Leaders and Representatives from nearly 200 countries reached an agreement to cut back on greenhouse gases on Saturday, a Rwandan minister said.&nbsp;

The agreement will divide countries into three group, with different&nbsp;deadlines to reduce the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, which are emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners.&nbsp;

US secretary of state John Kerry said, &quot;It&rsquo;s a monumental step forward.&quot;&nbsp;

Under the deal, developed nations will start with a 10 per cent cut to the&nbsp;emission of gases by 2019 and by 2036, about 85 per cent.&nbsp;

Developing nations will limit the use of the gases by 2024 or 2028 including India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the Gulf countries.&nbsp;

These countries require more time as they still have a developing population and also India is afraid this will slow down its growing industries, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

UN environment chief Erik Solheim said, &quot;Last year in Paris, we promised to keep the world safe from the worst effects of climate change. Today, we are following through on that promise.&quot;

The Kigali agreement is legally binding and it enables rich countries to help the poor ones to adapt their technology. This deal comes a week after, the 2015 Paris Climate deal was ratified by India, the European Parliament, and Canada and will enter into force soon.&nbsp;

Kigali deal is legally binding, has very specific timetables and has an agreement by rich countries to help poor countries adapt their technology.

The aim of the deal is to&nbsp;prevent the Ozone layer from depleting and was built on the 1987 Montreal Protocol to curb the use of CFC&#39;s.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The legally binding Kigali deal with specific deadlines for nations ensures that rich countries help poor nations to adapt their technology

Leaders and Representatives from nearly 200 countries reached an agreement to cut back on greenhouse gases on Saturday, a Rwandan minister said. The agreement will divide countries into three group, with different deadlines to reduce the hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases, which are emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners. US secretary of state John Kerry said, "It’s a monumental step forward." Under the deal, developed nations will start with a 10 per cent cut to the emission of gases by 2019 and by 2036, about 85 per cent. Developing nations will limit the use of the gases by 2024 or 2028 including India, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and the Gulf countries. These countries require more time as they still have a developing population and also India is afraid this will slow down its growing industries, Reuters reported. UN environment chief Erik Solheim said, "Last year in Paris, we promised to keep the world safe from the worst effects of climate change. Today, we are following through on that promise." The Kigali agreement is legally binding and it enables rich countries to help the poor ones to adapt their technology. This deal comes a week after, the 2015 Paris Climate deal was ratified by India, the European Parliament, and Canada and will enter into force soon. Kigali deal is legally binding, has very specific timetables and has an agreement by rich countries to help poor countries adapt their technology. The aim of the deal is to prevent the Ozone layer from depleting and was built on the 1987 Montreal Protocol to curb the use of CFC's. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Nearly 200 nations agree on historic climate pact to phase out super greenhouse gases

A seven-year-old boy of Pakistani origin was allegedly beaten up by five classmates on a school bus in the US for being a Muslim, forcing the family to move back to Pakistan, media reports say.

Two-time Fulbright scholar, Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usman,&nbsp;&nbsp;who uses data to prevent terror attacks, shared a post on Facebook with a picture of his son wearing a sling on his arm after he was attacked by fellow students in Cary, North Carolina.&nbsp;

&quot;Welcome to the United States of America of Donald Trump.&quot; he wrote as a caption &nbsp;post on october 8, the International Business Times reported.

&ldquo;Meet my son Abdul Aziz. He is in grade 1, bullied and beaten by his own classmates in school bus for being a Muslim.&quot;&nbsp;he continued.

Usmani &nbsp;told The Huffington Post &nbsp;they twisted his son&#39;s arm and called him &quot;Muslim&quot;&nbsp;over and over again.

&quot;He was born and raised in the United States. He was born in Florida. As American as you can think of. He likes Captain America. He wants to be president of the United States of America,&quot; Usmani told The Huffington Post, while speaking from Pakistan.

The parents reported the incident to the school.

Lisa Luten, a spokeswoman for Wake County Public School System, told The Huffington Post that no students on the bus or the bus driver said they saw an altercation.&nbsp;

She said the family didn&#39;t report that the students made references to Pakistan and Islam, however, an email the father sent to the school principal over what happened describes what was said to his son, The Huffington Post reported.

 
&nbsp;

(WION)

 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

A two-time Fulbright scholar, posted his son's photo on Facebook with the caption 'Welcome to the United States of America of Donald Trump'

A seven-year-old boy of Pakistani origin was allegedly beaten up by five classmates on a school bus in the US for being a Muslim, forcing the family to move back to Pakistan, media reports say. Two-time Fulbright scholar, Zeeshan-ul-hassan Usman, who uses data to prevent terror attacks, shared a post on Facebook with a picture of his son wearing a sling on his arm after he was attacked by fellow students in Cary, North Carolina. "Welcome to the United States of America of Donald Trump." he wrote as a caption post on october 8, the International Business Times reported. “Meet my son Abdul Aziz. He is in grade 1, bullied and beaten by his own classmates in school bus for being a Muslim." he continued. Usmani told The Huffington Post they twisted his son's arm and called him "Muslim" over and over again. "He was born and raised in the United States. He was born in Florida. As American as you can think of. He likes Captain America. He wants to be president of the United States of America," Usmani told The Huffington Post, while speaking from Pakistan. The parents reported the incident to the school. Lisa Luten, a spokeswoman for Wake County Public School System, told The Huffington Post that no students on the bus or the bus driver said they saw an altercation. She said the family didn't report that the students made references to Pakistan and Islam, however, an email the father sent to the school principal over what happened describes what was said to his son, The Huffington Post reported. (WION)

7-year-old Pakistani-origin boy beaten up in US by classmates for being 'Muslim'

Just over a week after she blazed into controversy for plagiarising Michelle Obama, the website of Donald Trump&#39;s third wife Melania mysteriously vanished following questions about her university education. 
 
&quot;The website in question was created in 2012 and has been removed because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests,&quot; the mother of one tweeted yesterday. 
 
The website disappeared after US media questioned whether the wife of the Republican nominee for president had a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, as the online biography stated. 
 
Trump told MSNBC in February only that she &quot;studied&quot; design and architecture. A follow-up interview with GQ Magazine published in April said she dropped out after a year to pursue a modeling career in Milan and later Paris. 
 
Those who try to access www.melaniatrump.com are now automatically diverted to her husband&#39;s company website. 
 
While his three adult children, who hold executive positions at The Trump Organization, have biographies on the site, she does not. Neither is she mentioned in her husband&#39;s more than 4,000-word online biography. 
 
Yesterday&#39;s tweet was a rare update from Melania Trump in the 13 months since her husband launched his controversial bid for the White House. 
 
While the ex-model used to post regular style, food and scenic photographs, she has tweeted rarely since his foray into politics. 
 
Last week, a staffer apologised for cribbing remarks from the current Democratic first lady for a speech Melania Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
Melania Trump had &quot;always liked&quot; Michelle Obama and read out passages from one of her speeches as examples of what she wanted to say, said the staffer. 
 
&quot;I did not check Mrs Obama&#39;s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused,&quot; she said. 
 
(AFP)

The website was removed because it did not 'accurately reflect my current business and professional interests', Melania tweeted yesterday

Just over a week after she blazed into controversy for plagiarising Michelle Obama, the website of Donald Trump's third wife Melania mysteriously vanished following questions about her university education. "The website in question was created in 2012 and has been removed because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests," the mother of one tweeted yesterday. The website disappeared after US media questioned whether the wife of the Republican nominee for president had a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, as the online biography stated. Trump told MSNBC in February only that she "studied" design and architecture. A follow-up interview with GQ Magazine published in April said she dropped out after a year to pursue a modeling career in Milan and later Paris. Those who try to access www.melaniatrump.com are now automatically diverted to her husband's company website. While his three adult children, who hold executive positions at The Trump Organization, have biographies on the site, she does not. Neither is she mentioned in her husband's more than 4,000-word online biography. Yesterday's tweet was a rare update from Melania Trump in the 13 months since her husband launched his controversial bid for the White House. While the ex-model used to post regular style, food and scenic photographs, she has tweeted rarely since his foray into politics. Last week, a staffer apologised for cribbing remarks from the current Democratic first lady for a speech Melania Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Melania Trump had "always liked" Michelle Obama and read out passages from one of her speeches as examples of what she wanted to say, said the staffer. "I did not check Mrs Obama's speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused," she said. (AFP)

Melania Trump's website deleted after degree questions

President Barack Obama questioned Republican nominee Donald Trump&#39;s readiness to be commander-in-chief, in an interview broadcast today. 
 
Weighing in on Trump&#39;s suggestions that the US might not meet its mutual defence obligations in NATO, Obama told CBS it highlighted a &quot;lack of preparedness that he has been displaying when it comes to foreign policy.&quot; 
 
Obama has repeatedly called on European allies to boost defence spending, but has not questioned America&#39;s role in the alliance. 
 
Trump has repeatedly indicated that the United States might not come to the defence of a NATO ally, a treaty obligation, if they were not pulling their weight. 
 
&quot;Anybody who&#39;s been paying attention knows there is a big difference between challenging our European allies to keep up their defence spending, particularly at a time when Russia&#39;s been more aggressive, and saying to them, &#39;You know what? We might not abide by the central tenet of the most important alliance in the history of the world&#39;,&quot; Obama said. 
 
Under Article Five of the NATO treaty, members agree to regard an attack on one member as an attack on all and promise to mobilise together to defeat the threat. 
 
(AFP)

Trump has repeatedly indicated that US might not come to the defence of a NATO ally if they do not pull their own weight

President Barack Obama questioned Republican nominee Donald Trump's readiness to be commander-in-chief, in an interview broadcast today. Weighing in on Trump's suggestions that the US might not meet its mutual defence obligations in NATO, Obama told CBS it highlighted a "lack of preparedness that he has been displaying when it comes to foreign policy." Obama has repeatedly called on European allies to boost defence spending, but has not questioned America's role in the alliance. Trump has repeatedly indicated that the United States might not come to the defence of a NATO ally, a treaty obligation, if they were not pulling their weight. "Anybody who's been paying attention knows there is a big difference between challenging our European allies to keep up their defence spending, particularly at a time when Russia's been more aggressive, and saying to them, 'You know what? We might not abide by the central tenet of the most important alliance in the history of the world'," Obama said. Under Article Five of the NATO treaty, members agree to regard an attack on one member as an attack on all and promise to mobilise together to defeat the threat. (AFP)

Obama questions Trump's readiness to be commander-in-chief

Republican Party&#39;s presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the European Union (EU) was created to beat the United States (US) in terms of making money. 
 
In an interview with NBC News, Trump while commenting on the EU said, &quot;The reason that it got together was like a consortium so that it could compete with the United States.&quot; 
 
&quot;The EU was founded in 1952 in an effort to promote strong cross-border ties in Europe and avoid future wars.Since then, it has evolved to a customs union and eventually to the transnational entity devoted to removing internal trade barriers, building a common market and a fiscal union&#39;&#39;, reports the Guardian. 
 
The New York billionaire&#39;s anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit, the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. 
 
Trump defended his recent remarks on NATO, saying the countries in the organisation need to pay more to the US so that Washington meets its treaty obligations of mutual defence. 
 
He also called both the World Trade Organization and Nafta &quot;disasters&quot;. On his call to ban the people in the US from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism, he said that it was an expansion on his infamous Muslim ban of December 2015. 
 
&quot;I actually don&#39;t think it&#39;s a rollback. In fact, you could say it&#39;s an expansion. I&#39;m looking now at territory. People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can&#39;t use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I&#39;m okay with that, because I&#39;m talking territory instead of Muslim,&quot; he added. 
 
Trump also confirmed reports that he would seek revenge against former presidential nominee rivals John Kasich and Ted Cruz. 
 
He said that he would do it by funding a super Political Action Committee (PAC) in the 2018 cycle to help defeat their respective attempts to win the gubernatorial election in Ohio and US senate election in Texas. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

The New York billionaire's anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit

Republican Party's presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the European Union (EU) was created to beat the United States (US) in terms of making money. In an interview with NBC News, Trump while commenting on the EU said, "The reason that it got together was like a consortium so that it could compete with the United States." "The EU was founded in 1952 in an effort to promote strong cross-border ties in Europe and avoid future wars.Since then, it has evolved to a customs union and eventually to the transnational entity devoted to removing internal trade barriers, building a common market and a fiscal union'', reports the Guardian. The New York billionaire's anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit, the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. Trump defended his recent remarks on NATO, saying the countries in the organisation need to pay more to the US so that Washington meets its treaty obligations of mutual defence. He also called both the World Trade Organization and Nafta "disasters". On his call to ban the people in the US from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism, he said that it was an expansion on his infamous Muslim ban of December 2015. "I actually don't think it's a rollback. In fact, you could say it's an expansion. I'm looking now at territory. People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can't use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I'm okay with that, because I'm talking territory instead of Muslim," he added. Trump also confirmed reports that he would seek revenge against former presidential nominee rivals John Kasich and Ted Cruz. He said that he would do it by funding a super Political Action Committee (PAC) in the 2018 cycle to help defeat their respective attempts to win the gubernatorial election in Ohio and US senate election in Texas. (ANI)

EU formed to beat US at making money, says Donald Trump

Democrat Hillary Clinton&rsquo;s lead over Republican rival Donald Trump has slipped by about five percentage points since mid-June, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released today, bringing the race for the White House to within nine points. 
 
