its conflicts as part of a confrontation with Shiite Iran.

Jubeir compared the enmity between Riyadh and Tehran to the battle between light and Iran&#39;s &quot;vision of darkness.&quot;

&quot;And light always triumphs over darkness,&quot; he said.

On Yemen, the Saudi envoy insisted that the kingdom had not sought war but had been drawn in while trying to shore up the rule of the internationally-recognized president against his domestic rivals.

&quot;We are committed to a political process,&quot; he insisted.

This might satisfy Trump, whose first foreign visit as president last year was to Riyadh, but some lawmakers -- egged on by rights activists -- are seeking to curtail US support for the war.

US generals and diplomats are still struggling to calm tensions in the Gulf 10 months after Saudi Arabia led its neighbors in a trade and diplomatic embargo on former ally Qatar.

&#39;No pushback&#39; 
The row dashed US hopes of maintaining a regional Arab alliance against Iran and has complicated the lives of US military planners based at Qatar&#39;s vast Al-Udeid air base.&nbsp;

After Washington, Wall Street and the United Nations, Prince Mohammed will head on March 30 to the West Coast, home of America&#39;s new economy.

He will visit arms exporter Lockheed Martin, as his predecessors might have done, but in trips to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, he will see tech giants Google, Apple and Amazon.

Saudi Arabia is still the world&#39;s number one oil exporter, and the crown prince will indeed visit US oil hub Houston on the last leg of his trip on April 7, but he also wants to diversify.

This part of his agenda to transform an economy that has left many young Saudis of the prince&#39;s generation idle and restless, prey to extremists, has been accompanied by an anti-corruption drive.

This was billed as a way to clean up the Saudi image and encourage outside investment, but many potential funders were spooked to see many renowned Saudi financial heavyweights confined en masse in a luxury hotel.

These figures were eventually released after reportedly surrendering chunks of their wealth, but the exercise was criticized by some as more of a power grab than an anti-graft initiative.

Jubeir insists the issue is of little matter in the broader picture of US-Saudi ties.&nbsp;

&quot;We had virtually no pushback,&quot; he said. &quot;People are very supportive.&quot; 
&nbsp;

Hot on the heels of securing his role as de facto Saudi leader and launching a controversial reform drive, 32-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is keen to cement ties with his kingdom's most important ally

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman doesn't do things by halves, and his meeting on Tuesday with President Donald Trump is just the beginning of a three-week US tour. Hot on the heels of securing his role as de facto Saudi leader and launching a controversial reform drive, the ambitious 32-year-old is keen to cement ties with the kingdom's most important ally. Relations with the US "are at an all-time high," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, a former ambassador to Washington, boasted at a news conference on the eve of the White House talks. After a week of meetings in Washington, Prince Mohammed will head to the US financial center in New York on Saturday. There he will discuss the planned partial sale of Saudi Aramco, the kingdom's oil giant and the golden egg underpinning the prince's Vision 2030 strategy of economic and social reform. The IPO, with the potential of raising roughly $100 billion based on a valuation of $2 trillion for Aramco, would be the world's largest-ever share offering. London, Hong Kong and New York were competing to host the offer, but Riyadh fears the firm would be exposed to litigation if listed in the United States, and reports Monday could disappoint all three. According to The Wall Street Journal, officials are now planning to offer the stock solely on the Saudi exchange, and waiting to see if it is worth seeking an international listing later. While in New York, MBS, as he is often known, will also meet United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, head of an organization that has criticized Saudi conduct of the war in Yemen. 'Vision of darkness' Saudi Arabia leads a coalition fighting the Huthi rebels, who are allegedly backed by Iran, but has come under criticism for strikes on civilian targets and blockades of humanitarian aid. The heir to the Saudi throne will not expect much pushback from the White House, though. Trump's administration has been firmly behind the Sunni kingdom as it frames all its conflicts as part of a confrontation with Shiite Iran. Jubeir compared the enmity between Riyadh and Tehran to the battle between light and Iran's "vision of darkness." "And light always triumphs over darkness," he said. On Yemen, the Saudi envoy insisted that the kingdom had not sought war but had been drawn in while trying to shore up the rule of the internationally-recognized president against his domestic rivals. "We are committed to a political process," he insisted. This might satisfy Trump, whose first foreign visit as president last year was to Riyadh, but some lawmakers -- egged on by rights activists -- are seeking to curtail US support for the war. US generals and diplomats are still struggling to calm tensions in the Gulf 10 months after Saudi Arabia led its neighbors in a trade and diplomatic embargo on former ally Qatar. 'No pushback' The row dashed US hopes of maintaining a regional Arab alliance against Iran and has complicated the lives of US military planners based at Qatar's vast Al-Udeid air base. After Washington, Wall Street and the United Nations, Prince Mohammed will head on March 30 to the West Coast, home of America's new economy. He will visit arms exporter Lockheed Martin, as his predecessors might have done, but in trips to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, he will see tech giants Google, Apple and Amazon. Saudi Arabia is still the world's number one oil exporter, and the crown prince will indeed visit US oil hub Houston on the last leg of his trip on April 7, but he also wants to diversify. This part of his agenda to transform an economy that has left many young Saudis of the prince's generation idle and restless, prey to extremists, has been accompanied by an anti-corruption drive. This was billed as a way to clean up the Saudi image and encourage outside investment, but many potential funders were spooked to see many renowned Saudi financial heavyweights confined en masse in a luxury hotel. These figures were eventually released after reportedly surrendering chunks of their wealth, but the exercise was criticized by some as more of a power grab than an anti-graft initiative. Jubeir insists the issue is of little matter in the broader picture of US-Saudi ties. "We had virtually no pushback," he said. "People are very supportive."

