US&nbsp;lawmakers now want an investigation into America's coronavirus response.&nbsp;The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has begun preparations. Lawmaker Adam Schiff heads this committee of lawmakers on US&nbsp;Intelligence.

The model could be similar to the 9/11 commission, a bipartisan group of distinguished Americans who examined the threads that not only led to the 2001 terrorist attacks but also the communication failings of US&nbsp;Intelligence agencies.

These are vastly different circumstances to be sure, but the pandemic’s cost to human life, public health and the US&nbsp;economy promise to be disruptive on a widespread scale.

US President Donald Trump has hardly accepted any blame for the coronavirus response. Far from an apology, Trump has repeatedly used his presidential dias to hail America's botched up response.

The US continues to see a number of positive signs that the virus has passed its peak.&nbsp;Trump's statements have failed to stop the barrage of criticism against him.

The proposed commission will have 25 members, selected by democratic and republican lawmakers. The commission will have to make its findings public within 18 months. President Trump may have been able to put the Russia probe behind him. But now, he faces another one that&nbsp;comes after the death of more than 55,000 people in the United States.&nbsp;

US lawmakers now want an investigation into America's coronavirus response. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has begun preparations. Lawmaker Adam Schiff heads this committee of lawmakers on US Intelligence.

US lawmakers now want an investigation into America's coronavirus response. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has begun preparations. Lawmaker Adam Schiff heads this committee of lawmakers on US Intelligence. The model could be similar to the 9/11 commission, a bipartisan group of distinguished Americans who examined the threads that not only led to the 2001 terrorist attacks but also the communication failings of US Intelligence agencies. These are vastly different circumstances to be sure, but the pandemic’s cost to human life, public health and the US economy promise to be disruptive on a widespread scale. US President Donald Trump has hardly accepted any blame for the coronavirus response. Far from an apology, Trump has repeatedly used his presidential dias to hail America's botched up response. The US continues to see a number of positive signs that the virus has passed its peak. Trump's statements have failed to stop the barrage of criticism against him. The proposed commission will have 25 members, selected by democratic and republican lawmakers. The commission will have to make its findings public within 18 months. President Trump may have been able to put the Russia probe behind him. But now, he faces another one that comes after the death of more than 55,000 people in the United States.

US lawmakers want 9/11 Commission-style probe of coronavirus response

The list of critics is growing, it is not just the American president who is demanding answers, a group of US Lawmakers is raising questions too. They have written to the WHO director-general.

The list of critics is growing, it is not just the American president who is demanding answers, a group of US Lawmakers is raising questions too. They have written to the WHO director-general. Earlier today, WION accessed a copy of the letter addressed to Dr Tedros. It is signed by seven American lawmakers, this letter could be the prelude to an investigation. An investigation into the world health organisation led by American lawmakers. The letter makes for interesting reading. It minces no words. The lawmakers say that they anticipate a congressional hearing. "American taxpayers fund the WHO And it is up to us to make sure those taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely," the letter said. These American lawmakers want to fix accountability. All lawmakers should and this is a good start. Their message is clear: "We paid your bills, now you tell us how you spent our money." The letter carries six direct questions for Dr Tedros: First, what are the WHO's protocols? What steps are taken in the event of a pandemic? Second, what has the WHO Has done so far? Third, when did the WHO first hear about the cases in China? Fourth, when did the WHO team visit china for an investigation? Fifth, who was in charge of the WHO's coronavirus response and who was the point person engaging with the communist party of china? And the sixth question, do any members of the WHO receive financial compensation outside of their WHO salaries? The WHO is yet to respond, given how slow they've been, don't hold your breath for the answers.

Now, US lawmakers raise questions on WHO's efforts to curb COVID-19

US officials on Wednesday stepped up warnings about the potential security risks from the fast-growing, Chinese-owned TikTok as a lawmaker unveiled legislation to ban the social media app from government devices.

At a Senate hearing, officials from the FBI, the Justice Department and Homeland Security said the video-sharing app could become another tool exploited by Chinese intelligence services.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/tiktok-received-more-numbers-than-facebook-ever-did-sheryl-sandberg-283417">TikTok received more numbers than Facebook ever did, says&nbsp;Sheryl Sandberg</a>

Senator Josh Hawley, who convened the hearing, said he was introducing a bill to ban TikTok from all US government devices, calling it "a major security risk for the American people."

TikTok, which is especially popular with teens, is believed to have been the most downloaded app worldwide last year, but US officials have expressed concern over its connections with the government in Beijing.

"TikTok is one example of an application where the average citizen doesn't understand the implications of what's behind it," Clyde Wallace, an official in the FBI's cyber division, told the hearing.

"It's basically controlled by a state-sponsored actor."

While the various data points collected by TikTok may not seem sensitive, Wallace said the information may be aggregated and "used for many purposes."

In his written testimony, Wallace said Chinese-owned social media applications may collect personal data including biometrics, contact lists, location data and bank and credit card details.

"Any and all data can be transferred to other locations and associated entities to include the Chinese parent company," he said.

Bryan Ware, a cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security, echoed those fears, saying that TikTok data could become part of a large database exploited by China.

"China has amazing programs in collection of data and developing artificial intelligence and analytics against that data for purposes that we don't fully know... and that should give us great concern," Ware said.

"There's certainly no place for applications like TikTok on government devices and government networks."

Adam Hickey, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's security division, said the aggregation of data from TikTok "makes it easier for intelligence services to either recruit or hack into systems used by government employees."

Samm Sacks, a cybersecurity fellow at the New America Foundation specializing in China, said Chinese regulations may enable the government to "essentially require anything that they want of these companies" even if some privately push back at the requests.

TikTok has said its operations were not influenced by the Beijing authorities. 
&nbsp;

US officials on Wednesday stepped up warnings about the potential security risks from the fast-growing, Chinese-owned TikTok as a lawmaker unveiled legislation to ban the social media app from government devices.