The poll showed that 44.5 per cent of likely voters supported former secretary of state Clinton while 35.5 per cent backed businessman Trump. That compares with 46.6 per cent support for Clinton and 32.3 per cent for Trump on June 12, a date that marked her widest lead for the month. 
 
Trump has focused much of his energy in recent days on the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida by a US-born gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State militant group. Trump vowed to ban people from entering the United States from countries with links to terrorism against America or its allies. 
 
Hardline national security proposals have helped Trump win increased support from voters in the past, including after the shootings in San Bernardino, California and Paris late last year. 
 
Clinton responded to the Orlando attack by calling for increased intelligence gathering and air strikes on IS forces, while warning against demonising American Muslims. She has also criticized Trump&#39;s positions on foreign policy and the economy, saying a Trump presidency would be a &quot;disaster&quot;. 
 
The June 17-21 poll of 1,100 likely voters has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points. 
 
(Reuters)

New poll shows that 44.5 per cent of likely voters support Clinton, while 35.5 per cent back Trump

Democrat Hillary Clinton’s lead over Republican rival Donald Trump has slipped by about five percentage points since mid-June, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released today, bringing the race for the White House to within nine points. The poll showed that 44.5 per cent of likely voters supported former secretary of state Clinton while 35.5 per cent backed businessman Trump. That compares with 46.6 per cent support for Clinton and 32.3 per cent for Trump on June 12, a date that marked her widest lead for the month. Trump has focused much of his energy in recent days on the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida by a US-born gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State militant group. Trump vowed to ban people from entering the United States from countries with links to terrorism against America or its allies. Hardline national security proposals have helped Trump win increased support from voters in the past, including after the shootings in San Bernardino, California and Paris late last year. Clinton responded to the Orlando attack by calling for increased intelligence gathering and air strikes on IS forces, while warning against demonising American Muslims. She has also criticized Trump's positions on foreign policy and the economy, saying a Trump presidency would be a "disaster". The June 17-21 poll of 1,100 likely voters has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points. (Reuters)

Clinton loses ground to Trump, now within 9 points

Republican presidential candidate Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;has parted ways with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, the New York Times reported on Monday. 
 
&ldquo;The Donald J.&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,&rdquo; campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement provided to the newspaper. 
 
Lewandowski, who has been with the New York billionaire since the beginning of his White House bid, was accused of manhandling a female reporter in Florida during the primary campaign. 
(Reuters)

Corey Lewandowski was accused of manhandling a female reporter

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has parted ways with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, the New York Times reported on Monday. “The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,” campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement provided to the newspaper. Lewandowski, who has been with the New York billionaire since the beginning of his White House bid, was accused of manhandling a female reporter in Florida during the primary campaign. (Reuters)

Donald Trump 'sacks' campaign manager : Reports

Republican Donald Trump said today the United States should consider more racial profiling, in response to a question about whether he supported greater law enforcement scrutiny of Muslim Americans after the Orlando mass shooting. 
 
&quot;I think profiling is something that we&#39;re going to have to start thinking about as a country,&quot; Trump told CBS&#39; &quot;Face the Nation.&quot; 
 
&quot;You look at Israel and you look at others, and they do it and they do it successfully. And you know, I hate the concept of profiling, but we have to start using common sense,&quot; he said when asked if he supported increased profiling of Muslims in America. 
 
Trump made similar comments last December about profiling, the targeting of specific demographic groups for extra scrutiny, after a Muslim American and his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. 
 
Last week, Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for the November 8 election, sparked criticism from many in his party for his comments on American Muslims after the Orlando attack on last Sunday, in which a US-born Muslim man killed 49 people at a gay nightclub. 
 
In a speech on national security on Monday, Trump stood by his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and proposed a suspension of immigration from countries with &quot;a proven history of terrorism.&quot; 
 
He also said the Muslim community had to &quot;cooperate with law enforcement and turn in the people who they know are bad.&quot; 
 
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said the comments show Trump is unfit to be president. 
 
The Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, was born in the United States to Afghan parents. During a three-hour siege at the club, he expressed support for Islamic State, but officials believe he was &quot;self-radicalized.&quot; 
 
In his interview on Sunday, Trump said there were &quot;red flags&quot; around Mateen, who had been investigated twice by the FBI but ultimately cleared. 
 
Trump also reiterated his support for more scrutiny of mosques, saying that could resemble a controversial New York City surveillance program that has been shut down. 
 
&quot;If you go to France right now, they&#39;re doing it in France. In fact, in some instances they&#39;re closing down mosques,&quot; he said. 
 
Police in France closed some mosques shortly after gunmen aligned with Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris in a series of attacks on November 13. 
 
House of representatives Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Trump but has said a Muslim ban is not in US interests. In excerpts of an NBC interview released on Friday, Ryan, the top elected US Republican, said Republicans weighing whether to vote for Trump should follow their &quot;conscience.&quot; 
 
Trump brushed off the criticism on Sunday and said he would put up his own money for his campaign if needed. &quot;It would be nice if the Republicans stuck together,&quot; Trump said in an ABC interview. &quot;I can win, one way or another.&quot; 
(Reuter)

Says he hates the concept of profiling but 'we have to start using common sense'. Comments come after the Orlando shooting

Republican Donald Trump said today the United States should consider more racial profiling, in response to a question about whether he supported greater law enforcement scrutiny of Muslim Americans after the Orlando mass shooting. "I think profiling is something that we're going to have to start thinking about as a country," Trump told CBS' "Face the Nation." "You look at Israel and you look at others, and they do it and they do it successfully. And you know, I hate the concept of profiling, but we have to start using common sense," he said when asked if he supported increased profiling of Muslims in America. Trump made similar comments last December about profiling, the targeting of specific demographic groups for extra scrutiny, after a Muslim American and his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. Last week, Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for the November 8 election, sparked criticism from many in his party for his comments on American Muslims after the Orlando attack on last Sunday, in which a US-born Muslim man killed 49 people at a gay nightclub. In a speech on national security on Monday, Trump stood by his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and proposed a suspension of immigration from countries with "a proven history of terrorism." He also said the Muslim community had to "cooperate with law enforcement and turn in the people who they know are bad." Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said the comments show Trump is unfit to be president. The Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, was born in the United States to Afghan parents. During a three-hour siege at the club, he expressed support for Islamic State, but officials believe he was "self-radicalized." In his interview on Sunday, Trump said there were "red flags" around Mateen, who had been investigated twice by the FBI but ultimately cleared. Trump also reiterated his support for more scrutiny of mosques, saying that could resemble a controversial New York City surveillance program that has been shut down. "If you go to France right now, they're doing it in France. In fact, in some instances they're closing down mosques," he said. Police in France closed some mosques shortly after gunmen aligned with Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris in a series of attacks on November 13. House of representatives Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Trump but has said a Muslim ban is not in US interests. In excerpts of an NBC interview released on Friday, Ryan, the top elected US Republican, said Republicans weighing whether to vote for Trump should follow their "conscience." Trump brushed off the criticism on Sunday and said he would put up his own money for his campaign if needed. "It would be nice if the Republicans stuck together," Trump said in an ABC interview. "I can win, one way or another." (Reuter)

US should consider racial profiling: Trump

Accepting the United States is probably the world`s sole superpower, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was ready to work with Washington. 
 
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin said: &quot;America is a great power.&nbsp;Today, probably, the only superpower. We accept that.&quot; 
 
&quot;We want to and are ready to work with the United States,&quot; Putin added. 
 
Hinting to the US-EU sanctions on Russia in response to its military actions in Ukraine, Putin said: &quot;The world needs such strong nations, like the US. And we need them.&nbsp;But we don`t need them constantly getting mixed up in our affairs, instructing us how to live, preventing Europe from building a relationship with us.&quot; 
 
When asked about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Putin called him as a &quot;flamboyant&quot; or &quot;colourful&quot; man. 
 
Putin also spoke about the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, saying he did not work much with her directly when she was the secretary of state. 
 
&quot;She probably has her own view of US-Russian relations,&quot; he said. The Russian President, however, praised her husband and former US president Bill Clinton. 
 
&quot;We had a very nice relationship,&quot; the Guardian quoted Putin as saying.&nbsp; 
(ANI)

Russian President doesn't really know Hillary Clinton but praises Bill

Accepting the United States is probably the world`s sole superpower, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow was ready to work with Washington. Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, Putin said: "America is a great power. Today, probably, the only superpower. We accept that." "We want to and are ready to work with the United States," Putin added. Hinting to the US-EU sanctions on Russia in response to its military actions in Ukraine, Putin said: "The world needs such strong nations, like the US. And we need them. But we don`t need them constantly getting mixed up in our affairs, instructing us how to live, preventing Europe from building a relationship with us." When asked about presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, Putin called him as a "flamboyant" or "colourful" man. Putin also spoke about the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, saying he did not work much with her directly when she was the secretary of state. "She probably has her own view of US-Russian relations," he said. The Russian President, however, praised her husband and former US president Bill Clinton. "We had a very nice relationship," the Guardian quoted Putin as saying. (ANI)

Putin says America 'probably' the only superpower and calls Donald Trump 'flamboyant'

Donald Trump has railed against efforts by some frustrated Republicans planning a last-ditch effort to try to thwart him from becoming the party&#39;s nominee, threatening at one point to stop fund-raising if Republicans do not rally around him. 
 
Speaking at a theater at the Treasure Island hotel on the Las Vegas strip yesterday, Trump referred to &quot;an insurgent group&quot; trying to deny him delegates at the party&#39;s July convention. 
 
&quot;Now you have a couple of guys that were badly defeated and they&#39;re trying to organise maybe like a little bit of a delegate revolt,&quot; he said. &quot;I thought they already tried that.&quot; 
 
Trump pushed back against such efforts several times during his speech, claiming they were somehow &quot;illegal&quot; and then dismissing them as a media-generated fabrication. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s all made up by the press,&quot; he said. &quot;It&#39;s a hoax, I&#39;m telling you.&quot; 
 
While Trump dismisses the effort as invented, more Republicans in Congress are saying they will not attend the party convention and are not endorsing his candidacy. 
 
Meanwhile, a movement exists among some conservative delegates and operatives to change party rules to allow a different nominee, though it&#39;s a longshot effort lacking sufficient backing and a candidate to offer up at an alternative. 
 
Indeed, Trump wondered aloud who his opponents would pick as a replacement, a problem that has plagued the &quot;Never Trump&quot; movement for months. 
 
&quot;Who are they going to pick? I beat everybody. But I don&#39;t mean beat - I beat the hell out of them,&quot; he said. 
 
At one point in his speech, Trump asserted without offering evidence that former rival Jeb Bush and a second Republican, whom he did not name, were part of the movement opposing him. Neither Bush nor another former rival, Senator Ted Cruz, has endorsed Trump. 
 
Trump has continued to face resistance from Republicans who have voiced increasing concern over his inflammatory rhetoric. And he appeared increasingly frustrated yesterday, saying, &quot;It would be helpful if the Republicans could help us a little bit.&quot; 
 
The billionaire businessman also threatened that, if Republicans don&#39;t come together, he was prepared to stop fundraising and go back to largely self-funding his campaign. 
 
&quot;I&#39;d love to do it,&quot; said Trump, who has been holding fundraisers across the county this week largely benefiting the Republican National Committee. &quot;You know, life is like a two-way street.&quot; 
 
A Republican National Committee spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 
(PTI)

Republicans in the US Congress say they will not endorse Trump's candidacy

Donald Trump has railed against efforts by some frustrated Republicans planning a last-ditch effort to try to thwart him from becoming the party's nominee, threatening at one point to stop fund-raising if Republicans do not rally around him. Speaking at a theater at the Treasure Island hotel on the Las Vegas strip yesterday, Trump referred to "an insurgent group" trying to deny him delegates at the party's July convention. "Now you have a couple of guys that were badly defeated and they're trying to organise maybe like a little bit of a delegate revolt," he said. "I thought they already tried that." Trump pushed back against such efforts several times during his speech, claiming they were somehow "illegal" and then dismissing them as a media-generated fabrication. "It's all made up by the press," he said. "It's a hoax, I'm telling you." While Trump dismisses the effort as invented, more Republicans in Congress are saying they will not attend the party convention and are not endorsing his candidacy. Meanwhile, a movement exists among some conservative delegates and operatives to change party rules to allow a different nominee, though it's a longshot effort lacking sufficient backing and a candidate to offer up at an alternative. Indeed, Trump wondered aloud who his opponents would pick as a replacement, a problem that has plagued the "Never Trump" movement for months. "Who are they going to pick? I beat everybody. But I don't mean beat - I beat the hell out of them," he said. At one point in his speech, Trump asserted without offering evidence that former rival Jeb Bush and a second Republican, whom he did not name, were part of the movement opposing him. Neither Bush nor another former rival, Senator Ted Cruz, has endorsed Trump. Trump has continued to face resistance from Republicans who have voiced increasing concern over his inflammatory rhetoric. And he appeared increasingly frustrated yesterday, saying, "It would be helpful if the Republicans could help us a little bit." The billionaire businessman also threatened that, if Republicans don't come together, he was prepared to stop fundraising and go back to largely self-funding his campaign. "I'd love to do it," said Trump, who has been holding fundraisers across the county this week largely benefiting the Republican National Committee. "You know, life is like a two-way street." A Republican National Committee spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (PTI)

Trump to Republicans: Help or fundraising stops

US senators signalled today a new willingness to consider restrictions on the sale of guns after the Orlando nightclub massacre, with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others in his party ready to discuss limited gun control measures. 
 
With Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby under pressure to respond to the worst mass shooting in modern US history, Trump said he would meet with the NRA to discuss ways to block people on terrorism watch or no-fly lists from buying guns. 
 
Emotions have run high in Congress since Sunday&#39;s mass shooting with Democrats stalling Senate proceedings today in a bid to push for tougher gun control legislation. Democratic senators planned to speak on the Senate floor today. 
 
The Senate began discussions on legislation to ban firearm sales to the hundreds of thousands of people on US terrorism watch lists after a gunman who had been on such a list killed 49 people at a gay nightclub on Sunday. 
 
But following a full day of wrangling, senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said that negotiations &quot;were little more than a smokescreen by Republicans trying to give themselves political cover while they continue to march in lock-step with the NRA&#39;s extreme positions.&quot; 
 
Reid said there were no Republican proposals &quot;that come close to attracting Democratic support.&quot; 
 
Earlier today, Republican senate majority leader Mitch McConnell urged senators to offer ideas on how to prevent another attack like the one in Orlando. 
 
&ldquo;I do not believe this was some random act of violence,&quot; McConnell said. &quot;It seems clear this was cold-blooded murder committed by a terrorist who picked his targets with deliberate malice.&quot; On Tuesday, McConnell said that &quot;nobody wants terrorists to have firearms.&quot; 
 
Earlier in the week, some Democrats in the House of representatives interrupted a moment of silence for the victims, with shouts of &quot;Where&#39;s the bill?&quot; to protest the Republican-led chamber&#39;s refusal to consider tougher gun laws. 
 
If Congress was to pass a gun control measure, it would mark the first time in more than 20 years that lawmakers agreed on how to address the hot-button issue. A ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, such as the one used in Orlando, had gone into effect in 1994 and expired ten years later. 
 
Republicans over the years have blocked gun control measures saying they step on Americans&#39; right to bear arms as guaranteed under the US constitution 
 
Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 senate Republican, confirmed that he and Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein were holding private talks on a possible compromise bill stopping weapons sales to those on watch lists. 
 
OPPORTUNITY CITED 
 
Another Republican,senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, also is working on a bill that would keep guns from people on watch lists, a gun control group said. 
 
Toomey, who is in a possibly difficult re-election bid this year, took to the senate floor urging compromise. 
 
&ldquo;So there&rsquo;s an obvious opportunity here guys, to work together and find a solution,&rdquo; he said, adding, &quot;This is not rocket science to figure this out.&quot; 
 
A spokeswoman for Toomey, E.R. Anderson, said the senator was seeking bipartisan support for an approach that he had tentatively agreed on with gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, which is backed by ex-New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. 
 
Everytown spokeswoman Erika Lamb said the group was encouraged by the discussions but added, &quot;We are not there yet and our support for any compromise legislation is contingent on support from both Republicans and Democrats.&quot; 
 
Toomey&#39;s bill would allow the US attorney general to create a new list of &quot;likely terrorists&quot; and block any person on the list from buying or selling a gun. If someone was denied a gun, he or she would be entitled to a swift court hearing where the attorney general would have to turn over the evidence against the person. 
 
Democrats were dubious. One problem, a Democratic aide said, was that under the proposal officials would just have three days to try to block sales to anyone not already on the new list. 
 
Congressional Republicans and the NRA have thwarted previous gun control measures backed by President Barack Obama and other Democrats after other mass shootings, and supporters of new restrictions remained cautious about the moves. 
 
&quot;The Cornyn bill is outlandish and is worse than nothing. From what I&#39;m told all of the compromises proposed by Cornyn and Toomey are not at all acceptable,&quot; said senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York. 
 
Feinstein, speaking to reporters following a closed briefing from the Obama administration on the Orlando massacre, held out little hope her talks with Cornyn would bear fruit. &quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s going to work out,&quot; she said, but added she was still engaged in talks. 
 
NRA HAPPY TO MEET WITH TRUMP 
 
Trump said on Twitter he would meet with the NRA &quot;about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no-fly list, to buy guns.&quot; His campaign did not specify what he might support legislatively, and a spokeswoman declined to give details about the timing or nature of the meeting. 
 
The NRA, a politically influential lobbying group that claims more than 4 million members, said in a statement it was &quot;happy to meet&quot; with Trump, whom it endorsed for president on May 20. 
 
The group said in a statement that anyone on a terrorism watch list who tries to buy a gun &quot;should be thoroughly investigated&quot; by the FBI and any sale to that person delayed, a position the lobby group has long held. 
 
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has supported gun control efforts, on Monday said she was &quot;bewildered&quot; that Republicans in Congress in December had blocked a Democratic effort to restrict gun sales to people on the watch lists. 
 
The US government maintains two terrorism watch lists: a no-fly list barring people from flying to and from the United States and a larger one that subjects travellers to greater scrutiny at airports and border crossings. 
 
An FBI official said in 2014 there were 64,000 people on the no-fly list and 800,000 on the broader list. The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, the US-born son of Afghan immigrants, was on the broader list at one time. 
 
NRA executive director Chris Cox also voiced backing for legislation offered in December by Cornyn, who proposed to put gun sales on hold for 72 hours for people on watch lists. Critics have said such background checks could take longer to complete. 
 
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was too soon to tell if Republicans would support &quot;common sense&quot; steps like blocking firearm sales to people on the no-fly lists. 
(Reuters)

He said he would meet with the NRA to discuss ways to block people on terrorism watch or no-fly lists from buying guns

US senators signalled today a new willingness to consider restrictions on the sale of guns after the Orlando nightclub massacre, with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others in his party ready to discuss limited gun control measures. With Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby under pressure to respond to the worst mass shooting in modern US history, Trump said he would meet with the NRA to discuss ways to block people on terrorism watch or no-fly lists from buying guns. Emotions have run high in Congress since Sunday's mass shooting with Democrats stalling Senate proceedings today in a bid to push for tougher gun control legislation. Democratic senators planned to speak on the Senate floor today. The Senate began discussions on legislation to ban firearm sales to the hundreds of thousands of people on US terrorism watch lists after a gunman who had been on such a list killed 49 people at a gay nightclub on Sunday. But following a full day of wrangling, senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said that negotiations "were little more than a smokescreen by Republicans trying to give themselves political cover while they continue to march in lock-step with the NRA's extreme positions." Reid said there were no Republican proposals "that come close to attracting Democratic support." Earlier today, Republican senate majority leader Mitch McConnell urged senators to offer ideas on how to prevent another attack like the one in Orlando. “I do not believe this was some random act of violence," McConnell said. "It seems clear this was cold-blooded murder committed by a terrorist who picked his targets with deliberate malice." On Tuesday, McConnell said that "nobody wants terrorists to have firearms." Earlier in the week, some Democrats in the House of representatives interrupted a moment of silence for the victims, with shouts of "Where's the bill?" to protest the Republican-led chamber's refusal to consider tougher gun laws. If Congress was to pass a gun control measure, it would mark the first time in more than 20 years that lawmakers agreed on how to address the hot-button issue. A ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, such as the one used in Orlando, had gone into effect in 1994 and expired ten years later. Republicans over the years have blocked gun control measures saying they step on Americans' right to bear arms as guaranteed under the US constitution Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 senate Republican, confirmed that he and Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein were holding private talks on a possible compromise bill stopping weapons sales to those on watch lists. OPPORTUNITY CITED Another Republican,senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, also is working on a bill that would keep guns from people on watch lists, a gun control group said. Toomey, who is in a possibly difficult re-election bid this year, took to the senate floor urging compromise. “So there’s an obvious opportunity here guys, to work together and find a solution,” he said, adding, "This is not rocket science to figure this out." A spokeswoman for Toomey, E.R. Anderson, said the senator was seeking bipartisan support for an approach that he had tentatively agreed on with gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, which is backed by ex-New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Everytown spokeswoman Erika Lamb said the group was encouraged by the discussions but added, "We are not there yet and our support for any compromise legislation is contingent on support from both Republicans and Democrats." Toomey's bill would allow the US attorney general to create a new list of "likely terrorists" and block any person on the list from buying or selling a gun. If someone was denied a gun, he or she would be entitled to a swift court hearing where the attorney general would have to turn over the evidence against the person. Democrats were dubious. One problem, a Democratic aide said, was that under the proposal officials would just have three days to try to block sales to anyone not already on the new list. Congressional Republicans and the NRA have thwarted previous gun control measures backed by President Barack Obama and other Democrats after other mass shootings, and supporters of new restrictions remained cautious about the moves. "The Cornyn bill is outlandish and is worse than nothing. From what I'm told all of the compromises proposed by Cornyn and Toomey are not at all acceptable," said senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York. Feinstein, speaking to reporters following a closed briefing from the Obama administration on the Orlando massacre, held out little hope her talks with Cornyn would bear fruit. "I don't think it's going to work out," she said, but added she was still engaged in talks. NRA HAPPY TO MEET WITH TRUMP Trump said on Twitter he would meet with the NRA "about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no-fly list, to buy guns." His campaign did not specify what he might support legislatively, and a spokeswoman declined to give details about the timing or nature of the meeting. The NRA, a politically influential lobbying group that claims more than 4 million members, said in a statement it was "happy to meet" with Trump, whom it endorsed for president on May 20. The group said in a statement that anyone on a terrorism watch list who tries to buy a gun "should be thoroughly investigated" by the FBI and any sale to that person delayed, a position the lobby group has long held. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has supported gun control efforts, on Monday said she was "bewildered" that Republicans in Congress in December had blocked a Democratic effort to restrict gun sales to people on the watch lists. The US government maintains two terrorism watch lists: a no-fly list barring people from flying to and from the United States and a larger one that subjects travellers to greater scrutiny at airports and border crossings. An FBI official said in 2014 there were 64,000 people on the no-fly list and 800,000 on the broader list. The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, the US-born son of Afghan immigrants, was on the broader list at one time. NRA executive director Chris Cox also voiced backing for legislation offered in December by Cornyn, who proposed to put gun sales on hold for 72 hours for people on watch lists. Critics have said such background checks could take longer to complete. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was too soon to tell if Republicans would support "common sense" steps like blocking firearm sales to people on the no-fly lists. (Reuters)

After Orlando, Trump open to (some) gun control

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of laws governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. 
 
The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J. Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded with other people&#39;s money, the newspaper said and follow a review of legal documents and the foundation&#39;s tax records. 
 
The newspaper carried out a weekslong investigation into the charity&#39;s finances, finding that Trump himself has not contributed a dollar since 2009. The group is funded by donations from third parties instead.&nbsp;

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<h5>In one case, the Foundation paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the Washington Post newspaper reported</h5>
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One of the group&#39;s suspect payments was a $100,000 donation to a veterans&#39; charity in 2007 as part of a legal settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida. 
 
Trump had sued the city after it fined him $120,000, or $1,250 per day, for erecting an 80-foot (24-meter) flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club that exceeded the maximum 42 feet permitted by local regulations. 
 
The Trump Foundation also made transactions that appeared to be exclusively for the benefit of the real estate mogul or his businesses, apparently in violation of regulations governing charities, the Washington Post said. 
 
In one case, the charity paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the newspaper reported. 
 
&quot;Clearly the Trump Foundation is as much a charitable organisation as Trump University is an institute of higher education,&quot; said Christina Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Trump&#39;s White House rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. 
 
&quot;Once again, Trump has proven himself a fraud who believes the rules don&#39;t apply to him,&quot; she said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s past time for him to release his tax returns to show whether his tax issues extend to his own personal finances.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Some Democrats have complained that the media has not sufficiently reported about the Trump Foundation&#39;s suspected wrongdoing, accusing journalists of being lenient in their treatment of the outspoken billionaire. 
 
Trump&#39;s campaign denied the Post report. 
 
&quot;In typical Washington Post fashion, they&#39;ve gotten their facts wrong. It is the Clinton Foundation that is set up to make sure the Clintons personally enrich themselves by selling access and trading political favors. The Trump Foundation has no paid board, no management fees, no rent or overhead, and no family members on its payroll,&quot; said spokesman Jason Miller. 
 
News outlets have also been criticised for being more keen to cover a tweet by Trump&#39;s son comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of colorful Skittles candy. 
 
&quot;If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?&quot; he wrote. &quot;That&#39;s our Syria refugee problem.&quot; 
 
&quot;If you are covering Skittles-gate instead Trump&#39;s illegal use of his foundation, you are probably in journalism for the wrong reasons,&quot; tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama. 
 