Ambitious Saudi prince mounts epic US charm offensive

British privacy regulators are seeking a warrant to search the offices of the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica late Monday following reports that the company may have <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-suspends-trump-campaign-data-firm-cambridge-analytica-36332" target="_blank">improperly gained access</a> to data on 50 million Facebook users, according to a Channel 4 television report.

The move came as U.S. and European lawmakers demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm, which worked on President Donald Trump&#39;s election campaign, gained access to the data. In the U.S., members of Congress called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about Facebook&#39;s actions.&nbsp;

Facebook said on Monday it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data.

&quot;Auditors from Stroz Friedberg were on site at Cambridge Analytic&#39;s London office this evening,&quot; the company said in a statement late Monday. &quot;At the request of the UK Information Commissioner&rsquo;s Office, which has announced it is pursuing a warrant to conduct its own on-site investigation, the Stroz Friedberg auditors stood down.&quot;

Facebook shares closed down nearly 7.0 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company&#39;s advertising business.

&quot;The lid is being opened on the black box of Facebook data practices, and the picture is not pretty,&quot; said Frank Passable, a University of Maryland law professor who has written about Silicon Valley&#39;s use of data.

Also on Monday, a source said that Facebook head of security, Alex Stamos, plans to leave the company over disagreements about the company&#39;s policies on misinformation. He had been a strong advocate for an aggressive approach to alleged Russian activity on the platform aimed at manipulating elections. His departure was first reported by the New York Times. Facebook declined immediate comment.

In a tweet, Stamos did not deny he was leaving but said: &quot;Despite the rumours, I&#39;m still fully engaged with my work at Facebook. It&#39;s true that my role did change.&quot;

The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook&#39;s reputation, which is already under attack over Russia&#39;s alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election.

London-based Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denied the media claims, and that it deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party application in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.

However, further allegations about the firm&#39;s tactics were reported late Monday by British broadcaster Channel 4 which said it secretly taped interviews with senior Cambridge Analytica executives in which they boasted of their ability to sway elections in countries around the world with digital manipulation and traditional political trickery.

Cambridge Analytica rejected the allegations, saying in a statement that the Channel 4 report &quot;is edited and scripted to grossly misrepresent the nature of those conversations and how the company conducts its business.&quot;

Facebook was already facing calls on Saturday for regulation from the U.S. Congress after the reports in the New York Times and London&#39;s Observer over the weekend.

Republican Senator John Kennedy called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, and Democratic Senator Ron Widen sent a letter to Zuckerberg asking about company policies for sharing user data with third parties.

Facebook usually sends lawyers to testify to Congress, or allows trade organizations to represent it and other technology companies in front of lawmakers.

Facebook and other social media companies including Twitter Inc &lt;TWTR.N&gt; and Alphabet Inc&#39;s &lt;GOOGL.O&gt; YouTube have taken voluntary steps to restrict possible foreign interference and combat false news, but they have not been forced by law or regulation to make changes and legislation on the issue has stalled.

Late on Monday, the Connecticut Attorney General said the office will initiate an inquiry into Facebook data policies.

The Senate was expected to move forward on Monday with a bill that would chip away at the internet industry&rsquo;s legal shield, a decades-old law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, with a bill intended to address online sex trafficking. The measure has already passed the House and is expected to soon become law.

Facebook said on Friday it had learned in 2015 that a Cambridge University psychology professor lied to the company and violated its policies by passing data to Cambridge Analytica from a psychology testing application he had built.

Facebook said it suspended the firms and researchers involved and said the data had been misused but not stolen, because users gave permission.

Facebook shares fell 6.8 percent to $172.56, dragging the U.S. S&amp;P 500 technology sector index &lt;.SPLOTCH&gt; down 2.1 percent and broadly weighing on U.S. equities. Fears of increased regulation also weighed on shares of Twitter, Google parent Alphabet and Snapchat parent Snap Inc &lt;SNAP.N&gt;.