US officials on Wednesday stepped up warnings about the potential security risks from the fast-growing, Chinese-owned TikTok as a lawmaker unveiled legislation to ban the social media app from government devices. At a Senate hearing, officials from the FBI, the Justice Department and Homeland Security said the video-sharing app could become another tool exploited by Chinese intelligence services. Also read: TikTok received more numbers than Facebook ever did, says Sheryl Sandberg Senator Josh Hawley, who convened the hearing, said he was introducing a bill to ban TikTok from all US government devices, calling it "a major security risk for the American people." TikTok, which is especially popular with teens, is believed to have been the most downloaded app worldwide last year, but US officials have expressed concern over its connections with the government in Beijing. "TikTok is one example of an application where the average citizen doesn't understand the implications of what's behind it," Clyde Wallace, an official in the FBI's cyber division, told the hearing. "It's basically controlled by a state-sponsored actor." While the various data points collected by TikTok may not seem sensitive, Wallace said the information may be aggregated and "used for many purposes." In his written testimony, Wallace said Chinese-owned social media applications may collect personal data including biometrics, contact lists, location data and bank and credit card details. "Any and all data can be transferred to other locations and associated entities to include the Chinese parent company," he said. Bryan Ware, a cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security, echoed those fears, saying that TikTok data could become part of a large database exploited by China. "China has amazing programs in collection of data and developing artificial intelligence and analytics against that data for purposes that we don't fully know... and that should give us great concern," Ware said. "There's certainly no place for applications like TikTok on government devices and government networks." Adam Hickey, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's security division, said the aggregation of data from TikTok "makes it easier for intelligence services to either recruit or hack into systems used by government employees." Samm Sacks, a cybersecurity fellow at the New America Foundation specializing in China, said Chinese regulations may enable the government to "essentially require anything that they want of these companies" even if some privately push back at the requests. TikTok has said its operations were not influenced by the Beijing authorities.

US lawmakers propose ban on TikTok citing Chinese government ties

US&nbsp;lawmakers&nbsp;announced an agreement on Monday on a $738-billion&nbsp;bill&nbsp;setting policy for the Department of&nbsp;Defence, including new measures for competing with Russia and&nbsp;China, family leave for federal workers and the creation of President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/global-stocks-rattled-after-donald-trump-says-no-deadline-on-us-china-trade-deal-266025">Donald Trump</a>'s long-desired Space Force.

It also calls for sanctions on&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;over its purchase of a Russian missile&nbsp;defence&nbsp;system, and tough response to North Korea's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

The&nbsp;US&nbsp;House of Representatives and Senate Armed Services Committees agreed on a compromise version of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-congress-paves-way-for-waivers-from-caatsa-sanctions-for-india-156385">National&nbsp;Defense&nbsp;Authorization Act</a>, or NDAA, after months of negotiations. It is expected to pass before Congress leaves Washington later this month for the year-end holiday break.

The legislation includes $658.4&nbsp;billion for the Department of&nbsp;Defense&nbsp;and Department of Energy national security programs, $71.5&nbsp;billion to pay for ongoing foreign wars, known as "Overseas Contingency Operations" funding, and $5.3&nbsp;billion in emergency funding for repairs of damage from extreme weather and natural disasters.

There were concerns earlier this year that the NDAA might fail for the first time in 58 years over steep divides between the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and Republican-controlled Senate over Trump's policies.

Because it is one of the few pieces of major legislation Congress passes every year, the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/caatsa-sanctions-waiver-intended-to-wean-countries-off-of-russian-equipment-white-house-169717"> NDAA</a> becomes a vehicle for a range of policy measures as well as setting everything from military pay levels to which ships or aircraft will be modernized, purchased or discontinued.

It includes a 3.1 per cent&nbsp;pay hike for the troops, the largest in a decade and, for the first time, 12 weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers, something Democrats strongly sought.

Among other things, the proposed fiscal 2020 NDAA imposes sanctions related to Russia's Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipelines and bars military-to-military cooperation with Russia.

Russia is building the pipelines to bolster supply to Europe while bypassing Ukraine, and members of Congress have been pushing the Trump administration to do more to stop the projects as they near completion.

The NDAA also prohibits the transfer of F-35 stealth fighter jets, which Lockheed Martin Corp is developing, to&nbsp;Turkey. It expresses a sense of Congress that&nbsp;Turkey's acquisition of Russia's S-400 missile&nbsp;defence&nbsp;system, which Washington says it not compatible with NATO&nbsp;defences and threatens the F-35, constitutes a significant transaction under&nbsp;US&nbsp;sanctions law.

The&nbsp;bill&nbsp;says Trump should implement sanctions on&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;over the S-400 purchase, something&nbsp;lawmakers&nbsp;have been demanding.

The NDAA also reauthorizes $300 million of funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, to include lethal defensive items as well as new authorities for coastal&nbsp;defence&nbsp;cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles.

Military aid to Ukraine has been at the centre of the impeachment enquiry into Trump after his administration held up security assistance for Kiev last summer even as the country&nbsp;dealt with challenges from Russia.

Fulfilling one of Trump's most high-profile requests, the&nbsp;bill&nbsp;establishes the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/time-has-come-for-us-space-force-6th-military-branch-pence-158147">US&nbsp;Space Force</a> as the sixth Armed Service of the United States, under the Air Force.

The legislation also contains a series of provisions intended to address potential threats from&nbsp;China, including requiring reports on&nbsp;China's overseas investments and its military relations with Russia.

It bars the use of federal funds to buy rail cars and buses from&nbsp;China, and it says Congress "unequivocally supports" residents of Hong Kong as they defend their rights and seek to preserve their autonomy with&nbsp;China. It also supports improving Taiwan's&nbsp;defence&nbsp;capabilities.

The NDAA calls for a sweeping approach to North Korea's nuclear weapons development, as well as the threat it poses to&nbsp;US&nbsp;forces on the Korean peninsula and allies in the region.

It puts&nbsp;mandatory sanctions on North Korean imports and exports of coal and other minerals and textiles, as well as some petroleum products and crude oil, and it puts&nbsp;additional sanctions on banks that&nbsp;deal&nbsp;with North Korea.