(AFP)

The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded by other people's money

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of laws governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J. Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded with other people's money, the newspaper said and follow a review of legal documents and the foundation's tax records. The newspaper carried out a weekslong investigation into the charity's finances, finding that Trump himself has not contributed a dollar since 2009. The group is funded by donations from third parties instead. In one case, the Foundation paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the Washington Post newspaper reported One of the group's suspect payments was a $100,000 donation to a veterans' charity in 2007 as part of a legal settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida. Trump had sued the city after it fined him $120,000, or $1,250 per day, for erecting an 80-foot (24-meter) flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club that exceeded the maximum 42 feet permitted by local regulations. The Trump Foundation also made transactions that appeared to be exclusively for the benefit of the real estate mogul or his businesses, apparently in violation of regulations governing charities, the Washington Post said. In one case, the charity paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the newspaper reported. "Clearly the Trump Foundation is as much a charitable organisation as Trump University is an institute of higher education," said Christina Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Trump's White House rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. "Once again, Trump has proven himself a fraud who believes the rules don't apply to him," she said in a statement. "It's past time for him to release his tax returns to show whether his tax issues extend to his own personal finances." Some Democrats have complained that the media has not sufficiently reported about the Trump Foundation's suspected wrongdoing, accusing journalists of being lenient in their treatment of the outspoken billionaire. Trump's campaign denied the Post report. "In typical Washington Post fashion, they've gotten their facts wrong. It is the Clinton Foundation that is set up to make sure the Clintons personally enrich themselves by selling access and trading political favors. The Trump Foundation has no paid board, no management fees, no rent or overhead, and no family members on its payroll," said spokesman Jason Miller. News outlets have also been criticised for being more keen to cover a tweet by Trump's son comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of colorful Skittles candy. "If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?" he wrote. "That's our Syria refugee problem." "If you are covering Skittles-gate instead Trump's illegal use of his foundation, you are probably in journalism for the wrong reasons," tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama. (AFP)

Trump used charity funds to pay legal settlements: Washington Post

China appears to be resisting a bid by the&nbsp;US to block a loophole in UN sanctions, which allows North Korea to export coal for &quot;livelihood purposes&quot;.&nbsp;

Chinese UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi told Reuters, &quot;We cannot really affect the well-being and the humanitarian needs of the people and also we need to urge various parties to reduce tensions.&quot;&nbsp;

Liu Jieyi said on Saturday that &quot;a draft resolution with a wider scope of measures&quot; is being discussed with the United States.&nbsp;

US Ambassador to the UN&nbsp;Samantha Power&nbsp;said North Korea seems to have exploited some exemptions granted by the resolution.&nbsp;

&quot;In the negotiation that we are currently in the midst on in the new resolution, we are hoping to address some of the shortcomings that we have seen,&quot;&nbsp;Power said.&nbsp;

In March, after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, sanctions were imposed on Korea. The sanctions barred the 193 UN member states from importing coal, iron and iron ore from North Korea unless it was for &quot;livelihood purposes&quot;.

Coal is crucial for&nbsp;North Korean economy as it is bartered for oil, food and machinery. It is their largest single export item and only source of hard currency.&nbsp;

China, North Korea&#39;s closest ally, is working with the US to draft a UN Security Council resolution on imposing new sanctions against North Korea&nbsp;after the isolated country conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test a month ago.&nbsp;

China&#39;s imports of coal from North Korea had initially dipped by 35 per cent soon after the ban was implemented. But imports have risen again.

&quot;Fundamentally, no matter any resolution says, it is going to be up to the Member States of the United Nations, and particularly those Member States that have dealings with the DPRK (North Korea), to fully enforce the resolution,&quot; Liu said.&nbsp;

&quot;We are still looking at the specific things in the draft. It&#39;s still in the process of being discussed,&quot; she said, adding, &quot;We certainly hope that we will achieve a result soon, but it depends on how we work together ... towards a common position.&quot;

Meanwhile, Power said the&nbsp;US wants a resolution&quot;that makes a substantive difference and changes the calculus over time of the North Korean leadership&quot;.

According to Reuters, China is apprehensive about a refugee crisis occurring due to stringent sanctions put on Pyongyang.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

North Korea can export coal for 'livelihood purpose' only, but US feels Pyongyang has exploited the loophole in UN sanctions

China appears to be resisting a bid by the US to block a loophole in UN sanctions, which allows North Korea to export coal for "livelihood purposes". Chinese UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi told Reuters, "We cannot really affect the well-being and the humanitarian needs of the people and also we need to urge various parties to reduce tensions." Liu Jieyi said on Saturday that "a draft resolution with a wider scope of measures" is being discussed with the United States. US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said North Korea seems to have exploited some exemptions granted by the resolution. "In the negotiation that we are currently in the midst on in the new resolution, we are hoping to address some of the shortcomings that we have seen," Power said. In March, after North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test, sanctions were imposed on Korea. The sanctions barred the 193 UN member states from importing coal, iron and iron ore from North Korea unless it was for "livelihood purposes". Coal is crucial for North Korean economy as it is bartered for oil, food and machinery. It is their largest single export item and only source of hard currency. China, North Korea's closest ally, is working with the US to draft a UN Security Council resolution on imposing new sanctions against North Korea after the isolated country conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test a month ago. China's imports of coal from North Korea had initially dipped by 35 per cent soon after the ban was implemented. But imports have risen again. "Fundamentally, no matter any resolution says, it is going to be up to the Member States of the United Nations, and particularly those Member States that have dealings with the DPRK (North Korea), to fully enforce the resolution," Liu said. "We are still looking at the specific things in the draft. It's still in the process of being discussed," she said, adding, "We certainly hope that we will achieve a result soon, but it depends on how we work together ... towards a common position." Meanwhile, Power said the US wants a resolution"that makes a substantive difference and changes the calculus over time of the North Korean leadership". According to Reuters, China is apprehensive about a refugee crisis occurring due to stringent sanctions put on Pyongyang. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

China resists US bid to block North Korea's coal exports

A new US law granting victims of sexual assault the right to have evidence preserved while they consider prosecution could encourage more people to press charges, experts said on Monday.

The Sexual Assault Survivors&rsquo; Rights Act, signed on Friday by President Barack Obama, gives victims the right to have evidence preserved in &quot;rape kits&quot; for the maximum period during which a person can decide to pursue legal action.

Rape kits are used by police to collect evidence from the body and clothing of a victim of rape or sexual assault. DNA extracted is typically checked for matches on a DNA database of convicted criminals.

Currently, untested rape kits may eventually get destroyed as a matter of standard procedure across much of the country.&nbsp;

The new law ensures that authorities must preserve them for the duration of the statute of limitations.

&quot;Strengthening the response of victims can potentially mean more cases are brought forward,&quot; said Terri Poore, policy director at End Sexual Violence, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit group that works on sexual assault policy.

&quot;It&rsquo;s the first federal law to my knowledge to directly address how long rape kits should be held,&quot; she said.

Only about 13 out of every 1,000 instances of rape in the United States are referred to a prosecutor, according to an analysis of government data by the Rape, Abuse &amp; Incest National Network (RAINN), an anti-sexual violence organisation.

A contributing factor to this problem is a nationwide backlog of untested rape kits, said Michele Dauber, a law professor at Stanford University in California.

The new law sends a message that &quot;when local law enforcement fail to test rape kits and just destroy them ... they are not taking these crimes seriously,&quot; she said.

&nbsp;

End the Backlog, a non-profit group which lobbies for policies to expedite rape kit processing, believes there are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits in law enforcement facilities across the country, it said.

&nbsp;

The law&rsquo;s enactment follows a campaign by Amanda Nguyen who said she was raped in the state of Massachusetts and found that her kit could be destroyed unless she requested it be preserved.

&nbsp;

&quot;The worst thing that happened to me wasn&#39;t the rape itself, it was having to navigate through a broken criminal justice system - in my personal case that means having to fight to hold on to my untested kit from being destroyed every six months,&quot; she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

&nbsp;

The 25-year-old has not pressed charges yet because she now lives in Washington D.C. and doing so requires extensive time and resources, she said.

&nbsp;

The new law sets a federal standard encouraging state legislators to pass similar measures, eventually ruling out situations such as that faced by Nguyen, Poore said.&nbsp;

 
 
&nbsp;

(Thomson Reuters Foundation)

The new law passed on Friday gives rape survivors the right to have evidence preserved in 'rape kits' till they decide to take legal action

A new US law granting victims of sexual assault the right to have evidence preserved while they consider prosecution could encourage more people to press charges, experts said on Monday. The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act, signed on Friday by President Barack Obama, gives victims the right to have evidence preserved in "rape kits" for the maximum period during which a person can decide to pursue legal action. Rape kits are used by police to collect evidence from the body and clothing of a victim of rape or sexual assault. DNA extracted is typically checked for matches on a DNA database of convicted criminals. Currently, untested rape kits may eventually get destroyed as a matter of standard procedure across much of the country. The new law ensures that authorities must preserve them for the duration of the statute of limitations. "Strengthening the response of victims can potentially mean more cases are brought forward," said Terri Poore, policy director at End Sexual Violence, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit group that works on sexual assault policy. "It’s the first federal law to my knowledge to directly address how long rape kits should be held," she said. Only about 13 out of every 1,000 instances of rape in the United States are referred to a prosecutor, according to an analysis of government data by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), an anti-sexual violence organisation. A contributing factor to this problem is a nationwide backlog of untested rape kits, said Michele Dauber, a law professor at Stanford University in California. The new law sends a message that "when local law enforcement fail to test rape kits and just destroy them ... they are not taking these crimes seriously," she said. End the Backlog, a non-profit group which lobbies for policies to expedite rape kit processing, believes there are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits in law enforcement facilities across the country, it said. The law’s enactment follows a campaign by Amanda Nguyen who said she was raped in the state of Massachusetts and found that her kit could be destroyed unless she requested it be preserved. "The worst thing that happened to me wasn't the rape itself, it was having to navigate through a broken criminal justice system - in my personal case that means having to fight to hold on to my untested kit from being destroyed every six months," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The 25-year-old has not pressed charges yet because she now lives in Washington D.C. and doing so requires extensive time and resources, she said. The new law sets a federal standard encouraging state legislators to pass similar measures, eventually ruling out situations such as that faced by Nguyen, Poore said. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

US: New rape survivors' law may encourage more to press charges

The US government on Friday formally accused Russia of a cyber attack campaign against Democratic Party organisation ahead of the&nbsp;November 8&nbsp;presidential polls.

&quot;We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russis&rsquo;s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities,&quot; a US government statement said on Friday about hacking of political groups, Reuters reported.

&quot;These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process,&quot; the statement added.

Kremlin has however denied the allegations, with a spokesperson calling the US claims &ldquo;rubbish&rdquo;, the Interfax news agency reported.

&quot;This is again some sort of rubbish,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agency Interfax.

&quot;Every day (President Vladimir) Putin&rsquo;s website gets attacked by several tens of thousand of hackers. A lot of these attacks are traced to the territory of the USA, but we do not blame the White House or Langley each time.&quot; Peskov said.

The Obama administration&#39;s decision to blame Russia for the attacks is yet another blow to Washington&rsquo;s relations with Moscow, which are under strain over Russia&rsquo;s actions in Syria and Ukraine.

Until Friday, the administration had refrained from &nbsp;formally naming Russia in connection with the mounting civilian deaths in Syria or the cyber attacks.

The initial statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not blame the Russian government for hacking attempts against state election systems, but instead said that &nbsp;&quot;scanning and probing&quot; of those systems originated in most cases from servers operated by a Russian company.

However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told Reuters that US officials have concluded that the hacking attacks or probes of state voter registration systems are &quot;consistent with Russian motivations.&quot;

 
Adding to this, the US secretary of state John Kerry on Friday said Russian and Syrian actions in the Syrian civil war, including bombings of hospitals, &quot;beg for&quot; a war crimes investigation. 
 
Clinton&rsquo;s campaign chairman, John Podesta, told Reuters that publicly naming Russia &nbsp;for the hacks left only question remaining,&quot;why Donald Trump continues to make apologies for the Russians.&rdquo; 
&nbsp;

Trump had earlier expressed doubt about Russia&rsquo;s involvement and in July had suggested that Russia should attempt to retrieve and publish emails from Clinton&rsquo;s private server.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

US has formally accused Russia of political cyber attacks in yet another blow to the strained ties between the two countries

The US government on Friday formally accused Russia of a cyber attack campaign against Democratic Party organisation ahead of the November 8 presidential polls. "We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russis’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities," a US government statement said on Friday about hacking of political groups, Reuters reported. "These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process," the statement added. Kremlin has however denied the allegations, with a spokesperson calling the US claims “rubbish”, the Interfax news agency reported. "This is again some sort of rubbish," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agency Interfax. "Every day (President Vladimir) Putin’s website gets attacked by several tens of thousand of hackers. A lot of these attacks are traced to the territory of the USA, but we do not blame the White House or Langley each time." Peskov said. The Obama administration's decision to blame Russia for the attacks is yet another blow to Washington’s relations with Moscow, which are under strain over Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine. Until Friday, the administration had refrained from formally naming Russia in connection with the mounting civilian deaths in Syria or the cyber attacks. The initial statement by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not blame the Russian government for hacking attempts against state election systems, but instead said that "scanning and probing" of those systems originated in most cases from servers operated by a Russian company. However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman told Reuters that US officials have concluded that the hacking attacks or probes of state voter registration systems are "consistent with Russian motivations." Adding to this, the US secretary of state John Kerry on Friday said Russian and Syrian actions in the Syrian civil war, including bombings of hospitals, "beg for" a war crimes investigation. Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, told Reuters that publicly naming Russia for the hacks left only question remaining,"why Donald Trump continues to make apologies for the Russians.” Trump had earlier expressed doubt about Russia’s involvement and in July had suggested that Russia should attempt to retrieve and publish emails from Clinton’s private server. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US accuses Russia of cyber attacks, Russia 'rubbishes' claim

US President Barack Obama on Friday eased sanctions on Myanmar by terminating an emergency order that deemed the policies of the southeast Asian country&rsquo;s former military government a threat to US national security.

