Iraqi Kurdish leaders offered Wednesday to freeze the outcome of last month&#39;s vote for independence, taking a step back in a major crisis that prompted Baghdad to seize swathes of disputed territory.

The offer came as world powers scrambled to avert any further escalation of the conflict between the key allies in the fight against the Islamic State group that has seen more than 30 combatants killed.

There was no immediate reaction from Baghdad but the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) force, whose mainly Iran-trained Shiite paramilitaries played a major role in the operation against the Kurds, said a freeze did not go far enough and demanded the outright annulment of the independence referendum.

Washington, Moscow and the United Nations have all pressed Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani to open talks with Baghdad on a way out of the crisis sparked by the fateful September 25 vote that he called.

The Kurdistan Regional Government, led by Barzani, said it would propose to the federal government &quot;the freezing of the results of the referendum... and the start of an open dialogue&quot; on the basis of the constitution.

It also called for &quot;an immediate ceasefire and cessation of military operations in Kurdistan&quot;.

Since early last week, Iraqi federal troops and allied militia have retaken virtually all of the territory held by the Kurds outside their longstanding three-province autonomous region in the north.

Vote must be annulled

The Hashed al-Shaabi, which has taken a hard line in the dispute with the Kurds, demanded that they annul the independence vote as a precondition for any dialogue.

&quot;The Kurdish proposal is worthless because freezing the referendum means recognising it and the position of the Iraqi government is clear, the referendum must be annulled,&quot; Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi told AFP.

The independence referendum deeply divided Iraqi Kurdish leaders and many commanders ordered their forces to pull back without resisting.

The loss of so much territory, including the major city of Kirkuk and lucrative oil fields, dealt a huge blow to Kurdish dreams of economic self-sufficiency and eventual independence.

Barzani&#39;s longtime political rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, had opposed the independence vote and backed a UN plan for negotiations on wider Kurdish autonomy.

The Iraqi constitution adopted during the US-led occupation of 2003-11 provides for plebiscites in the disputed areas on their possible incorporation in the autonomous Kurdish region.

Washington has made clear that while it will not take sides in the conflict between its Iraq allies, it does not regard Baghdad&#39;s reoccupation of the disputed areas as a fait accompli.

&quot;The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status -- they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution,&quot; State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday.

UN bids for talks

The United Nations said on Tuesday that it stands ready to broker talks.

UN envoy Jan Kubis &quot;expressed confidence that despite the recent tensions, Iraq will be able to ride this crisis&quot;.

&quot;Both sides publicly expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue and negotiations on the basis of the Constitution. The UN is ready to assist, if requested,&quot; he said.

&quot;We are confident that the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, just like they banded together to defeat Daesh (the Islamic State group), can work hand in hand to overcome their differences through dialogue and away from confrontation to resolve all outstanding issues in a manner that is consistent with the constitution.&quot;

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose domestic prestige has been sharply boosted by the return of the disputed territories to federal control, has been on a tour of regional countries which share his hostility to Kurdish moves towards secession.

He also held talks in Baghdad on Monday with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

On Wednesday, he was due in Ankara for talks with Turkish leaders, who are particularly opposed to any talk of Kurdish separatism having fought a more than three-decade long insurgency among its own Kurdish minority, the region&#39;s largest.

Iraq&#39;s border with Turkey is currently all in Kurdish hands and Abadi has said that top of the agenda of his talks will be his demand that the federal government retake control of border crossings.

Iraqi Kurdish leaders offered to freeze the outcome of last month's vote for independence

Iraqi Kurdish leaders offered Wednesday to freeze the outcome of last month's vote for independence, taking a step back in a major crisis that prompted Baghdad to seize swathes of disputed territory. The offer came as world powers scrambled to avert any further escalation of the conflict between the key allies in the fight against the Islamic State group that has seen more than 30 combatants killed. There was no immediate reaction from Baghdad but the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) force, whose mainly Iran-trained Shiite paramilitaries played a major role in the operation against the Kurds, said a freeze did not go far enough and demanded the outright annulment of the independence referendum. Washington, Moscow and the United Nations have all pressed Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani to open talks with Baghdad on a way out of the crisis sparked by the fateful September 25 vote that he called. The Kurdistan Regional Government, led by Barzani, said it would propose to the federal government "the freezing of the results of the referendum... and the start of an open dialogue" on the basis of the constitution. It also called for "an immediate ceasefire and cessation of military operations in Kurdistan". Since early last week, Iraqi federal troops and allied militia have retaken virtually all of the territory held by the Kurds outside their longstanding three-province autonomous region in the north. Vote must be annulled The Hashed al-Shaabi, which has taken a hard line in the dispute with the Kurds, demanded that they annul the independence vote as a precondition for any dialogue. "The Kurdish proposal is worthless because freezing the referendum means recognising it and the position of the Iraqi government is clear, the referendum must be annulled," Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi told AFP. The independence referendum deeply divided Iraqi Kurdish leaders and many commanders ordered their forces to pull back without resisting. The loss of so much territory, including the major city of Kirkuk and lucrative oil fields, dealt a huge blow to Kurdish dreams of economic self-sufficiency and eventual independence. Barzani's longtime political rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, had opposed the independence vote and backed a UN plan for negotiations on wider Kurdish autonomy. The Iraqi constitution adopted during the US-led occupation of 2003-11 provides for plebiscites in the disputed areas on their possible incorporation in the autonomous Kurdish region. Washington has made clear that while it will not take sides in the conflict between its Iraq allies, it does not regard Baghdad's reoccupation of the disputed areas as a fait accompli. "The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status -- they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday. UN bids for talks The United Nations said on Tuesday that it stands ready to broker talks. UN envoy Jan Kubis "expressed confidence that despite the recent tensions, Iraq will be able to ride this crisis". "Both sides publicly expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue and negotiations on the basis of the Constitution. The UN is ready to assist, if requested," he said. "We are confident that the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, just like they banded together to defeat Daesh (the Islamic State group), can work hand in hand to overcome their differences through dialogue and away from confrontation to resolve all outstanding issues in a manner that is consistent with the constitution." Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose domestic prestige has been sharply boosted by the return of the disputed territories to federal control, has been on a tour of regional countries which share his hostility to Kurdish moves towards secession. He also held talks in Baghdad on Monday with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. On Wednesday, he was due in Ankara for talks with Turkish leaders, who are particularly opposed to any talk of Kurdish separatism having fought a more than three-decade long insurgency among its own Kurdish minority, the region's largest. Iraq's border with Turkey is currently all in Kurdish hands and Abadi has said that top of the agenda of his talks will be his demand that the federal government retake control of border crossings.

Iraq Kurds offer to freeze independence vote

People in the US city of Richardson are mourning and angry over the tragic death of 3-year-old Indian girl Sherin Mathews, with many asking why her foster father did not wake his nurse wife when he knew that the toddler was choking on milk and struggling to breathe.

Sherin, who had developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills, was confirmed dead by police in the Texan city of Richardson yesterday after over two weeks of searches. She was missing since October 7.

Wesley Mathews, 37, the Indian-American father of Sherin, told the police yesterday that his daughter choked while drinking milk and he removed her body from the house as he &quot;believed she had died&quot;.

He had previously claimed that Sherin went missing after he sent her outside their home at around 3 am on October 7 as punishment for not drinking her milk.

Wesley, who works in an IT company, was re-arrested and charged with first-degree felony injury to a child due to a conflicting statement to police.

The arrest came a day after the body of a small child was found in a culvert near their home in suburban Dallas.

While the cause of her death was still being probed, the community and neighborhoods all across Texas are shocked, heartbroken, angry and mourning her death.

Wesley&#39;s wife Sini Mathews, who is a registered nurse and could have helped her, was reportedly sleeping in her room.

&quot;All these lies, first punishing the girl and putting her under a tree, later choking her in a garage at 3 AM for not drinking milk, does not add up. It is heartbreaking and shocking,&quot; said a teary-eyed resident Diana.

&quot;It will be another story soon when police will find the actual cause of the death,&quot; she said.

Another neighbor Barabara Diamond Johnson asked why did not Wesley wake his nurse wife as Sherin choked to death, especially when she is a registered nurse at Children&#39;s hospital Dallas.

People who live in the neighbourhood stopped their cars or their daily walks yesterday to see the ditch where Sherin&#39;s body was found. They pulled phones from their pockets to take photos of the spot.

Since Sunday, heavy hearts joined in song and prayer for the little girl found in the culvert.

&quot;I think everybody is just ready for closure and we just want her to be at peace,&quot; said resident Gauthami Vemula.

The incident has left the shocked community with many unanswered questions.

Over the past two weeks, Sherin brought the whole community together in the suburb, as countless volunteers searched in and around Richardson hoping to find the toddler.

Sunday evening, many gathered for a prayer vigil a few hours after learning of the heartbreaking developments.

&quot;A lot of people are in shock and anger and frustrated. Let&#39;s just try our best to breathe and regroup to focus our energy back on this little girl, this princess and find ways to seek her justice as best and as quick as possible,&quot; said vigil organiser Omair Siddiqi.

Meanwhile, Richardson police are sharing new details into their ongoing investigation into the disappearance and death of Sherin.

Richardson Police Department sergeant Kevin Perlich told reporters that they had previously searched the area near the culvert where Mathews&#39; body was found on Sunday but had come up empty-handed.

After heavy rainfall overnight Saturday, police returned to the area near East Spring Valley and South Bowser roads with cadaver dogs Sunday morning, knowing that rain tends to help intensify smells. An investigator and search team said the little girl&#39;s clothed body was then found &quot;a ways into the culvert,&quot; according to Perlich.

Yesterday, Richardson police made a plea for Sini to agree to speak with the police. She has reportedly not cooperated with the police since the weekend of October 7.

Her attorney Kent Starr said she is &quot;distraught&quot; over the loss of her daughter and that she is trying to regain custody of her four-year-old biological daughter who was placed in foster care after her sister&#39;s disappearance.

Starr told NBC 5 yesterday that he has withdrawn and is no longer Sini&#39;s criminal defence attorney.

Wesley remained in the Richardson City Jail yesterday on USD 1-million bond. It is not known when he will be transferred to the Dallas County Jail.

Police are still investigating how long Sherin&#39;s body had been in the drainage ditch.

Wesley was charged on Monday with an injury to a child, which is punishable by up to life in prison.

Sherin&#39;s body was positively identified yesterday and autopsy results are pending. It is unclear whether authorities believe Wesley&#39;s new account of what happened.

Police have unsuccessfully tried to get Sini to voluntarily answer questions, Perlich said.

Police spoke with her on Monday the day after Sherin&#39;s body was found but before authorities confirmed her identity.

Sini provided police with dental records, which were used to identify Sherin.

The police have said Sherin was small for her age and it was not unusual for her to eat in the middle of the night to gain weight. Sherin, who was about three-feet tall weighing just 10 kgs, was malnourished when she was adopted last year and did not have the language skills of a typical 3-year-old.

The couple adopted Sherin from India last year, according to media reports.

Neighbour Joe Keonine said yesterday that he never saw Sherin or her four-year-old sister outside.

He said the neighbours are worried about what will happen to Sherin&#39;s sister. The girl is now in foster care.

Sherin, who had developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills, was confirmed dead by police in the Texan city of Richardson yesterday after over two weeks of searches.

People in the US city of Richardson are mourning and angry over the tragic death of 3-year-old Indian girl Sherin Mathews, with many asking why her foster father did not wake his nurse wife when he knew that the toddler was choking on milk and struggling to breathe. Sherin, who had developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills, was confirmed dead by police in the Texan city of Richardson yesterday after over two weeks of searches. She was missing since October 7. Wesley Mathews, 37, the Indian-American father of Sherin, told the police yesterday that his daughter choked while drinking milk and he removed her body from the house as he "believed she had died". He had previously claimed that Sherin went missing after he sent her outside their home at around 3 am on October 7 as punishment for not drinking her milk. Wesley, who works in an IT company, was re-arrested and charged with first-degree felony injury to a child due to a conflicting statement to police. The arrest came a day after the body of a small child was found in a culvert near their home in suburban Dallas. While the cause of her death was still being probed, the community and neighborhoods all across Texas are shocked, heartbroken, angry and mourning her death. Wesley's wife Sini Mathews, who is a registered nurse and could have helped her, was reportedly sleeping in her room. "All these lies, first punishing the girl and putting her under a tree, later choking her in a garage at 3 AM for not drinking milk, does not add up. It is heartbreaking and shocking," said a teary-eyed resident Diana. "It will be another story soon when police will find the actual cause of the death," she said. Another neighbor Barabara Diamond Johnson asked why did not Wesley wake his nurse wife as Sherin choked to death, especially when she is a registered nurse at Children's hospital Dallas. People who live in the neighbourhood stopped their cars or their daily walks yesterday to see the ditch where Sherin's body was found. They pulled phones from their pockets to take photos of the spot. Since Sunday, heavy hearts joined in song and prayer for the little girl found in the culvert. "I think everybody is just ready for closure and we just want her to be at peace," said resident Gauthami Vemula. The incident has left the shocked community with many unanswered questions. Over the past two weeks, Sherin brought the whole community together in the suburb, as countless volunteers searched in and around Richardson hoping to find the toddler. Sunday evening, many gathered for a prayer vigil a few hours after learning of the heartbreaking developments. "A lot of people are in shock and anger and frustrated. Let's just try our best to breathe and regroup to focus our energy back on this little girl, this princess and find ways to seek her justice as best and as quick as possible," said vigil organiser Omair Siddiqi. Meanwhile, Richardson police are sharing new details into their ongoing investigation into the disappearance and death of Sherin. Richardson Police Department sergeant Kevin Perlich told reporters that they had previously searched the area near the culvert where Mathews' body was found on Sunday but had come up empty-handed. After heavy rainfall overnight Saturday, police returned to the area near East Spring Valley and South Bowser roads with cadaver dogs Sunday morning, knowing that rain tends to help intensify smells. An investigator and search team said the little girl's clothed body was then found "a ways into the culvert," according to Perlich. Yesterday, Richardson police made a plea for Sini to agree to speak with the police. She has reportedly not cooperated with the police since the weekend of October 7. Her attorney Kent Starr said she is "distraught" over the loss of her daughter and that she is trying to regain custody of her four-year-old biological daughter who was placed in foster care after her sister's disappearance. Starr told NBC 5 yesterday that he has withdrawn and is no longer Sini's criminal defence attorney. Wesley remained in the Richardson City Jail yesterday on USD 1-million bond. It is not known when he will be transferred to the Dallas County Jail. Police are still investigating how long Sherin's body had been in the drainage ditch. Wesley was charged on Monday with an injury to a child, which is punishable by up to life in prison. Sherin's body was positively identified yesterday and autopsy results are pending. It is unclear whether authorities believe Wesley's new account of what happened. Police have unsuccessfully tried to get Sini to voluntarily answer questions, Perlich said. Police spoke with her on Monday the day after Sherin's body was found but before authorities confirmed her identity. Sini provided police with dental records, which were used to identify Sherin. The police have said Sherin was small for her age and it was not unusual for her to eat in the middle of the night to gain weight. Sherin, who was about three-feet tall weighing just 10 kgs, was malnourished when she was adopted last year and did not have the language skills of a typical 3-year-old. The couple adopted Sherin from India last year, according to media reports. Neighbour Joe Keonine said yesterday that he never saw Sherin or her four-year-old sister outside. He said the neighbours are worried about what will happen to Sherin's sister. The girl is now in foster care.

Heartbreak, anger in US' Richardson after Indian girl's death

Police in the US today discovered the body of a child, which they say is &quot;most likely&quot; of a three-year-old Indian girl who went missing two weeks ago.

Sherin Mathews, who has developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills, was last seen outside her family&#39;s backyard in Richardson city in Texas on October 7 after her foster father reportedly upbraided her and sent her alone outside late at night as punishment for not finishing her milk.

The Richardson Police announced that they discovered the remains of a child in a tunnel beneath a road, expressing apprehension that it was &quot;most likely&quot; of Sherin. They, however, did not confirm the identity.

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Sherin&#39;s body was found about half a mile from the house of her adoptive parents Wesley and Sini Mathews.

As part of their search operation, officers blocked off an area near Spring Valley and Bowser roads, east of Central Expressway.

The body was found in a culvert beneath a road around 11 AM (local time) with the help of search dogs. Police have not released any details about how the child died.

They, however, indicated they had no reason to believe that the body of a different child had been found. The identification process was underway. The medical examiner was working to determine the cause of death.

The child&#39;s foster father, Wesley Mathews, 37, was arrested on a charge of abandoning or endangering a child. A day later, he was released from custody after posting USD 250,000 bond.

As per an arrest-warrant affidavit, Mathews, said to be from Kerala, told police that he sent Sherin outside and told her to stand next to a large tree at around 3 AM October 7.

Mathews admitted to police that he knew coyotes or wild dogs had been seen in the alley, the affidavit said.

Some 15 minutes later, Mathews allegedly went to check on Sherin but did not find her.

After looking around for her, he said he then went inside to do laundry and decided to wait until morning to continue searching or for her to return on her own, police sergeant Kevin Perlich said.

Police were not alerted to her disappearance until about five hours later.

The Mathews reportedly adopted the girl two years ago from an Indian orphanage.

Sherin&#39;s case also caught the attention of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

&quot;We are deeply concerned about the missing child. Indian Embassy in US is actively involved and they keep me informed,&quot; Swaraj tweeted on October 19.

&quot;We are closely monitoring the Sherin Mathews case. We have established contact with the community and authorities,&quot; India&#39;s Consul General in Houston, Anupam Ray had tweeted.&nbsp;

The three-year-old Indian girl went missing two weeks ago

Police in the US today discovered the body of a child, which they say is "most likely" of a three-year-old Indian girl who went missing two weeks ago. Sherin Mathews, who has developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills, was last seen outside her family's backyard in Richardson city in Texas on October 7 after her foster father reportedly upbraided her and sent her alone outside late at night as punishment for not finishing her milk. The Richardson Police announced that they discovered the remains of a child in a tunnel beneath a road, expressing apprehension that it was "most likely" of Sherin. They, however, did not confirm the identity. Sherin has developmental issues and limited verbal communication skills × Sherin's body was found about half a mile from the house of her adoptive parents Wesley and Sini Mathews. As part of their search operation, officers blocked off an area near Spring Valley and Bowser roads, east of Central Expressway. The body was found in a culvert beneath a road around 11 AM (local time) with the help of search dogs. Police have not released any details about how the child died. They, however, indicated they had no reason to believe that the body of a different child had been found. The identification process was underway. The medical examiner was working to determine the cause of death. The child's foster father, Wesley Mathews, 37, was arrested on a charge of abandoning or endangering a child. A day later, he was released from custody after posting USD 250,000 bond. As per an arrest-warrant affidavit, Mathews, said to be from Kerala, told police that he sent Sherin outside and told her to stand next to a large tree at around 3 AM October 7. Mathews admitted to police that he knew coyotes or wild dogs had been seen in the alley, the affidavit said. Some 15 minutes later, Mathews allegedly went to check on Sherin but did not find her. After looking around for her, he said he then went inside to do laundry and decided to wait until morning to continue searching or for her to return on her own, police sergeant Kevin Perlich said. Police were not alerted to her disappearance until about five hours later. The Mathews reportedly adopted the girl two years ago from an Indian orphanage. Sherin's case also caught the attention of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. "We are deeply concerned about the missing child. Indian Embassy in US is actively involved and they keep me informed," Swaraj tweeted on October 19. "We are closely monitoring the Sherin Mathews case. We have established contact with the community and authorities," India's Consul General in Houston, Anupam Ray had tweeted.

US police find body, 'most likely' of missing Indian girl

Military intervention against North Korea would have &quot;devastating consequences&quot;, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday, after US President Donald Trump said diplomatic efforts had failed.

Tensions over North Korea&#39;s weapons programmes have soared in recent months, with Pyongyang launching a flurry of missiles and conducting its sixth and most powerful nuclear test last month in defiance of international sanctions.

Trump&#39;s continued threats of military action against Pyongyang to tame its weapons ambitions have fuelled fears of a conflict on the Korean peninsula and next week the US and South Korea will begin a major naval drill as a show of force against the North.

Stoltenberg, who will visit South Korea and Japan in the coming weeks as a show of support, stressed that Washington had the right to defend itself and its allies, but called for greater diplomatic efforts.

&quot;The use of military force will have devastating consequences, I think nobody really wants that, therefore we need to continue to push for a negotiated solution,&quot; Stoltenberg said in an interview at NATO head quarters in Brussels.