The&nbsp;bill&nbsp;also bars the Pentagon from reducing the number of troops deployed to South Korea below 28,500 unless the Secretary of&nbsp;Defence&nbsp;certifies that it is in the&nbsp;US&nbsp;national security interest to do so.

US lawmakers announced an agreement on Monday on a $738-billion bill setting policy for the Department of Defence, including new measures for competing with Russia and China, family leave for federal workers and the creation of President Donald Trump's long-desired Space Force.

US lawmakers announced an agreement on Monday on a $738-billion bill setting policy for the Department of Defence, including new measures for competing with Russia and China, family leave for federal workers and the creation of President Donald Trump's long-desired Space Force. It also calls for sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of a Russian missile defence system, and tough response to North Korea's efforts to develop nuclear weapons. The US House of Representatives and Senate Armed Services Committees agreed on a compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, after months of negotiations. It is expected to pass before Congress leaves Washington later this month for the year-end holiday break. The legislation includes $658.4 billion for the Department of Defense and Department of Energy national security programs, $71.5 billion to pay for ongoing foreign wars, known as "Overseas Contingency Operations" funding, and $5.3 billion in emergency funding for repairs of damage from extreme weather and natural disasters. There were concerns earlier this year that the NDAA might fail for the first time in 58 years over steep divides between the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and Republican-controlled Senate over Trump's policies. Because it is one of the few pieces of major legislation Congress passes every year, the NDAA becomes a vehicle for a range of policy measures as well as setting everything from military pay levels to which ships or aircraft will be modernized, purchased or discontinued. It includes a 3.1 per cent pay hike for the troops, the largest in a decade and, for the first time, 12 weeks of paid parental leave for federal workers, something Democrats strongly sought. Among other things, the proposed fiscal 2020 NDAA imposes sanctions related to Russia's Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipelines and bars military-to-military cooperation with Russia. Russia is building the pipelines to bolster supply to Europe while bypassing Ukraine, and members of Congress have been pushing the Trump administration to do more to stop the projects as they near completion. The NDAA also prohibits the transfer of F-35 stealth fighter jets, which Lockheed Martin Corp is developing, to Turkey. It expresses a sense of Congress that Turkey's acquisition of Russia's S-400 missile defence system, which Washington says it not compatible with NATO defences and threatens the F-35, constitutes a significant transaction under US sanctions law. The bill says Trump should implement sanctions on Turkey over the S-400 purchase, something lawmakers have been demanding. The NDAA also reauthorizes $300 million of funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, to include lethal defensive items as well as new authorities for coastal defence cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles. Military aid to Ukraine has been at the centre of the impeachment enquiry into Trump after his administration held up security assistance for Kiev last summer even as the country dealt with challenges from Russia. Fulfilling one of Trump's most high-profile requests, the bill establishes the US Space Force as the sixth Armed Service of the United States, under the Air Force. The legislation also contains a series of provisions intended to address potential threats from China, including requiring reports on China's overseas investments and its military relations with Russia. It bars the use of federal funds to buy rail cars and buses from China, and it says Congress "unequivocally supports" residents of Hong Kong as they defend their rights and seek to preserve their autonomy with China. It also supports improving Taiwan's defence capabilities. The NDAA calls for a sweeping approach to North Korea's nuclear weapons development, as well as the threat it poses to US forces on the Korean peninsula and allies in the region. It puts mandatory sanctions on North Korean imports and exports of coal and other minerals and textiles, as well as some petroleum products and crude oil, and it puts additional sanctions on banks that deal with North Korea. The bill also bars the Pentagon from reducing the number of troops deployed to South Korea below 28,500 unless the Secretary of Defence certifies that it is in the US national security interest to do so.

US lawmakers reach deal on massive defence bill, eye Russia, Turkey, China

Forty-four members of the US Congress have urged President Donald Trump's trade representative to restore trade concessions to India, saying the withdrawal of the privilege had led to retaliatory tariffs from New Delhi which were hurting US industry.

In June, the United States ended its preferential trade treatment for India, removing it from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme that allowed duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its annual exports to the United States.

The elimination of GSP brought higher retaliatory tariffs from New Delhi on 28 US products including almonds, apples and walnuts.

In the letter addressed to United State Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and dated September 17, the members of Congress said, "Just as US industries are harmed by lack of fair and reciprocal access to India's market, American companies and workers also are harmed by new tariffs due to the GSP termination."

A lot of American jobs depend on the trade between India and the United States, the US lawmakers said in the letter seen by Reuters.

The letter comes days ahead of a meeting between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After the Trump administration’s decision to remove trade privileges from Indian products under the GSP, US and Indian trade negotiators met in July. But they failed to make any major progress on the issue of tariffs and other protectionist measures imposed by both sides.

The two sides had resumed trade talks after Trump and Modi met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in June and agreed to seek to deepen the two countries’ relationship.

Other than seeking the rollback of Indian tariffs imposed on agricultural products like almonds and apples, Washington has also expressed its concerns over India’s tightening of regulations that have undermined major US e-commerce companies like Walmart’s Flipkart and Amazon.

India is by far the largest buyer of US almonds, paying $543 million for more than half of US almond exports in 2018, according to US Department of Agriculture. It is the second-largest buyer of US apples, taking $156 million worth in 2018.

On September 22, Trump, who has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, will travel to Houston, Texas, to participate in an event with Modi and to "discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship."

Modi will visit Houston to participate in an event called "Howdy Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures," at the NRG Stadium which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

Forty-four members of the US Congress have urged President Donald Trump's trade representative to restore trade concessions to India, saying the withdrawal of the privilege had led to retaliatory tariffs from New Delhi which were hurting US industry.