&quot;I have determined that the situation that gave rise to the national emergency...has been significantly altered by Burma&rsquo;s (Myanmar&rsquo;s) substantial advances to promote democracy, including historic elections in November 2015,&quot; Obama said in a letter to congressional leaders announcing the decision, Reuters reported.

Under Obama&rsquo;s new executive order preferential tariffs for Myanmar, which were suspended more than two decades ago amid human rights abuses by the Junta, will be reinstated.

Obama had met the country&#39;s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in September and had stated at the time that revoking sanctions would be &quot;the right thing to do to ensure that the people of Burma (Myanmar) see rewards for a new way of doing business.&quot;

The move aims at getting the rapidly transforming country out of decades of economic isolation.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Under Obama?s new executive order preferential tariffs for Myanmar will be reinstated

US President Barack Obama on Friday eased sanctions on Myanmar by terminating an emergency order that deemed the policies of the southeast Asian country’s former military government a threat to US national security. "I have determined that the situation that gave rise to the national emergency...has been significantly altered by Burma’s (Myanmar’s) substantial advances to promote democracy, including historic elections in November 2015," Obama said in a letter to congressional leaders announcing the decision, Reuters reported. Under Obama’s new executive order preferential tariffs for Myanmar, which were suspended more than two decades ago amid human rights abuses by the Junta, will be reinstated. Obama had met the country's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in September and had stated at the time that revoking sanctions would be "the right thing to do to ensure that the people of Burma (Myanmar) see rewards for a new way of doing business." The move aims at getting the rapidly transforming country out of decades of economic isolation. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Obama eases sanctions on Myanmar

The foreign minister of the Philippines has said President Rodrigo Duterte wishes to&nbsp;liberate the country from its &quot;shackling dependency&quot; on the United States, especially when America refuses to guarantee that it will come to the Philippines&#39;&nbsp;aid when its sovereignity is under threat.&nbsp;

In a Facebook post, the country&#39;s&nbsp;foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay&nbsp;said, &quot;Breaking away from the shackling dependency of the Philippines to effectively address both internal and external security threats has become imperative in putting an end to our nation&#39;s subservience to United States&#39; interests.&quot; &nbsp;

Yasay added that while the Philippines was grateful to the US for many things,&nbsp;&quot;the stark reality is that even in protecting our territorial boundaries and the exclusive use of our maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, our defensive forces remain grossly incapable in meeting the security threats that we face from potential foes, not to mention their stagnating impact on our development,&quot; Reuters reported.&nbsp;

&quot;Worse is that our only ally could not give us the assurance that in taking a hard line towards the enforcement of our sovereignty rights under international law, it will promptly come to our defence under our existing military treaty and agreements, &quot; Reuters reported. This, Reuters reported, was the most forceful show of accord from a top official with President Rodrigo Duterte&#39;s tough anti-American stance.&nbsp;

Yasay also accused the United States of using a &quot;carrot and stick&quot; policy to keep the&nbsp;Philippines dependent on it, even after 70 years of independence.&nbsp;

Yasay&#39;s comments come after President&nbsp;Duterte announced that joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines would stop, and that he might at some point &quot;break up&quot; with the US.&nbsp;

On Thursday, Duterte challenged the US and EU to withdraw all aid to the country if they were uncomfortable with his war on drugs.

US response

US state department spokesman John Kirby said they are&nbsp;&quot;mindful of the rhetoric but we believe that it is at odds with the kind of cooperation that we have right now,&quot; Reuters quoted him as saying.&nbsp;

He also told reporters in his daily news briefing that US aid to the Philippines for the fiscal year starting October 1 was 180 million dollars and that &quot;we&#39;re&nbsp;committed&quot;&nbsp;to delivering that and working on areas of mutual interest.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Perfecto Yasay accused the US of not providing an assurance that it would protect the Philippines' rights in the South China Sea dispute

The foreign minister of the Philippines has said President Rodrigo Duterte wishes to liberate the country from its "shackling dependency" on the United States, especially when America refuses to guarantee that it will come to the Philippines' aid when its sovereignity is under threat. In a Facebook post, the country's foreign affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay said, "Breaking away from the shackling dependency of the Philippines to effectively address both internal and external security threats has become imperative in putting an end to our nation's subservience to United States' interests." Yasay added that while the Philippines was grateful to the US for many things, "the stark reality is that even in protecting our territorial boundaries and the exclusive use of our maritime entitlements in the South China Sea, our defensive forces remain grossly incapable in meeting the security threats that we face from potential foes, not to mention their stagnating impact on our development," Reuters reported. "Worse is that our only ally could not give us the assurance that in taking a hard line towards the enforcement of our sovereignty rights under international law, it will promptly come to our defence under our existing military treaty and agreements, " Reuters reported. This, Reuters reported, was the most forceful show of accord from a top official with President Rodrigo Duterte's tough anti-American stance. Yasay also accused the United States of using a "carrot and stick" policy to keep the Philippines dependent on it, even after 70 years of independence. Yasay's comments come after President Duterte announced that joint military exercises between the US and the Philippines would stop, and that he might at some point "break up" with the US. On Thursday, Duterte challenged the US and EU to withdraw all aid to the country if they were uncomfortable with his war on drugs. US response US state department spokesman John Kirby said they are "mindful of the rhetoric but we believe that it is at odds with the kind of cooperation that we have right now," Reuters quoted him as saying. He also told reporters in his daily news briefing that US aid to the Philippines for the fiscal year starting October 1 was 180 million dollars and that "we're committed" to delivering that and working on areas of mutual interest. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Duterte wants to free Philippines of 'shackling dependency' on US: Foreign minister

Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said that US&nbsp;President Barack Obama could &quot;go to hell&quot; as the United States had refused to sell weapons to his country.

&quot;I will break up with America&quot;, he was reported as saying by Reuters.

At a speech in Manila, Duterte said that Russia and China had told him they could provide weapons to the country.

US&nbsp;officials said that they were &quot;at odds&quot; with the two countries&#39; warm relationship.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that there has been no communication from the Philippines about making changes in that relationship.

On Sunday, Duterte said that he would review a US-Philippines Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement.

The 2004 deal grants US&nbsp;troops some access to Philippine bases, and allows them to set up storage facilities for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

At a speech in Manila, Duterte said that Russia and China could provide weapons to the country even is the US had denied to do so

Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said that US President Barack Obama could "go to hell" as the United States had refused to sell weapons to his country. "I will break up with America", he was reported as saying by Reuters. At a speech in Manila, Duterte said that Russia and China had told him they could provide weapons to the country. US officials said that they were "at odds" with the two countries' warm relationship. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that there has been no communication from the Philippines about making changes in that relationship. On Sunday, Duterte said that he would review a US-Philippines Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement. The 2004 deal grants US troops some access to Philippine bases, and allows them to set up storage facilities for maritime security and humanitarian and disaster response operations. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Obama could "go to hell", Philippine leader Duterte says

Top UN court today rejected an epic case brought by the tiny Marshall Islands against India for allegedly failing to halt the nuclear arms race.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its ruling in the country&#39;s case against India, the first to be decided, said it had accepted Indian arguments that ICJ&nbsp;should not have jurisdiction in the case, international news agency Reuters reported.

&nbsp;

The 16-judge bench was quoted as saying by Reuters&nbsp;that while the Marshall Islands may not be satisfied with progress on nuclear disarmament, it had failed to show that it has any ongoing legal dispute with India fit for the court&nbsp;to adjudicate.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It later rejected the Marshall Islands&#39; suit against Pakistan on the same grounds. The third suit, against Britain, was still to be decided.

&nbsp;

The Pacific archipelago, whose territory was used for dozens of atomic-bomb tests by the United States after World War Two, had argued that nuclear powers weren&#39;t doing enough to adhere to the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In a majority verdict by nine votes to seven, &quot;the court upholds the objection to jurisdiction raised by India,&quot; presiding judge Ronny Abraham was quoted as saying by AFP, and therefore the tribunal &quot;cannot proceed to the merits of the case.&quot;

&nbsp;

The tribunal found it lacked the jurisdiction in the case as there had been no prior recorded dispute or negotiations over the nuclear issue between the Marshall Islands and India.

&nbsp;

Majuro in 2014 accused nine countries of failing to comply with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

However, ICJ failed to take up cases against other countries --China, France, Israel, North Korea, Russia and the United States -- as they have not recognised the court&#39;s jurisdiction.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

It&#39;s also pertinent to mention that India and Pakistan have not signed the NPT, that &nbsp;commits all nuclear weapon states &quot;to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.&quot;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)&nbsp;

The top UN court said it had accepted the Indian arguments that ICJ should not have jurisdiction in the case

Top UN court today rejected an epic case brought by the tiny Marshall Islands against India for allegedly failing to halt the nuclear arms race. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its ruling in the country's case against India, the first to be decided, said it had accepted Indian arguments that ICJ should not have jurisdiction in the case, international news agency Reuters reported. The 16-judge bench was quoted as saying by Reuters that while the Marshall Islands may not be satisfied with progress on nuclear disarmament, it had failed to show that it has any ongoing legal dispute with India fit for the court to adjudicate. It later rejected the Marshall Islands' suit against Pakistan on the same grounds. The third suit, against Britain, was still to be decided. The Pacific archipelago, whose territory was used for dozens of atomic-bomb tests by the United States after World War Two, had argued that nuclear powers weren't doing enough to adhere to the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In a majority verdict by nine votes to seven, "the court upholds the objection to jurisdiction raised by India," presiding judge Ronny Abraham was quoted as saying by AFP, and therefore the tribunal "cannot proceed to the merits of the case." The tribunal found it lacked the jurisdiction in the case as there had been no prior recorded dispute or negotiations over the nuclear issue between the Marshall Islands and India. Majuro in 2014 accused nine countries of failing to comply with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, ICJ failed to take up cases against other countries --China, France, Israel, North Korea, Russia and the United States -- as they have not recognised the court's jurisdiction. It's also pertinent to mention that India and Pakistan have not signed the NPT, that commits all nuclear weapon states "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament." (WION with inputs from AFP, Reuters)

International Court of Justice rejects Marshall Islands suit against India, Pakistan

The United Nation&#39;s highest court -- the International Court of Justice -- will decide today whether it will hear a case filed by the Marshall Islands against India, Pakistan and the UK for failing to stop the nuclear arms race.

Between 1946 and 1958, the islands were subjected to a string of nuclear tests conducted by the US. And so the country understands the devastating effects of nuclear weapons, AFP reported.&nbsp;

The tiny country -- it has a population of 55,000 -- accuses the India, Pakistan, and Britain&nbsp;of failing to abide by the 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty.&nbsp;(India and Pakistan have not signed the treaty.)&nbsp;

The Marshall Islands had in 2014&nbsp;filed the cases against&nbsp;nine countries but 6 of them -- China, France, Israel, North Korea, Russia, and the US --&nbsp;do not accept the ICJ&#39;s jurisdiction.&nbsp;

That leaves the court to decide whether it will&nbsp;hear the case against the other three.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Pacific island nation aims to bring the issue of nuclear arms to the forefront so that talks on nuclear disarmament can be started again, AFP reported. &nbsp;

The country argues that as per the NPT, all nuclear powers need &quot;to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament&quot;.

Critics however argue the hearing is only a ruse to divert the islander&#39;s fight with the US which&nbsp;carried out the tests, AFP reported.&nbsp;

&#39;Several islands in my country were vapourised&#39;

At a March hearing, the islanders described the after-effects of 67 nuclear tests carried out on Bikini and Enewetak atolls, AFP reported.&nbsp;

Former foreign minister, Tony deBrum said, &quot;Several islands in my country were vapourised and others are estimated to remain uninhabitable for thousands of years.&quot;

&quot;The entire sky turned blood-red,&quot; he told the court.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The tiny Pacific island nation of 55,000 accuses the three countries of failing to halt the nuclear arms race

The United Nation's highest court -- the International Court of Justice -- will decide today whether it will hear a case filed by the Marshall Islands against India, Pakistan and the UK for failing to stop the nuclear arms race. Between 1946 and 1958, the islands were subjected to a string of nuclear tests conducted by the US. And so the country understands the devastating effects of nuclear weapons, AFP reported. The tiny country -- it has a population of 55,000 -- accuses the India, Pakistan, and Britain of failing to abide by the 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty. (India and Pakistan have not signed the treaty.) The Marshall Islands had in 2014 filed the cases against nine countries but 6 of them -- China, France, Israel, North Korea, Russia, and the US -- do not accept the ICJ's jurisdiction. That leaves the court to decide whether it will hear the case against the other three. The Pacific island nation aims to bring the issue of nuclear arms to the forefront so that talks on nuclear disarmament can be started again, AFP reported. The country argues that as per the NPT, all nuclear powers need "to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament". Critics however argue the hearing is only a ruse to divert the islander's fight with the US which carried out the tests, AFP reported. 'Several islands in my country were vapourised' At a March hearing, the islanders described the after-effects of 67 nuclear tests carried out on Bikini and Enewetak atolls, AFP reported. Former foreign minister, Tony deBrum said, "Several islands in my country were vapourised and others are estimated to remain uninhabitable for thousands of years." "The entire sky turned blood-red," he told the court. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Top UN court to decide if it will hear Marshall Islands nuclear case against India, Pak & Britain

&nbsp;

Donald Trump&#39;s running mate Mike Pence on Tuesday said the United States should attack Syrian government targets if Russia continues to support its campaign to retake Aleppo.