&quot;The US has the right to defend itself, to defend its allies, but at same time I am absolutely certain no one wants a military solution, so we still see a united effort to try to step up the pressure against North Korea.&quot;

Trump met his national security team on Tuesday and discussed a &quot;range of options&quot; to respond to Pyongyang&#39;s repeated recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The meeting came days after Trump, who last month threatened to &quot;destroy&quot; North Korea, said on Twitter that years of talks with Pyongyang had achieved nothing and &quot;only one thing will work&quot;.

&#39;Catastrophic consequences&#39;&nbsp;

Next week&#39;s naval drills in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea will feature the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and two US destroyers alongside South Korean Navy vessels, part of a flurry of military hardware movement in the region in recent days.

Earlier this week two supersonic US heavy bombers flew over the Korean peninsula, staging the first night-time joint aviation exercises with Japan and South Korea, the latest in a series of flyovers.

NATO&#39;s covenant of self-defence, under which an attack on one member triggers a response from all, does not apply to South Korea or Japan despite their status as &quot;global partners&quot; and Stoltenberg stressed that NATO was &quot;not planning any military presence in that part of the world&quot;.

But he cautioned that a strike on Japan or South Korea would &quot;trigger a really dangerous situation, it would have catastrophic consequences&quot;.

And the growing range and accuracy seen in the North&#39;s missile tests have prompted the 29-nation alliance to review its missile defence system, which has been partially operational from a base in Romania since last year.

&quot;Our experts are working on technology, on how to improve our systems,&quot; Stoltenberg said.

The North Korea crisis will be high on the agenda at a meeting of EU foreign minister next week, where a fresh package of sanctions against Kim Jong-Un&#39;s regime is set to be approved.

Three individuals and six entities will be added to the blacklist, a senior EU official said, and the bloc plans to step up diplomatic pressure on countries who are not enforcing tough international sanctions against the North.

A strike on Japan or South Korea would 'trigger a really dangerous situation, it would have catastrophic consequences', said Stoltenberg

Military intervention against North Korea would have "devastating consequences", NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday, after US President Donald Trump said diplomatic efforts had failed. Tensions over North Korea's weapons programmes have soared in recent months, with Pyongyang launching a flurry of missiles and conducting its sixth and most powerful nuclear test last month in defiance of international sanctions. Trump's continued threats of military action against Pyongyang to tame its weapons ambitions have fuelled fears of a conflict on the Korean peninsula and next week the US and South Korea will begin a major naval drill as a show of force against the North. Stoltenberg, who will visit South Korea and Japan in the coming weeks as a show of support, stressed that Washington had the right to defend itself and its allies, but called for greater diplomatic efforts. "The use of military force will have devastating consequences, I think nobody really wants that, therefore we need to continue to push for a negotiated solution," Stoltenberg said in an interview at NATO head quarters in Brussels. "The US has the right to defend itself, to defend its allies, but at same time I am absolutely certain no one wants a military solution, so we still see a united effort to try to step up the pressure against North Korea." Trump met his national security team on Tuesday and discussed a "range of options" to respond to Pyongyang's repeated recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The meeting came days after Trump, who last month threatened to "destroy" North Korea, said on Twitter that years of talks with Pyongyang had achieved nothing and "only one thing will work". 'Catastrophic consequences' Next week's naval drills in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea will feature the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and two US destroyers alongside South Korean Navy vessels, part of a flurry of military hardware movement in the region in recent days. Earlier this week two supersonic US heavy bombers flew over the Korean peninsula, staging the first night-time joint aviation exercises with Japan and South Korea, the latest in a series of flyovers. NATO's covenant of self-defence, under which an attack on one member triggers a response from all, does not apply to South Korea or Japan despite their status as "global partners" and Stoltenberg stressed that NATO was "not planning any military presence in that part of the world". But he cautioned that a strike on Japan or South Korea would "trigger a really dangerous situation, it would have catastrophic consequences". And the growing range and accuracy seen in the North's missile tests have prompted the 29-nation alliance to review its missile defence system, which has been partially operational from a base in Romania since last year. "Our experts are working on technology, on how to improve our systems," Stoltenberg said. The North Korea crisis will be high on the agenda at a meeting of EU foreign minister next week, where a fresh package of sanctions against Kim Jong-Un's regime is set to be approved. Three individuals and six entities will be added to the blacklist, a senior EU official said, and the bloc plans to step up diplomatic pressure on countries who are not enforcing tough international sanctions against the North.

NATO warns N.Korea military action would have 'devastating consequences'

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday sidestepped a growing controversy over who can give permission to access a computer, a debate that goes to the core of what constitutes hacking in this era of widespread use of the internet and social media.

The justices turned away two cases over whether it is a violation of federal anti-hacking law for account holders to give a third party access to a computer system they do not own themselves. In doing so, they left in place a lower court ruling that went against a Cayman Islands company in a dispute with Facebook, and another against a California-based executive recruiter.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled in both cases that only computer system owners may grant authorization, and not account holders or employees with legitimate access credentials.

The justices turned away two cases over whether it is a violation of federal anti-hacking law for account holders to give a third party access to a computer system they do not own themselves

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday sidestepped a growing controversy over who can give permission to access a computer, a debate that goes to the core of what constitutes hacking in this era of widespread use of the internet and social media. The justices turned away two cases over whether it is a violation of federal anti-hacking law for account holders to give a third party access to a computer system they do not own themselves. In doing so, they left in place a lower court ruling that went against a Cayman Islands company in a dispute with Facebook, and another against a California-based executive recruiter. The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals last year ruled in both cases that only computer system owners may grant authorization, and not account holders or employees with legitimate access credentials.

US Supreme Court declines to review computer hacking cases

Nate reached hurricane status as it bore down on popular Mexican beach resorts and headed for the US Gulf Coast early Saturday after dumping heavy rains on Central America and leaving at least 28 people dead.

New Orleans, which was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, leaving hundreds dead, and other cities on the US Gulf coast were under a hurricane warning.&nbsp;

Louisiana, the state home to New Orleans, said President Donald Trump had quickly approved the release of federal aid to help mitigate the impact of the storm.

With the storm&#39;s top winds swirling at 129 kilometers (80 miles) per hour some 240 miles northwest of the western tip of Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that in the United States, &quot;the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.&quot;

The water was expected to peak at up to 2.5 meters (eight feet) above ground in some areas.

Luis Felipe Puente, the national coordinator of Civil Protection, recommended &quot;avoiding aquatic, touristic and recreational activities&quot; in Quintana Roo.

After moving across the Gulf of Mexico, the storm was set to make landfall along the central US Gulf Coast late Saturday, the NHC said.

Authorities cancelled school in seven Mexican coastal towns and declared an orange alert for the northern half of Quintana Roo state.

Swells expected to affect northwestern Caribbean land over the weekend &quot;are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,&quot; according to the US forecasters.

New Orleans issued a mandatory curfew for Saturday from 6:00 pm (2300 GMT), and mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders were issued for certain low-lying areas.

&quot;Our greatest threat... is not necessarily rain, but strong winds and storm surge,&quot; said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Unlike Hurricane Harvey, which dumped record amounts of rain while hovering over neighbouring Texas for a week, fast-moving Nate was expected to quickly pass along a northerly path.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned that while Nate was forecast to be a weak hurricane, it could still cause unexpected damage.

&quot;Anyone in low-lying areas... we are urging them to prepare now,&quot; he said.

In the neighbouring state of Mississippi, lines formed at gas stations in areas within the potential path of the storm.

Some offshore oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have evacuated ahead of the storm&#39;s advance.

Nate was still wreaking havoc in Central America, where heavy rains continued causing floods.

Authorities in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have declared a maximum or red alert.

On Thursday, intense rains forced thousands from their homes, uprooted trees, knocked out bridges and turned roads into rivers across a swath of Central America.

&quot;We were drowning. Thank God (emergency workers) helped us. The river swelled so much it swept away our house, our pigs, our chickens -- it swept away everything,&quot; said Bonavide Velazquez, 60, who was evacuated from her home in southern Nicaragua.

Nicaragua bore 13 of the deaths, according to Vice President Rosario Murillo.

In Costa Rica, where a national emergency was declared, 10 people died, including a three-year-old girl, after they were hit by falling trees and mudslides. An alert was issued for people to be wary of crocodiles that might be roaming after rivers and estuaries flooded.

Three other people were killed in Honduras, and two in El Salvador.

More than 30 people are listed as missing across the region.

The United States is recovering from two major hurricanes: Harvey, which tore through Texas in August, and Irma in September.

Another powerful storm, Hurricane Maria, ripped through the Caribbean in late September, devastating several islands, including Dominica and Puerto Rico.

Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico and the southern United States suffer an Atlantic hurricane season every year that runs from June to November.

But 2017 is already one of the worst years on record.

It bore down on popular Mexican beach resorts and headed for the US Gulf Coast early Saturday

Nate reached hurricane status as it bore down on popular Mexican beach resorts and headed for the US Gulf Coast early Saturday after dumping heavy rains on Central America and leaving at least 28 people dead. New Orleans, which was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, leaving hundreds dead, and other cities on the US Gulf coast were under a hurricane warning. Louisiana, the state home to New Orleans, said President Donald Trump had quickly approved the release of federal aid to help mitigate the impact of the storm. With the storm's top winds swirling at 129 kilometers (80 miles) per hour some 240 miles northwest of the western tip of Cuba, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that in the United States, "the combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline." The water was expected to peak at up to 2.5 meters (eight feet) above ground in some areas. Luis Felipe Puente, the national coordinator of Civil Protection, recommended "avoiding aquatic, touristic and recreational activities" in Quintana Roo. After moving across the Gulf of Mexico, the storm was set to make landfall along the central US Gulf Coast late Saturday, the NHC said. Authorities cancelled school in seven Mexican coastal towns and declared an orange alert for the northern half of Quintana Roo state. Swells expected to affect northwestern Caribbean land over the weekend "are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions," according to the US forecasters. New Orleans issued a mandatory curfew for Saturday from 6:00 pm (2300 GMT), and mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders were issued for certain low-lying areas. "Our greatest threat... is not necessarily rain, but strong winds and storm surge," said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Unlike Hurricane Harvey, which dumped record amounts of rain while hovering over neighbouring Texas for a week, fast-moving Nate was expected to quickly pass along a northerly path. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned that while Nate was forecast to be a weak hurricane, it could still cause unexpected damage. "Anyone in low-lying areas... we are urging them to prepare now," he said. In the neighbouring state of Mississippi, lines formed at gas stations in areas within the potential path of the storm. Some offshore oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have evacuated ahead of the storm's advance. Nate was still wreaking havoc in Central America, where heavy rains continued causing floods. Authorities in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have declared a maximum or red alert. On Thursday, intense rains forced thousands from their homes, uprooted trees, knocked out bridges and turned roads into rivers across a swath of Central America. "We were drowning. Thank God (emergency workers) helped us. The river swelled so much it swept away our house, our pigs, our chickens -- it swept away everything," said Bonavide Velazquez, 60, who was evacuated from her home in southern Nicaragua. Nicaragua bore 13 of the deaths, according to Vice President Rosario Murillo. In Costa Rica, where a national emergency was declared, 10 people died, including a three-year-old girl, after they were hit by falling trees and mudslides. An alert was issued for people to be wary of crocodiles that might be roaming after rivers and estuaries flooded. Three other people were killed in Honduras, and two in El Salvador. More than 30 people are listed as missing across the region. The United States is recovering from two major hurricanes: Harvey, which tore through Texas in August, and Irma in September. Another powerful storm, Hurricane Maria, ripped through the Caribbean in late September, devastating several islands, including Dominica and Puerto Rico. Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico and the southern United States suffer an Atlantic hurricane season every year that runs from June to November. But 2017 is already one of the worst years on record.

Deadly Hurricane Nate bears down on Mexico, US

Reliance&nbsp;Industries&nbsp;Ltd has&nbsp;purchased&nbsp;crude oil cargoes from the United States for the&nbsp;first&nbsp;time, drawn by the lower price for US&nbsp;oil versus global benchmarks, three trade&nbsp;sources&nbsp;said on Tuesday.

Reliance, the owner of the world&rsquo;s biggest refining complex at Jamnagar, is joining state-run refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp in importing US&nbsp;crude. The&nbsp;purchase&nbsp;illustrates the vast reach of US&nbsp;oil exports since the government rescinded a decades-long ban at the end of 2015.

For this&nbsp;purchase,&nbsp;Reliance&nbsp;bought 1 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland and a similar-sized cargo of Eagle Ford&nbsp;crude, both of which are expected to arrive in November, the&nbsp;sources&nbsp;said.

US&nbsp;producer Occidental Petroleum Corp sold the WTI Midland cargo, they said.

Reliance&nbsp;did not respond to Reuters&#39; email seeking comments.

There was also no reply to an emailed request for comment from Occidental sent outside of US&nbsp;business hours.

Opportunities for Indian refiners to import more US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;increased after the discount for West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for US&nbsp;crude, to global benchmark Brent stretched to its widest since 2015 during September.

State-run Indian refiners have bought a total 7.85 million barrels of oil from the United States so far.

India&#39;s imports of US&nbsp;oil follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s visit to Washington in June when President Donald Trump said his country looked forward to exporting more energy products to India.

On Monday, Indian Oil, the country&#39;s top refiner, received its parcel of the US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;at the eastern port of Paradip, the company said in a statement.

Including the US&nbsp;as a source for&nbsp;crude&nbsp;imports for refiners will go a long way in mitigating the risk arising from geopolitical disruptions, Sanjay Sudhir, the joint secretary for international cooperation at the oil ministry, said in the Indian Oil statement.

US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;oil shipments to India have the potential to boost bilateral trade by up to $2 billion, the US&nbsp;embassy in India said in a statement on Monday.

Reliance?bought 1 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate Midland and a similar-sized cargo of Eagle Ford?crude, both of which are expected to arrive in November

Reliance Industries Ltd has purchased crude oil cargoes from the United States for the first time, drawn by the lower price for US oil versus global benchmarks, three trade sources said on Tuesday. Reliance, the owner of the world’s biggest refining complex at Jamnagar, is joining state-run refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp in importing US crude. The purchase illustrates the vast reach of US oil exports since the government rescinded a decades-long ban at the end of 2015. For this purchase, Reliance bought 1 million barrels of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Midland and a similar-sized cargo of Eagle Ford crude, both of which are expected to arrive in November, the sources said. US producer Occidental Petroleum Corp sold the WTI Midland cargo, they said. Reliance did not respond to Reuters' email seeking comments. There was also no reply to an emailed request for comment from Occidental sent outside of US business hours. Opportunities for Indian refiners to import more US crude increased after the discount for West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for US crude, to global benchmark Brent stretched to its widest since 2015 during September. State-run Indian refiners have bought a total 7.85 million barrels of oil from the United States so far. India's imports of US oil follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington in June when President Donald Trump said his country looked forward to exporting more energy products to India. On Monday, Indian Oil, the country's top refiner, received its parcel of the US crude at the eastern port of Paradip, the company said in a statement. Including the US as a source for crude imports for refiners will go a long way in mitigating the risk arising from geopolitical disruptions, Sanjay Sudhir, the joint secretary for international cooperation at the oil ministry, said in the Indian Oil statement. US crude oil shipments to India have the potential to boost bilateral trade by up to $2 billion, the US embassy in India said in a statement on Monday.

Reliance, state-run oil cos buy US crude for first time

Facebook on Monday said it will hire more than 1,000 people to thwart deceptive ads crafted to knock elections off course.

The announcement came as the leading social network turned over to Congress some 3,000 Russia-linked ads that appeared to use hot-button issues to turn people against one another ahead of last year&#39;s US election.

&quot;Today we are delivering those ads to congressional investigators,&quot; Facebook vice president of global policy Joel Kaplan said in an online post.

&quot;Many appear to amplify racial and social divisions.&quot;

The ads appeared to be linked to a Russian entity known as the Internet Research Agency, and violated Facebook policies because they came from inauthentic accounts, according to Kaplan.

&quot;Aggressive steps&quot; by Facebook will include hiring more than 1,000 people to bolster its global ads review teams in the coming year, Kaplan said.

Facebook also planned to ramp up investment in machine learning to identify and take down ads violating the social network&#39;s policies.

&quot;Enforcement is never perfect, but we will get better at finding and removing improper ads,&quot; Kaplan said.

Facebook will require those interested in running ads related to US elections to confirm businesses or organizations they represent.

- Asking forgiveness -

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg last month announced a crackdown on efforts to use the leading social network to meddle with elections.

Zuckerberg outlined a series of steps that would help prevent the manipulation of the social network, including more transparency on political ads appearing on Facebook.

Facebook last month agreed to hand over information about the ads from the Internet Research Agency to special counsel Robert Mueller&#39;s investigation of the 2016 election.

An internal Facebook review showed that Russia-linked fake accounts were used to buy ads aimed at exacerbating political clashes ahead of and following the 2016 US presidential election.

Some 470 accounts spent a total of approximately $100,000 between June 2015 to May 2017 on ads that touted fake or misleading news or drove traffic to pages with such messages, a Facebook official said.

While the amount of money involved was relatively small, enough to buy roughly 3,000 ads, the accounts or pages violated Facebook policies and were shut down, according to Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos.

Zuckerberg over the weekend posted a message marking the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or day of atonement, asking forgiveness &quot;for the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together.&quot;

- Free speech vs abuse -

Facebook vice president of communications Elliot Schrage on Monday posted answers to &quot;hard questions&quot; prompted by the Russia ads.

The social network estimated that 10 million people in the US saw the ads, some 44 percent of those views happening before the November election and the rest afterwards.

Many of the ads did not violate Facebook rules regarding banned content but instead broke a policy barring accounts from hiding who is really running them, according to the social network.

&quot;That means that for most of (the ads) if they had been run by authentic individuals, anywhere, they could have remained on the platform,&quot; Schrage said.

&quot;This is an issue we have debated a great deal.&quot;

Facebook has become an important platform for debate on political and social issues and faces the challenge of protecting free speech while guarding against malicious interference in elections.

&quot;We are dedicated to being an open platform for all ideas, and that may sometimes mean allowing people to express views we &mdash; or others &mdash; find objectionable,&quot; Schrage said.

&quot;This has been the longstanding challenge for all democracies: how to foster honest and authentic political speech while protecting civic discourse from manipulation and abuse.&quot;

The announcement came as the leading social network turned over to Congress some 3,000 Russia-linked ads that appeared to use hot-button issues to turn people against one another ahead of last year's US election

Facebook on Monday said it will hire more than 1,000 people to thwart deceptive ads crafted to knock elections off course. The announcement came as the leading social network turned over to Congress some 3,000 Russia-linked ads that appeared to use hot-button issues to turn people against one another ahead of last year's US election. "Today we are delivering those ads to congressional investigators," Facebook vice president of global policy Joel Kaplan said in an online post. "Many appear to amplify racial and social divisions." The ads appeared to be linked to a Russian entity known as the Internet Research Agency, and violated Facebook policies because they came from inauthentic accounts, according to Kaplan. "Aggressive steps" by Facebook will include hiring more than 1,000 people to bolster its global ads review teams in the coming year, Kaplan said. Facebook also planned to ramp up investment in machine learning to identify and take down ads violating the social network's policies. "Enforcement is never perfect, but we will get better at finding and removing improper ads," Kaplan said. Facebook will require those interested in running ads related to US elections to confirm businesses or organizations they represent. - Asking forgiveness - Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg last month announced a crackdown on efforts to use the leading social network to meddle with elections. Zuckerberg outlined a series of steps that would help prevent the manipulation of the social network, including more transparency on political ads appearing on Facebook. Facebook last month agreed to hand over information about the ads from the Internet Research Agency to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the 2016 election. An internal Facebook review showed that Russia-linked fake accounts were used to buy ads aimed at exacerbating political clashes ahead of and following the 2016 US presidential election. Some 470 accounts spent a total of approximately $100,000 between June 2015 to May 2017 on ads that touted fake or misleading news or drove traffic to pages with such messages, a Facebook official said. While the amount of money involved was relatively small, enough to buy roughly 3,000 ads, the accounts or pages violated Facebook policies and were shut down, according to Facebook chief security officer Alex Stamos. Zuckerberg over the weekend posted a message marking the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, or day of atonement, asking forgiveness "for the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together." - Free speech vs abuse - Facebook vice president of communications Elliot Schrage on Monday posted answers to "hard questions" prompted by the Russia ads. The social network estimated that 10 million people in the US saw the ads, some 44 percent of those views happening before the November election and the rest afterwards. Many of the ads did not violate Facebook rules regarding banned content but instead broke a policy barring accounts from hiding who is really running them, according to the social network. "That means that for most of (the ads) if they had been run by authentic individuals, anywhere, they could have remained on the platform," Schrage said. "This is an issue we have debated a great deal." Facebook has become an important platform for debate on political and social issues and faces the challenge of protecting free speech while guarding against malicious interference in elections. "We are dedicated to being an open platform for all ideas, and that may sometimes mean allowing people to express views we — or others — find objectionable," Schrage said. "This has been the longstanding challenge for all democracies: how to foster honest and authentic political speech while protecting civic discourse from manipulation and abuse."