&quot;(Tech companies) are going to get a lot more scrutiny over what data they are collecting and how they are using it,&quot; said Shawn Cruz, senior trading specialist at TD Ameritrade in Chicago.

&#39;VERY CONCERNING&#39;

European officials, who have been more willing to regulate Silicon Valley companies than their U.S. counterparts, were strident in criticism of Facebook.

The revelations about Cambridge Analytica were &quot;horrifying, if confirmed,&quot; said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova. &quot;We don&#39;t want this in the EU and will take all possible legal measures&quot; including stricter rules under the bloc&#39;s General Data Protection Regulation that takes effect in May, she said.

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said the allegations were &quot;clearly very concerning.&quot;

The head of the European Parliament said EU lawmakers will investigate possible data misuse, calling the allegations an unacceptable violation of citizens&#39; privacy rights.

Facebook shares closed down nearly 7.0 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company's advertising business

British privacy regulators are seeking a warrant to search the offices of the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica late Monday following reports that the company may have improperly gained access to data on 50 million Facebook users, according to a Channel 4 television report. The move came as U.S. and European lawmakers demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm, which worked on President Donald Trump's election campaign, gained access to the data. In the U.S., members of Congress called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about Facebook's actions. Facebook said on Monday it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data. "Auditors from Stroz Friedberg were on site at Cambridge Analytic's London office this evening," the company said in a statement late Monday. "At the request of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, which has announced it is pursuing a warrant to conduct its own on-site investigation, the Stroz Friedberg auditors stood down." Facebook shares closed down nearly 7.0 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company's advertising business. "The lid is being opened on the black box of Facebook data practices, and the picture is not pretty," said Frank Passable, a University of Maryland law professor who has written about Silicon Valley's use of data. Also on Monday, a source said that Facebook head of security, Alex Stamos, plans to leave the company over disagreements about the company's policies on misinformation. He had been a strong advocate for an aggressive approach to alleged Russian activity on the platform aimed at manipulating elections. His departure was first reported by the New York Times. Facebook declined immediate comment. In a tweet, Stamos did not deny he was leaving but said: "Despite the rumours, I'm still fully engaged with my work at Facebook. It's true that my role did change." The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook's reputation, which is already under attack over Russia's alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election. London-based Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denied the media claims, and that it deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party application in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules. However, further allegations about the firm's tactics were reported late Monday by British broadcaster Channel 4 which said it secretly taped interviews with senior Cambridge Analytica executives in which they boasted of their ability to sway elections in countries around the world with digital manipulation and traditional political trickery. Cambridge Analytica rejected the allegations, saying in a statement that the Channel 4 report "is edited and scripted to grossly misrepresent the nature of those conversations and how the company conducts its business." Facebook was already facing calls on Saturday for regulation from the U.S. Congress after the reports in the New York Times and London's Observer over the weekend. Republican Senator John Kennedy called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, and Democratic Senator Ron Widen sent a letter to Zuckerberg asking about company policies for sharing user data with third parties. Facebook usually sends lawyers to testify to Congress, or allows trade organizations to represent it and other technology companies in front of lawmakers. Facebook and other social media companies including Twitter Inc <TWTR.N> and Alphabet Inc's <GOOGL.O> YouTube have taken voluntary steps to restrict possible foreign interference and combat false news, but they have not been forced by law or regulation to make changes and legislation on the issue has stalled. Late on Monday, the Connecticut Attorney General said the office will initiate an inquiry into Facebook data policies. The Senate was expected to move forward on Monday with a bill that would chip away at the internet industry’s legal shield, a decades-old law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, with a bill intended to address online sex trafficking. The measure has already passed the House and is expected to soon become law. Facebook said on Friday it had learned in 2015 that a Cambridge University psychology professor lied to the company and violated its policies by passing data to Cambridge Analytica from a psychology testing application he had built. Facebook said it suspended the firms and researchers involved and said the data had been misused but not stolen, because users gave permission. Facebook shares fell 6.8 percent to $172.56, dragging the U.S. S&P 500 technology sector index <.SPLOTCH> down 2.1 percent and broadly weighing on U.S. equities. Fears of increased regulation also weighed on shares of Twitter, Google parent Alphabet and Snapchat parent Snap Inc <SNAP.N>. "(Tech companies) are going to get a lot more scrutiny over what data they are collecting and how they are using it," said Shawn Cruz, senior trading specialist at TD Ameritrade in Chicago. 'VERY CONCERNING' European officials, who have been more willing to regulate Silicon Valley companies than their U.S. counterparts, were strident in criticism of Facebook. The revelations about Cambridge Analytica were "horrifying, if confirmed," said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova. "We don't want this in the EU and will take all possible legal measures" including stricter rules under the bloc's General Data Protection Regulation that takes effect in May, she said. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said the allegations were "clearly very concerning." The head of the European Parliament said EU lawmakers will investigate possible data misuse, calling the allegations an unacceptable violation of citizens' privacy rights.