&quot;If Russia chooses to be involved and continue... in this barbaric attack on Aleppo, the United States of America should use military force to strike the targets of the Assad regime,&quot; the Republican vice presidential candidate said, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a debate with his Democratic counterpart Tim Kaine.

The Syrian army announced a major Russian-backed military push nearly two weeks ago to capture the eastern rebel-held half of Aleppo in northern Syria, once the country&#39;s commercial hub.

Both candidates on Tuesday advocated the establishment of humanitarian safe zones in northern Syria.

Washington came close to launching strikes against Syrian regime targets in 2013 after evidence emerged the government had attacked civilians with sarin gas.

However, President Barack Obama agreed instead to a last-minute deal brokered by Russia to remove Syria&#39;s banned chemical weapons.

Both Pence and Kaine criticised Russia&#39;s support for the Syrian regime during their debate as well as Moscow&#39;s confrontation with Western countries, but clashed over earlier statements by both Trump and Pence praising Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;He&#39;s been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader,&quot; Trump said of Putin last month.

Kaine said that &quot;Donald Trump, again and again, has praised Vladimir Putin, and it&#39;s clear that he has business dealings with Russian oligarchs who are related to Putin.&quot;

&quot;Governor Pence made the odd claim, he said that arguably, Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama,&quot; he added.

Pence denied the accusations as &quot;absolutely inaccurate,&quot; blaming Russian military offensives on Clinton&#39;s tenure as secretary of state.

&quot;Hillary Clinton said her number one priority was a reset with Russia,&quot; he said of Obama&#39;s policy to improve relations with Moscow during his first term. &quot;That reset resulted in the invasion of Ukraine.&quot;

Washington announced late Monday that it would suspend negotiations with Russia over reinstating a nationwide truce in Syria, accusing Moscow of abetting Assad in a conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people since it erupted in March 2011. 
&nbsp;

(AFP)

Mike Pence said US should conduct military strikes against Assad if Russia continues to back his regime and does not stop attacking Syria

Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence on Tuesday said the United States should attack Syrian government targets if Russia continues to support its campaign to retake Aleppo. "If Russia chooses to be involved and continue... in this barbaric attack on Aleppo, the United States of America should use military force to strike the targets of the Assad regime," the Republican vice presidential candidate said, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a debate with his Democratic counterpart Tim Kaine. The Syrian army announced a major Russian-backed military push nearly two weeks ago to capture the eastern rebel-held half of Aleppo in northern Syria, once the country's commercial hub. Both candidates on Tuesday advocated the establishment of humanitarian safe zones in northern Syria. Washington came close to launching strikes against Syrian regime targets in 2013 after evidence emerged the government had attacked civilians with sarin gas. However, President Barack Obama agreed instead to a last-minute deal brokered by Russia to remove Syria's banned chemical weapons. Both Pence and Kaine criticised Russia's support for the Syrian regime during their debate as well as Moscow's confrontation with Western countries, but clashed over earlier statements by both Trump and Pence praising Russian President Vladimir Putin. "He's been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader," Trump said of Putin last month. Kaine said that "Donald Trump, again and again, has praised Vladimir Putin, and it's clear that he has business dealings with Russian oligarchs who are related to Putin." "Governor Pence made the odd claim, he said that arguably, Vladimir Putin is a better leader than President Obama," he added. Pence denied the accusations as "absolutely inaccurate," blaming Russian military offensives on Clinton's tenure as secretary of state. "Hillary Clinton said her number one priority was a reset with Russia," he said of Obama's policy to improve relations with Moscow during his first term. "That reset resulted in the invasion of Ukraine." Washington announced late Monday that it would suspend negotiations with Russia over reinstating a nationwide truce in Syria, accusing Moscow of abetting Assad in a conflict that has killed more than 300,000 people since it erupted in March 2011. (AFP)

Pence calls for US attacks against Syrian regime

Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean&#39;s worst storm in nearly a decade.

Far to the north, the first evacuations were ordered in the United States as coastal dwellers prepared to flee the approaching monster storm, expected off the East Coast later this week.

The death toll stood at seven, three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic, but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way north.

The full scope of the damage, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew&#39;s furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines.

The collapse of a bridge cut off the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti.

&quot;It&#39;s going to be difficult to find an alternative route,&quot; civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin told AFP.

Next in line, Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip.

The storm&#39;s eye made landfall around 0000 GMT, moving toward the north near 15 kilometers (nine miles) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Americans girded for a taste of nature&#39;s fury. South Carolina said it would start evacuating 1.1 million people from its coast starting Wednesday and try to get them at least 160 kilometers inland. Georgia declared a state of emergency in 13 counties.

&quot;It&#39;s not going to be a fast evacuation. It could take up to several hours,&quot; South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said. &quot;If you can leave early, do that.&quot;

&#39;Extremely dangerous&#39;&nbsp;

Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak as an &quot;extremely dangerous&quot; Category Four storm, the maximum is five, near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said.

It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti.

Even before making landfall along the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola, the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti, with fears that the toll could climb.&nbsp;

Four more deaths were reported later in the Dominican Republic, where officials said 200 homes were damaged.

After Cuba, the storm is expected to hit the Bahamas late Tuesday or Wednesday.

It was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas&nbsp;and has been blamed for triggering mudslides.

The key port of Les Cayes, the country&#39;s third city is &quot;very seriously damaged&quot;, said Hervil Cherubin, Haiti director for the aid group Heifer International. &quot;Most roofs of houses, shops, gas stations are all gone.&quot;

&quot;Businesses near the ocean have totally disappeared, washed away,&quot; he added, with farms &quot;disappeared&quot; and livestock killed.

The country is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing.

Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country&#39;s massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel.

More than 9,000 Haitians were evacuated to temporary shelters at area schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said.

But civil protection forces have struggled with locals who refused to leave some of the most vulnerable areas, where residents face serious flooding risks.

Schools will remain closed until Monday, but the authorities have not said whether long-delayed presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday will still take place.

First deluge, then mudslides&nbsp;

Matthew already holds the longevity record for a Category Four and Five hurricane in the Caribbean, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of the Colorado State University.

It is expected to move past Cuba during the night.

Officials reported significant flooding and waves up to five meters (16 feet) in coastal villages in the east -- but no casualties so far.

The authorities evacuated some 1.3 million people.

One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Roberto Gates, ventured out to buy rum. &quot;I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we&#39;ll see,&quot; he said.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica.

It is also sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers. &nbsp;

The Pentagon said 700 family members were evacuated over the weekend to Florida from the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, on Cuba&#39;s eastern tip.

Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit the US East Coast around midweek. Florida, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina have also declared states of emergency.

President Barack Obama postponed a trip to South Florida, where he had planned to attend a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

&quot;If #Matthew directly impacts FL there will be massive destruction that we haven&#39;t seen in years,&quot; Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Twitter.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The death toll stood at seven, three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic, but was certain to rise as Matthew bruised its way north

Hurricane Matthew pummeled Haiti and moved on to Cuba after killing seven people, unleashing floods and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the Caribbean's worst storm in nearly a decade. Far to the north, the first evacuations were ordered in the United States as coastal dwellers prepared to flee the approaching monster storm, expected off the East Coast later this week. The death toll stood at seven, three in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic, but was certain to rise as dangerous Matthew bruised its way north. The full scope of the damage, both human and material, remained unclear. Civil protection officials in Haiti said they were struggling to communicate with the south after Matthew's furious wind and rain blew down telephone lines. The collapse of a bridge cut off the only road linking Port-au-Prince to the peninsula that makes up southern Haiti. "It's going to be difficult to find an alternative route," civil protection spokesman Edgar Celestin told AFP. Next in line, Cuba was hit late in the afternoon on its eastern tip. The storm's eye made landfall around 0000 GMT, moving toward the north near 15 kilometers (nine miles) per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said. Americans girded for a taste of nature's fury. South Carolina said it would start evacuating 1.1 million people from its coast starting Wednesday and try to get them at least 160 kilometers inland. Georgia declared a state of emergency in 13 counties. "It's not going to be a fast evacuation. It could take up to several hours," South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said. "If you can leave early, do that." 'Extremely dangerous' Matthew made landfall in Haiti shortly after daybreak as an "extremely dangerous" Category Four storm, the maximum is five, near the southwestern town of Les Anglais, packing top winds of around 230 kilometers per hour, the US National Hurricane Center said. It marked the first time in 52 years that a Category Four storm made landfall in Haiti. Even before making landfall along the southern edge of a jagged peninsula on Hispaniola, the island that Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, Matthew was blamed for at least three deaths in Haiti, with fears that the toll could climb. Four more deaths were reported later in the Dominican Republic, where officials said 200 homes were damaged. After Cuba, the storm is expected to hit the Bahamas late Tuesday or Wednesday. It was forecast to dump 38 to 63 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas and has been blamed for triggering mudslides. The key port of Les Cayes, the country's third city is "very seriously damaged", said Hervil Cherubin, Haiti director for the aid group Heifer International. "Most roofs of houses, shops, gas stations are all gone." "Businesses near the ocean have totally disappeared, washed away," he added, with farms "disappeared" and livestock killed. The country is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing. Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country's massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and a lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel. More than 9,000 Haitians were evacuated to temporary shelters at area schools and churches, the Interior Ministry said. But civil protection forces have struggled with locals who refused to leave some of the most vulnerable areas, where residents face serious flooding risks. Schools will remain closed until Monday, but the authorities have not said whether long-delayed presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday will still take place. First deluge, then mudslides Matthew already holds the longevity record for a Category Four and Five hurricane in the Caribbean, according to meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of the Colorado State University. It is expected to move past Cuba during the night. Officials reported significant flooding and waves up to five meters (16 feet) in coastal villages in the east -- but no casualties so far. The authorities evacuated some 1.3 million people. One stalwart who stayed, 63-year-old Roberto Gates, ventured out to buy rum. "I have food for today and tomorrow, and then we'll see," he said. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) dispatched an elite disaster response team to the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica. It is also sending some $400,000 in assistance to aid groups in Haiti and Jamaica and emergency relief supplies including blankets, plastic sheeting and water containers. The Pentagon said 700 family members were evacuated over the weekend to Florida from the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, on Cuba's eastern tip. Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit the US East Coast around midweek. Florida, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina have also declared states of emergency. President Barack Obama postponed a trip to South Florida, where he had planned to attend a campaign event in support of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "If #Matthew directly impacts FL there will be massive destruction that we haven't seen in years," Florida Governor Rick Scott said on Twitter. (AFP)

Hurricane Matthew pummels Haiti and Cuba, evacuations ordered in US

&nbsp;

The United States has suspended bilateral talks with Russia on renewing the ceasefire deal in Syria, the US state department said on Monday.&nbsp;

US state department spokesman&nbsp;John Kirby&nbsp;said, &quot;The United States is suspending its participation in bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain the Cessation of Hostilities.&quot;

The US blames Russia for failing to comply with the ceasefire agreement, so that aid could be provided to Syrians trapped in the besieged city of Aleppo.&nbsp;

&quot;Unfortunately, Russia failed to live up to its own commitments - including its obligations under international humanitarian law and UNSCR 2254 - and was also either unwilling or unable to ensure Syrian regime adherence to the arrangements to which Moscow agreed,&quot; Kirby told reporters during the daily news briefing.&nbsp;

&quot;Russia and the Syrian regime have chosen to pursue a military course, inconsistent with the Cessation of Hostilities, as demonstrated by their intensified attacks against civilian areas, targeting of critical infrastructure such as hospitals, and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in need, including through the September 19 attack on a humanitarian aid convoy,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces and his allies have been&nbsp;aggressively attacking Aleppo since last week, bombing hospitals and water pumps.&nbsp;

The US&#39;s decision comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

However, a senior state department official denied Putin&#39;s decision had anything to do with the suspension of the ceasefire deal.&nbsp;

Kirby assured that channels of communication with Russia will continue to be used to ensure the armies of both countries are safe and to allow them to fight the Islamic State group.&nbsp;

&quot;The US will also withdraw personnel that had been dispatched in anticipation of the possible establishment of the Joint Implementation Centre,&quot; Reuters quoted Kirby as saying.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council began drafting a resolution&nbsp;Monday to try and get&nbsp;the US and Russia to agree to a temporary truce in Aleppo.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

 
&nbsp;

The US blames Russia for failing to comply with their ceasefire agreement, so that aid could be provided to Syrians trapped in Aleppo