Forty-four members of the US Congress have urged President Donald Trump's trade representative to restore trade concessions to India, saying the withdrawal of the privilege had led to retaliatory tariffs from New Delhi which were hurting US industry. In June, the United States ended its preferential trade treatment for India, removing it from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme that allowed duty-free entry for up to $5.6 billion worth of its annual exports to the United States. The elimination of GSP brought higher retaliatory tariffs from New Delhi on 28 US products including almonds, apples and walnuts. In the letter addressed to United State Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and dated September 17, the members of Congress said, "Just as US industries are harmed by lack of fair and reciprocal access to India's market, American companies and workers also are harmed by new tariffs due to the GSP termination." A lot of American jobs depend on the trade between India and the United States, the US lawmakers said in the letter seen by Reuters. The letter comes days ahead of a meeting between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the Trump administration’s decision to remove trade privileges from Indian products under the GSP, US and Indian trade negotiators met in July. But they failed to make any major progress on the issue of tariffs and other protectionist measures imposed by both sides. The two sides had resumed trade talks after Trump and Modi met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in June and agreed to seek to deepen the two countries’ relationship. Other than seeking the rollback of Indian tariffs imposed on agricultural products like almonds and apples, Washington has also expressed its concerns over India’s tightening of regulations that have undermined major US e-commerce companies like Walmart’s Flipkart and Amazon. India is by far the largest buyer of US almonds, paying $543 million for more than half of US almond exports in 2018, according to US Department of Agriculture. It is the second-largest buyer of US apples, taking $156 million worth in 2018. On September 22, Trump, who has repeatedly called out India for its high tariffs, will travel to Houston, Texas, to participate in an event with Modi and to "discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship." Modi will visit Houston to participate in an event called "Howdy Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures," at the NRG Stadium which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

US lawmakers urge Trump administration to restore India's trade privileges

lawmakers introduces new social media addiction reduction technology act. Watch video to know more.

lawmakers introduces new social media addiction reduction technology act

People and the media in Pakistan are "scared" of speaking against the multi-billion-dollar <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-cpec-is-used-to-traffic-young-pakistani-women-to-china-210874">China-Pakistan Economic Corridor</a> (CPEC) as those critical of it are being suppressed, treated as anti-national or branded as terrorists, a former official in the Obama administration has told US lawmakers.

The $60 billion <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/opinion-why-china-and-not-pakistan-stands-to-gain-from-china-pakistan-economic-corridor-29219">CPEC</a>, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-denies-cpec-intensified-pakistans-economic-risks-208789">China's Xinjiang province</a>, is the flagship project of the multi-million dollar Border and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013.

It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes.

Testifying before a Congressional committee, Shamila Chaudhary from the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies, told the lawmakers last week that at the very local level, people who criticise the CPEC are often labelled as terrorists.

"Rarely will you read an article that's critical about CPEC in the Pakistani media. Very rarely. There's been a media capture essentially and there's only the CPEC narrative because people are scared or they've been intimidated or threatened not to do certain pieces," Chaudhary said.

"There are anti-terrorism laws that can be used against them. Worse things could possibly happen. So it's a very real threat," she said.

"It has already done a lot of damage to the civil society and the democratic culture that's fairly vibrant, despite their country's history with democracy," she added.

Responding to questions from the lawmakers about the Chinese model of development, Chaudhary said unlike America's soft power, it does not increase people-to-people relationship.

"The Chinese don't have that and the Chinese nationals that are going to, say, Pakistan, for example, they're not there to become part of the culture or learn about the communities or have cross-cultural dialogue," she said.

Chinese are in Pakistan to make money, she alleged.

"They live in enclaves and essentially what people call Chinese colonies and go to their own restaurants. And that's not something that's going to favour China, Pakistan or China's cooperation with any country for that matter over the long run. Local communities will be very upset by those things, I believe," Chaudhary said.

Informing the lawmakers that the Chinese financial assistance to Pakistan is being kept secret, she said the information now has been shared by Pakistan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) so that it can be bailed out of the current financial crisis.

"The deal (with IMF) is almost complete and it's my understanding that information has actually been shared, and so, you know, what Pakistan won't share publicly as part of a bilateral deal with the Chinese, I think it's more willing to share when it needs it," Chaudhary said.

The CPEC, she said, hurts US regional interests by disrupting the fragile India-Pakistan ties, a nuclear-fuelled dynamic that demands US stewardship from time to time during times of crisis.

"China's provision of surveillance, data collection capabilities and new hardware to the Pakistani military may seem like it improves security, but such tools also increase the likelihood of invasive data collection, misuse of information and violations of privacy," she said.

"The notion that the Pakistani military might start to mimic Chinese authoritarianism is no longer theoretical. Pakistani civil society and media report more aggressive tactics by the military to silence critical voices. They share a common refrain, that the military is more powerful than ever and that's because of China," Chaudhary said.

She told the lawmakers that in Pakistan, Chinese influence stands alone, changing the rules of the game for everyone else.

For example, Pakistan no longer publicly discloses the terms of its loans from China. Indeed, the CPEC pretends immense geo-economic and geopolitical advantages for China in Pakistan, but its repercussions will dwarf any comparable American influence, she said.

To protect US geopolitical options in the future, the US should support the Pakistani and regional actors most threatened by Chinese influence. Ultimately, countering China's rise will require the US to create policies that both address and benefit from the needs of other countries, Chaudhary said.

People and the media in Pakistan are "scared" of speaking against the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as those critical of it are being suppressed, treated as anti-national or branded as terrorists, a former official in the Obama administration has told US lawmakers.