Facebook under pressure as US, EU urge probes of data practices

Several US Republican lawmakers expressed concern over privacy violations on Sunday after media reports that a political consultancy that worked on President Donald Trump&rsquo;s campaign gained inappropriate access to 50 million Facebook users&rsquo; data.&nbsp;

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he believed some internet companies have grown too fast to digest their responsibilities and obligations.

&ldquo;So we&rsquo;ll learn more about this in the days to come. But yeah I&rsquo;m disturbed by that,&rdquo; Rubio told NBC&rsquo;s &ldquo;Meet the Press.&rdquo;

Senator Rand Paul was asked whether people can trust companies like Facebook in the wake of the report about Cambridge Analytica taking data.&nbsp;

&ldquo;People have to look into it. Whether or not it broke the law, absolutely, the privacy of the American consumer, the American individual, should be protected,&rdquo; Paul said on CNN.

Facebook disclosed the issue in a blog post on Friday, hours before media reports that conservative-leaning Cambridge Analytica, a data company known for its work on Trump&rsquo;s 2016 presidential campaign, was given access to the data and may not have deleted it.

Facebook said in a statement that a Cambridge University psychology professor had lied to the company and violated its policies by passing data to Cambridge Analytica from an app he had developed. It suspended the firm from Facebook.

Facebook did not immediately reply when asked on Sunday for a response to the lawmakers&rsquo; comments. However, in a new statement Sunday, the company said it was conducting a &ldquo;comprehensive internal and external review&rdquo; to determine if the user data in question still existed.&nbsp;

Cambridge Analytica and the professor have denied violating Facebook&rsquo;s terms, according to media reports.

The scrutiny presented a new threat to Facebook&rsquo;s reputation, which was already under attack over Russians&rsquo; use of Facebook tools to sway American voters before and after the 2016 U.S. elections.&nbsp;

Republican Senator Jeff Flake said he had a lot of questions about the data taken from Facebook, including who knew it had been taken and whether it is still being used.

&ldquo;This is a big deal, when you have that amount of data, and the privacy violations there are significant,&rdquo; he told CNN&rsquo;s &ldquo;State of the Union&rdquo; program. &ldquo;So the question is who knew it and when did they know it, how long did this go on and what happens to that data now.&rdquo;

Facebook faced new calls for regulation from Democratic senators on Saturday and was hit with questions about personal data safeguards, but it was unclear whether the Republican-controlled Congress would act.

U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said more investigation was needed.

&ldquo;We need to find out what we can about the misappropriation of the privacy, the private information of tens of millions of Americans,&rdquo; he said Sunday on ABC&rsquo;s &ldquo;This Week.&rdquo;

Also on ABC, Senator James Lankford, a Republican, said it was not known whether the incident was connected to the Trump campaign.&nbsp;

Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he believed some internet companies have grown too fast to digest their responsibilities and obligations

Several US Republican lawmakers expressed concern over privacy violations on Sunday after media reports that a political consultancy that worked on President Donald Trump’s campaign gained inappropriate access to 50 million Facebook users’ data. Republican Senator Marco Rubio said he believed some internet companies have grown too fast to digest their responsibilities and obligations. “So we’ll learn more about this in the days to come. But yeah I’m disturbed by that,” Rubio told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Senator Rand Paul was asked whether people can trust companies like Facebook in the wake of the report about Cambridge Analytica taking data. “People have to look into it. Whether or not it broke the law, absolutely, the privacy of the American consumer, the American individual, should be protected,” Paul said on CNN. Facebook disclosed the issue in a blog post on Friday, hours before media reports that conservative-leaning Cambridge Analytica, a data company known for its work on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was given access to the data and may not have deleted it. Facebook said in a statement that a Cambridge University psychology professor had lied to the company and violated its policies by passing data to Cambridge Analytica from an app he had developed. It suspended the firm from Facebook. Facebook did not immediately reply when asked on Sunday for a response to the lawmakers’ comments. However, in a new statement Sunday, the company said it was conducting a “comprehensive internal and external review” to determine if the user data in question still existed. Cambridge Analytica and the professor have denied violating Facebook’s terms, according to media reports. The scrutiny presented a new threat to Facebook’s reputation, which was already under attack over Russians’ use of Facebook tools to sway American voters before and after the 2016 U.S. elections. Republican Senator Jeff Flake said he had a lot of questions about the data taken from Facebook, including who knew it had been taken and whether it is still being used. “This is a big deal, when you have that amount of data, and the privacy violations there are significant,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “So the question is who knew it and when did they know it, how long did this go on and what happens to that data now.” Facebook faced new calls for regulation from Democratic senators on Saturday and was hit with questions about personal data safeguards, but it was unclear whether the Republican-controlled Congress would act. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said more investigation was needed. “We need to find out what we can about the misappropriation of the privacy, the private information of tens of millions of Americans,” he said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” Also on ABC, Senator James Lankford, a Republican, said it was not known whether the incident was connected to the Trump campaign.