The United States has suspended bilateral talks with Russia on renewing the ceasefire deal in Syria, the US state department said on Monday. US state department spokesman John Kirby said, "The United States is suspending its participation in bilateral channels with Russia that were established to sustain the Cessation of Hostilities." The US blames Russia for failing to comply with the ceasefire agreement, so that aid could be provided to Syrians trapped in the besieged city of Aleppo. "Unfortunately, Russia failed to live up to its own commitments - including its obligations under international humanitarian law and UNSCR 2254 - and was also either unwilling or unable to ensure Syrian regime adherence to the arrangements to which Moscow agreed," Kirby told reporters during the daily news briefing. "Russia and the Syrian regime have chosen to pursue a military course, inconsistent with the Cessation of Hostilities, as demonstrated by their intensified attacks against civilian areas, targeting of critical infrastructure such as hospitals, and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in need, including through the September 19 attack on a humanitarian aid convoy," he added. President Bashar al-Assad's forces and his allies have been aggressively attacking Aleppo since last week, bombing hospitals and water pumps. The US's decision comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended a treaty on cleaning up weapons-grade plutonium, Reuters reported. However, a senior state department official denied Putin's decision had anything to do with the suspension of the ceasefire deal. Kirby assured that channels of communication with Russia will continue to be used to ensure the armies of both countries are safe and to allow them to fight the Islamic State group. "The US will also withdraw personnel that had been dispatched in anticipation of the possible establishment of the Joint Implementation Centre," Reuters quoted Kirby as saying. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council began drafting a resolution Monday to try and get the US and Russia to agree to a temporary truce in Aleppo. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US suspends talks with Russia over Syria ceasefire

The New York Times released a recording on Friday, in which US secretary of state John Kerry sounds exasperated that his diplomatic efforts to end Syria&#39;s civil war were not supported by the US military.&nbsp;

In the leaked audio recording, Kerry could be heard saying &quot;I think you&#39;re looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument.&quot; The conversation was recorded in New York where Kerry was talking to a group of Syrian civilians, on&nbsp;the sidelines of UNGA.&nbsp;

&quot;I&#39;ve argued for the use of force ... but things evolved into a different process.&quot;

&quot;Look, I get it, a lot of us wish there was an enforcement mechanism right now. A lot of us have been fighting for one, but we don&#39;t have one right now and that&#39;s set,&quot; he warned.

&quot;We&#39;re trying to pursue the diplomacy, and I understand it&#39;s frustrating. You have nobody more frustrated than we are,&quot; he told the Syrians.&nbsp;

State department spokesman John Kirby did not deny that the audio clip was authentic, &quot;While we will decline to comment on a private conversation, Secretary Kerry was grateful for the chance to meet with this group of Syrians, to hear their concerns first hand and to express our continued focus on ending this civil war.&quot;

According to AFP, Kerry has been pushing US President Barack Obama to take a more robust path in Syria to force President Bashar al-Assad out.&nbsp;

In August 2013, after Assad had been accused of firing chemical weapons at civilians, Kerry gave a ferocious speech that was seen as prefiguring a retaliatory US military strike -- only for Obama to back down only hours later.

He also referred to the incident in the recording&nbsp;but blamed the US Congress for not voting to authorise military action against Assad.&nbsp;

During the meeting, the Syrians had expressed frustration that the US was only focused on fighting the Islamic State group and have overlooked Assad and his forces.

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
&nbsp;

US secretary of state Kerry pushed for use of military action to end the Syrian war in the leaked audio interaction with a group of Syrians

The New York Times released a recording on Friday, in which US secretary of state John Kerry sounds exasperated that his diplomatic efforts to end Syria's civil war were not supported by the US military. In the leaked audio recording, Kerry could be heard saying "I think you're looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument." The conversation was recorded in New York where Kerry was talking to a group of Syrian civilians, on the sidelines of UNGA. "I've argued for the use of force ... but things evolved into a different process." "Look, I get it, a lot of us wish there was an enforcement mechanism right now. A lot of us have been fighting for one, but we don't have one right now and that's set," he warned. "We're trying to pursue the diplomacy, and I understand it's frustrating. You have nobody more frustrated than we are," he told the Syrians. State department spokesman John Kirby did not deny that the audio clip was authentic, "While we will decline to comment on a private conversation, Secretary Kerry was grateful for the chance to meet with this group of Syrians, to hear their concerns first hand and to express our continued focus on ending this civil war." According to AFP, Kerry has been pushing US President Barack Obama to take a more robust path in Syria to force President Bashar al-Assad out. In August 2013, after Assad had been accused of firing chemical weapons at civilians, Kerry gave a ferocious speech that was seen as prefiguring a retaliatory US military strike -- only for Obama to back down only hours later. He also referred to the incident in the recording but blamed the US Congress for not voting to authorise military action against Assad. During the meeting, the Syrians had expressed frustration that the US was only focused on fighting the Islamic State group and have overlooked Assad and his forces. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Kerry laments lack of Syria options in leaked audio

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US state department deputy spokesman urged India and Pakistan to show restraint and said that Washington&nbsp;is closely monitoring the situation.&nbsp;

Mark Toner&nbsp;said communication is important between the two countries to reduce tensions.&nbsp;&quot;We certainly don&rsquo;t want to see any kind of escalation and any kind of break in that communication,&quot; he told reporters assembled at state department&#39;s daily news briefing.&nbsp;

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We&rsquo;re continuing to follow situation on ground closely.We urge calm &amp; restraint by both (India-Pak): US State Dept Dy Spox <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SurgicalStrike?src=hash">#SurgicalStrike</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/782016702976446464">October 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&quot;We have repeatedly and consistently expressed our concerns regarding the danger that cross-border terrorism poses for the region, and that certainly includes the recent attacks&ndash;terrorist attacks in Uri. And we continue to urge actions to combat and de-escalate &ndash; and delegitimise, rather, terrorist groups like Lashkar-e Talaba &ndash; Tayyiba, rather &ndash; Haqqani Network, as well as Jaish-e-Mohammad,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

Toner also said secretary of state, John Kerry&nbsp;was engaged in talks with&nbsp;India&#39;s senior leadership to de-escalate the tension.&nbsp;

In response to Pakistan&#39;s threats of using tactical nuclear weapons against India if the situation escalated further, Toner pointed that nuclear-capable states have a very clear responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities.

Pakistan has displayed a lack of &#39;no-first-use policy&#39; regarding nuclear weapons. US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also asserted that Islamabad is running at full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India, a threatening scenario for the entire region.&nbsp;

(WION)

 
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In response to Pakistan's nuke threats against India, Mark Toner cautioned nuclear-capable states to exercise restraint

US state department deputy spokesman urged India and Pakistan to show restraint and said that Washington is closely monitoring the situation. Mark Toner said communication is important between the two countries to reduce tensions. "We certainly don’t want to see any kind of escalation and any kind of break in that communication," he told reporters assembled at state department's daily news briefing. We’re continuing to follow situation on ground closely.We urge calm & restraint by both (India-Pak): US State Dept Dy Spox #SurgicalStrike — ANI (@ANI_news) October 1, 2016 × "We have repeatedly and consistently expressed our concerns regarding the danger that cross-border terrorism poses for the region, and that certainly includes the recent attacks–terrorist attacks in Uri. And we continue to urge actions to combat and de-escalate – and delegitimise, rather, terrorist groups like Lashkar-e Talaba – Tayyiba, rather – Haqqani Network, as well as Jaish-e-Mohammad," he added. Toner also said secretary of state, John Kerry was engaged in talks with India's senior leadership to de-escalate the tension. In response to Pakistan's threats of using tactical nuclear weapons against India if the situation escalated further, Toner pointed that nuclear-capable states have a very clear responsibility to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities. Pakistan has displayed a lack of 'no-first-use policy' regarding nuclear weapons. US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also asserted that Islamabad is running at full speed to develop tactical nukes in their continuing hostility with India, a threatening scenario for the entire region. (WION)

US: Nuclear-capable states must act responsibly

A senior US official said on Thursday that the donors, at an upcoming international conference, are expected to pledge about USD 3 billion dollars a year&nbsp;for Afghanistan through 2020.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Afghanistan and European Union (EU) are set to host a donor conference on October 4 in Brussels to seek backing for reforms and work towards stabilising and developing the South Asian nation. Around 70 states and 30 international organisations are expected to attend the conference, Reuters reported today. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

The US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Olson told a Washington forum that the US government would seek to maintain US assistance &quot;at, or near&quot; current levels for the period to 2020, through Congress.

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The funds, however, will be dependent on reforms and efforts to counter corruption, he said.&nbsp;

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The conference comes in the backdrop of a reduced US and international military presence in Afghanistan and will work towards helping the Afghan government in establishing an agenda for increased self-reliance, according to the international news agency.

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&quot;We expect strong pledges of renewed support to be announced next week, collectively totalling over $3 billion a year in development support through 2020,&quot; Olson said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to Olson, US secretary of state John Kerry is &quot;ready to indicate clearly American intentions to maintain a strong leadership role within the broad coalition of allies and partners engaged in Afghanistan.&quot;

&nbsp;

The US spends $5 billion a year in Afghanistan and Olson stressed the assistance will not be a &nbsp;&quot;not a blank check&quot; and would be dependent on Afghanistan&#39;s&nbsp;progress in carrying out reforms, including countering corruption.

&nbsp;

US senators had warned earlier this month that a failure to address corruption in Afghanistan could lead &nbsp;them to rethink the money US spends in Afghanistan each year.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The assistance, however, would depend on Afghanistan's efforts in carrying out reforms and countering corruption, a US official said

A senior US official said on Thursday that the donors, at an upcoming international conference, are expected to pledge about USD 3 billion dollars a year for Afghanistan through 2020. Afghanistan and European Union (EU) are set to host a donor conference on October 4 in Brussels to seek backing for reforms and work towards stabilising and developing the South Asian nation. Around 70 states and 30 international organisations are expected to attend the conference, Reuters reported today. The US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Olson told a Washington forum that the US government would seek to maintain US assistance "at, or near" current levels for the period to 2020, through Congress. The funds, however, will be dependent on reforms and efforts to counter corruption, he said. Afghanistan and European Union (EU) are set to host a donor conference on October 4 in Brussels to seek backing for reforms and work towards stabilising and developing the South Asian nation × The conference comes in the backdrop of a reduced US and international military presence in Afghanistan and will work towards helping the Afghan government in establishing an agenda for increased self-reliance, according to the international news agency. "We expect strong pledges of renewed support to be announced next week, collectively totalling over $3 billion a year in development support through 2020," Olson said. According to Olson, US secretary of state John Kerry is "ready to indicate clearly American intentions to maintain a strong leadership role within the broad coalition of allies and partners engaged in Afghanistan." The US spends $5 billion a year in Afghanistan and Olson stressed the assistance will not be a "not a blank check" and would be dependent on Afghanistan's progress in carrying out reforms, including countering corruption. US senators had warned earlier this month that a failure to address corruption in Afghanistan could lead them to rethink the money US spends in Afghanistan each year. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US expects donors to pledge $3 bn a year for Afghanistan at Brussels conference

The US has called for &quot;de-escalation of the political discourse&quot; between India and Pakistan amid the war of words between the two nations after Uri terror attack that prompted New Delhi to pull out of the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November.

The US state department also said it would continue to put pressure on them to respond to those groups who are seeking safe haven on Pakistan&#39;s borders.

&quot;What we have said it many times from the podium&nbsp;is we want to see closer and normalisation of relationship between India and Pakistan,&quot; state department deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said told reporters at his daily news conference.

&quot;It would benefit the region. We want to see de-escalation in the political discourse between the two countries and greater communication and coordination between them,&quot; Toner said.

At the same time, the state department refrained from commenting on India&#39;s decision to pull out of the SAARC Summit.

&quot;I would refer you to the Government of India to comment on their decision not to attend this meeting,&quot; state department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said.

He said it is not for the US to &quot;offer a prescription&quot; to de-escalate tension between the two South Asian neighbour.

&quot;It is in mutual interest for both the countries to put aside tensions and establish more normal channels of communication,&quot; the deputy spokesperson said.

&quot;While we have seen Pakistan make progress on some of the terrorist groups operating within its own borders and carrying out attacks within its borders, we continue to put pressure on them to respond to those groups who are seeking safe haven on Pakistan&#39;s borders,&quot; Toner added.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the US have continued to &quot;encourage India and Pakistan to find ways to resolve their differences, not through violence, but through diplomacy.&quot;

&quot;We have condemned violence, particularly terrorist attacks,&quot; he said.

He was responding to a question on India&#39;s decision not to attend the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November citing continuous cross border terrorism by Pakistan against India.