Facebook beefing up team to thwart election manipulation

The White House has launched an internal probe of the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kushner-used-personal-email-for-wh-business-20613"> use of private email for official business</a> by senior aides to President Donald Trump, news outlet Politico reported Thursday.

The administration is scouring the White House server for emails to and from private email accounts of these aides, Politico said, quoting four people familiar with the probe.

Politico said at least five current and former White House officials used private email to conduct government business: Trump&#39;s son in law and adviser Jared&nbsp;Kushner, daughter Ivanka, economic adviser Gary Cohn, former strategic adviser Steve Bannon and former chief of staff Reince Priebus.

Politico said the probe began this week after it reported private email use by&nbsp;Kushner.

The internal probe could take weeks or even months, it said.

Trump&#39;s White House legal staff is reviewing the accounts to see if any of the messages sent relate to the Russia probes being carried out by two congressional panels and special counsel Robert Mueller, Politico quoted one of its sources as saying.

As a candidate, Trump routinely attacked his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, telling supporters &quot;she has to go to jail&quot; over the affair.

Politico reported Monday that&nbsp;Kushner&nbsp;used a personal account to send messages to senior White House officials and outside advisers about media coverage, planning events, and other issues.

There is no suggestion the emails contained highly sensitive information or were classified, it added, but they could fall foul of the Presidential Records Act, which requires all documents related to the president&#39;s personal and political activities to be archived.

Kushner&#39;s numerous responsibilities within the Trump administration include trying to broker peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In addition to the email controversy,&nbsp;Kushner&nbsp;is facing scrutiny over the Trump campaign&#39;s alleged collusion with Russia to interfere in the 2016 US election, which is the subject of the probes in Congress and by Mueller.

The administration is scouring the White House server for emails to and from private email accounts of these aides, Politico said, quoting four people familiar with the probe

The White House has launched an internal probe of the use of private email for official business by senior aides to President Donald Trump, news outlet Politico reported Thursday. The administration is scouring the White House server for emails to and from private email accounts of these aides, Politico said, quoting four people familiar with the probe. Politico said at least five current and former White House officials used private email to conduct government business: Trump's son in law and adviser Jared Kushner, daughter Ivanka, economic adviser Gary Cohn, former strategic adviser Steve Bannon and former chief of staff Reince Priebus. Politico said the probe began this week after it reported private email use by Kushner. The internal probe could take weeks or even months, it said. Trump's White House legal staff is reviewing the accounts to see if any of the messages sent relate to the Russia probes being carried out by two congressional panels and special counsel Robert Mueller, Politico quoted one of its sources as saying. As a candidate, Trump routinely attacked his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, telling supporters "she has to go to jail" over the affair. Politico reported Monday that Kushner used a personal account to send messages to senior White House officials and outside advisers about media coverage, planning events, and other issues. There is no suggestion the emails contained highly sensitive information or were classified, it added, but they could fall foul of the Presidential Records Act, which requires all documents related to the president's personal and political activities to be archived. Kushner's numerous responsibilities within the Trump administration include trying to broker peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition to the email controversy, Kushner is facing scrutiny over the Trump campaign's alleged collusion with Russia to interfere in the 2016 US election, which is the subject of the probes in Congress and by Mueller.

White House probing use of private email

UN chief Antonio Guterres exhorted Myanmar&#39;s leaders to end the &quot;nightmare&quot; faced by Rohingya refugees fleeing an army campaign, after at least 19 people drowned with scores more feared dead when a boat carrying Rohingya families capsized off Bangladesh.&nbsp;

More than half a million Rohingya Muslims have poured into Bangladesh in the last month, fleeing a vicious Myanmar military crackdown on Rohingya rebels that has gutted villages across northern Rakhine state.

Scores have drowned while trying to cross waters separating the two countries, while those who survive face new dangers as they cram into squalid refugee settlements where food and clean water are in short supply.

The billowing humanitarian crisis prompted the UN Security Council to hold its first meeting on Myanmar in eight years, though the member countries failed to arrive at a joint resolution.&nbsp;

The US slammed the army for trying &quot;to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority&quot;, while Beijing and Moscow offered support to Myanmar authorities who have vehemently rebuffed allegations that ethnic cleansing is underway.

Speaking to the 15-member council, Guterres urged Myanmar to halt military operations and open humanitarian access to the conflict-wracked western region.

&quot;The situation has spiralled into the world&#39;s fastest developing refugee emergency, a humanitarian and human rights nightmare,&quot; he said while calling for those displaced by the conflict to be allowed to return home.

The UN chief noted that the &quot;systemic violence&quot; could cause unrest to spill south to the central part of Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state, threatening 250,000 Muslims with displacement.&nbsp;

Some of the strongest criticism came from US envoy Nikki Haley, who accused Myanmar authorities of waging a &quot;brutal, sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority&quot;.

&quot;It should shame senior Burmese leaders who have sacrificed so much for an open, democratic Myanmar,&quot; she added, in what appeared to be a rebuke to the country&#39;s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose reputation as a human rights champion has been battered by the crisis.

But Myanmar received strong backing from Russia and China, a close ally and key trade partner.&nbsp;

&quot;The international community must be aware of the difficulties faced by the Burmese government, be patient and provide its assistance,&quot; Chinese envoy Wu Haitao said.&nbsp;

&quot;We must be very careful when we talk about ethnic cleansing and genocide,&quot; added Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, taking the Myanmar government line as he blamed Rohingya militants for &quot;burning villages&quot;.

Fires have razed hundreds of communities in northern Rakhine over the past month, in what rights groups say is an army-led effort to drive out the stateless minority that has faced decades of persecution.&nbsp;

Myanmar, a mainly Buddhist country, has denied the allegation and defended its operations as a proportionate crackdown on the Rohingya militants whose deadly raids on police posts on August 25 sparked the military backlash.&nbsp;

Authorities have restricted access to the epicentre of the violence but agreed this week to allow a UN visit to the conflict zone.&nbsp;

The trip has been postponed to October 2 due to bad weather, state media reported Friday.&nbsp;

Boat tragedy&nbsp;

The drowning tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly accidents as desperate refugees surge into Bangladesh, where they are penned into ramshackle tent cities amid dire shortages of nearly all forms of aid.

Witnesses and survivors said the vessel that overturned Thursday was just metres from the coast in rough waters after it was lashed by torrential rain and high winds.

There are fears the death toll could rise sharply with the International Organization for Migration saying about 100 people, mainly children, were believed aboard the downed vessel.

The bodies of 16 people, mostly children, were found Thursday and brought to a local school, said coastguard commander Nasir Uddin.

Two more bodies of young boys were retrieved Friday morning, he added, while another woman was washed ashore in a separate location.

&quot;They drowned before our eyes. Minutes later, the waves washed the bodies to the beach,&quot; said Mohammad Sohel, a local shopkeeper.

One distraught survivor said&nbsp;that his wife and one of their children had been killed when the ship sank.

&quot;The boat hit something underground as it came close to the beach. Then it overturned,&quot; said Nurus Salam, who had set off for Bangladesh from a coastal village in Myanmar late Wednesday with his family.

More than half a million Rohingya Muslims have poured into Bangladesh in the last month, fleeing a vicious Myanmar military crackdown on Rohingya rebels that has gutted villages across northern Rakhine state

UN chief Antonio Guterres exhorted Myanmar's leaders to end the "nightmare" faced by Rohingya refugees fleeing an army campaign, after at least 19 people drowned with scores more feared dead when a boat carrying Rohingya families capsized off Bangladesh. More than half a million Rohingya Muslims have poured into Bangladesh in the last month, fleeing a vicious Myanmar military crackdown on Rohingya rebels that has gutted villages across northern Rakhine state. Scores have drowned while trying to cross waters separating the two countries, while those who survive face new dangers as they cram into squalid refugee settlements where food and clean water are in short supply. The billowing humanitarian crisis prompted the UN Security Council to hold its first meeting on Myanmar in eight years, though the member countries failed to arrive at a joint resolution. The US slammed the army for trying "to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority", while Beijing and Moscow offered support to Myanmar authorities who have vehemently rebuffed allegations that ethnic cleansing is underway. Speaking to the 15-member council, Guterres urged Myanmar to halt military operations and open humanitarian access to the conflict-wracked western region. "The situation has spiralled into the world's fastest developing refugee emergency, a humanitarian and human rights nightmare," he said while calling for those displaced by the conflict to be allowed to return home. The UN chief noted that the "systemic violence" could cause unrest to spill south to the central part of Myanmar's Rakhine state, threatening 250,000 Muslims with displacement. Some of the strongest criticism came from US envoy Nikki Haley, who accused Myanmar authorities of waging a "brutal, sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority". "It should shame senior Burmese leaders who have sacrificed so much for an open, democratic Myanmar," she added, in what appeared to be a rebuke to the country's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whose reputation as a human rights champion has been battered by the crisis. But Myanmar received strong backing from Russia and China, a close ally and key trade partner. "The international community must be aware of the difficulties faced by the Burmese government, be patient and provide its assistance," Chinese envoy Wu Haitao said. "We must be very careful when we talk about ethnic cleansing and genocide," added Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, taking the Myanmar government line as he blamed Rohingya militants for "burning villages". Fires have razed hundreds of communities in northern Rakhine over the past month, in what rights groups say is an army-led effort to drive out the stateless minority that has faced decades of persecution. Myanmar, a mainly Buddhist country, has denied the allegation and defended its operations as a proportionate crackdown on the Rohingya militants whose deadly raids on police posts on August 25 sparked the military backlash. Authorities have restricted access to the epicentre of the violence but agreed this week to allow a UN visit to the conflict zone. The trip has been postponed to October 2 due to bad weather, state media reported Friday. Boat tragedy The drowning tragedy is the latest in a series of deadly accidents as desperate refugees surge into Bangladesh, where they are penned into ramshackle tent cities amid dire shortages of nearly all forms of aid. Witnesses and survivors said the vessel that overturned Thursday was just metres from the coast in rough waters after it was lashed by torrential rain and high winds. There are fears the death toll could rise sharply with the International Organization for Migration saying about 100 people, mainly children, were believed aboard the downed vessel. The bodies of 16 people, mostly children, were found Thursday and brought to a local school, said coastguard commander Nasir Uddin. Two more bodies of young boys were retrieved Friday morning, he added, while another woman was washed ashore in a separate location. "They drowned before our eyes. Minutes later, the waves washed the bodies to the beach," said Mohammad Sohel, a local shopkeeper. One distraught survivor said that his wife and one of their children had been killed when the ship sank. "The boat hit something underground as it came close to the beach. Then it overturned," said Nurus Salam, who had set off for Bangladesh from a coastal village in Myanmar late Wednesday with his family.

UN chief tells Myanmar to end 'nightmare' as 19 drown in Rohingya boat capsize

A 57-year-old doctor of Indian origin has been stabbed to death in Kansas in the US.&nbsp;

The accused has been arrested.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visuals?src=hash">#Visuals</a> from the residence of doctor Achutha Reddy in Telangana&#39;s Nalgonda; he was stabbed to death in Kansas, US <a href="https://t.co/B1gh9HT9ve">pic.twitter.com/B1gh9HT9ve</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/908565799903813632">September 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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My brother has been living in USA since last 25 years. Our family is in shock right now: N Aravind Reddy, Achutha Reddy&#39;s brother <a href="https://t.co/rfacjxCY4Y">pic.twitter.com/rfacjxCY4Y</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/908566279543414788">September 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This is the second killing of an Indian in Kansas after Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead in a bar in February.&nbsp;

Police said the suspected attacker, identified as Umar Rashid Dutt, 21, was a patient of Dr Achutha Reddy&#39;s.&nbsp;

Dr Reddy was a psychiatrist; news reports said Dutt was a patient of his.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/dr%20achutha%20reddy-20170915052451.JPG" />
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Dr Achutha Reddy with his family. (Facebook)
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The reports said Dutt attacked Reddy after a conversation.&nbsp;

The reports added that the attack on Reddy began in his clinic and that when he tried to get away, Dutt chased him down.&nbsp;

Reddy was found in an alley behind his clinic in East Wichita.&nbsp;

The reports added that Dutt was found at a country club after a security guard reported a suspicious-looking man sitting in a car with blood on his clothes.&nbsp;

This is the second killing of an Indian in Kansas after Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead in a bar in February

A 57-year-old doctor of Indian origin has been stabbed to death in Kansas in the US. The accused has been arrested. #Visuals from the residence of doctor Achutha Reddy in Telangana's Nalgonda; he was stabbed to death in Kansas, US pic.twitter.com/B1gh9HT9ve — ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2017 × My brother has been living in USA since last 25 years. Our family is in shock right now: N Aravind Reddy, Achutha Reddy's brother pic.twitter.com/rfacjxCY4Y — ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2017 × This is the second killing of an Indian in Kansas after Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot dead in a bar in February. Police said the suspected attacker, identified as Umar Rashid Dutt, 21, was a patient of Dr Achutha Reddy's. Dr Reddy was a psychiatrist; news reports said Dutt was a patient of his. Dr Achutha Reddy with his family. (Facebook) × The reports said Dutt attacked Reddy after a conversation. The reports added that the attack on Reddy began in his clinic and that when he tried to get away, Dutt chased him down. Reddy was found in an alley behind his clinic in East Wichita. The reports added that Dutt was found at a country club after a security guard reported a suspicious-looking man sitting in a car with blood on his clothes.

Indian-origin doctor stabbed to death in the US

US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday provided a temporary reprieve for President Trump&#39;s order blocking most refugees from entering the United States, putting on hold a lower court&#39;s ruling loosening the prohibition.

Kennedy&#39;s action gave the nine justices more time to consider the Justice Department&#39;s challenge filed on Monday to the lower court&#39;s decision allowing entry to refugees from around the world if they had a formal offer from a resettlement agency. The full Supreme Court could act within days.

The Justice Department opted not to appeal another part of last Thursday&#39;s ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals that related to Trump&#39;s ban on travelers from six Muslim-majority nations. The 9th Circuit ruling broadened the number of people with exemptions to the ban to include grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins of legal US residents.

Without Kennedy&#39;s intervention, the appeals court decision would have gone into effect on Tuesday. Kennedy asked refugee ban challengers to file a response to the Trump administration&#39;s filing by noon on Tuesday.

Under the 9th US Circuit&#39;s ruling, up to 24,000 additional refugees would become eligible to enter the United States than otherwise would be allowed, according to the administration.

Trump&#39;s March 6 order banned travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days and locked out most aspiring refugees for 120 days in a move the Republican president argued was needed to prevent terrorist attacks.

The order, which replaced a broader January one that was blocked by federal courts, was one of the most contentious acts of his presidency. Critics called it an unlawful &quot;Muslim ban&quot; that made good on Trump&#39;s promise as a candidate of &quot;a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.&quot;

The broader question of whether the travel ban discriminates against Muslims in violation of the US Constitution, as lower courts previously ruled, will be argued before the Supreme Court on Oct. 10.

The Supreme Court in June partially revived the order after its provisions were blocked by lower courts. But the justices said a ban could be applied only to those without a &quot;bona fide&quot; relationship with people or entities in the United States.

New litigation was brought by Hawaii over the meaning of that phrase, including whether written assurances by resettlement agencies obligating them to provide services for specific refugees would count.

Hawaii and other Democratic-led states, the American Civil Liberties Union and refugee groups filed legal challenges after Trump signed his order in March.

&quot;The Trump administration has ended its odd and ill-advised quest to ban grandmas from the country,&quot; Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said on Monday.

&quot;With respect to the admission to the United States of refugees with formal assurances and the Supreme Court&#39;s temporary stay order, each day matters,&quot; Chin added, promising to respond soon to the administration&#39;s filing.

In court papers filed earlier on Monday, the Justice Department said the 9th Circuit refugees decision &quot;will disrupt the status quo and frustrate orderly implementation of the order&#39;s refugee provisions.&quot;

Omar Jadwat, an ACLU lawyer, contrasted Trump&#39;s efforts to keep alive his travel ban with the Republican president&#39;s decision last week to rescind a program that protected from deportation people brought to the United States illegally as children, dubbed &quot;Dreamers.&quot;

&quot;The extraordinary efforts the administration is taking in pursuit of the Muslim ban stand in stark contrast to its unwillingness to take a single step to protect 800,000 Dreamers,&quot; Jadwat said.

US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy put on hold a lower court's ruling loosening the prohibition

US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday provided a temporary reprieve for President Trump's order blocking most refugees from entering the United States, putting on hold a lower court's ruling loosening the prohibition. Kennedy's action gave the nine justices more time to consider the Justice Department's challenge filed on Monday to the lower court's decision allowing entry to refugees from around the world if they had a formal offer from a resettlement agency. The full Supreme Court could act within days. The Justice Department opted not to appeal another part of last Thursday's ruling by the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals that related to Trump's ban on travelers from six Muslim-majority nations. The 9th Circuit ruling broadened the number of people with exemptions to the ban to include grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins of legal US residents. Without Kennedy's intervention, the appeals court decision would have gone into effect on Tuesday. Kennedy asked refugee ban challengers to file a response to the Trump administration's filing by noon on Tuesday. Under the 9th US Circuit's ruling, up to 24,000 additional refugees would become eligible to enter the United States than otherwise would be allowed, according to the administration. Trump's March 6 order banned travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days and locked out most aspiring refugees for 120 days in a move the Republican president argued was needed to prevent terrorist attacks. The order, which replaced a broader January one that was blocked by federal courts, was one of the most contentious acts of his presidency. Critics called it an unlawful "Muslim ban" that made good on Trump's promise as a candidate of "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." The broader question of whether the travel ban discriminates against Muslims in violation of the US Constitution, as lower courts previously ruled, will be argued before the Supreme Court on Oct. 10. The Supreme Court in June partially revived the order after its provisions were blocked by lower courts. But the justices said a ban could be applied only to those without a "bona fide" relationship with people or entities in the United States. New litigation was brought by Hawaii over the meaning of that phrase, including whether written assurances by resettlement agencies obligating them to provide services for specific refugees would count. Hawaii and other Democratic-led states, the American Civil Liberties Union and refugee groups filed legal challenges after Trump signed his order in March. "The Trump administration has ended its odd and ill-advised quest to ban grandmas from the country," Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin said on Monday. "With respect to the admission to the United States of refugees with formal assurances and the Supreme Court's temporary stay order, each day matters," Chin added, promising to respond soon to the administration's filing. In court papers filed earlier on Monday, the Justice Department said the 9th Circuit refugees decision "will disrupt the status quo and frustrate orderly implementation of the order's refugee provisions." Omar Jadwat, an ACLU lawyer, contrasted Trump's efforts to keep alive his travel ban with the Republican president's decision last week to rescind a program that protected from deportation people brought to the United States illegally as children, dubbed "Dreamers." "The extraordinary efforts the administration is taking in pursuit of the Muslim ban stand in stark contrast to its unwillingness to take a single step to protect 800,000 Dreamers," Jadwat said.

US Supreme Court justice temporarily preserves Trump refugee ban

Sixteen years ago, on September 11, 2001, al-Qaida conducted the most destructive terrorist attack in history.

<figure>
An unprecedented onslaught from the U.S. followed. <a href="https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/20177.pdf" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One-third of al-Qaida&rsquo;s leadership</a> was killed or captured in the following year. The group lost its safe haven in <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/369161-2001-03-27-afghanistan-an-incubator-for.html" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Afghanistan</a>, including its extensive <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/369179-2003-06-20-afghanistan-camps-central-to-11.html" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">training</a> infrastructure there. Its surviving members were on the run or in hiding. Though it took nearly 10 years, the <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">U.S. succeeded in killing</a> al-Qaida&rsquo;s founding leader, Osama bin Laden. Since 2014, al-Qaida has been <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/world/meast/isis-overshadows-al-qaeda/index.html" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">overshadowed</a> by its former ally al-Qaida in Iraq, now calling itself the Islamic State.

In other words, al-Qaida should not have survived the 16 years since 9/11.
</figure>

So why has it?

&nbsp;

<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185373/area14mp/file-20170910-32284-1inb4i7.jpg"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185373/width754/file-20170910-32284-1inb4i7.jpg" /></a>

<figcaption>
A fighter from the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front holds his group flag in front of the governor building in Idlib province, north Syria. <a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Mideast-Syria-Rebel-Stronghold/a0a4575fd95745aaa885d982face6f7c/2/0">Twitter/via AP</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>

The ties that bind

Much of the credit goes to al-Qaida&rsquo;s extraordinary ability to both form alliances and sustain them over time and under pressure.