US Republican lawmakers concerned by Facebook data leak

The US&nbsp;Supreme Court on Monday required Arizona to continue to issue driver&#39;s licenses to the so-called Dreamers immigrants and refused to hear the state&#39;s challenge to an Obama-era program that protects hundreds of thousands of young adults brought into the country illegally as children.

The case centered on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created in 2012 under Democratic former President Barack Obama that Republican President Donald Trump already has sought to rescind. Those who signed up for DACA are shielded from deportation and given work permits.

The high court refused to hear Republican-governed Arizona&#39;s appeal of a lower court ruling that barred the state from denying driver&#39;s licenses to people protected under DACA.

&quot;Arizona&#39;s inexplicable attempt to deny driver&#39;s licenses to Dreamers, pursued by two governors for years, has now failed at every level of the federal judiciary,&quot; said Jennifer Chang Newell, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the immigrants in the case.

The justices on Feb. 26 required the Trump administration to keep DACA in place at least for now, turning away its appeal of a judge&#39;s nationwide injunction that halted the president&#39;s September order to begin winding down the program in March. A second federal judge has since issued a similar injunction.

After DACA was put in place under Obama, Arizona&#39;s governor at the time, Republican Jan Brewer, directed state officials to prevent the program&#39;s recipients from obtaining a driver&#39;s license in the state.

Non-citizens must prove they are authorized to be in the United States to obtain an Arizona driver&#39;s license, such as with a valid federal work permit. The state decided not to accept permits obtained by DACA recipients.

The ACLU sued on behalf of a group of DACA recipients who were denied driver&#39;s licenses. Arizona was the only state to deny licenses to DACA recipients, according to court papers.

The San Francisco-based 9th US&nbsp;Circuit Court of Appeals last year struck down the Arizona policy, ruling that the state cannot develop its own definition of immigrants who are authorized to be in the United States and that only the federal government had that power.

Arizona appealed to the Supreme Court, saying the 9th Circuit&#39;s decision ran roughshod over state sovereignty. Arizona said DACA was enacted through a Department of Homeland Security memo, not legislation in the U.S. Congress or a formal agency rule-making process, and could not supersede state law regulating driver&#39;s licenses.

The Trump administration urged the justices not to take the case, saying the president&#39;s move to rescind the policy means the state&#39;s concerns have already been addressed.

The high court refused to hear Republican-governed Arizona's appeal of a lower court ruling that barred the state from denying driver's licenses to people protected under DACA.=

The US Supreme Court on Monday required Arizona to continue to issue driver's licenses to the so-called Dreamers immigrants and refused to hear the state's challenge to an Obama-era program that protects hundreds of thousands of young adults brought into the country illegally as children. The case centered on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created in 2012 under Democratic former President Barack Obama that Republican President Donald Trump already has sought to rescind. Those who signed up for DACA are shielded from deportation and given work permits. The high court refused to hear Republican-governed Arizona's appeal of a lower court ruling that barred the state from denying driver's licenses to people protected under DACA. "Arizona's inexplicable attempt to deny driver's licenses to Dreamers, pursued by two governors for years, has now failed at every level of the federal judiciary," said Jennifer Chang Newell, an attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the immigrants in the case. The justices on Feb. 26 required the Trump administration to keep DACA in place at least for now, turning away its appeal of a judge's nationwide injunction that halted the president's September order to begin winding down the program in March. A second federal judge has since issued a similar injunction. After DACA was put in place under Obama, Arizona's governor at the time, Republican Jan Brewer, directed state officials to prevent the program's recipients from obtaining a driver's license in the state. Non-citizens must prove they are authorized to be in the United States to obtain an Arizona driver's license, such as with a valid federal work permit. The state decided not to accept permits obtained by DACA recipients. The ACLU sued on behalf of a group of DACA recipients who were denied driver's licenses. Arizona was the only state to deny licenses to DACA recipients, according to court papers. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals last year struck down the Arizona policy, ruling that the state cannot develop its own definition of immigrants who are authorized to be in the United States and that only the federal government had that power. Arizona appealed to the Supreme Court, saying the 9th Circuit's decision ran roughshod over state sovereignty. Arizona said DACA was enacted through a Department of Homeland Security memo, not legislation in the U.S. Congress or a formal agency rule-making process, and could not supersede state law regulating driver's licenses. The Trump administration urged the justices not to take the case, saying the president's move to rescind the policy means the state's concerns have already been addressed.

US top court rejects Arizona challenge to 'Dreamers' program

At least 37 IS militants were killed and dozens were wounded on Saturday in US airstrikes conducted at Jowzjan province in Afghanistan.