People and the media in Pakistan are "scared" of speaking against the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as those critical of it are being suppressed, treated as anti-national or branded as terrorists, a former official in the Obama administration has told US lawmakers. The $60 billion CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan's Balochistan with China's Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of the multi-million dollar Border and Road Initiative (BRI) launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013. It aims to link Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Gulf region, Africa and Europe with a network of land and sea routes. Testifying before a Congressional committee, Shamila Chaudhary from the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies, told the lawmakers last week that at the very local level, people who criticise the CPEC are often labelled as terrorists. "Rarely will you read an article that's critical about CPEC in the Pakistani media. Very rarely. There's been a media capture essentially and there's only the CPEC narrative because people are scared or they've been intimidated or threatened not to do certain pieces," Chaudhary said. "There are anti-terrorism laws that can be used against them. Worse things could possibly happen. So it's a very real threat," she said. "It has already done a lot of damage to the civil society and the democratic culture that's fairly vibrant, despite their country's history with democracy," she added. Responding to questions from the lawmakers about the Chinese model of development, Chaudhary said unlike America's soft power, it does not increase people-to-people relationship. "The Chinese don't have that and the Chinese nationals that are going to, say, Pakistan, for example, they're not there to become part of the culture or learn about the communities or have cross-cultural dialogue," she said. Chinese are in Pakistan to make money, she alleged. "They live in enclaves and essentially what people call Chinese colonies and go to their own restaurants. And that's not something that's going to favour China, Pakistan or China's cooperation with any country for that matter over the long run. Local communities will be very upset by those things, I believe," Chaudhary said. Informing the lawmakers that the Chinese financial assistance to Pakistan is being kept secret, she said the information now has been shared by Pakistan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) so that it can be bailed out of the current financial crisis. "The deal (with IMF) is almost complete and it's my understanding that information has actually been shared, and so, you know, what Pakistan won't share publicly as part of a bilateral deal with the Chinese, I think it's more willing to share when it needs it," Chaudhary said. The CPEC, she said, hurts US regional interests by disrupting the fragile India-Pakistan ties, a nuclear-fuelled dynamic that demands US stewardship from time to time during times of crisis. "China's provision of surveillance, data collection capabilities and new hardware to the Pakistani military may seem like it improves security, but such tools also increase the likelihood of invasive data collection, misuse of information and violations of privacy," she said. "The notion that the Pakistani military might start to mimic Chinese authoritarianism is no longer theoretical. Pakistani civil society and media report more aggressive tactics by the military to silence critical voices. They share a common refrain, that the military is more powerful than ever and that's because of China," Chaudhary said. She told the lawmakers that in Pakistan, Chinese influence stands alone, changing the rules of the game for everyone else. For example, Pakistan no longer publicly discloses the terms of its loans from China. Indeed, the CPEC pretends immense geo-economic and geopolitical advantages for China in Pakistan, but its repercussions will dwarf any comparable American influence, she said. To protect US geopolitical options in the future, the US should support the Pakistani and regional actors most threatened by Chinese influence. Ultimately, countering China's rise will require the US to create policies that both address and benefit from the needs of other countries, Chaudhary said.

Pakistan media and people scared of speaking against CPEC, US lawmakers told

A bipartisan group of half a dozen influential American lawmakers has reintroduced important legislation in the House of Representatives which seeks to advance the US-India strategic relationship.

If enacted, the legislation would ensure that the US State Department treat India as a NATO ally for the purposes of the Arms Export Control Act.

It would send a powerful signal that defence sales to India should be prioritised according to US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, which had worked on this important legislation.

The bill H R 2123 was introduced this week by Congressman Joe Wilson, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

"India is the world's largest democracy, a pillar of stability in the region, and has shown strong commitments to export control policies," said Wilson.

"This adjustment to US law will further allow the US-India partnership to flourish in line with our security commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. I am grateful for the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), led by Dr Mukesh Aghi, and their support for this legislation," he said.

The original co-sponsors of the legislation are Congressman Ami Bera, the longest-serving Indian-American in Congress and the House India Caucus Co-Chairs, Congressmen George Holding, Brad Sherman and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Congressman Ted Yoho.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal 2017 included special language recognising the unique US-India defence relationship that designated India as a "Major Defence Partner" of the United States.

The language seeks unique consideration for trade and technology sharing with India and increased attention and support to advance this relationship in the areas of defence trade and technology sharing.

"The legislation bolsters national security and helps ensure full alignment between the Department of Defence and the Department of State.

"Such a change will institutionalise the gains made in the relationship and provide a more stable foundation upon which both countries can solidify this unique defence partnership," USISPF said.

Although powerful in its own right, the NDAA FY 2017 has no legal bearing on the State Department's body of legislation, nor does it compel the State Department to view defence with India more favourably, USISPF said in a statement.

To fulfil the spirit and intent of the NDAA 2017, the US-India Enhanced Cooperation Act would amend the Arms Export Control Act to put India on par with NATO allies and Israel, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

"We applaud Congressman Wilson's leadership in reintroducing this important bill. We are confident the US Congress will continue to enact legislation that bolsters the bilateral. The great power competition is not lost on Members of Congress, who understand the strategic imperative for a deeper relationship with India," said Aghi, president and CEO of USISPF.

"This legislation would be a major breakthrough for the US-India defence relationship. As Chairman of USISPF, I support this move because it would ultimately further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The future is bright for the US-India relationship and we hope this legislation is enacted soon," USISPF chairman John Chambers said.&nbsp;

A bipartisan group of half a dozen influential American lawmakers has reintroduced important legislation in the House of Representatives which seeks to advance the US-India strategic relationship.

A bipartisan group of half a dozen influential American lawmakers has reintroduced important legislation in the House of Representatives which seeks to advance the US-India strategic relationship. If enacted, the legislation would ensure that the US State Department treat India as a NATO ally for the purposes of the Arms Export Control Act. It would send a powerful signal that defence sales to India should be prioritised according to US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, which had worked on this important legislation. The bill H R 2123 was introduced this week by Congressman Joe Wilson, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "India is the world's largest democracy, a pillar of stability in the region, and has shown strong commitments to export control policies," said Wilson. "This adjustment to US law will further allow the US-India partnership to flourish in line with our security commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. I am grateful for the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), led by Dr Mukesh Aghi, and their support for this legislation," he said. The original co-sponsors of the legislation are Congressman Ami Bera, the longest-serving Indian-American in Congress and the House India Caucus Co-Chairs, Congressmen George Holding, Brad Sherman and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Congressman Ted Yoho. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal 2017 included special language recognising the unique US-India defence relationship that designated India as a "Major Defence Partner" of the United States. The language seeks unique consideration for trade and technology sharing with India and increased attention and support to advance this relationship in the areas of defence trade and technology sharing. "The legislation bolsters national security and helps ensure full alignment between the Department of Defence and the Department of State. "Such a change will institutionalise the gains made in the relationship and provide a more stable foundation upon which both countries can solidify this unique defence partnership," USISPF said. Although powerful in its own right, the NDAA FY 2017 has no legal bearing on the State Department's body of legislation, nor does it compel the State Department to view defence with India more favourably, USISPF said in a statement. To fulfil the spirit and intent of the NDAA 2017, the US-India Enhanced Cooperation Act would amend the Arms Export Control Act to put India on par with NATO allies and Israel, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. "We applaud Congressman Wilson's leadership in reintroducing this important bill. We are confident the US Congress will continue to enact legislation that bolsters the bilateral. The great power competition is not lost on Members of Congress, who understand the strategic imperative for a deeper relationship with India," said Aghi, president and CEO of USISPF. "This legislation would be a major breakthrough for the US-India defence relationship. As Chairman of USISPF, I support this move because it would ultimately further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The future is bright for the US-India relationship and we hope this legislation is enacted soon," USISPF chairman John Chambers said.