In my forthcoming book &ldquo;Alliances for Terror,&rdquo; I examine why a small number of groups, such as al-Qaida and IS, emerge as desirable partners and succeed at developing alliance networks.

Understanding terrorist alliances are critical because terrorist organisations with allies are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228192307_Allying_to_Kill">more lethal</a>, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/isq/article-abstract/58/2/336/2963248/Terrorist-Group-Cooperation-and-Longevity1?redirectedFrom=fulltext">survive longer</a> and are more apt to seek <a href="http://www.start.umd.edu/publication/connections-can-be-toxic-terrorist-organizational-factors-and-pursuit-cbrn-weapons">weapons of mass destruction</a>. Though terrorist partnerships face numerous <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09546553.2014.993466">hurdles</a> and severing al-Qaida&rsquo;s alliances has been a U.S. objective for <a href="https://www.cia.gov/news-information/cia-the-war-on-terrorism/Counter_Terrorism_Strategy.pdf">over a decade</a>, the fact is that these counterterrorism efforts have failed.

It was allied that enabled al-Qaida to survive the immediate aftermath of 9/11. The Afghan Taliban stood by al-Qaida after the attack, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/taliban-wont-turn-over-bin-laden/">refusing to surrender bin Laden</a> and thereby precipitating the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Fleeing, al-Qaida was able to turn to allies in Pakistan to hide its operatives and punish the Pakistani government for capitulating to U.S. pressure to crack down on the group.

It was alliances that helped al-Qaida continue to terrorise. In October 2002, for example, al-Qaida&rsquo;s ally in Southeast Asia, Jemaah Islamiyah, struck a <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19881138">bar and a nightclub in Bali</a>, killing more than 200 and injuring more than 200 more, to brutally commemorate the first anniversary of 9/11.

And it was alliances that allowed al-Qaida to project viability. With the &ldquo;prestige&rdquo; that came with conducting 9/11, al-Qaida was able to forge more of them and indeed create affiliate alliances in which partners adopted its name and pledged allegiance to bin Laden.

Al-Qaida&rsquo;s first and most notorious affiliate alliance, <a href="https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/31694.htm">al-Qaida in Iraq,</a> was formed in 2004 with Jordanian jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Using the standing he accrued through his role in the insurgency in Iraq, Zarqawi then helped al-Qaida acquire its second affiliate in 2006, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/01/world/africa/01transcript-droukdal.html?mcubz=0">al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb</a>. Then, in 2009, al-Qaida designated its branch in Yemen and Saudi Arabia <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11483095">as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula</a>. Its alliances spanned the Middle East and helped it to project power, despite the U.S. war on terrorism.

A lower profile

While al-Qaida still sought affiliates, by 2010, it modified how its alliances work.

Al-Qaida forged an alliance with al-Shabaab in Somalia, but did not publicly announce it or ask al-Shabaab to change its name. Bin Laden <a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/posts/letter-from-usama-bin-laden-to-mukhtar-abu-al-zubayr-original-language-2">justified</a> to Al-Shabaab&#39;s leader the shift to a less visible form of alliance as a way to prevent an increase in counterterrorism pressure or a loss of funds from the Arabian Peninsula. He privately expressed <a href="http://www.jihadica.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/SOCOM-2012-0000009-Trans.pdf">concerns</a> that al-Qaida&rsquo;s name &ldquo;reduces the feeling of Muslims that we belong to them, and allows the enemies to claim deceptively that they are not at war with Islam.&rdquo; Bin Laden&rsquo;s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, saw the move as bin Laden capitulating to members of al-Qaida who worried about &ldquo;<a href="https://ctc.usma.edu/posts/letter-to-azmarai-english-translation-2">inflating the size and the growth of al-Qaida</a>.&rdquo; After bin Laden&rsquo;s death, Zawahiri <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-allied-somali-terror-group-al-shabaab/story?id=15548647">publicly announced</a> al-Qaida&rsquo;s alliance with al-Shabaab, though al-Shabaab still did not adopt al-Qaida&rsquo;s name.

Though al-Qaida&rsquo;s alliance arrangements have varied, these relationships have helped it to survive the loss of its founding leader in 2011 and the ascent of a far less capable leader. <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/09/16/the-man-behind-bin-laden">Zawahiri&rsquo;s</a> rise to the helm of the group was the consequence of an alliance, specifically between his original Egyptian group, al-Jihad, and al-Qaida. The alliance culminated in a merger in 2001, with Zawahiri becoming bin Laden&rsquo;s deputy and successor.

However, Zawahiri lacks bin Laden&rsquo;s cachet or diplomatic savvy. He is a better deputy than a leader. His <a href="https://archive.org/stream/710588-translation-of-ayman-al-zawahiris-letter/710588-translation-of-ayman-al-zawahiris-letter_djvu.txt">poor handling</a> of the strife between jihadist group al-Nusra in Syria and its parent organisation, the Islamic State in Iraq (previously al-Qaida in Iraq and now IS), led to the alliance <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2017.1373895">rupture</a> between al-Qaida and its affiliate in Iraq.

Though al-Qaida had an acrimonious break with IS, it gained al-Nusra as an affiliate in the central conflict in the Sunni jihadist movement: Syria. As was the case with al-Shabaab, this alliance with al-Nusra did not include a rebranding and was initially kept secret. In addition, al-Nusra subsequently changed its name, an effort to gain <a href="https://www.rand.org/blog/2017/03/al-qaeda-in-syria-can-change-its-name-but-not-its-stripes.html">more legitimacy within the conflict in Syria by publicly distancing</a> itself from al-Qaida, though seemingly with al-Qaida&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2016-08-28/rebranding-terror">consent</a>.

Al-Qaida has not acquired another affiliate since the alliance rupture and rise of IS as a rival in 2014. It organised existing members into a new branch, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29056668">al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent</a>, that year. The branch in South Asia reflected al-Qaida&rsquo;s success at expanding beyond its predominantly Arab base, particularly in <a href="http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/10/22/going-native-pakistanization-of-al-qaeda-pub-53382">Pakistan</a>.

Critically, with the exception of IS, al-Qaida&rsquo;s alliances have been resilient over time. This is true despite ample reasons for its partners to abandon ties, such as the heightened counterterrorism pressure that comes with affiliation to al-Qaida; the death of its charismatic leader; and the Islamic State&rsquo;s efforts to <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/03/isil-eyes-east-africa-foments-division-150322130940108.html">court</a> al-Qaida allies. Even the Afghan Taliban remains unwilling to sever ties, even though doing so would eliminate one of the major reasons that the United States will not withdraw from the &ldquo;forever war&rdquo; in Afghanistan.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/83403/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />There is a window now for the U.S. to damage al-Qaida&rsquo;s alliances: It has a weak leader and major rival. But that window may be closing as the Islamic State&rsquo;s so-called caliphate <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/europe/isis-2-0/index.html">crumbles</a> and al-Qaida grooms <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/bin-ladens-son-steps-into-fathers-shoes-as-al-qaeda-attempts-a-comeback/2017/05/27/0c89ffc0-4198-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html">bin Laden&rsquo;s son</a> as its future leader.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-al-qaida-is-still-strong-16-years-after-9-11-83403">original article</a>.

Al-Qaida developed strong alliances among terrorist organisations which helped it to survive the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

Sixteen years ago, on September 11, 2001, al-Qaida conducted the most destructive terrorist attack in history. An unprecedented onslaught from the U.S. followed. One-third of al-Qaida’s leadership was killed or captured in the following year. The group lost its safe haven in Afghanistan, including its extensive training infrastructure there. Its surviving members were on the run or in hiding. Though it took nearly 10 years, the U.S. succeeded in killing al-Qaida’s founding leader, Osama bin Laden. Since 2014, al-Qaida has been overshadowed by its former ally al-Qaida in Iraq, now calling itself the Islamic State. In other words, al-Qaida should not have survived the 16 years since 9/11. So why has it? A fighter from the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front holds his group flag in front of the governor building in Idlib province, north Syria. Twitter/via AP The ties that bind Much of the credit goes to al-Qaida’s extraordinary ability to both form alliances and sustain them over time and under pressure. In my forthcoming book “Alliances for Terror,” I examine why a small number of groups, such as al-Qaida and IS, emerge as desirable partners and succeed at developing alliance networks. Understanding terrorist alliances are critical because terrorist organisations with allies are more lethal, survive longer and are more apt to seek weapons of mass destruction. Though terrorist partnerships face numerous hurdles and severing al-Qaida’s alliances has been a U.S. objective for over a decade, the fact is that these counterterrorism efforts have failed. It was allied that enabled al-Qaida to survive the immediate aftermath of 9/11. The Afghan Taliban stood by al-Qaida after the attack, refusing to surrender bin Laden and thereby precipitating the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Fleeing, al-Qaida was able to turn to allies in Pakistan to hide its operatives and punish the Pakistani government for capitulating to U.S. pressure to crack down on the group. It was alliances that helped al-Qaida continue to terrorise. In October 2002, for example, al-Qaida’s ally in Southeast Asia, Jemaah Islamiyah, struck a bar and a nightclub in Bali, killing more than 200 and injuring more than 200 more, to brutally commemorate the first anniversary of 9/11. And it was alliances that allowed al-Qaida to project viability. With the “prestige” that came with conducting 9/11, al-Qaida was able to forge more of them and indeed create affiliate alliances in which partners adopted its name and pledged allegiance to bin Laden. Al-Qaida’s first and most notorious affiliate alliance, al-Qaida in Iraq, was formed in 2004 with Jordanian jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Using the standing he accrued through his role in the insurgency in Iraq, Zarqawi then helped al-Qaida acquire its second affiliate in 2006, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. Then, in 2009, al-Qaida designated its branch in Yemen and Saudi Arabia as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Its alliances spanned the Middle East and helped it to project power, despite the U.S. war on terrorism. A lower profile While al-Qaida still sought affiliates, by 2010, it modified how its alliances work. Al-Qaida forged an alliance with al-Shabaab in Somalia, but did not publicly announce it or ask al-Shabaab to change its name. Bin Laden justified to Al-Shabaab's leader the shift to a less visible form of alliance as a way to prevent an increase in counterterrorism pressure or a loss of funds from the Arabian Peninsula. He privately expressed concerns that al-Qaida’s name “reduces the feeling of Muslims that we belong to them, and allows the enemies to claim deceptively that they are not at war with Islam.” Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, saw the move as bin Laden capitulating to members of al-Qaida who worried about “inflating the size and the growth of al-Qaida.” After bin Laden’s death, Zawahiri publicly announced al-Qaida’s alliance with al-Shabaab, though al-Shabaab still did not adopt al-Qaida’s name. Though al-Qaida’s alliance arrangements have varied, these relationships have helped it to survive the loss of its founding leader in 2011 and the ascent of a far less capable leader. Zawahiri’s rise to the helm of the group was the consequence of an alliance, specifically between his original Egyptian group, al-Jihad, and al-Qaida. The alliance culminated in a merger in 2001, with Zawahiri becoming bin Laden’s deputy and successor. However, Zawahiri lacks bin Laden’s cachet or diplomatic savvy. He is a better deputy than a leader. His poor handling of the strife between jihadist group al-Nusra in Syria and its parent organisation, the Islamic State in Iraq (previously al-Qaida in Iraq and now IS), led to the alliance rupture between al-Qaida and its affiliate in Iraq. Though al-Qaida had an acrimonious break with IS, it gained al-Nusra as an affiliate in the central conflict in the Sunni jihadist movement: Syria. As was the case with al-Shabaab, this alliance with al-Nusra did not include a rebranding and was initially kept secret. In addition, al-Nusra subsequently changed its name, an effort to gain more legitimacy within the conflict in Syria by publicly distancing itself from al-Qaida, though seemingly with al-Qaida’s consent. Al-Qaida has not acquired another affiliate since the alliance rupture and rise of IS as a rival in 2014. It organised existing members into a new branch, al-Qaida in the Indian subcontinent, that year. The branch in South Asia reflected al-Qaida’s success at expanding beyond its predominantly Arab base, particularly in Pakistan. Critically, with the exception of IS, al-Qaida’s alliances have been resilient over time. This is true despite ample reasons for its partners to abandon ties, such as the heightened counterterrorism pressure that comes with affiliation to al-Qaida; the death of its charismatic leader; and the Islamic State’s efforts to court al-Qaida allies. Even the Afghan Taliban remains unwilling to sever ties, even though doing so would eliminate one of the major reasons that the United States will not withdraw from the “forever war” in Afghanistan. There is a window now for the U.S. to damage al-Qaida’s alliances: It has a weak leader and major rival. But that window may be closing as the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate crumbles and al-Qaida grooms bin Laden’s son as its future leader. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Why al-Qaida is still strong 16 years after 9/11

North Korea today <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-fires-three-short-range-missiles-us-army-19527">fired a missile over Japan which experts</a> said was an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile escalating tensions in the Korean peninsula even as US and South Korean forces continue to conduct military drills in the region.

Japanese air defence personnel participated in a drill just hours after North Korea launched a ballistic missile over its territory.&nbsp;

The drill was conducted at Yokota US air&nbsp;base on the outskirts of Tokyo with Japan&#39;s air defence personnel conducting drills with radars, antennas and Patriot Advanced Capability 3 and PAC-3, Reuters reported.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-koreas-kim-orders-more-production-of-icbms-state-media-19343">North Korea had fired three short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday</a>, two missiles failed in flight and the third blew up &quot;almost immediately&quot; however this time the missile flew over Japan and landed in waters off northern Hokkaido.&nbsp;

The missile launch led to a huge panic&nbsp;with Japan warning its citizens of a missile launch in the J-Alert system, bullet trains were stopped and Japan&#39;s stock market the Nikkei fell one per cent.

&quot;North Korea&#39;s reckless action is an unprecedented, serious and a grave threat to our nation,&quot; Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters.

PM Abe said Japan is seeking an urgent UN meeting to pressure North Korea, the test he said was a clear violation of the UN resolution. South Korea too condemned the recent missile launch by its neighbour.

North Korea&#39;s state media <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/in-photos-north-korea-signals-a-more-powerful-icbm-in-the-works-19490">had published photographs last Wednesday of Kim standing next to a diagram</a> of a three-stage rocket it called the Hwasong-13. Missile experts were unsure whether it was fully developed, some felt it&nbsp;could even be a ploy by Kim&#39;s government to tacitly warn its neighbours including the US but the latest missile test has almost made Pyongyang&#39;s intentions clear.

South Korea&#39;s military said the missile was launched from the Sunan region near the North Korean capital in the morning before 6am and flew 2,700 km, reaching an altitude of about 550 km.

&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dXHXLcbVVv0" width="560"></iframe>

The firm along with SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen are calling back the vehicles owing to a faulty fuel pump, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its website

North Korea today fired a missile over Japan which experts said was an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile escalating tensions in the Korean peninsula even as US and South Korean forces continue to conduct military drills in the region. Japanese air defence personnel participated in a drill just hours after North Korea launched a ballistic missile over its territory. The drill was conducted at Yokota US air base on the outskirts of Tokyo with Japan's air defence personnel conducting drills with radars, antennas and Patriot Advanced Capability 3 and PAC-3, Reuters reported. North Korea had fired three short-range ballistic missiles on Saturday, two missiles failed in flight and the third blew up "almost immediately" however this time the missile flew over Japan and landed in waters off northern Hokkaido. The missile launch led to a huge panic with Japan warning its citizens of a missile launch in the J-Alert system, bullet trains were stopped and Japan's stock market the Nikkei fell one per cent. "North Korea's reckless action is an unprecedented, serious and a grave threat to our nation," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters. PM Abe said Japan is seeking an urgent UN meeting to pressure North Korea, the test he said was a clear violation of the UN resolution. South Korea too condemned the recent missile launch by its neighbour. North Korea's state media had published photographs last Wednesday of Kim standing next to a diagram of a three-stage rocket it called the Hwasong-13. Missile experts were unsure whether it was fully developed, some felt it could even be a ploy by Kim's government to tacitly warn its neighbours including the US but the latest missile test has almost made Pyongyang's intentions clear. South Korea's military said the missile was launched from the Sunan region near the North Korean capital in the morning before 6am and flew 2,700 km, reaching an altitude of about 550 km.

Volkswagen to recall over 1.8 million vehicles in China

Asian shares eked out small gains on Tuesday as expectations that Beijing will maintain support for its economy ahead of a key congress supported Chinese stocks and metals prices, but worries about North Korea kept many investors on edge.

European shares were expected rise slightly after a slide on Monday. Spread betters see Germany&#39;s DAX and France&#39;s CAC gaining 0.3 percent and Britain&#39;s FTSE 0.1 percent.

But Wall Street looked set to open slightly softer after a long holiday weekend during which Pyongyang triggered its most powerful nuclear test yet. S&amp;P500 mini futures, which had slid on Monday, last stood at 2,469, 0.2 percent below Friday&#39;s close.

MSCI&#39;s index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.2 percent thanks to gains in Chinese shares, though many markets were in the red.

Japan&#39;s Nikkei fell 0.6 percent on fears that more provocation from North Korea is possible. Media said the North appeared to be preparing for further ballistic missile tests.

The White House said on Monday that &quot;all options to address the North Korean threat are on the table&quot; while US&nbsp;Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the 15-member UN&nbsp;Security Council to impose the &quot;strongest possible&quot; sanctions to deter Pyongyang.

&quot;It&#39;s not clear whether diplomacy can solve this problem given it has failed for the last 25 years,&quot; said Norihiro Fujito, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

&quot;But the US&nbsp;doesn&#39;t seem to be ready for a military action soon, either. So we are likely to see continued stalemate, which will keep a tab on share prices.&quot;

Fears about North Korea kept safe-haven assets in demand, with gold rising 0.1 percent to $1,336 per ounce, after having hit a 11-month high of $1,339.8 on Monday.

In the currency market, the yen, which usually gains on risk aversion due to Japan&#39;s net creditor nation status, gained 0.4 percent to 109.32 yen to the dollar, near Monday&#39;s high of 109.22 yen.

The euro slightly extended its gains to trade at $1.1905.

But it kept some distance from a 2-1/2-year high of $1.2070 hit last week on rising expectations that a stronger euro could slow the European Central Bank&#39;s (ECB) plans to rein in its bond-buying stimulus scheme.

The Chinese yuan hit a near 16-month high of 6.515 per dollar. It has gained 2.0 percent in less than two weeks, a sizable move for the pair, in response to dollar weakness and a series of stronger midpoints set by the central bank.

The Shanghai composite index of mainland Chinese shares hit its highest levels since January 2016, due to solid economic and earnings growth in China in recent months and expectations that Beijing will not tolerate any disruptions ahead of a key Communist Party Congress in mid-October.

Such expectations also helped to lift copper to a near three-year of $6,944.5 per tonne. It last stood at $6,933, up 0.2 percent on the day.

The prices of steel and iron ore have rallied in recent weeks.

But some analysts say profit-taking in base metals could start soon.

&quot;Now that Beijing fixed its schedule on the national congress, it may no longer accelerate infrastructure spending,&quot; said Tatsufumi Okoshi, senior economist at Nomura Securities.

&quot;We should be mindful of the possibility that iron ores, steel and other non-ferrous metals will peak out soon.&quot;

US&nbsp;crude oil prices edged higher while U.S. gasoline prices slumped to pre-Hurricane Harvey levels, as oil refineries and pipelines in the US&nbsp;Gulf Coast slowly resumed activity, easing supply concerns.

US&nbsp;West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures ticked up 0.2 percent to trade at $47.38 per barrel.

The return of US&nbsp;refineries ended a spike in gasoline prices as initial fears of a serious supply crunch faded.

US&nbsp;gasoline futures dropped 4.1 percent from their last close, to $1.67 per gallon, down from $2.17 touched on Aug. 31 and back to levels last seen before Harvey hit the US&nbsp;Gulf coast and its large refining industry.

Elsewhere, bitcoin dropped further from Saturday&#39;s all-time high of $4,979.9 to trade at $4,012 after China on Monday banned the practice of raising funds through launches of token-based digital currencies, or so-called initial coin offerings (ICO).

European shares were expected rise slightly after a slide on Monday. Spread betters see Germany's DAX and France's CAC gaining 0.3 percent and Britain's FTSE 0.1 percent.