A regional Afghan military statement said Saturday the pre-dawn strikes took place in the Darzab and Qishtepa districts of Jowzjan province, where IS maintains bases.

Mohammad Reza Ghafoori, the spokesperson of provincial governor confirmed the airstrikes and said the US forces also detained 10 IS militants including a key local commander for the group.&nbsp;

Reports further say that the US forces also conducted raids in Qishtepa and detained &ldquo;a key Daesh commander&rdquo; along with several other aides.

In an earlier incident today, at least six terrorists belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group were killed in the latest drone strike in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The airstrikes come following a pro-Islamic State group launching a social media campaign promoting jihadi mobilization to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The group, al-Qastantiyyah (Constantinople) Foundation, posted the announcement on its Telegram channel Friday, reports said.

The airstrikes come following a pro-Islamic State group launching a social media campaign promoting jihadi mobilization to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region

At least 37 IS militants were killed and dozens were wounded on Saturday in US airstrikes conducted at Jowzjan province in Afghanistan. A regional Afghan military statement said Saturday the pre-dawn strikes took place in the Darzab and Qishtepa districts of Jowzjan province, where IS maintains bases. Mohammad Reza Ghafoori, the spokesperson of provincial governor confirmed the airstrikes and said the US forces also detained 10 IS militants including a key local commander for the group. Reports further say that the US forces also conducted raids in Qishtepa and detained “a key Daesh commander” along with several other aides. In an earlier incident today, at least six terrorists belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group were killed in the latest drone strike in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan. The airstrikes come following a pro-Islamic State group launching a social media campaign promoting jihadi mobilization to the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The group, al-Qastantiyyah (Constantinople) Foundation, posted the announcement on its Telegram channel Friday, reports said.

At least 37 IS militants killed in Afghanistan

A bike-sharing craze that has swept China over the past two years is picking up speed in cities across the United States, but with a different spin as tough local regulations rein in the roll-out of dockless bikes.

Chinese startups pioneered dockless bike sharing: unlock a bike with your cellphone, ride it, park it, and relock it. But the downside has been bikes piled everywhere in many cities, clogging the sidewalks.

Many major US cities have pre-empted that problem with rules that sharply limit how many dockless-bike companies can operate and how many bikes they can offer in an effort to avoid problems with blocked sidewalks.

Mobike, one of the Chinese bike-sharing giants, has launched in just five US cities and is deliberately moving slowly to work with local communities, according to US General Manager Jason Wong. In Dallas, a city that bike-share companies say is lax on regulation, Mobike has &ldquo;voluntarily capped&rdquo; its dockless bike number at 3,000 to make sure the business can thrive in the long term.

Ofo, another Chinese dockless bike-sharing power, will not enter a city without the blessing of local officials, said Chris Taylor, head of the company&rsquo;s North America business. It is now in 25 US cities, including Seattle, San Diego, and Washington, DC.

&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s definitely tougher than it is in China but I see that as a good thing,&rdquo; said Toby Sun, co-founder and CEO of San Mateo, California-based LimeBike. The company put its first dockless bikes on the road in June and has so far raised $132 million from investors, including top Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

In New York City and San Francisco, dockless bike sharing is all but banned. Both cities have exclusive, multi-year deals with Motivate, which operates the Citi Bike and Ford GoBike services, which use fixed docking stations.

&ldquo;There&rsquo;s one city in the US that didn&rsquo;t have any regulation and that&rsquo;s Dallas, and quickly had more than 20,000 bikes that were not being used very often and so now they&rsquo;re looking at what kind of regulation they want to adopt,&quot; said Ryan Rzepecki, CEO of electric bike-sharing startup Jump Bikes.

&quot;There&rsquo;s going to be some regulation and that does impact the growth.&quot;

Jared White, a spokesman for Dallas, said the city is getting ready to roll out permits and is considering imposing a fee on bike-sharing companies.

Meanwhile, cities with bike-share docking stations are considering what to do next. San Francisco has given a permit for electric bike-sharing to Jump Bikes, though it is limited to 250 bikes at the start.

New York City is considering dockless bikes for areas that are not serviced by the Citi Bike program. Nice Ride, a non-profit in Minneapolis that has been running a bike-sharing program for the past 8 years, has signed up Motivate to help run the docked bikes and roll out a dockless program to test the new concept.

Beyond the cautious city officials, bike-sharing companies face the challenge of getting Americans accustomed to driving to pedal instead - especially when the public transit options are far inferior to those in the biggest Chinese cities.

But the uphill ride is not worrying investors betting on so-called last mile solutions - bikes, electric bikes, and scooters. Just last week the electric scooter-sharing company Bird, which was founded in the fall of last year and has already had to pay fines to the city of Santa Monica for leaving scooters around town, raised $100 million in a series B funding.