(PTI)

Washington said it continues to put pressure on both nations to 'de-escalate political discourse'

The US has called for "de-escalation of the political discourse" between India and Pakistan amid the war of words between the two nations after Uri terror attack that prompted New Delhi to pull out of the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November. The US state department also said it would continue to put pressure on them to respond to those groups who are seeking safe haven on Pakistan's borders. "What we have said it many times from the podium is we want to see closer and normalisation of relationship between India and Pakistan," state department deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner said told reporters at his daily news conference. "It would benefit the region. We want to see de-escalation in the political discourse between the two countries and greater communication and coordination between them," Toner said. At the same time, the state department refrained from commenting on India's decision to pull out of the SAARC Summit. "I would refer you to the Government of India to comment on their decision not to attend this meeting," state department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said. He said it is not for the US to "offer a prescription" to de-escalate tension between the two South Asian neighbour. "It is in mutual interest for both the countries to put aside tensions and establish more normal channels of communication," the deputy spokesperson said. "While we have seen Pakistan make progress on some of the terrorist groups operating within its own borders and carrying out attacks within its borders, we continue to put pressure on them to respond to those groups who are seeking safe haven on Pakistan's borders," Toner added. Meanwhile, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the US have continued to "encourage India and Pakistan to find ways to resolve their differences, not through violence, but through diplomacy." "We have condemned violence, particularly terrorist attacks," he said. He was responding to a question on India's decision not to attend the SAARC Summit in Islamabad in November citing continuous cross border terrorism by Pakistan against India. (PTI)

US urges India, Pakistan to choose diplomacy, not violence

The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Powers accused Russia of &quot;barbarism&quot; over the continued air strikes in Aleppo in an emergency UN Security Council meeting called on Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
The meeting was called by the United States, France and Britain who demanded Russia stop the air strikes on the Syrian city.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Instead of pursuing peace, Russia and Assad make war,&quot; Power said. &quot;What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counterterrorism; it is barbarism,&quot; Powers said at the meeting.&nbsp; 
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<h5>Instead of pursuing peace, Russia and Assad make war,&#39; Power said. &#39;What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counterterrorism; it is barbarism,&#39; Powers said at the meeting</h5>
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&quot;Instead of helping get life-saving aid to civilians, Russia and Assad are bombing the humanitarian convoys, hospitals, and first responders who are trying desperately to keep people alive,&quot; she added.&nbsp; 
 
Britain&#39;s ambassador Matthew Rycroft told the council,&quot;The regime and Russia have instead plunged to new depths and unleashed a new hell on Aleppo.&quot; 
 
And &quot;Russia is partnering with the Syrian regime to carry out war crimes.&quot; 
 
Francois Delattre, France&#39;s envoy &quot;War crimes are being committed here in Aleppo.&quot; 
 
Russia&#39;s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said, &quot;In Syria hundreds of armed groups are being armed, the territory of the country is being bombed indiscriminately, and bringing a peace is almost an impossible task now because of this.&quot; 
 
He blamed the US for the failed ceasefire saying, the talks broke down because of &quot;sabotage by the moderate opposition,&quot; AFP reported.&nbsp; 
 
Churkin however said Moscow would be interested in reviving the deal if there was &quot;collective&quot; effort by all.&nbsp; 
 
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to world powers to &quot;work harder for an end to the nightmare&quot; in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
While the meeting was going on air strikes continued in Aleppo, killing at least 25, including two children on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.&nbsp; 
 
The city has been under seige since mid-July with food and fuel shortages make it difficult for the people.&nbsp; 
 
A water pumping station, Bab Al-Nairab, was a target of the latest air strikes cutting water supply and three bases used by the White Helmet rescue volunteers were also hit.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

US ambassador Samantha Power says 'what Russia is sponsoring is not counter-terrorism. It is barbarism'. Britain and France back her up

The US ambassador to the UN Samantha Powers accused Russia of "barbarism" over the continued air strikes in Aleppo in an emergency UN Security Council meeting called on Sunday. The meeting was called by the United States, France and Britain who demanded Russia stop the air strikes on the Syrian city. "Instead of pursuing peace, Russia and Assad make war," Power said. "What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counterterrorism; it is barbarism," Powers said at the meeting. Instead of pursuing peace, Russia and Assad make war,' Power said. 'What Russia is sponsoring and doing is not counterterrorism; it is barbarism,' Powers said at the meeting "Instead of helping get life-saving aid to civilians, Russia and Assad are bombing the humanitarian convoys, hospitals, and first responders who are trying desperately to keep people alive," she added. Britain's ambassador Matthew Rycroft told the council,"The regime and Russia have instead plunged to new depths and unleashed a new hell on Aleppo." And "Russia is partnering with the Syrian regime to carry out war crimes." Francois Delattre, France's envoy "War crimes are being committed here in Aleppo." Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said, "In Syria hundreds of armed groups are being armed, the territory of the country is being bombed indiscriminately, and bringing a peace is almost an impossible task now because of this." He blamed the US for the failed ceasefire saying, the talks broke down because of "sabotage by the moderate opposition," AFP reported. Churkin however said Moscow would be interested in reviving the deal if there was "collective" effort by all. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to world powers to "work harder for an end to the nightmare" in Syria. While the meeting was going on air strikes continued in Aleppo, killing at least 25, including two children on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The city has been under seige since mid-July with food and fuel shortages make it difficult for the people. A water pumping station, Bab Al-Nairab, was a target of the latest air strikes cutting water supply and three bases used by the White Helmet rescue volunteers were also hit. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Russia accused of 'barbarism' in Syria's Aleppo

Britain, France and the United States have requested for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on the escalating campaign in Syria&#39;s second city of Aleppo, diplomats have said. 
 
The meeting was likely to be held at 10 am (local time) today, the diplomats said on Saturday. 
 
Intense air strikes toppled buildings and killed at least 45 civilians in Aleppo yesterday, two days after the Syrian army announced an offensive to retake the rebel-held east of the city. 
 
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier said he was appalled by the &quot;chilling&quot; upsurge in fighting in Aleppo and warned that the use of advanced weaponry in the battleground city could amount to war crimes. 
 
Ban cited reports of air strikes involving the use of incendiary weapons, bunker buster bombs and other powerful munitions in the offencive launched by the Syrian army two days ago to recapture the city. 
 
He warned that &quot;the apparent systematic use of these types of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas may amount to war crimes,&quot; a statement from his spokesman said. 
 
A week-long ceasefire agreed between the United States and Russia ended on Monday and efforts to revive the truce failed. 
 
(AFP)

The move comes in the wake of the air strikes that toppled buildings and killed 45 in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday

Britain, France and the United States have requested for an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on the escalating campaign in Syria's second city of Aleppo, diplomats have said. The meeting was likely to be held at 10 am (local time) today, the diplomats said on Saturday. Intense air strikes toppled buildings and killed at least 45 civilians in Aleppo yesterday, two days after the Syrian army announced an offensive to retake the rebel-held east of the city. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier said he was appalled by the "chilling" upsurge in fighting in Aleppo and warned that the use of advanced weaponry in the battleground city could amount to war crimes. Ban cited reports of air strikes involving the use of incendiary weapons, bunker buster bombs and other powerful munitions in the offencive launched by the Syrian army two days ago to recapture the city. He warned that "the apparent systematic use of these types of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas may amount to war crimes," a statement from his spokesman said. A week-long ceasefire agreed between the United States and Russia ended on Monday and efforts to revive the truce failed. (AFP)

Syria conflict: Britain, France, US seek urgent Security Council meet

Amid prevailing tensions in the United States over killing of African-American nationals, President Barack Obama on Saturday inaugurated the National Museum of African American History and Culture.&nbsp; 
 
The museum was inaugurated by Obama and wife Michelle, along with four generations of an African American family by ringing a bell from a historic black church, AFP reported.&nbsp; 
 
It is located on the National Mall and features relics that trace the history of African Americans--from slavery to their emancipation.&nbsp; 
 
In his opening speech, Obama said: &quot;African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story. It&#39;s not the underside of the American story.&quot; &quot;It is central to the American story,&quot; Reuters quoted him saying.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;A clear-eyed view of history can make us uncomfortable,&quot; Obama said. 
 
&quot;It is precisely of that discomfort that we learn and grow and harness our collective power to make this nation more perfect. That&#39;s the American story that this museum tells,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Rising racial tensions 
The opening of the museum comes at a crucial junction with rising cases of violence against African-Americans in the US. 
 
Terence Crutcher, 40, was killed last week by a white police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The police officer was charged for manslaughter on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
The second incident happened in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Keith Scott was killed by the police. Following the killing, violent protests broke out in the southern US city. &nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, the newly-inaugurated museum will highlight the issues and struggles African-Americans face.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Perhaps, it can help a white visitor understand the pain and anger of demonstrators and places like Ferguson and Charlotte,&quot; Obama said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It can also help black visitors appreciate the fact that not only is this younger generation carrying on traditions of the past, but within the white communities, across the nation, we see the sincerity of law enforcement officers and officials who, in fits and starts, are struggling to understand.&quot; 
 
Karmello Colman, a visitor from Kansas told Reuters: &quot;I feel honoured because it is highlighting the accomplishments of my ancestors, who were probably slaves, and those of so many others.&quot; 
 
About $450 million was spent on the construction, half of the money came from private donations, according to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
Prominent visitors included George W Bush with wife Laura, Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The museum features relics that trace the history of African Americans--from slavery to emancipation from it

Amid prevailing tensions in the United States over killing of African-American nationals, President Barack Obama on Saturday inaugurated the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum was inaugurated by Obama and wife Michelle, along with four generations of an African American family by ringing a bell from a historic black church, AFP reported. It is located on the National Mall and features relics that trace the history of African Americans--from slavery to their emancipation. In his opening speech, Obama said: "African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story. It's not the underside of the American story." "It is central to the American story," Reuters quoted him saying. "A clear-eyed view of history can make us uncomfortable," Obama said. "It is precisely of that discomfort that we learn and grow and harness our collective power to make this nation more perfect. That's the American story that this museum tells," he added. Rising racial tensions The opening of the museum comes at a crucial junction with rising cases of violence against African-Americans in the US. Terence Crutcher, 40, was killed last week by a white police officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The police officer was charged for manslaughter on Thursday. The second incident happened in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Keith Scott was killed by the police. Following the killing, violent protests broke out in the southern US city. Meanwhile, the newly-inaugurated museum will highlight the issues and struggles African-Americans face. "Perhaps, it can help a white visitor understand the pain and anger of demonstrators and places like Ferguson and Charlotte," Obama said. "It can also help black visitors appreciate the fact that not only is this younger generation carrying on traditions of the past, but within the white communities, across the nation, we see the sincerity of law enforcement officers and officials who, in fits and starts, are struggling to understand." Karmello Colman, a visitor from Kansas told Reuters: "I feel honoured because it is highlighting the accomplishments of my ancestors, who were probably slaves, and those of so many others." About $450 million was spent on the construction, half of the money came from private donations, according to Reuters. Prominent visitors included George W Bush with wife Laura, Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Obama inaugurates African-American museum amid prevailing racial tensions

North Korea&#39;s foreign minister&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;said North Korea will continue to strengthen its &quot;national nuclear armed forces in both quantity and quality&quot; despite UN sanctions.&nbsp; 
 
Ri Yong Ho during his address to the United Nations General Assembly said the country&#39;s nuclear weapons are a &quot;a righteous self-defence measure&quot; against &quot;constant nuclear threats of the United States&quot;. 
 
&quot;Going nuclear-armed is the policy of our state,&quot; Yong Ho said. 
 
North Korea is the &quot;most dangerous hotspot, which can even ignite the outbreak of nuclear war&quot; and the blame will lie &quot;squarely&quot; with the US, the foreign minister said. 
 
&quot;As long as there exists a nuclear-weapon state in hostile relations with the DPRK (Democratic People&#39;s Republic of Korea), our national security and peace on the Korean peninsula can be defended only with reliable nuclear deterrence,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
Ri also said the UN Security Council&#39;s decision to impose sanctions was only &quot;covering up the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the United States&quot;. 
 
The country conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on September 9, igniting global ire and condemnation. This has led to talks on imposing new UN sanctions against the isolated country.&nbsp; 
 
No negotiations on THAAD 
 
Daniel Russel, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said there will be no negotiations regarding the THAAD anti-missile system, which is set to be deployed in South Korea, as part of the UN sanctions agreement. &nbsp; 
&quot;No. The two countries have made a decision,&quot; he told Reuters. 
 
Although China remains opposed to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, it has agreed to work with the UN on imposing tough sanctions on North Korea.&nbsp; 
 
According to The Diplomat, THAAD is particularly well-suited to intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

US says THAAD missile deployment system not negotiable as part of new sanctions on the country

North Korea's foreign minister on Friday said North Korea will continue to strengthen its "national nuclear armed forces in both quantity and quality" despite UN sanctions. Ri Yong Ho during his address to the United Nations General Assembly said the country's nuclear weapons are a "a righteous self-defence measure" against "constant nuclear threats of the United States". "Going nuclear-armed is the policy of our state," Yong Ho said. North Korea is the "most dangerous hotspot, which can even ignite the outbreak of nuclear war" and the blame will lie "squarely" with the US, the foreign minister said. "As long as there exists a nuclear-weapon state in hostile relations with the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), our national security and peace on the Korean peninsula can be defended only with reliable nuclear deterrence," he said. Ri also said the UN Security Council's decision to impose sanctions was only "covering up the high-handedness and arbitrariness of the United States". The country conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test on September 9, igniting global ire and condemnation. This has led to talks on imposing new UN sanctions against the isolated country. No negotiations on THAAD Daniel Russel, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia, said there will be no negotiations regarding the THAAD anti-missile system, which is set to be deployed in South Korea, as part of the UN sanctions agreement. "No. The two countries have made a decision," he told Reuters. Although China remains opposed to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, it has agreed to work with the UN on imposing tough sanctions on North Korea. According to The Diplomat, THAAD is particularly well-suited to intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. (WION with inputs from agencies)

North Korea defies UN, vows to strengthen nuclear capability

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