Asian shares eked out small gains on Tuesday as expectations that Beijing will maintain support for its economy ahead of a key congress supported Chinese stocks and metals prices, but worries about North Korea kept many investors on edge. European shares were expected rise slightly after a slide on Monday. Spread betters see Germany's DAX and France's CAC gaining 0.3 percent and Britain's FTSE 0.1 percent. But Wall Street looked set to open slightly softer after a long holiday weekend during which Pyongyang triggered its most powerful nuclear test yet. S&P500 mini futures, which had slid on Monday, last stood at 2,469, 0.2 percent below Friday's close. MSCI's index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.2 percent thanks to gains in Chinese shares, though many markets were in the red. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.6 percent on fears that more provocation from North Korea is possible. Media said the North appeared to be preparing for further ballistic missile tests. The White House said on Monday that "all options to address the North Korean threat are on the table" while US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the 15-member UN Security Council to impose the "strongest possible" sanctions to deter Pyongyang. "It's not clear whether diplomacy can solve this problem given it has failed for the last 25 years," said Norihiro Fujito, senior investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities. "But the US doesn't seem to be ready for a military action soon, either. So we are likely to see continued stalemate, which will keep a tab on share prices." Fears about North Korea kept safe-haven assets in demand, with gold rising 0.1 percent to $1,336 per ounce, after having hit a 11-month high of $1,339.8 on Monday. In the currency market, the yen, which usually gains on risk aversion due to Japan's net creditor nation status, gained 0.4 percent to 109.32 yen to the dollar, near Monday's high of 109.22 yen. The euro slightly extended its gains to trade at $1.1905. But it kept some distance from a 2-1/2-year high of $1.2070 hit last week on rising expectations that a stronger euro could slow the European Central Bank's (ECB) plans to rein in its bond-buying stimulus scheme. The Chinese yuan hit a near 16-month high of 6.515 per dollar. It has gained 2.0 percent in less than two weeks, a sizable move for the pair, in response to dollar weakness and a series of stronger midpoints set by the central bank. The Shanghai composite index of mainland Chinese shares hit its highest levels since January 2016, due to solid economic and earnings growth in China in recent months and expectations that Beijing will not tolerate any disruptions ahead of a key Communist Party Congress in mid-October. Such expectations also helped to lift copper to a near three-year of $6,944.5 per tonne. It last stood at $6,933, up 0.2 percent on the day. The prices of steel and iron ore have rallied in recent weeks. But some analysts say profit-taking in base metals could start soon. "Now that Beijing fixed its schedule on the national congress, it may no longer accelerate infrastructure spending," said Tatsufumi Okoshi, senior economist at Nomura Securities. "We should be mindful of the possibility that iron ores, steel and other non-ferrous metals will peak out soon." US crude oil prices edged higher while U.S. gasoline prices slumped to pre-Hurricane Harvey levels, as oil refineries and pipelines in the US Gulf Coast slowly resumed activity, easing supply concerns. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures ticked up 0.2 percent to trade at $47.38 per barrel. The return of US refineries ended a spike in gasoline prices as initial fears of a serious supply crunch faded. US gasoline futures dropped 4.1 percent from their last close, to $1.67 per gallon, down from $2.17 touched on Aug. 31 and back to levels last seen before Harvey hit the US Gulf coast and its large refining industry. Elsewhere, bitcoin dropped further from Saturday's all-time high of $4,979.9 to trade at $4,012 after China on Monday banned the practice of raising funds through launches of token-based digital currencies, or so-called initial coin offerings (ICO).

Global stocks on defensive after selloff on North Korea fears

A Georgia police lieutenant who faced being fired over racially charged comments captured on dash-cam footage has announced his retirement, according to local media.

In the video,&nbsp;Lieutenant Greg Abbott told a woman scared to move her hands during a traffic stop not to worry because &quot;we only kill black people.&quot;

Told she could pick up her cell phone, the woman said she did not want to move her hands because she has seen &quot;way too many videos of cops.&quot;

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<h5>But you&#39;re not black,&#39; Abbott said in video footage caught on his dashboard camera. &#39;Remember? We only kill black people&#39;</h5>
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&quot;But you&#39;re not black,&quot; Abbott replies in the July 2016 video. &quot;Remember? We only kill black people.&quot;

Police Chief Mike Register told journalists&nbsp;Thursday&nbsp;that Abbott would be removed from the force, saying &quot;there&#39;s really no place for these types of comments in law enforcement.&quot;

&quot;I feel that no matter what context you try to take those comments in, the statements were inexcusable and inappropriate.&quot;

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Abbott emailed the county announcing his retirement from the force, which he had served for nearly three decades.

The dash-cam video was released after a local television station obtained it through an open records request.

The timestamp on the footage shows it occurred amid a spate of race-tinged violence involving law enforcement, including the fatal shootings of black men Alton Sterling and Philando Castile that came just days apart.

Those deaths sent shockwaves nationwide, fueling mass protests and a fierce debate over race and criminal justice.

Lieutenant?Greg Abbott had told a woman scared to move her hands during a traffic stop not to worry because 'we only kill black people'

A Georgia police lieutenant who faced being fired over racially charged comments captured on dash-cam footage has announced his retirement, according to local media. In the video, Lieutenant Greg Abbott told a woman scared to move her hands during a traffic stop not to worry because "we only kill black people." Told she could pick up her cell phone, the woman said she did not want to move her hands because she has seen "way too many videos of cops." But you're not black,' Abbott said in video footage caught on his dashboard camera. 'Remember? We only kill black people' × "But you're not black," Abbott replies in the July 2016 video. "Remember? We only kill black people." Police Chief Mike Register told journalists Thursday that Abbott would be removed from the force, saying "there's really no place for these types of comments in law enforcement." "I feel that no matter what context you try to take those comments in, the statements were inexcusable and inappropriate." According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Abbott emailed the county announcing his retirement from the force, which he had served for nearly three decades. The dash-cam video was released after a local television station obtained it through an open records request. The timestamp on the footage shows it occurred amid a spate of race-tinged violence involving law enforcement, including the fatal shootings of black men Alton Sterling and Philando Castile that came just days apart. Those deaths sent shockwaves nationwide, fueling mass protests and a fierce debate over race and criminal justice.

US cop who said 'we only kill black people' loses job

The Trump-led US administration has notified the US Congress that it was giving $255 million to Pakistan in military assistance on the condition that it can access the money only if it takes <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-tough-talk-unlikely-to-move-pakistan-us-experts-19341" target="_blank">action against terror groups</a>, The New York Times said in a report.

The money will be put into the equivalent of an escrow account, the report added.

Pakistan&#39;s access to the money has been made conditional based on its action&nbsp;against terror outfits.

The development comes a week after Trump put Pakistan on notice saying that &quot;we can no longer be silent about Pakistan&#39;s safe havens for terrorist organisations&quot;.&nbsp;

Pakistan has been a traditional US ally in its war against terrorism.

Pakistan has taken serious note of the statements emanating from Washington. In a rare move, Islamabad suspended bilateral talks with Washington and its <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-national-assembly-passes-resolution-rejecting-trumps-hostile-statements-19694" target="_blank">National Assembly condemned President Trump</a> for his &quot;hostile and threatening&quot; statements. 
&nbsp;

The development comes after US President Trump castigated Pakistan for its alleged support to terror outfits

The Trump-led US administration has notified the US Congress that it was giving $255 million to Pakistan in military assistance on the condition that it can access the money only if it takes action against terror groups, The New York Times said in a report. The money will be put into the equivalent of an escrow account, the report added. Pakistan's access to the money has been made conditional based on its action against terror outfits. The development comes a week after Trump put Pakistan on notice saying that "we can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations". Pakistan has been a traditional US ally in its war against terrorism. Pakistan has taken serious note of the statements emanating from Washington. In a rare move, Islamabad suspended bilateral talks with Washington and its National Assembly condemned President Trump for his "hostile and threatening" statements.

Trump's condition for $255 million aid to Pak: Crack down on terror outfits

US petroleum giant ExxonMobil said Sunday it was temporarily closing its enormous refinery in Baytown, Texas, after flooding caused by monster storm Harvey had led to &quot;operational issues.&quot;

&quot;We are in the process of a safe and systematic shutdown of operations,&quot; a company statement said.

ExxonMobil said it was &quot;taking all precautions&quot; to ensure workers&#39; safety and minimise the impact of the closure on employees and the local community.

The group said all of its other Gulf Coast facilities were continuing to operate normally.

The Baytown complex is one of the biggest refining and petrochemical sites in the world.

Situated some 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Houston, it produces an average 584,000 barrels of crude oil a day and employs 7,000 workers.

Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to strike the US mainland since 2005 and to hit Texas since 1961, roared onto the state&#39;s Gulf Coast late Friday as an immensely powerful category four hurricane.

It has since been downgraded to tropical storm status but is continuing to drop record amounts of rain.

The area from Houston to Galveston was hit by some two feet (60 centimeters) of rain in 24 hours, and authorities have warned of catastrophic flooding of historic proportions.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, was asked about the storm during an appearance Sunday on Fox News Sunday.

He said his former industry had been through many major storms and was probably among the &quot;most prepared for these types of events.&quot;

But, he added, &quot;there will be challenges that are created by a storm of this magnitude.&quot;

US petroleum giant ExxonMobil said Sunday it was temporarily closing its enormous refinery in Baytown, Texas, after flooding caused by monster storm Harvey had led to "operational issues."

US petroleum giant ExxonMobil said Sunday it was temporarily closing its enormous refinery in Baytown, Texas, after flooding caused by monster storm Harvey had led to "operational issues." "We are in the process of a safe and systematic shutdown of operations," a company statement said. ExxonMobil said it was "taking all precautions" to ensure workers' safety and minimise the impact of the closure on employees and the local community. The group said all of its other Gulf Coast facilities were continuing to operate normally. The Baytown complex is one of the biggest refining and petrochemical sites in the world. Situated some 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Houston, it produces an average 584,000 barrels of crude oil a day and employs 7,000 workers. Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to strike the US mainland since 2005 and to hit Texas since 1961, roared onto the state's Gulf Coast late Friday as an immensely powerful category four hurricane. It has since been downgraded to tropical storm status but is continuing to drop record amounts of rain. The area from Houston to Galveston was hit by some two feet (60 centimeters) of rain in 24 hours, and authorities have warned of catastrophic flooding of historic proportions. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of ExxonMobil, was asked about the storm during an appearance Sunday on Fox News Sunday. He said his former industry had been through many major storms and was probably among the "most prepared for these types of events." But, he added, "there will be challenges that are created by a storm of this magnitude."

Baytown refinery shuts down in Texas due to cyclonic disruption

No fewer than 16 Americans were hurt in what has previously been dubbed an acoustic attack on the US mission in Cuba, the State Department said Thursday.

Officials are probing a series of incidents dating back to September last year in which diplomats are thought to have been hit with a mystery sonic weapon.

The &quot;unprecedented&quot; attacks came to light last month when Washington warned Cuba it would be held responsible for the safety of US personnel in Havana.

But on Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert gave the first indication of the scale of the incident, which has threatened slowly improving ties.

&quot;We can confirm that at least 16 US government employees, members of our embassy community, have experienced some kind of symptoms,&quot; she said.

Late last year US embassy staff and at least one Canadian began to feel the effects of what Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called a &quot;health attack.&quot;

US officials have said those hurt appeared to have been targeted by some form of previously unknown acoustic assault, but have not blamed Cuba directly.

Cuba has insisted it has no knowledge of any attack and is working to &quot;clarify the facts of the situation.&quot;

No details of the injuries have been released, but a CBS News report suggested at least one victim suffered what amounted to &quot;brain damage.&quot;

&quot;We take the situation extremely seriously,&quot; Nauert said, after revealing the new casualty toll.

Nauert confirmed that the 16 cases she was referring to were all US citizens connected to the mission, but was not sure if any were family members of staff.

Some were evacuated to Miami for treatment in US hospitals, others were cared for by American doctors who traveled to Havana to work at the embassy.

Separately, Canada has said one of its diplomats posted to Havana is being treated for hearing loss.

In May, the US ordered two Cuban diplomats to leave their recently reopened embassy in Washington and return to Havana, without publicly saying why.

It is now known that Washington had alerted the Cuban government to what its foreign ministry dubbed the &quot;alleged incidents&quot; as far back as February 17.

But US officials made no public complaint until just last month when Tillerson warned that Cuba must help investigate and prevent further attacks.

Nauert said on Thursday that the incidents do now appear to have ended, but that investigations are ongoing to find the culprits.

Tough line

Relations between the United States and Cuba were restored by then president Barack Obama and his counterpart Raul Castro in 2015 after a half-century.

But tensions mounted again after Obama&#39;s successor Donald Trump, who won many Cuban American votes by promising a tough line, rolled back detente.

In June, Trump tightened rules for Americans traveling to Cuba, banned ties with a military-run tourism firm and reaffirmed the existing US trade embargo.

The US embassy was closed in 1961 at the height of the Cold War when diplomatic relations broke down between Washington and Fidel Castro&#39;s revolutionary regime.

The mission reopened as a &quot;special interests section&quot; rather than a full embassy under an agreement between Castro and US President Jimmy Carter. 
But the US diplomats were hardly made welcome.

Anti-American propaganda was displayed around the compound, which Cuba saw as a base for fomenting opposition sedition.

American diplomats in Havana and their Cuban rivals in Washington both regularly complained of harassment or heavy-handed surveillance, but never of sonic attack.

Officials are probing a series of incidents dating back to September last year in which diplomats are thought to have been hit with a mystery sonic weapon

No fewer than 16 Americans were hurt in what has previously been dubbed an acoustic attack on the US mission in Cuba, the State Department said Thursday. Officials are probing a series of incidents dating back to September last year in which diplomats are thought to have been hit with a mystery sonic weapon. The "unprecedented" attacks came to light last month when Washington warned Cuba it would be held responsible for the safety of US personnel in Havana. But on Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert gave the first indication of the scale of the incident, which has threatened slowly improving ties. "We can confirm that at least 16 US government employees, members of our embassy community, have experienced some kind of symptoms," she said. Late last year US embassy staff and at least one Canadian began to feel the effects of what Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called a "health attack." US officials have said those hurt appeared to have been targeted by some form of previously unknown acoustic assault, but have not blamed Cuba directly. Cuba has insisted it has no knowledge of any attack and is working to "clarify the facts of the situation." No details of the injuries have been released, but a CBS News report suggested at least one victim suffered what amounted to "brain damage." "We take the situation extremely seriously," Nauert said, after revealing the new casualty toll. Nauert confirmed that the 16 cases she was referring to were all US citizens connected to the mission, but was not sure if any were family members of staff. Some were evacuated to Miami for treatment in US hospitals, others were cared for by American doctors who traveled to Havana to work at the embassy. Separately, Canada has said one of its diplomats posted to Havana is being treated for hearing loss. In May, the US ordered two Cuban diplomats to leave their recently reopened embassy in Washington and return to Havana, without publicly saying why. It is now known that Washington had alerted the Cuban government to what its foreign ministry dubbed the "alleged incidents" as far back as February 17. But US officials made no public complaint until just last month when Tillerson warned that Cuba must help investigate and prevent further attacks. Nauert said on Thursday that the incidents do now appear to have ended, but that investigations are ongoing to find the culprits. Tough line Relations between the United States and Cuba were restored by then president Barack Obama and his counterpart Raul Castro in 2015 after a half-century. But tensions mounted again after Obama's successor Donald Trump, who won many Cuban American votes by promising a tough line, rolled back detente. In June, Trump tightened rules for Americans traveling to Cuba, banned ties with a military-run tourism firm and reaffirmed the existing US trade embargo. The US embassy was closed in 1961 at the height of the Cold War when diplomatic relations broke down between Washington and Fidel Castro's revolutionary regime. The mission reopened as a "special interests section" rather than a full embassy under an agreement between Castro and US President Jimmy Carter. But the US diplomats were hardly made welcome. Anti-American propaganda was displayed around the compound, which Cuba saw as a base for fomenting opposition sedition. American diplomats in Havana and their Cuban rivals in Washington both regularly complained of harassment or heavy-handed surveillance, but never of sonic attack.

Mystery Havana embassy attacks hurt 16 US staff

The United States has warned its citizens of &#39;continuing threats&#39; from terrorist groups in Bangladesh and the risk of travelling to the&nbsp;country&nbsp;even as it said the security forces have carried counter terrorism operations here.

In the latest travel advisory, the Department of State warned US citizens of continuing threats from terrorist groups in Bangladesh and to consider the risks of travel to and&nbsp;throughout the country.

However, the Department updated its travel warning to reflect the change in the US Embassy in Dhaka&#39;s status to &quot;partially accompanied,&quot; effective August 24.

This allows all adult family members of US government personnel to remain in or return to Dhaka.

Previously, only adult family members employed by the US government were permitted to remain or return to Dhaka.

Minor dependents are still prohibited from residing in Dhaka.

The US Embassy remains open and will provide all consular services, it said.

&quot;While Bangladeshi security forces continue to identify and counter terrorist elements, the Islamic State of Iraq and ash Sham (ISIS) and al-Qaeda in the Indian&nbsp;Subcontinent (AQIS) persist in their efforts to plot and/or carry out terrorist attacks throughout the country,&quot; the travel advisory said.

In March, two suicide bombing attempts occurred at Dhaka&#39;s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and an explosion in the city of Sylhet killed seven people.

These incidents were the first notable attacks since July 1, 2016, when terrorists killed more than 20 people, including one US citizen, in a restaurant frequented by&nbsp;foreigners in Dhaka&#39;s diplomatic enclave.

Similarly, in October 2016, ISIS threatened to target &quot;expats, tourists, diplomats, garment buyers, missionaries, and sports teams&quot; in the most &quot;secured zones&quot; in&nbsp;Bangladesh.

Recurring threats and periodic terrorist activities have prompted the Embassy to require US government personnel in Bangladesh to live, work, and travel under strict&nbsp;security guidelines, the travel advisory said.

US government officials and their adult family members are not permitted to travel on foot, motorcycle, bicycle, rickshaw, or other uncovered means on public thoroughfares and sidewalks in Bangladesh.

In addition, US government officials and their family members remain severely restricted in their ability to visit public establishments and places, or to attend large&nbsp;gatherings in Bangladesh.

In the latest travel advisory, the Department of State warned US citizens of continuing threats from terrorist groups in Bangladesh and to consider the risks of travel to and?throughout the country

The United States has warned its citizens of 'continuing threats' from terrorist groups in Bangladesh and the risk of travelling to the country even as it said the security forces have carried counter terrorism operations here. In the latest travel advisory, the Department of State warned US citizens of continuing threats from terrorist groups in Bangladesh and to consider the risks of travel to and throughout the country. However, the Department updated its travel warning to reflect the change in the US Embassy in Dhaka's status to "partially accompanied," effective August 24. This allows all adult family members of US government personnel to remain in or return to Dhaka. Previously, only adult family members employed by the US government were permitted to remain or return to Dhaka. Minor dependents are still prohibited from residing in Dhaka. The US Embassy remains open and will provide all consular services, it said. "While Bangladeshi security forces continue to identify and counter terrorist elements, the Islamic State of Iraq and ash Sham (ISIS) and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) persist in their efforts to plot and/or carry out terrorist attacks throughout the country," the travel advisory said. In March, two suicide bombing attempts occurred at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and an explosion in the city of Sylhet killed seven people. These incidents were the first notable attacks since July 1, 2016, when terrorists killed more than 20 people, including one US citizen, in a restaurant frequented by foreigners in Dhaka's diplomatic enclave. Similarly, in October 2016, ISIS threatened to target "expats, tourists, diplomats, garment buyers, missionaries, and sports teams" in the most "secured zones" in Bangladesh. Recurring threats and periodic terrorist activities have prompted the Embassy to require US government personnel in Bangladesh to live, work, and travel under strict security guidelines, the travel advisory said. US government officials and their adult family members are not permitted to travel on foot, motorcycle, bicycle, rickshaw, or other uncovered means on public thoroughfares and sidewalks in Bangladesh. In addition, US government officials and their family members remain severely restricted in their ability to visit public establishments and places, or to attend large gatherings in Bangladesh.

US warns its citizens of 'continuing threats' in Bangladesh

U.S&nbsp;Navy&nbsp;and Marine Corps divers have recovered and identified the second body in the search for ten sailors missing after a collision between a guided-missile destroyer and merchant&nbsp;vessel near Singapore earlier this week, the US&nbsp;Navy&nbsp;said on Friday.

The&nbsp;USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant tanker in waters near Singapore and Malaysia on Monday, which led to an international search-and-rescue operation for the missing sailors. The&nbsp;Navy&nbsp;recovered the first body from inside the hull of the warship earlier this week.

&quot;More divers and equipment arrived overnight to continue search and recovery operations for eight missing sailors inside flooded compartments of the ship,&quot; the US&nbsp;Seventh Fleet said in a statement on its website.

On Thursday, the US&nbsp;Navy&nbsp;suspended the wider search and rescue operation to focus&nbsp;recovery efforts on the damaged hull of the ship, which is moored at Singapore&#39;s Changi Naval Base.