Chinese startups pioneered dockless bike sharing: unlock a bike with your cellphone, ride it, park it, and relock it

A bike-sharing craze that has swept China over the past two years is picking up speed in cities across the United States, but with a different spin as tough local regulations rein in the roll-out of dockless bikes. Chinese startups pioneered dockless bike sharing: unlock a bike with your cellphone, ride it, park it, and relock it. But the downside has been bikes piled everywhere in many cities, clogging the sidewalks. Many major US cities have pre-empted that problem with rules that sharply limit how many dockless-bike companies can operate and how many bikes they can offer in an effort to avoid problems with blocked sidewalks. Mobike, one of the Chinese bike-sharing giants, has launched in just five US cities and is deliberately moving slowly to work with local communities, according to US General Manager Jason Wong. In Dallas, a city that bike-share companies say is lax on regulation, Mobike has “voluntarily capped” its dockless bike number at 3,000 to make sure the business can thrive in the long term. Ofo, another Chinese dockless bike-sharing power, will not enter a city without the blessing of local officials, said Chris Taylor, head of the company’s North America business. It is now in 25 US cities, including Seattle, San Diego, and Washington, DC. “I think it’s definitely tougher than it is in China but I see that as a good thing,” said Toby Sun, co-founder and CEO of San Mateo, California-based LimeBike. The company put its first dockless bikes on the road in June and has so far raised $132 million from investors, including top Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. In New York City and San Francisco, dockless bike sharing is all but banned. Both cities have exclusive, multi-year deals with Motivate, which operates the Citi Bike and Ford GoBike services, which use fixed docking stations. “There’s one city in the US that didn’t have any regulation and that’s Dallas, and quickly had more than 20,000 bikes that were not being used very often and so now they’re looking at what kind of regulation they want to adopt," said Ryan Rzepecki, CEO of electric bike-sharing startup Jump Bikes. "There’s going to be some regulation and that does impact the growth." Jared White, a spokesman for Dallas, said the city is getting ready to roll out permits and is considering imposing a fee on bike-sharing companies. Meanwhile, cities with bike-share docking stations are considering what to do next. San Francisco has given a permit for electric bike-sharing to Jump Bikes, though it is limited to 250 bikes at the start. New York City is considering dockless bikes for areas that are not serviced by the Citi Bike program. Nice Ride, a non-profit in Minneapolis that has been running a bike-sharing program for the past 8 years, has signed up Motivate to help run the docked bikes and roll out a dockless program to test the new concept. Beyond the cautious city officials, bike-sharing companies face the challenge of getting Americans accustomed to driving to pedal instead - especially when the public transit options are far inferior to those in the biggest Chinese cities. But the uphill ride is not worrying investors betting on so-called last mile solutions - bikes, electric bikes, and scooters. Just last week the electric scooter-sharing company Bird, which was founded in the fall of last year and has already had to pay fines to the city of Santa Monica for leaving scooters around town, raised $100 million in a series B funding.

Bike-sharing companies face an uphill ride in US

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday that Rex Tillerson`s firing as US secretary of state did not come up during his talks overseas this week, describing interest in the issue as largely a &quot;Washington, DC, story.&rdquo;&nbsp;

In his first public remarks on the matter since President Donald Trump announced Tillerson`s dismissal on Tuesday, Mattis, who had forged a close working relationship with Tillerson, said allies understood that ties with the United States were deeper than with any one individual.&nbsp;

&quot;This issue has not even come up, other than with you all(in the media) &ndash; and I understand why you`re asking,&quot; Mattis told reporters as he flew back to Washington from the Gulf nation of Bahrain. He had also travelled to Afghanistan since Tillerson&rsquo;s firing.&nbsp;

&quot;But I`m just pointing out that in most parts of the world, this is a Washington, DC, story.&quot;&nbsp;

Reuters has reported that differences over how to deal with North Korea`s nuclear challenge were a key factor in Trump`s decision to replace Tillerson as America`s top diplomat. Trump nominated Mike Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to take the job.

Mattis had made no secret of his strong rapport with Tillerson, saying in January that the two had breakfast every week together and communicated frequently - sometimes two or three times a day.&nbsp;

The goal was to hammer out a consensus on key issues before addressing them to the White House.&nbsp;

&quot;We settle all of our issues between he and I, and then we walk together into the White House meetings. That way, State and Defense are together,&quot; Mattis said at the time.&nbsp;

It was unclear whether Mattis, a retired Marine general, would be able to forge as strong a relationship with Pompeo.&nbsp;

Mattis declined to comment on when he learned of Tillerson`s dismissal and did not offer any personal thoughts about it, other than to say it was not discussed in his past two days of conversations with Bahrain`s leaders and NATO`s envoy to Afghanistan and multiple town hall-style gatherings with US troops.&nbsp;

&quot;The durability of our relations with these countries, with the United States having very strong institutions, go beyond personalities,&quot; Mattis said.&nbsp;