US lawmakers introduce legislation seeking strengthening of US-India partnership 

Republican and Democratic members of the US Senate asked the Trump administration on Thursday to tell them more about the murder of journalist <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-media-publish-image-of-local-collaborator-in-khashoggi-killing-197487">Jamal Khashoggi</a> at a Saudi consulate last year, days after a missed deadline for a detailed report on his death prompted an angry bipartisan backlash.

Ten of the 12 Republicans from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led by Chairman Jim Risch, wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking for more information.

"The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is committed to pursuing all information available in its oversight role and, to that end, is in the process of arranging a classified briefing for the committee," Risch said in a statement.

All 10 committee Democrats, led by senior member Bob Menendez, along with Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Pat Leahy, signed their own letter demanding that Pompeo brief Congress on why President Donald Trump's administration missed last Friday's deadline to report to Congress on whether Saudi government officials and members of the royal family, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were behind the death of Khashoggi, a legal US resident.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, was killed at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October. His death fuelled simmering discontent with the Saudis among many in Washington angry over the kingdom's human rights record and heavy civilian casualties in Yemen's civil war, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Members of Congress have been introducing legislation for months to push back against Riyadh. On Wednesday, the Democratic-led US House of Representatives approved a rare war powers resolution that would end US support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen. A Senate vote is due within weeks.

While several Republicans had demanded more of a response from Trump last week, Risch told reporters on Tuesday: "I'm really satisfied with the way they are answering questions and giving us information."

A State Department representative, commenting on the senators' letters, said Pompeo had provided an update to Foreign Relations on Friday and would continue to consult with Congress.

After initially denying his death, Saudi Arabia has confirmed that its agents killed Khashoggi. Riyadh denies its senior leaders were behind the killing.

Republican and Democratic members of the US Senate asked the Trump administration on Thursday to tell them more about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate last year, days after a missed deadline for a detailed report on his death prompted an angry bipartisan backlash.

Republican and Democratic members of the US Senate asked the Trump administration on Thursday to tell them more about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate last year, days after a missed deadline for a detailed report on his death prompted an angry bipartisan backlash. Ten of the 12 Republicans from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led by Chairman Jim Risch, wrote to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking for more information. "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is committed to pursuing all information available in its oversight role and, to that end, is in the process of arranging a classified briefing for the committee," Risch said in a statement. All 10 committee Democrats, led by senior member Bob Menendez, along with Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Pat Leahy, signed their own letter demanding that Pompeo brief Congress on why President Donald Trump's administration missed last Friday's deadline to report to Congress on whether Saudi government officials and members of the royal family, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were behind the death of Khashoggi, a legal US resident. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, was killed at a Saudi consulate in Turkey in October. His death fuelled simmering discontent with the Saudis among many in Washington angry over the kingdom's human rights record and heavy civilian casualties in Yemen's civil war, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Members of Congress have been introducing legislation for months to push back against Riyadh. On Wednesday, the Democratic-led US House of Representatives approved a rare war powers resolution that would end US support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in Yemen. A Senate vote is due within weeks. While several Republicans had demanded more of a response from Trump last week, Risch told reporters on Tuesday: "I'm really satisfied with the way they are answering questions and giving us information." A State Department representative, commenting on the senators' letters, said Pompeo had provided an update to Foreign Relations on Friday and would continue to consult with Congress. After initially denying his death, Saudi Arabia has confirmed that its agents killed Khashoggi. Riyadh denies its senior leaders were behind the killing.

US lawmakers want more information on Saudi journalist Khashoggi's death

US lawmakers have reached an agreement in principle to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-that-its-up-to-the-democrats-if-government-shuts-down-again-196783">avoid a new government shutdown</a> at the end of the week, senators announced Monday, including $1.375 billion for a wall on the southern US border.

"We've reached an agreement in principle between us on the Homeland Security and the other six bills," Senator Richard Shelby, a key Republican negotiator, told reporters.

Senior congressional aides told AFP the agreement included $1.375 billion in funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border -- a key campaign promise of President Donald Trump, who had demanded $5.7 billion for his pet project.

The agreed figure would fund approximately 89 kilometres, all to be located in the Rio Grande Valley area of south Texas, the aides said.

The deal still faces White House approval.

The Democrats and Trump have been clashing for weeks over funding a barrier on the border.

The gridlock prompted the longest government shutdown in US history -- lasting over a month -- that ended January 25 when Trump signed into law a deal giving lawmakers three weeks to come up with an agreement or face further paralysis.

As Monday's tentative deal was announced, the president was holding a campaign-style rally in the frontier city of El Paso, Texas -- a place where he claims walls have eradicated an out-of-control influx of criminals from Mexico.

US lawmakers have reached an agreement in principle to avoid a new government shutdown at the end of the week, senators announced Monday, including $1.375 billion for a wall on the southern US border.