The&nbsp;Navy&nbsp;has already released the names of all the sailors who were missing.

The USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant tanker in waters near Singapore and Malaysia on Monday

U.S Navy and Marine Corps divers have recovered and identified the second body in the search for ten sailors missing after a collision between a guided-missile destroyer and merchant vessel near Singapore earlier this week, the US Navy said on Friday. The USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant tanker in waters near Singapore and Malaysia on Monday, which led to an international search-and-rescue operation for the missing sailors. The Navy recovered the first body from inside the hull of the warship earlier this week. "More divers and equipment arrived overnight to continue search and recovery operations for eight missing sailors inside flooded compartments of the ship," the US Seventh Fleet said in a statement on its website. On Thursday, the US Navy suspended the wider search and rescue operation to focus recovery efforts on the damaged hull of the ship, which is moored at Singapore's Changi Naval Base. The Navy has already released the names of all the sailors who were missing.

Second body found after 10 sailors go missing after US?Navy collision

Oil&nbsp;prices rose on Friday as the US&nbsp;petroleum industry braced for Hurricane Harvey, which may become the biggest storm to hit the US mainland in more than a decade.

Harvey became a category 2 storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 105 mph (169 kph), 220 miles (355 km) off Corpus Christi, Texas, the National Hurricane Center said.

The hurricane is forecast to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday between Corpus Christi and Houston, both important&nbsp;oil&nbsp;refining centers.

US light crude, also known as West Texas Intermediate or WTI, was up 30 cents at $47.73 a barrel by 1015 GMT. Brent crude was 30 cents higher at $52.34.

Energy companies have pulled workers from offshore&nbsp;oil&nbsp;platforms and halted onshore drilling in south Texas.

Just under 10 percent of offshore US. Gulf of Mexico crude output capacity and nearly 15 percent of natural gas production had been halted by midday on Thursday, government data showed.

&quot;Damage and flooding to refineries and shale fields, disrupted production in the Gulf of Mexico and infrastructure damage is unlikely to be bearish for WTI,&quot; said Jeffrey Halley, market analyst at brokerage OANDA.

US gasoline prices have risen almost 10 percent since Wednesday to a high of $1.74 a gallon, their loftiest since April as refiners shut down in preparation for the storm.

The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, was closed to vessel traffic, a spokeswoman for the city&#39;s Port Authority said.

Oil&nbsp;refineries in the city run by Citgo Petroleum, Valero Energy Corp, and Flint Hills Resources also began shutting down.

Beyond the storm&#39;s potential impact on the&nbsp;oil&nbsp;industry, crude remains in ample supply globally despite efforts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to hold back production in order to prop up prices.

OPEC, together with non-OPEC producers including Russia, has pledged to cut output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) this year and in the first quarter of 2018. But not all producers have kept to their pledges and supplies remain high.

A joint OPEC, non-OPEC monitoring ministerial committee said on Thursday that an extension to the supply-cut pact beyond March was possible, though not yet decided.

Part of the reason for the crude glut has been rising U.S. production, which has jumped by 13 percent since mid-2016 to 9.53 million bpd, close to its 9.61 million bpd record from June 2015.

Harvey became a category 2 storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 105 mph (169 kph), 220 miles (355 km) off Corpus Christi, Texas

Oil prices rose on Friday as the US petroleum industry braced for Hurricane Harvey, which may become the biggest storm to hit the US mainland in more than a decade. Harvey became a category 2 storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 105 mph (169 kph), 220 miles (355 km) off Corpus Christi, Texas, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane is forecast to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday between Corpus Christi and Houston, both important oil refining centers. US light crude, also known as West Texas Intermediate or WTI, was up 30 cents at $47.73 a barrel by 1015 GMT. Brent crude was 30 cents higher at $52.34. Energy companies have pulled workers from offshore oil platforms and halted onshore drilling in south Texas. Just under 10 percent of offshore US. Gulf of Mexico crude output capacity and nearly 15 percent of natural gas production had been halted by midday on Thursday, government data showed. "Damage and flooding to refineries and shale fields, disrupted production in the Gulf of Mexico and infrastructure damage is unlikely to be bearish for WTI," said Jeffrey Halley, market analyst at brokerage OANDA. US gasoline prices have risen almost 10 percent since Wednesday to a high of $1.74 a gallon, their loftiest since April as refiners shut down in preparation for the storm. The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, was closed to vessel traffic, a spokeswoman for the city's Port Authority said. Oil refineries in the city run by Citgo Petroleum, Valero Energy Corp, and Flint Hills Resources also began shutting down. Beyond the storm's potential impact on the oil industry, crude remains in ample supply globally despite efforts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to hold back production in order to prop up prices. OPEC, together with non-OPEC producers including Russia, has pledged to cut output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) this year and in the first quarter of 2018. But not all producers have kept to their pledges and supplies remain high. A joint OPEC, non-OPEC monitoring ministerial committee said on Thursday that an extension to the supply-cut pact beyond March was possible, though not yet decided. Part of the reason for the crude glut has been rising U.S. production, which has jumped by 13 percent since mid-2016 to 9.53 million bpd, close to its 9.61 million bpd record from June 2015.

Hurricane Harvey hits US mainland, oil prices increase

When Alexander Vinnik was arrested on money-laundering charges at a Greek hotel in late July, the status of his Jabber secure online messaging account was set to &quot;away&quot;.

&quot;He often takes some time to reply, so at first I didn&#39;t think anything of it,&quot; said one person who knew the&nbsp;Russian as an administrator of a digital currency exchange which US prosecutors say was used to launder criminal funds.

&quot;Then when I saw his picture on the news, I knew he would be &#39;away&#39; for a long time,&quot; said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The US Justice Department says Vinnik facilitated crimes including computer hacking, fraud, and drug trafficking by laundering at least $4 billion through BTC-e, an exchange used to trade Bitcoin and other digital currencies, since 2011.

The 37-year-old faces up to 55 years in prison if extradited to the United States. He denies the allegations against him, according to Greek media reports, and BTC-e has said he never worked for the exchange. Reuters was unable to reach BTC-e or a lawyer representing Vinnik for comment.

Vinnik is now one of seven&nbsp;Russians arrested or indicted on US cyber crime charges this year. On average, just two&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals were extradited to the United States each year between 2010 and the start of this year, according to a Reuters review of US Justice Department filings,&nbsp;Russian government statements and sources briefed on the matter.

The increase to a record level shows that although President Donald Trump is trying to improve relations with Moscow, the United States has not shied away from pursuing&nbsp;Russians suspected of a cyber crime.

The prosecutions coincide with the intensified scrutiny of&nbsp;Russian hackers since US intelligence officials determined that&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;interfered in the 2016 US. presidential election using cyber warfare methods to help Trump.

The Kremlin has denied accusations it interfered in elections in the United States or elsewhere.

But US&nbsp;opposition lawmakers have questioned whether Trump is willing to respond forcefully to Moscow over its actions in cyberspace, and the White House has avoided publicly accusing Russia&nbsp;of recent politically-motivated hacking attacks.

Alarmed by Trump&#39;s proposal to create a joint US, Russia&nbsp;cyber security unit, US lawmakers have also drawn up a draft bill that would require him to notify lawmakers before he does so.

Four US federal law enforcement officials, who discussed the recent arrests with Reuters on condition of anonymity, said there had been no centralized effort to step up action against&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals under Trump.

The increase in the number of arrests stemmed from breakthroughs made in investigations before last year&#39;s election, two of them said.

The FBI referred all questions to the US Justice Department. The Justice Department said it did not track arrests or indictments by nationality and declined further comment.

Some US&nbsp;officials, however, acknowledged that individual agents may now be more motivated to move against&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals following the election hacking scandal.

Russian hackers are active at all levels of cyber crime, from small-time thefts of online banking details, to taking down the computer networks of multi-national companies and government departments.

John Carlin, who until last October ran the national security division of the US Justice Department as assistant attorney general, said resources had already been moving towards pursuing&nbsp;Russian nationals before the 2016 election.

But he added: &quot;Their outrageous activity to undermine the integrity of our election like they did in western Europe before and have done since can only have added fuel to the fire.&quot;

According to interviews with five people who knew the men arrested this year -- all of whom declined to be named for fear of prosecution -- the arrests have shaken the&nbsp;Russian cyber crime community.

&quot;Now they are arresting even those who had a super indirect, not even direct connection to what they call influencing their election,&quot; said one who knew Vinnik by his online moniker WME.

Used to operating across borders with relative impunity,&nbsp;Russian cyber criminals are now worried the prosecutions will lead to further arrests or harm their operations.

They are cutting back on trips abroad that were once seen as a calculated risk because of the risk of arrest and extradition, but are now viewed as increasingly foolhardy.

&quot;We have monitored criminals discussing the aftermath (of the arrests) ... and it is clear they are concerned about two things,&quot; said Ilya Sachkov, head of cyber security firm Group-IB, whose Threat Intelligence unit specializes in monitoring and tracking the&nbsp;Russian-speaking cyber crime community.

&quot;First, what the arrested members potentially know about them, but second and more importantly, a disruption in their ability to make money.&quot;

One of those arrested this year was Peter Levashov, charged by US prosecutors with operating one of the world&#39;s largest botnets, or networks, of infected computers used by cyber criminals. He denies the charges.

Levashov allegedly used the botnet to pump out spam emails for a multitude of criminal schemes, such as stock fraud, online credential phishing attempts and the distribution of malware, including ransomware.

A person who knew Levashov by his online identity Severa said his arrest, in particular, had rattled underground cyber criminal circles because he was so well known.

&quot;People read the news of course and see guys they know getting busted,&quot; the person said. &quot;Once is bad, this many times is scary.&quot;

The status of Alexandre Vinnik Jabber secure online messaging account was set to "away"

When Alexander Vinnik was arrested on money-laundering charges at a Greek hotel in late July, the status of his Jabber secure online messaging account was set to "away". "He often takes some time to reply, so at first I didn't think anything of it," said one person who knew the Russian as an administrator of a digital currency exchange which US prosecutors say was used to launder criminal funds. "Then when I saw his picture on the news, I knew he would be 'away' for a long time," said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The US Justice Department says Vinnik facilitated crimes including computer hacking, fraud, and drug trafficking by laundering at least $4 billion through BTC-e, an exchange used to trade Bitcoin and other digital currencies, since 2011. The 37-year-old faces up to 55 years in prison if extradited to the United States. He denies the allegations against him, according to Greek media reports, and BTC-e has said he never worked for the exchange. Reuters was unable to reach BTC-e or a lawyer representing Vinnik for comment. Vinnik is now one of seven Russians arrested or indicted on US cyber crime charges this year. On average, just two Russian cyber criminals were extradited to the United States each year between 2010 and the start of this year, according to a Reuters review of US Justice Department filings, Russian government statements and sources briefed on the matter. The increase to a record level shows that although President Donald Trump is trying to improve relations with Moscow, the United States has not shied away from pursuing Russians suspected of a cyber crime. The prosecutions coincide with the intensified scrutiny of Russian hackers since US intelligence officials determined that Russia interfered in the 2016 US. presidential election using cyber warfare methods to help Trump. The Kremlin has denied accusations it interfered in elections in the United States or elsewhere. But US opposition lawmakers have questioned whether Trump is willing to respond forcefully to Moscow over its actions in cyberspace, and the White House has avoided publicly accusing Russia of recent politically-motivated hacking attacks. Alarmed by Trump's proposal to create a joint US, Russia cyber security unit, US lawmakers have also drawn up a draft bill that would require him to notify lawmakers before he does so. Four US federal law enforcement officials, who discussed the recent arrests with Reuters on condition of anonymity, said there had been no centralized effort to step up action against Russian cyber criminals under Trump. The increase in the number of arrests stemmed from breakthroughs made in investigations before last year's election, two of them said. The FBI referred all questions to the US Justice Department. The Justice Department said it did not track arrests or indictments by nationality and declined further comment. Some US officials, however, acknowledged that individual agents may now be more motivated to move against Russian cyber criminals following the election hacking scandal. Russian hackers are active at all levels of cyber crime, from small-time thefts of online banking details, to taking down the computer networks of multi-national companies and government departments. John Carlin, who until last October ran the national security division of the US Justice Department as assistant attorney general, said resources had already been moving towards pursuing Russian nationals before the 2016 election. But he added: "Their outrageous activity to undermine the integrity of our election like they did in western Europe before and have done since can only have added fuel to the fire." According to interviews with five people who knew the men arrested this year -- all of whom declined to be named for fear of prosecution -- the arrests have shaken the Russian cyber crime community. "Now they are arresting even those who had a super indirect, not even direct connection to what they call influencing their election," said one who knew Vinnik by his online moniker WME. Used to operating across borders with relative impunity, Russian cyber criminals are now worried the prosecutions will lead to further arrests or harm their operations. They are cutting back on trips abroad that were once seen as a calculated risk because of the risk of arrest and extradition, but are now viewed as increasingly foolhardy. "We have monitored criminals discussing the aftermath (of the arrests) ... and it is clear they are concerned about two things," said Ilya Sachkov, head of cyber security firm Group-IB, whose Threat Intelligence unit specializes in monitoring and tracking the Russian-speaking cyber crime community. "First, what the arrested members potentially know about them, but second and more importantly, a disruption in their ability to make money." One of those arrested this year was Peter Levashov, charged by US prosecutors with operating one of the world's largest botnets, or networks, of infected computers used by cyber criminals. He denies the charges. Levashov allegedly used the botnet to pump out spam emails for a multitude of criminal schemes, such as stock fraud, online credential phishing attempts and the distribution of malware, including ransomware. A person who knew Levashov by his online identity Severa said his arrest, in particular, had rattled underground cyber criminal circles because he was so well known. "People read the news of course and see guys they know getting busted," the person said. "Once is bad, this many times is scary."

Trump seeks warmer ties with Russia, hackers rattled

Oil&nbsp;prices steadied on Thursday, holding on to most of their recent gains after another fall in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-jumps-to-near-8-week-high-after-big-draw-in-us-crude-stocks-18831">US&nbsp;crude</a> inventories indicated a tighter market, and as a tropical storm headed towards&nbsp;oil&nbsp;producing facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Benchmark Brent crude was down 5 cents a barrel at $52.52 by 0925 GMT. US&nbsp;light, sweet crude was 10 cents lower at $48.31 a barrel.

Both contracts rose more than 1 percent on Wednesday, buoyed by potential output disruptions from the Gulf of Mexico storm Tropical Depression Harvey.

&quot;For the next few days, the US&nbsp;market is going to be focused on Texas as Tropical Depression Harvey is expected to strengthen into a Category I hurricane by Friday,&quot; said Sukrit Vijayakar, director of energy consultancy Trifecta.

&quot;Operators in the area are already closing down platforms and evacuating workers as a precaution,&quot; he added.

Harvey strengthened into a tropical storm late on Wednesday night with winds of about 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour) and was located about 440 miles (705 km) southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported.

Royal Dutch Shell, Anadarko Petroleum and Exxon Mobil have all taken steps to curb some&nbsp;oiland gas output at platforms in the Gulf.

Beyond the weather, traders said declines in US&nbsp;commercial crude storage levels were a sign of a gradually tightening market, although another rise in output held the market back.

US&nbsp;crude&nbsp;oil&nbsp;production hit 9.53 million barrels per day (bpd) last week, its highest since July 2015 and up over 13 percent from their most recent low in mid-2016.

Despite this, U.S. crude stocks fell last week and gasoline stocks were down as well, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.

Crude inventories fell by 3.3 million barrels in the week ending Aug. 18 to 463.17 million barrels, down 13.5 percent from record levels last March.

US crude oil production hit 9.53 million barrels per day (bpd) last week, its highest since July 2015 and up over 13 percent from their most recent low in mid-2016

Oil prices steadied on Thursday, holding on to most of their recent gains after another fall in US crude inventories indicated a tighter market, and as a tropical storm headed towards oil producing facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. Benchmark Brent crude was down 5 cents a barrel at $52.52 by 0925 GMT. US light, sweet crude was 10 cents lower at $48.31 a barrel. Both contracts rose more than 1 percent on Wednesday, buoyed by potential output disruptions from the Gulf of Mexico storm Tropical Depression Harvey. "For the next few days, the US market is going to be focused on Texas as Tropical Depression Harvey is expected to strengthen into a Category I hurricane by Friday," said Sukrit Vijayakar, director of energy consultancy Trifecta. "Operators in the area are already closing down platforms and evacuating workers as a precaution," he added. Harvey strengthened into a tropical storm late on Wednesday night with winds of about 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour) and was located about 440 miles (705 km) southeast of Port Mansfield, Texas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported. Royal Dutch Shell, Anadarko Petroleum and Exxon Mobil have all taken steps to curb some oiland gas output at platforms in the Gulf. Beyond the weather, traders said declines in US commercial crude storage levels were a sign of a gradually tightening market, although another rise in output held the market back. US crude oil production hit 9.53 million barrels per day (bpd) last week, its highest since July 2015 and up over 13 percent from their most recent low in mid-2016. Despite this, U.S. crude stocks fell last week and gasoline stocks were down as well, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories fell by 3.3 million barrels in the week ending Aug. 18 to 463.17 million barrels, down 13.5 percent from record levels last March.

Oil prices steady as US crude inventories indicate tighter market

The top US&nbsp;military commander in&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;said on Thursday President Donald Trump&#39;s new strategy is a sign of a long-term commitment to what is already America&#39;s longest war and called on Taliban insurgents to agree to peace talks.

&quot;The Taliban cannot win on the battlefield, it&#39;s time for them to join the peace process,&quot;&nbsp;GeneralJohn Nicholson told reporters in the Afghan capital, Kabul. &quot;We will not fail in&nbsp;Afghanistan, our national security depends on that as well.&quot;

Critics, including Trump himself during the 2016 campaign for the US&nbsp;presidency, have argued that&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;is no closer to peace despite billions of dollars spent on aid and nearly 16 years of the US&nbsp;and allied military operations.

In February, Nicholson told the US Congress he needed &quot;a few thousand&quot; more troops in Afghanistan, mostly to help advise Afghan security forces that are battling Taliban, Islamic State and other Islamist insurgents.

Trump has now approved an extended American presence in&nbsp;Afghanistan, although neither he nor his military leaders have provided any specifics about troop numbers or timelines.

The current US force for the predominantly advise-and-assist mission in&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;stands at around 8,400, well down from around 100,000 during the &quot;surge&quot; decided on by Trump&#39;s predecessor, Barack Obama.

Several thousand more troops are often in the country on &quot;temporary&quot; or other uncounted missions.

Nicholson said new advisers from the United States and NATO coalition allies would increase the training missions, including at specialized military schools and expanding the Afghan air force and special forces.

He also praised Trump&#39;s decision not to impose &quot;arbitrary&quot; deadlines on the American mission in Afghanistan.

&quot;This policy announcement ... is proof of our continued commitment,&quot; he said.

The Taliban government was overthrown by the US, backed Afghan forces in late 2001 but US&nbsp;forces have been bogged down there ever since. About 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan.

US&nbsp;military and intelligence officials are concerned that a new Taliban victory would allow al Qaeda and Islamic State&rsquo;s regional affiliate to establish bases in&nbsp;Afghanistan.

That could allow them to plot attacks against the United States and its allies, they fear, just as Osama bin Laden had done with the Sept. 11, 2001, strikes that triggered the war in&nbsp;Afghanistan.

The Taliban cannot win on the battlefield, it's time for them to join the peace process," General John Nicholson

The top US military commander in Afghanistan said on Thursday President Donald Trump's new strategy is a sign of a long-term commitment to what is already America's longest war and called on Taliban insurgents to agree to peace talks. "The Taliban cannot win on the battlefield, it's time for them to join the peace process," GeneralJohn Nicholson told reporters in the Afghan capital, Kabul. "We will not fail in Afghanistan, our national security depends on that as well." Critics, including Trump himself during the 2016 campaign for the US presidency, have argued that Afghanistan is no closer to peace despite billions of dollars spent on aid and nearly 16 years of the US and allied military operations. In February, Nicholson told the US Congress he needed "a few thousand" more troops in Afghanistan, mostly to help advise Afghan security forces that are battling Taliban, Islamic State and other Islamist insurgents. Trump has now approved an extended American presence in Afghanistan, although neither he nor his military leaders have provided any specifics about troop numbers or timelines. The current US force for the predominantly advise-and-assist mission in Afghanistan stands at around 8,400, well down from around 100,000 during the "surge" decided on by Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. Several thousand more troops are often in the country on "temporary" or other uncounted missions. Nicholson said new advisers from the United States and NATO coalition allies would increase the training missions, including at specialized military schools and expanding the Afghan air force and special forces. He also praised Trump's decision not to impose "arbitrary" deadlines on the American mission in Afghanistan. "This policy announcement ... is proof of our continued commitment," he said. The Taliban government was overthrown by the US, backed Afghan forces in late 2001 but US forces have been bogged down there ever since. About 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan. US military and intelligence officials are concerned that a new Taliban victory would allow al Qaeda and Islamic State’s regional affiliate to establish bases in Afghanistan. That could allow them to plot attacks against the United States and its allies, they fear, just as Osama bin Laden had done with the Sept. 11, 2001, strikes that triggered the war in Afghanistan.