Mattis suggested that cooperation with allies was unshaken by the dismissal.&nbsp;

&quot;It`s not about whether or not the United States is still an ally to the countries I`ve been in or the countries I`ve been talking to,&quot; Mattis said.&nbsp;

&quot;I`ve signed letters while I`ve been out here, the normal coordination. ... The work goes on.&quot;

Mattis said on Thursday that Rex Tillerson`s firing as US secretary of state did not come up during his talks overseas this week

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Thursday that Rex Tillerson`s firing as US secretary of state did not come up during his talks overseas this week, describing interest in the issue as largely a "Washington, DC, story.” In his first public remarks on the matter since President Donald Trump announced Tillerson`s dismissal on Tuesday, Mattis, who had forged a close working relationship with Tillerson, said allies understood that ties with the United States were deeper than with any one individual. "This issue has not even come up, other than with you all(in the media) – and I understand why you`re asking," Mattis told reporters as he flew back to Washington from the Gulf nation of Bahrain. He had also travelled to Afghanistan since Tillerson’s firing. "But I`m just pointing out that in most parts of the world, this is a Washington, DC, story." Reuters has reported that differences over how to deal with North Korea`s nuclear challenge were a key factor in Trump`s decision to replace Tillerson as America`s top diplomat. Trump nominated Mike Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to take the job. Mattis had made no secret of his strong rapport with Tillerson, saying in January that the two had breakfast every week together and communicated frequently - sometimes two or three times a day. The goal was to hammer out a consensus on key issues before addressing them to the White House. "We settle all of our issues between he and I, and then we walk together into the White House meetings. That way, State and Defense are together," Mattis said at the time. It was unclear whether Mattis, a retired Marine general, would be able to forge as strong a relationship with Pompeo. Mattis declined to comment on when he learned of Tillerson`s dismissal and did not offer any personal thoughts about it, other than to say it was not discussed in his past two days of conversations with Bahrain`s leaders and NATO`s envoy to Afghanistan and multiple town hall-style gatherings with US troops. "The durability of our relations with these countries, with the United States having very strong institutions, go beyond personalities," Mattis said. Mattis suggested that cooperation with allies was unshaken by the dismissal. "It`s not about whether or not the United States is still an ally to the countries I`ve been in or the countries I`ve been talking to," Mattis said. "I`ve signed letters while I`ve been out here, the normal coordination. ... The work goes on."

Tillerson firing a 'Washington DC story', says Mattis

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 130 points in early trade today amid weak Asian cues and selling on oil &amp; gas, metals, power, PSU and IT counters.

Brokers said persistent selling by investors, capital outflows by foreign funds and a weak trend in Asian bourses due to increased concerns over the prospect of a global trade war dampened market sentiment.

The Sensex was trading 136.94 points, or 0.40 per cent, down at 33,548.60. The gauge lost 232.40 points in the previous three straight sessions.

The 50-share Nifty also fell 50.95 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 10,309.20.

Kotak Bank, ONGC, NTPC, Asian Paint, Reliance Industries, HDFC, TCS, Infosys, ICICI Bank, ITC, SBI, IndusInd Bank and Tata Motors were among major losers, falling up to 1.40 per cent.

Shares of Gitanjali Gems continued to be under selling pressure, falling 4.63 per cent to Rs 12.35.

Hong Kong&#39;s Hang Seng was down 0.24 per cent and Shanghai Composite shed 0.11 per cent in early trade today. Japan&#39;s Nikkei too down 0.24 per cent.

The US Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, ended 0.47 per cent higher yesterday.

Fall in Sensex amid weak Asian cues and selling on oil and gas, metals, power, PSU and IT counters

The benchmark BSE Sensex fell over 130 points in early trade today amid weak Asian cues and selling on oil & gas, metals, power, PSU and IT counters. Brokers said persistent selling by investors, capital outflows by foreign funds and a weak trend in Asian bourses due to increased concerns over the prospect of a global trade war dampened market sentiment. The Sensex was trading 136.94 points, or 0.40 per cent, down at 33,548.60. The gauge lost 232.40 points in the previous three straight sessions. The 50-share Nifty also fell 50.95 points, or 0.49 per cent, to 10,309.20. Kotak Bank, ONGC, NTPC, Asian Paint, Reliance Industries, HDFC, TCS, Infosys, ICICI Bank, ITC, SBI, IndusInd Bank and Tata Motors were among major losers, falling up to 1.40 per cent. Shares of Gitanjali Gems continued to be under selling pressure, falling 4.63 per cent to Rs 12.35. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.24 per cent and Shanghai Composite shed 0.11 per cent in early trade today. Japan's Nikkei too down 0.24 per cent. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average, however, ended 0.47 per cent higher yesterday.

Sensex slips 130 points on weak global cues, Nifty tests 10,300

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