US lawmakers have reached an agreement in principle to avoid a new government shutdown at the end of the week, senators announced Monday, including $1.375 billion for a wall on the southern US border. "We've reached an agreement in principle between us on the Homeland Security and the other six bills," Senator Richard Shelby, a key Republican negotiator, told reporters. Senior congressional aides told AFP the agreement included $1.375 billion in funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border -- a key campaign promise of President Donald Trump, who had demanded $5.7 billion for his pet project. The agreed figure would fund approximately 89 kilometres, all to be located in the Rio Grande Valley area of south Texas, the aides said. The deal still faces White House approval. The Democrats and Trump have been clashing for weeks over funding a barrier on the border. The gridlock prompted the longest government shutdown in US history -- lasting over a month -- that ended January 25 when Trump signed into law a deal giving lawmakers three weeks to come up with an agreement or face further paralysis. As Monday's tentative deal was announced, the president was holding a campaign-style rally in the frontier city of El Paso, Texas -- a place where he claims walls have eradicated an out-of-control influx of criminals from Mexico.

Reached agreement 'in principle' to avoid new US government shutdown: Senator Shelby

The top four Democratic and Republican congressional negotiators on border security funding resumed talks on Monday, with the possibility of another partial US government shutdown looming if they fail to reach a deal by a Friday deadline.

The talks, which had broken down over the weekend, restarted in the US Capitol just hours before a scheduled rally in the Texas border city of El Paso, where President Donald Trump will promote his promised wall along the US-Mexico border, a proposal opposed by Democrats.

An anti-wall protest will greet the Republican president, led by hometown Democrat Beto O'Rourke, the former congressman who is considering running for his party's 2020 presidential nomination after gaining national prominence last year by nearly upsetting Republican Ted Cruz in a US Senate race in Texas.

In Washington, the lawmakers hope to reach an agreement on Monday to allow time for the legislation to pass the House of Representatives and Senate and get Trump's signature by Friday, when funding is due to expire for the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and several other federal agencies.

Trump, who in December said he would be "proud" to shut the federal government over border security, took a different tack on Monday. "It's up to the Democrats," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether the government was headed toward its second shutdown of the winter.

The talks stumbled over the weekend over funding for physical barriers along the border and a Democratic proposal to reduce allotted spaces in immigration detention facilities for people facing deportation.

Democrats oppose the Trump administration expanding its capacity to hold more people arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for eventual deportation.

The White House and the top Republican in Congress on Monday blasted the Democratic plan, which calls for lowering an existing cap on beds at the detention facilities to 35,520 from the current 40,520 in return for giving Republicans some of the money they want for physical border barriers.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the proposal a "poison pill" introduced into the talks by the Democrats, saying it would result in the release of thousands of illegal immigrants.

'CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC'

House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, a Democrat who heads the House-Senate negotiating committee, expressed hope for a deal as she headed into the meeting.

The House Appropriations Committee's top Republican, Kay Granger, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, a Republican, and that panel's top Democrat, Patrick Leahy, attended the talks, which lasted a little over an hour.

Granger said some progress was made and the four would meet again later in the evening. "We had a good discussion. It’s like all negotiations go. We put out what we want, what they want, we didn’t finish, we will be meeting again today," she said.

Trump's December demand for $5.7 billion to help construct a border wall triggered a 35-day partial government shutdown that ended last month without him getting wall funding. Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks to allow congressional negotiators time to find a compromise on government funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30, to avert another shutdown on February 15.

Trump made a border wall one of his central 2016 campaign promises, saying it is needed to curb illegal immigration, drug trafficking and other crimes. Democrats, who assumed control of the House last month from Trump's fellow Republicans, have called a wall ineffective, expensive and immoral.

Democrats generally push for less use of detention, arguing it is much cheaper to release some immigrants but require restrictions on them such as wearing ankle bracelets that track their location. Republicans want to increase the number of beds in detention facilities to enable holding more people to speed up and expand deportations.

Trump, who has sought to crack down on illegal and legal immigration and has called the situation at the border a national security crisis, deployed 3,750 more US troops there this month.

Rebuking Trump, California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, said he would pull hundreds of the state's National Guard troops from the border.

"The border 'emergency' is nothing more than a manufactured crisis - and CA's National Guard will not be part of this political theatre," Newsom wrote on Twitter.

New Mexico's Democratic governor made a similar move last week.

The top four Democratic and Republican congressional negotiators on border security funding resumed talks on Monday, with the possibility of another partial US government shutdown looming if they fail to reach a deal by a Friday deadline.

The top four Democratic and Republican congressional negotiators on border security funding resumed talks on Monday, with the possibility of another partial US government shutdown looming if they fail to reach a deal by a Friday deadline. The talks, which had broken down over the weekend, restarted in the US Capitol just hours before a scheduled rally in the Texas border city of El Paso, where President Donald Trump will promote his promised wall along the US-Mexico border, a proposal opposed by Democrats. An anti-wall protest will greet the Republican president, led by hometown Democrat Beto O'Rourke, the former congressman who is considering running for his party's 2020 presidential nomination after gaining national prominence last year by nearly upsetting Republican Ted Cruz in a US Senate race in Texas. In Washington, the lawmakers hope to reach an agreement on Monday to allow time for the legislation to pass the House of Representatives and Senate and get Trump's signature by Friday, when funding is due to expire for the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department and several other federal agencies. Trump, who in December said he would be "proud" to shut the federal government over border security, took a different tack on Monday. "It's up to the Democrats," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether the government was headed toward its second shutdown of the winter. The talks stumbled over the weekend over funding for physical barriers along the border and a Democratic proposal to reduce allotted spaces in immigration detention facilities for people facing deportation. Democrats oppose the Trump administration expanding its capacity to hold more people arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for eventual deportation. The White House and the top Republican in Congress on Monday blasted the Democratic plan, which calls for lowering an existing cap on beds at the detention facilities to 35,520 from the current 40,520 in return for giving Republicans some of the money they want for physical border barriers. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the proposal a "poison pill" introduced into the talks by the Democrats, saying it would result in the release of thousands of illegal immigrants. 'CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC' House of Representatives Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, a Democrat who heads the House-Senate negotiating committee, expressed hope for a deal as she headed into the meeting. The House Appropriations Committee's top Republican, Kay Granger, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, a Republican, and that panel's top Democrat, Patrick Leahy, attended the talks, which lasted a little over an hour. Granger said some progress was made and the four would meet again later in the evening. "We had a good discussion. It’s like all negotiations go. We put out what we want, what they want, we didn’t finish, we will be meeting again today," she said. Trump's December demand for $5.7 billion to help construct a border wall triggered a 35-day partial government shutdown that ended last month without him getting wall funding. Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks to allow congressional negotiators time to find a compromise on government funding for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30, to avert another shutdown on February 15. Trump made a border wall one of his central 2016 campaign promises, saying it is needed to curb illegal immigration, drug trafficking and other crimes. Democrats, who assumed control of the House last month from Trump's fellow Republicans, have called a wall ineffective, expensive and immoral. Democrats generally push for less use of detention, arguing it is much cheaper to release some immigrants but require restrictions on them such as wearing ankle bracelets that track their location. Republicans want to increase the number of beds in detention facilities to enable holding more people to speed up and expand deportations. Trump, who has sought to crack down on illegal and legal immigration and has called the situation at the border a national security crisis, deployed 3,750 more US troops there this month. Rebuking Trump, California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, said he would pull hundreds of the state's National Guard troops from the border. "The border 'emergency' is nothing more than a manufactured crisis - and CA's National Guard will not be part of this political theatre," Newsom wrote on Twitter. New Mexico's Democratic governor made a similar move last week.