Trump's new strategy is long term commitment: US military commander in Afghanistan

The United States wants to know if the United Nations atomic watchdog plans to inspect&nbsp;Iranian military sites to verify Tehran&#39;s compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, the US&nbsp;ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Tuesday.

Haley will meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials in Vienna on Wednesday for what she described as a fact-finding mission, which is part of President Donald Trump&#39;s review of the deal&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;made with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of most sanctions.

&quot;If you look ... at past&nbsp;Iranian behavior, what you&#39;ve seen is there have been covert actions at military sites, at universities, things like that,&quot; Haley, a member of Trump&#39;s cabinet, told Reuters in an interview.

&quot;There were already issues in those locations, so are they including that in what they look at to make sure that those issues no longer remain?&quot; she said. &quot;They have the authority to look at military sites now. They have the authority to look at any suspicious sites now, it&#39;s just are they doing it?&quot;

She said she was traveling to Vienna to ask questions, not to push the IAEA to do anything.

A spokesman for the IAEA said it had no immediate comment and that there were no public statements planned on the meeting.

Iran&#39;s top authorities have flatly rejected giving international inspectors access to their military sites, and&nbsp;Iranian officials have told Reuters that any such move would trigger harsh consequences.

&quot;Why would they say that if they had nothing to hide? Why wouldn&#39;t they let the IAEA go there?&quot; Haley said.

Iran&#39;s atomic chief was quoted by state media as saying on Tuesday that&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;could resume production of highly enriched uranium within five days if the nuclear deal was revoked.

In April, Trump ordered a review of whether a suspension of sanctions on&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;related to the nuclear deal - negotiated under President Barack Obama - was in the US&nbsp;national security interest. He has called it &quot;the worst deal ever negotiated.&quot;

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week that&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;could abandon the nuclear agreement &quot;within hours&quot; if the United States imposes any more new sanctions.

Most UN&nbsp;and Western sanctions were lifted 18 months ago under the nuclear deal.&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;is still subject to a UN&nbsp;arms embargo and other restrictions, which are not technically part of the deal.

The IAEA polices restrictions the deal placed on&nbsp;Iran&#39;s nuclear activities and reports quarterly.

Haley said some of the questions she had were: &quot;Are you looking at everything? Are you looking at those places where there has been covert activity in the past? Are you able to get access to these areas? Or are you being delayed? Are you being shut out from those things?&quot;

Under US&nbsp;law, the State Department must notify Congress every 90 days of&nbsp;Iran&#39;s compliance with the nuclear deal. The next deadline is October, and Trump has said he thinks by then the United States will declare&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;to be non-compliant.

&quot;We don&#39;t know if he&#39;s going to certify or decertify the deal,&quot; said Haley, adding that she would report back to Trump and the national security team.

The US&nbsp;review of its policy toward&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;is also looking at Tehran&#39;s behavior in the Middle East, which Washington has said undermines US&nbsp;interests in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.

UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes the&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;nuclear deal is &quot;one of the most important diplomatic achievements in our search for, for peace and stability,&quot; UN&nbsp;spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday

&quot;Everyone involved needs to do its utmost to protect and support that agreement,&quot; Dujarric told reporters.

Iranian military sites to verify Tehran's compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Tuesday

The United States wants to know if the United Nations atomic watchdog plans to inspect Iranian military sites to verify Tehran's compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said on Tuesday. Haley will meet with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials in Vienna on Wednesday for what she described as a fact-finding mission, which is part of President Donald Trump's review of the deal Iran made with world powers to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of most sanctions. "If you look ... at past Iranian behavior, what you've seen is there have been covert actions at military sites, at universities, things like that," Haley, a member of Trump's cabinet, told Reuters in an interview. "There were already issues in those locations, so are they including that in what they look at to make sure that those issues no longer remain?" she said. "They have the authority to look at military sites now. They have the authority to look at any suspicious sites now, it's just are they doing it?" She said she was traveling to Vienna to ask questions, not to push the IAEA to do anything. A spokesman for the IAEA said it had no immediate comment and that there were no public statements planned on the meeting. Iran's top authorities have flatly rejected giving international inspectors access to their military sites, and Iranian officials have told Reuters that any such move would trigger harsh consequences. "Why would they say that if they had nothing to hide? Why wouldn't they let the IAEA go there?" Haley said. Iran's atomic chief was quoted by state media as saying on Tuesday that Iran could resume production of highly enriched uranium within five days if the nuclear deal was revoked. In April, Trump ordered a review of whether a suspension of sanctions on Iran related to the nuclear deal - negotiated under President Barack Obama - was in the US national security interest. He has called it "the worst deal ever negotiated." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week that Iran could abandon the nuclear agreement "within hours" if the United States imposes any more new sanctions. Most UN and Western sanctions were lifted 18 months ago under the nuclear deal. Iran is still subject to a UN arms embargo and other restrictions, which are not technically part of the deal. The IAEA polices restrictions the deal placed on Iran's nuclear activities and reports quarterly. Haley said some of the questions she had were: "Are you looking at everything? Are you looking at those places where there has been covert activity in the past? Are you able to get access to these areas? Or are you being delayed? Are you being shut out from those things?" Under US law, the State Department must notify Congress every 90 days of Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal. The next deadline is October, and Trump has said he thinks by then the United States will declare Iran to be non-compliant. "We don't know if he's going to certify or decertify the deal," said Haley, adding that she would report back to Trump and the national security team. The US review of its policy toward Iran is also looking at Tehran's behavior in the Middle East, which Washington has said undermines US interests in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes the Iran nuclear deal is "one of the most important diplomatic achievements in our search for, for peace and stability," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday "Everyone involved needs to do its utmost to protect and support that agreement," Dujarric told reporters.

Iranian military sites asked, to be verified under nuclear deal, by US ambassador

An Indian-origin CEO in the US was racially abused on social media and told &quot;to go back to India&quot;&nbsp;after he wrote a piece for CNBC denouncing Trump.&nbsp;

The Indian-origin CEO was also told to take Nikki Haley -- who is also of Indian origin -- along with him.&nbsp;

The US-born Ravin Gandhi, founder and CEO of GMM Nonstick Coatings,&nbsp;a global supplier of coatings for cookware and bakeware, wrote in CNBC that:&nbsp;

&quot;But then I saw what happened last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. I saw the president of the Unites States cowardly signal tacit support of white supremacists and Nazis. Every time Trump reworked his response in subsequent days, he dug a deeper hole that revealed more and more. I realized the deep wisdom in Maya Angelou&#39;s statement: Donald Trump has now shown us who he really is, and it&#39;s time to believe it.

The truth is, after Charlottesville and its aftermath, I will not defend Trump even if the Dow hits 50,000, unemployment goes to 1 percent, and GDP grows by 7 percent. Some issues transcend economics, and I will not in good conscience support a president who seems to hate Americans who don&#39;t look like him.&quot;

Gandhi had begun his piece on a softer note, saying he had been &quot;flabbergasted&quot; when Trump won but that he had wanted to give him the &quot;benefit of the doubt&quot; before building up to his point.&nbsp;

White supremacists and neo-Nazis had organised a rally in Charlottesville.&nbsp;

One woman had died in the violence at Charlottesville after counter-protesters clashed with the white supremacists and neo-Nazis.&nbsp;

Trump had at the time blamed the violence on both sides.&nbsp;

This morning -- Tuesday evening in the US -- Trump defended his response to the violence at Charlottesville.&nbsp;

Gandhi was soon bombarded by hate comments on his piece, PTI reported, including a voicemail from a woman who said Gandhi should &quot;get your (expletive) garbage and go back to India.&quot;

The woman, using abusive language, PTI added, told Gandhi that he should also take &quot;that other half-(expletive) Bangladesh (expletive) with you, Nikki Haley,&quot; referring to the US envoy to the UN.

&quot;She&#39;s (Haley) the one that started all this when she took down the Confederate flag. So don&#39;t tell us that you gave him a chance. We don&#39;t give an (expletive) who you gave a chance, OK? We&#39;re going to start taking down Buddhist statues and see how you and Nikki Haley like that,&quot; the woman said.

In the minute and a half voicemail, she said Gandhi should &quot;go clean up your own (expletive) country, it&#39;s a filthy mess.&quot;

Gandhi posted the voicemail to YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook and shared some of the nastier emails he received as well.

&quot;It was obvious that people thought my professional position somewhat protected me,&quot; he said. &quot;I wanted to show people that racism is blind to socioeconomics. It just is.&quot;

&quot;Even though my race is a complete non-issue in my day-to-day life, the sad reality is there&#39;s a group of racists in the USA that views me as a second-class citizen,&quot; he said in the report.

&quot;I wanted my peers in the business community, the civic community, my friend community to see that this can happen to me. Because there&#39;s this delusion that racism is dead because Obama was elected.&quot;

Gandhi added that the fact that Trump &quot;equated hate groups with those protesting hate lit me up&quot; as he called Trump&#39;s moral leadership on the issue &quot;reprehensible.&quot;

He said while his sharing a &quot;bigoted&quot; voicemail may not make a big difference, but he will speak out against such abuse as long as he has a platform to do so.

&quot;My heroes are Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, people who stood up against insane odds. And let&#39;s be honest? I live in a&nbsp;doorman-protected building on the Gold Coast. For me to say that I&#39;m suffering in any real sense is insane. But many people in this city who don&#39;t have resources really are suffering.&quot;

&quot;I know I&#39;m on the right side of history here,&quot; he said. &quot;That&#39;s how I sleep at night.&quot;&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

He said that he will not support President Donald Trump's economic agenda after the US leader appeared to defend white supremacists following the Virginia violence

An Indian-origin CEO in the US was racially abused on social media and told "to go back to India" after he wrote a piece for CNBC denouncing Trump. The Indian-origin CEO was also told to take Nikki Haley -- who is also of Indian origin -- along with him. The US-born Ravin Gandhi, founder and CEO of GMM Nonstick Coatings, a global supplier of coatings for cookware and bakeware, wrote in CNBC that: "But then I saw what happened last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. I saw the president of the Unites States cowardly signal tacit support of white supremacists and Nazis. Every time Trump reworked his response in subsequent days, he dug a deeper hole that revealed more and more. I realized the deep wisdom in Maya Angelou's statement: Donald Trump has now shown us who he really is, and it's time to believe it. The truth is, after Charlottesville and its aftermath, I will not defend Trump even if the Dow hits 50,000, unemployment goes to 1 percent, and GDP grows by 7 percent. Some issues transcend economics, and I will not in good conscience support a president who seems to hate Americans who don't look like him." Gandhi had begun his piece on a softer note, saying he had been "flabbergasted" when Trump won but that he had wanted to give him the "benefit of the doubt" before building up to his point. White supremacists and neo-Nazis had organised a rally in Charlottesville. One woman had died in the violence at Charlottesville after counter-protesters clashed with the white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Trump had at the time blamed the violence on both sides. This morning -- Tuesday evening in the US -- Trump defended his response to the violence at Charlottesville. Gandhi was soon bombarded by hate comments on his piece, PTI reported, including a voicemail from a woman who said Gandhi should "get your (expletive) garbage and go back to India." The woman, using abusive language, PTI added, told Gandhi that he should also take "that other half-(expletive) Bangladesh (expletive) with you, Nikki Haley," referring to the US envoy to the UN. "She's (Haley) the one that started all this when she took down the Confederate flag. So don't tell us that you gave him a chance. We don't give an (expletive) who you gave a chance, OK? We're going to start taking down Buddhist statues and see how you and Nikki Haley like that," the woman said. In the minute and a half voicemail, she said Gandhi should "go clean up your own (expletive) country, it's a filthy mess." Gandhi posted the voicemail to YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook and shared some of the nastier emails he received as well. "It was obvious that people thought my professional position somewhat protected me," he said. "I wanted to show people that racism is blind to socioeconomics. It just is." "Even though my race is a complete non-issue in my day-to-day life, the sad reality is there's a group of racists in the USA that views me as a second-class citizen," he said in the report. "I wanted my peers in the business community, the civic community, my friend community to see that this can happen to me. Because there's this delusion that racism is dead because Obama was elected." Gandhi added that the fact that Trump "equated hate groups with those protesting hate lit me up" as he called Trump's moral leadership on the issue "reprehensible." He said while his sharing a "bigoted" voicemail may not make a big difference, but he will speak out against such abuse as long as he has a platform to do so. "My heroes are Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, people who stood up against insane odds. And let's be honest? I live in a doorman-protected building on the Gold Coast. For me to say that I'm suffering in any real sense is insane. But many people in this city who don't have resources really are suffering." "I know I'm on the right side of history here," he said. "That's how I sleep at night." (With inputs from PTI)

Indian-origin CEO racially abused by Trump supporters in US

The United States said Tuesday that talks with North Korea may be possible &quot;in the near future&quot; after Pyongyang reacted to tough new UN sanctions with a level of restraint.

But, in keeping with a &quot;dual track&quot; strategy of reaching out to the North diplomatically while increasing economic pressure, Washington also imposed new sanctions on Chinese and Russian firms suspected of doing business with Pyongyang.

Briefing reporters, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a point of acknowledging that Kim Jong-Un&#39;s regime has not carried out any new nuclear or ballistic missile tests since the UN Security Council imposed a new round of tougher sanctions last month.

&quot;I am pleased to see that the regime in Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we&#39;ve not seen in the past,&quot; Tillerson said.

&quot;We need to see more on their part, but I want to acknowledge the steps they&#39;ve taken thus far. I think it&#39;s important to take note of that.&quot;

US officials told AFP that Tillerson was not thanking Pyongyang, nor making any concession on Washington&#39;s determination to halt Kim&#39;s missile program and negotiate the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

But they said he did want to note what the US administration sees as a lowering in immediate tensions, in the hope that the isolated authoritarian regime will see an opening that could lead to dialogue.

&nbsp;&#39;Ready to restrain&#39;?&nbsp;

Tensions between North Korea and the United States and its allies soared last month after Pyongyang tested two long-range missiles that appeared to bring US cities within its range.

US President Donald Trump vowed to respond with &quot;fire and fury,&quot; raising fears of a devastating regional conflict, and the UN Security Council scrambled to impose new punitive measures on the North.

Kim&#39;s regime later postponed a threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island territory of Guam, and Washington said it would be open to dialogue if Pyongyang were to take steps to calm tensions.

On Tuesday, Tillerson suggested that progress can now be made.

&quot;I think it is worth noting that we have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution,&quot; he said.

&quot;And I want to take note of that. I want to acknowledge it.&quot;

&quot;We hope that this is the beginning of this signal that we&#39;ve been looking for -- that they are ready to restrain their level of tensions, they&#39;re ready to restrain their provocative acts and that perhaps we are seeing our pathway to sometime in the near future having some dialogue.&quot;

Just before Tillerson alluded to the existence of a carrot to tempt North Korea, however, the US Treasury brandished its stick.

The agency slapped sanctions on 16 Chinese and Russian individuals and companies, accusing them of supporting North Korea&#39;s nuclear program and attempting to evade US sanctions.

The sanctions are part of a broader US effort to disrupt the funding of North Korea&#39;s weapons programs through its export of natural resources such as coal and minerals and foreign-based financial transactions undertaken for North Korean interests.

&quot;It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region,&quot; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

Trump has urged Beijing, North Korea&#39;s only major ally, to bring greater pressure to bear in reining in its neighbor&#39;s nuclear efforts, suggesting that the United States may offer concessions on trade in return.

But a spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Washington told AFP &quot;we strongly urge the US to immediately correct its mistake, so as not to impact bilateral cooperation on relevant issues.&quot;

&quot;China opposes unilateral sanctions out of the UN Security Council framework, especially the &#39;long-arm jurisdiction&#39; over Chinese entities and individuals exercised by any country in accordance with its domestic laws.&quot;

Targets of sanctions

The sanctions block those targeted from accessing much of the global financial system and freeze any assets they might hold in areas under US jurisdiction.

Among those hit was Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and his Moscow-based company Gefest-M LLC, which the Treasury accuses of procuring metals for a company involved in North Korea&#39;s nuclear weapons program known as Korean Tangun Trading Corp.

Also targeted is China&#39;s Dandong Rich Earth Trading, which the United States says has acted on behalf of North Korea&#39;s General Bureau of Atomic Energy -- responsible for the North&#39;s nuclear program -- and has facilitated prohibited North Korean exports of vanadium ore.

A third company, Mingzheng International Trading Limited, which maintains offices in Hong Kong and mainland China, is in fact a front for Foreign Trade Bank, North Korea&#39;s main foreign exchange bank, the Treasury said.

The Treasury also alleged that three Chinese companies -- Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Materials, JinHou International Holding and Dandong Tianfu Trade -- had collectively imported nearly a half billion dollars&#39; worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.

Tensions between North Korea and the United States and its allies soared last month after Pyongyang tested two long-range missiles that appeared to bring US cities within its range

The United States said Tuesday that talks with North Korea may be possible "in the near future" after Pyongyang reacted to tough new UN sanctions with a level of restraint. But, in keeping with a "dual track" strategy of reaching out to the North diplomatically while increasing economic pressure, Washington also imposed new sanctions on Chinese and Russian firms suspected of doing business with Pyongyang. Briefing reporters, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a point of acknowledging that Kim Jong-Un's regime has not carried out any new nuclear or ballistic missile tests since the UN Security Council imposed a new round of tougher sanctions last month. "I am pleased to see that the regime in Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we've not seen in the past," Tillerson said. "We need to see more on their part, but I want to acknowledge the steps they've taken thus far. I think it's important to take note of that." US officials told AFP that Tillerson was not thanking Pyongyang, nor making any concession on Washington's determination to halt Kim's missile program and negotiate the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But they said he did want to note what the US administration sees as a lowering in immediate tensions, in the hope that the isolated authoritarian regime will see an opening that could lead to dialogue. 'Ready to restrain'? Tensions between North Korea and the United States and its allies soared last month after Pyongyang tested two long-range missiles that appeared to bring US cities within its range. US President Donald Trump vowed to respond with "fire and fury," raising fears of a devastating regional conflict, and the UN Security Council scrambled to impose new punitive measures on the North. Kim's regime later postponed a threat to fire missiles towards the US Pacific island territory of Guam, and Washington said it would be open to dialogue if Pyongyang were to take steps to calm tensions. On Tuesday, Tillerson suggested that progress can now be made. "I think it is worth noting that we have had no missile launches or provocative acts on the part of North Korea since the unanimous adoption of the UN Security Council resolution," he said. "And I want to take note of that. I want to acknowledge it." "We hope that this is the beginning of this signal that we've been looking for -- that they are ready to restrain their level of tensions, they're ready to restrain their provocative acts and that perhaps we are seeing our pathway to sometime in the near future having some dialogue." Just before Tillerson alluded to the existence of a carrot to tempt North Korea, however, the US Treasury brandished its stick. The agency slapped sanctions on 16 Chinese and Russian individuals and companies, accusing them of supporting North Korea's nuclear program and attempting to evade US sanctions. The sanctions are part of a broader US effort to disrupt the funding of North Korea's weapons programs through its export of natural resources such as coal and minerals and foreign-based financial transactions undertaken for North Korean interests. "It is unacceptable for individuals and companies in China, Russia, and elsewhere to enable North Korea to generate income used to develop weapons of mass destruction and destabilize the region," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. Trump has urged Beijing, North Korea's only major ally, to bring greater pressure to bear in reining in its neighbor's nuclear efforts, suggesting that the United States may offer concessions on trade in return. But a spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in Washington told AFP "we strongly urge the US to immediately correct its mistake, so as not to impact bilateral cooperation on relevant issues." "China opposes unilateral sanctions out of the UN Security Council framework, especially the 'long-arm jurisdiction' over Chinese entities and individuals exercised by any country in accordance with its domestic laws." Targets of sanctions The sanctions block those targeted from accessing much of the global financial system and freeze any assets they might hold in areas under US jurisdiction. Among those hit was Russian national Ruben Kirakosyan and his Moscow-based company Gefest-M LLC, which the Treasury accuses of procuring metals for a company involved in North Korea's nuclear weapons program known as Korean Tangun Trading Corp. Also targeted is China's Dandong Rich Earth Trading, which the United States says has acted on behalf of North Korea's General Bureau of Atomic Energy -- responsible for the North's nuclear program -- and has facilitated prohibited North Korean exports of vanadium ore. A third company, Mingzheng International Trading Limited, which maintains offices in Hong Kong and mainland China, is in fact a front for Foreign Trade Bank, North Korea's main foreign exchange bank, the Treasury said. The Treasury also alleged that three Chinese companies -- Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Materials, JinHou International Holding and Dandong Tianfu Trade -- had collectively imported nearly a half billion dollars' worth of North Korean coal between 2013 and 2016.

Talks with North Korea may be close, says Tillerson

NATO&nbsp;Secretary&nbsp;General&nbsp;Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday welcomed President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to dispatch <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-clears-way-for-troop-increase-in-afghanistan-19283">more troops to&nbsp;Afghanistan</a>.

&quot;NATO&nbsp;remains fully committed to&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;and I am looking forward to discussing the way ahead with (Defense)&nbsp;Secretary&nbsp;(James) Mattis and our Allies and international partners,&quot; Stoltenberg said in a statement.&nbsp;

NATO&nbsp;has 12,000 troops in&nbsp;Afghanistan, and 15 countries have pledged more, Stoltenberg said.

NATO?has 12,000 troops in?Afghanistan, and 15 countries have pledged more, NATO?Secretary?General?Jens Stoltenberg said

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday welcomed President Donald Trump's decision to dispatch more troops to Afghanistan. "NATO remains fully committed to Afghanistan and I am looking forward to discussing the way ahead with (Defense) Secretary (James) Mattis and our Allies and international partners," Stoltenberg said in a statement. NATO has 12,000 troops in Afghanistan, and 15 countries have pledged more, Stoltenberg said.

NATO Secretary General welcomes new US approach on Afghanistan

Reversing course from his campaign pledges, President Donald Trump&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;night committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signaling he would dispatch more troops to America&#39;s longest war and vowing &quot;a fight to win.&quot;

In a speech offering few specifics, Trump promised a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground against the US backed Afghan government and he singled out Pakistan for harboring militants.

&quot;We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists,&quot; he said in a prime-time televised address at a military base outside Washington.

Trump ran for the US&nbsp;presidency calling for a swift US&nbsp;withdrawal from Afghanistan, and he acknowledged&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;that he was going against his instincts in approving the new campaign plan sought by his military advisers.

&quot;The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable,&quot; he said. &quot;A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including IS&nbsp;and al Qaeda, would instantly fill.&quot;

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<h5>We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists,&#39; Trump said in a prime-time televised address at a military base outside Washington</h5>
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The Republican president, who has criticised his predecessors for setting deadlines for drawing down troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, declined to put a time line on expanded US&nbsp;military operations in Afghanistan.

Trump now inherits the same challenges as predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama, including a stubborn Taliban insurgency and a weak, divided government in Kabul. He is laying the groundwork for greater US&nbsp;involvement without a clear end in sight or providing specific benchmarks for success.

US&nbsp;officials said he had signed off on Defense Secretary James Mattis&#39; plans to send about 4,000 more troops to add to the roughly 8,400 now deployed in Afghanistan.

Mattis said he had directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to carry out the strategy and that he would be consulting with NATO and US&nbsp;allies, several of which had also committed to increasing troops.

&nbsp;&#39;Not a Blank Check&#39;

Trump warned that US support &quot;is not a blank check,&quot; and insisted he would not engage in &quot;nation-building,&quot; a practice he has accused his predecessors of doing at huge cost.

Through the speech, Trump insisted that others, the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies, step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict.

Trump saved his sharpest words for Pakistan.

&quot;We can no longer be silent about Pakistan&rsquo;s safe havens,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists.&quot;

Senior US officials warned he could reduce security assistance for Pakistan unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperates more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil.

A Pakistani army spokesman said&nbsp;on Monday&nbsp;that Pakistan had taken action against all Islamist militants including the Haqqani network, which is allied to Afghan Taliban insurgents.

&quot;There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. We have operated against all terrorists, including (the) Haqqani network,&quot; spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told a media briefing in Islamabad.

Obama also took Pakistan to task for supporting militants, and sent Navy SEALs into the country to kill al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. It remains to be seen if Trump&#39;s rhetoric will change Pakistan&#39;s calculations in Afghanistan, which it sees as a vital strategic interest.

Trump expanded the US&nbsp;military&#39;s authority for American armed forces to target militant and criminal networks. He said that US&nbsp;enemies in Afghanistan &quot;need to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American arms.&quot;

&quot;Our troops will fight to win,&quot; he added.

A US led coalition invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Islamist Taliban government for harboring al Qaeda militants who plotted the&nbsp;Sept. 11&nbsp;attacks. But US&nbsp;forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of Bush, Obama and now Trump. About 2,400 US&nbsp;forces have died in Afghanistan since the invasion.

Past&nbsp;Skeptism &nbsp; &nbsp;

The speech came after a months-long review of US&nbsp;policy in which Trump frequently tangled with his top advisers on the future of US&nbsp;involvement in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents have been making territorial gains.

US&nbsp;military and intelligence officials are concerned that a Taliban victory over Afghan President Ashraf Ghani&#39;s government would allow al Qaeda and Islamic State&rsquo;s regional affiliate to establish bases in Afghanistan from which to plot attacks against the United States and its allies.

&quot;The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue and in the interim the Taliban has made dangerous inroads,&quot; said senior Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Senator Jack Reed, senior Democrat on the committee, criticised what he called a speech short on details.

&quot;President Trump now recognises the need to stabilise the situation and assist the government of Afghanistan to regain momentum. But he was very vague,&quot; Reed said.

Trump suggested he was hoping for eventual peace talks, and said it might be possible to have a political settlement with elements of the Taliban.

&quot;But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen,&quot; he said.

In a statement, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: &quot;We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions.&quot;

Trump overcame his own skepticism about the war that began in October 2001. He said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that the war was too costly in lives and money.

&quot;My original instinct was to pull out,&quot; he said in his speech, but added he was convinced by his national security advisers to strengthen the US ability to prevent the Taliban from ousting the government in Kabul.

Trump&#39;s speech came as the president tries to rebound after he was engulfed in controversy for saying both sides were to blame for violence between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month.

In an allusion to the Charlottesville uproar, Trump said: &quot;We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.&quot;

US&nbsp;commanders have long planned for a possible shift in resources from Iraq to Afghanistan as the fight against Islamic State comes off its peak, following gains made in the Iraqi city of Mosul and other areas.

One reason the White House decision took so long, two officials who participated in the discussions said&nbsp;on Sunday, is that it was difficult to get Trump to accept the need for a broader regional strategy that included US&nbsp;policy toward Pakistan.

Trump received a wide range of conflicting options, the officials said.

White House national security adviser HR&nbsp;McMaster and other advisers favored accepting a request for an 4,000 additional US forces.

But recently ousted White House strategic adviser Steve Bannon had argued for the withdrawal of all US&nbsp;forces, saying the war was still not winnable, US&nbsp;officials said. Bannon was fired&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;by Trump.

Breitbart News, the hard-right news site to which Bannon has returned as executive chairman, said on its home page that Trump &quot;reverses course&quot; and &quot;defends flip-flop in somber speech.&quot;

He signalled he would dispatch more troops to America's longest war

Reversing course from his campaign pledges, President Donald Trump on Monday night committed the United States to an open-ended conflict in Afghanistan, signaling he would dispatch more troops to America's longest war and vowing "a fight to win." In a speech offering few specifics, Trump promised a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground against the US backed Afghan government and he singled out Pakistan for harboring militants. "We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists," he said in a prime-time televised address at a military base outside Washington. Trump ran for the US presidency calling for a swift US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and he acknowledged on Monday that he was going against his instincts in approving the new campaign plan sought by his military advisers. "The consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable," he said. "A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including IS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill." We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists,' Trump said in a prime-time televised address at a military base outside Washington × The Republican president, who has criticised his predecessors for setting deadlines for drawing down troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, declined to put a time line on expanded US military operations in Afghanistan. Trump now inherits the same challenges as predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama, including a stubborn Taliban insurgency and a weak, divided government in Kabul. He is laying the groundwork for greater US involvement without a clear end in sight or providing specific benchmarks for success. US officials said he had signed off on Defense Secretary James Mattis' plans to send about 4,000 more troops to add to the roughly 8,400 now deployed in Afghanistan. Mattis said he had directed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to carry out the strategy and that he would be consulting with NATO and US allies, several of which had also committed to increasing troops. 'Not a Blank Check' Trump warned that US support "is not a blank check," and insisted he would not engage in "nation-building," a practice he has accused his predecessors of doing at huge cost. Through the speech, Trump insisted that others, the Afghan government, Pakistan, India and NATO allies, step up their own commitment to resolving the 16-year conflict. Trump saved his sharpest words for Pakistan. "We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens," Trump said. "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists." Senior US officials warned he could reduce security assistance for Pakistan unless the nuclear-armed nation cooperates more in preventing militants from using safe havens on its soil. A Pakistani army spokesman said on Monday that Pakistan had taken action against all Islamist militants including the Haqqani network, which is allied to Afghan Taliban insurgents. "There are no terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. We have operated against all terrorists, including (the) Haqqani network," spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told a media briefing in Islamabad. Obama also took Pakistan to task for supporting militants, and sent Navy SEALs into the country to kill al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. It remains to be seen if Trump's rhetoric will change Pakistan's calculations in Afghanistan, which it sees as a vital strategic interest. Trump expanded the US military's authority for American armed forces to target militant and criminal networks. He said that US enemies in Afghanistan "need to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American arms." "Our troops will fight to win," he added. A US led coalition invaded Afghanistan and overthrew the Islamist Taliban government for harboring al Qaeda militants who plotted the Sept. 11 attacks. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of Bush, Obama and now Trump. About 2,400 US forces have died in Afghanistan since the invasion. Past Skeptism The speech came after a months-long review of US policy in which Trump frequently tangled with his top advisers on the future of US involvement in Afghanistan, where Taliban insurgents have been making territorial gains. US military and intelligence officials are concerned that a Taliban victory over Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government would allow al Qaeda and Islamic State’s regional affiliate to establish bases in Afghanistan from which to plot attacks against the United States and its allies. "The unfortunate truth is that this strategy is long overdue and in the interim the Taliban has made dangerous inroads," said senior Republican Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Jack Reed, senior Democrat on the committee, criticised what he called a speech short on details. "President Trump now recognises the need to stabilise the situation and assist the government of Afghanistan to regain momentum. But he was very vague," Reed said. Trump suggested he was hoping for eventual peace talks, and said it might be possible to have a political settlement with elements of the Taliban. "But nobody knows if or when that will ever happen," he said. In a statement, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: "We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions." Trump overcame his own skepticism about the war that began in October 2001. He said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that the war was too costly in lives and money. "My original instinct was to pull out," he said in his speech, but added he was convinced by his national security advisers to strengthen the US ability to prevent the Taliban from ousting the government in Kabul. Trump's speech came as the president tries to rebound after he was engulfed in controversy for saying both sides were to blame for violence between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month. In an allusion to the Charlottesville uproar, Trump said: "We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other." US commanders have long planned for a possible shift in resources from Iraq to Afghanistan as the fight against Islamic State comes off its peak, following gains made in the Iraqi city of Mosul and other areas. One reason the White House decision took so long, two officials who participated in the discussions said on Sunday, is that it was difficult to get Trump to accept the need for a broader regional strategy that included US policy toward Pakistan. Trump received a wide range of conflicting options, the officials said. White House national security adviser HR McMaster and other advisers favored accepting a request for an 4,000 additional US forces. But recently ousted White House strategic adviser Steve Bannon had argued for the withdrawal of all US forces, saying the war was still not winnable, US officials said. Bannon was fired on Friday by Trump. Breitbart News, the hard-right news site to which Bannon has returned as executive chairman, said on its home page that Trump "reverses course" and "defends flip-flop in somber speech."

Reversing course, Trump commits to open-ended war in Afghanistan

Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century.

Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113-kilometer) wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the Moon briefly blocked out all light from the Sun.&nbsp;

&quot;It was incredibly beautiful. I am moved to tears,&quot; said Heather Riser, a 54-year-old librarian from Virginia, sitting on a blanket in Charleston&#39;s grassy Waterfront Park where thousands had gathered to watch.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media.

The blackest part of the shadow, known as totality because the Moon blocks all the Sun&#39;s light from the Earth, began over Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 1716 GMT.

Crowds whooped and cheered at the first sign of darkness.

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A composite image of the total solar eclipse seen from the Lowell Observatory Solar Eclipse Experience August 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. (AFP)
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People watch the solar eclipse at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University on August 21, 2017 in Carbondale, Illinois. (AFP)
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Solar eclipse watchers were ecstatic as the clouds broke minutes before totality during the total solar eclipse from one of the last vantage points where totality was visible. (AFP)
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Just inland, more than 100,000 people gathered at Madras, Oregon -- typically a town of 7,000 -- in what experts described as perfect viewing conditions.

&quot;I&#39;ve wanted to see one of these my whole life, since I&#39;ve been studying astronomy, since I was a kid,&quot; said Christine Sapio, a science professor. &quot;I thought I was prepared for it -- I totally wasn&#39;t.&quot;

&quot;I was shaking, I was crying. I was just totally taken aback by just how beautiful it was.&quot;

In Los Angeles, &quot;oohs and aahs&quot; emanated from the crowd of thousands gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began.&nbsp;

Many had hiked to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape. Others watched while wearing special, dark solar eclipse glasses.

&#39;Just awesome&#39;&nbsp;

In downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists -- some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers -- staked out prime spots on the bustling city&#39;s storied waterfront.

Forecasts of thunderstorms threatened to block the view, but the eclipse managed to peek through the wispy clouds.

Onlookers in Waterfront Park screamed and cheered as the sky went dark in the middle of the afternoon, streetlamps came on, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. &nbsp;

&quot;It was just awesome,&quot; said Dave Lichtenauer, age 63, a retired electrical engineer, describing the event as &quot;partially spiritual.&quot;

&quot;The crowd here was very into it,&quot; he added, remarking on the diversity and peacefulness of the masses.&nbsp;

&quot;You don&#39;t get many chances to experience that.&quot;

One bar had installed outdoor speakers blasting Bonnie Tyler&#39;s mega-hit &quot;Total Eclipse of the Heart&quot; -- which she performed live on a cruise ship sailing through the path of totality.

The unofficial anthem for the celestial show soared to the top of the iTunes charts, outdoing even record-smashing pop song &quot;Despacito.&quot;

Cloudy weather and thunderstorms dashed viewers&#39; hopes of seeing the eclipse in some places, including Missouri.

Some of the clearest views were along the West Coast.

&#39;Don&#39;t look&#39;

In the US capital, where 81 per cent totality occurred, Donald Trump watched the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania and son Barron -- although the president appeared to have missed the memo on eclipse do&#39;s and don&#39;ts.

At one point, Trump glanced skyward without protective eyewear -- a big no-no, according to experts. &quot;Don&#39;t look,&quot; an aide shouted to him. He later donned glasses.

Eclipse watchers also flocked to Washington&#39;s National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion.&nbsp;

In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities.

Eclipse watchers often describe being overcome by emotion as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills.

&quot;It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event,&quot; eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, told AFP of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970.

Scientists planned to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer atmosphere of the Sun.

&quot;It is really exciting to see so many people interested in nature and science and this amazing phenomenon,&quot; said Kwayera Davis, an adjunct professor of astronomy at the College of Charleston.

&#39;Sharing a cosmic event&#39;&nbsp;

After weeks of turmoil triggered by the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, some commentators welcomed the national feel-good moment afforded by the Great American Eclipse.

&quot;The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science,&quot; tweeted the US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson -- who earlier advised people to &quot;put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically.&quot;

The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, drew a more somber parallel between the day&#39;s spectacle and the country&#39;s challenges.

&quot;Wish the moon wasn&#39;t the only thing casting a shadow across the country. We got through one, we&#39;ll get through the other,&quot; he tweeted.

Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times

Sky-gazers stood transfixed across North America Monday as the Sun vanished behind the Moon in a rare total eclipse that swept the continent coast-to-coast for the first time in nearly a century. Millions of die-hard eclipse chasers and amateur star watchers alike converged in cities along the path of totality, a 70-mile (113-kilometer) wide swath cutting through 14 US states, where the Moon briefly blocked out all light from the Sun. "It was incredibly beautiful. I am moved to tears," said Heather Riser, a 54-year-old librarian from Virginia, sitting on a blanket in Charleston's grassy Waterfront Park where thousands had gathered to watch. Festivals, rooftop parties, weddings, camping trips and astronomy meet-ups were held nationwide for what was likely most heavily photographed and documented eclipse in modern times, thanks to the era of social media. The blackest part of the shadow, known as totality because the Moon blocks all the Sun's light from the Earth, began over Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 1716 GMT. Crowds whooped and cheered at the first sign of darkness. A composite image of the total solar eclipse seen from the Lowell Observatory Solar Eclipse Experience August 21, 2017 in Madras, Oregon. (AFP) × People watch the solar eclipse at Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University on August 21, 2017 in Carbondale, Illinois. (AFP) × Solar eclipse watchers were ecstatic as the clouds broke minutes before totality during the total solar eclipse from one of the last vantage points where totality was visible. (AFP) × Just inland, more than 100,000 people gathered at Madras, Oregon -- typically a town of 7,000 -- in what experts described as perfect viewing conditions. "I've wanted to see one of these my whole life, since I've been studying astronomy, since I was a kid," said Christine Sapio, a science professor. "I thought I was prepared for it -- I totally wasn't." "I was shaking, I was crying. I was just totally taken aback by just how beautiful it was." In Los Angeles, "oohs and aahs" emanated from the crowd of thousands gathered at the Griffith Observatory in the hills above the city as the partial eclipse began. Many had hiked to avoid massive traffic jams. Some watchers had fashioned their own pinhole projectors out of cardboard and scotch tape. Others watched while wearing special, dark solar eclipse glasses. 'Just awesome' In downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the last point in the path of totality, crowds of tourists -- some in special eclipse T-shirts and star-printed trousers -- staked out prime spots on the bustling city's storied waterfront. Forecasts of thunderstorms threatened to block the view, but the eclipse managed to peek through the wispy clouds. Onlookers in Waterfront Park screamed and cheered as the sky went dark in the middle of the afternoon, streetlamps came on, and a rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. "It was just awesome," said Dave Lichtenauer, age 63, a retired electrical engineer, describing the event as "partially spiritual." "The crowd here was very into it," he added, remarking on the diversity and peacefulness of the masses. "You don't get many chances to experience that." One bar had installed outdoor speakers blasting Bonnie Tyler's mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -- which she performed live on a cruise ship sailing through the path of totality. The unofficial anthem for the celestial show soared to the top of the iTunes charts, outdoing even record-smashing pop song "Despacito." Cloudy weather and thunderstorms dashed viewers' hopes of seeing the eclipse in some places, including Missouri. Some of the clearest views were along the West Coast. 'Don't look' In the US capital, where 81 per cent totality occurred, Donald Trump watched the partial eclipse from the White House with his wife Melania and son Barron -- although the president appeared to have missed the memo on eclipse do's and don'ts. At one point, Trump glanced skyward without protective eyewear -- a big no-no, according to experts. "Don't look," an aide shouted to him. He later donned glasses. Eclipse watchers also flocked to Washington's National Air and Space Museum, where solar telescopes were set up for the occasion. In Mexico, where there was a partial eclipse, astronomy buffs set up telescopes fitted with special sun filters in parks and squares in various cities. Eclipse watchers often describe being overcome by emotion as the sky goes black, birds return to their nests and the air chills. "It is such an incredible, sensory-overload kind of event," eclipse-chaser Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist, told AFP of the first total solar eclipse he saw in the United States back in 1970. Scientists planned to study the eclipse to learn more about the super-hot corona, or outer atmosphere of the Sun. "It is really exciting to see so many people interested in nature and science and this amazing phenomenon," said Kwayera Davis, an adjunct professor of astronomy at the College of Charleston. 'Sharing a cosmic event' After weeks of turmoil triggered by the race-fueled violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, some commentators welcomed the national feel-good moment afforded by the Great American Eclipse. "The divided United States of America will unite today, sharing a cosmic event predicted by the methods and tools of science," tweeted the US astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson -- who earlier advised people to "put down your smartphone and experience this one emotionally, psychologically, physically." The CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, drew a more somber parallel between the day's spectacle and the country's challenges. "Wish the moon wasn't the only thing casting a shadow across the country. We got through one, we'll get through the other," he tweeted.

Total solar eclipse enthrals America

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