US lawmakers meet on border security, scrambling to avert shutdown

A bipartisan group of eminent lawmakers led by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday sought details of the sting operation carried out by the US Department of Homeland Security resulting in the detention of at least 129 students from India.

In multiple raids last month, federal authorities arrested 130 students, including 129 Indians, enrolled as students in an alleged fraudulent university in Metro Detroit area and working across the country.&nbsp;

In a letter, the lawmakers urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure students detained following the recent ICE sting in Michigan were treated properly and are afforded all rights provided to them under law, including access to an attorney and release on bond for those eligible.

Written by Congressmen Thomas Souzzi, Rob Woodall and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, in addition to Krishnamoorthi, the letter also asks DHS and ICE to share full details and regular updates regarding the Indian students with the Embassy and Consulates of India, and to facilitate consular access for the detainees.

The lawmakers expressed "concerns surrounding the recent undercover operation" conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, in which HSI special agents operated a fake university -- University of Farmington -- designed to target recruiters and foreign students believed to be engaged in immigration fraud.

According to ICE, the investigation began in 2015, and HSI agents have been operating the fake school since 2017. As per the indictment unsealed last week, eight individuals served as recruiters for the school, enrolling hundreds of foreign nationals as students at the university.&nbsp;

These eight recruiters have been indicted for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and harboring aliens for profit by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

"The Indian-American community and Indian Consulate have expressed concerns regarding the treatment of these detained foreign nationals," the lawmakers said.

"We urge DHS and ICE to ensure the detained students are treated properly and afforded all rights provided to them under the law, including access to an attorney and release on bond, if they are eligible," the letter said.&nbsp;

"We further urge DHS and ICE to share full details and regular updates regarding the Indian students with the Embassy and Consulates of India, and to facilitate consular access for the detainees,? the lawmakers said in the letter.

Noting that India is an important strategic partner and friend to the US, the lawmakers said in 2017, Indian students comprised 17.3 per cent of all international students in the country, numbering over 186,000.&nbsp;

As such, these students are a vital pillar of the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, and they come to the US on grounds of merit, they asserted.

"In the spirit of continuing cooperation on educational exchange programs, which benefit both countries economically and culturally, we ask that you ensure the students involved in this case are treated fairly, humanely, and in accordance with due process,? the Congressmen said.&nbsp;

A bipartisan group of eminent lawmakers led by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday sought details of the sting operation carried out by the US Department of Homeland Security resulting in the detention of at least 129 students from India.

A bipartisan group of eminent lawmakers led by Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Wednesday sought details of the sting operation carried out by the US Department of Homeland Security resulting in the detention of at least 129 students from India. In multiple raids last month, federal authorities arrested 130 students, including 129 Indians, enrolled as students in an alleged fraudulent university in Metro Detroit area and working across the country. In a letter, the lawmakers urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure students detained following the recent ICE sting in Michigan were treated properly and are afforded all rights provided to them under law, including access to an attorney and release on bond for those eligible. Written by Congressmen Thomas Souzzi, Rob Woodall and Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, in addition to Krishnamoorthi, the letter also asks DHS and ICE to share full details and regular updates regarding the Indian students with the Embassy and Consulates of India, and to facilitate consular access for the detainees. The lawmakers expressed "concerns surrounding the recent undercover operation" conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, in which HSI special agents operated a fake university -- University of Farmington -- designed to target recruiters and foreign students believed to be engaged in immigration fraud. According to ICE, the investigation began in 2015, and HSI agents have been operating the fake school since 2017. As per the indictment unsealed last week, eight individuals served as recruiters for the school, enrolling hundreds of foreign nationals as students at the university. These eight recruiters have been indicted for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and harboring aliens for profit by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. "The Indian-American community and Indian Consulate have expressed concerns regarding the treatment of these detained foreign nationals," the lawmakers said. "We urge DHS and ICE to ensure the detained students are treated properly and afforded all rights provided to them under the law, including access to an attorney and release on bond, if they are eligible," the letter said. "We further urge DHS and ICE to share full details and regular updates regarding the Indian students with the Embassy and Consulates of India, and to facilitate consular access for the detainees,? the lawmakers said in the letter. Noting that India is an important strategic partner and friend to the US, the lawmakers said in 2017, Indian students comprised 17.3 per cent of all international students in the country, numbering over 186,000. As such, these students are a vital pillar of the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, and they come to the US on grounds of merit, they asserted. "In the spirit of continuing cooperation on educational exchange programs, which benefit both countries economically and culturally, we ask that you ensure the students involved in this case are treated fairly, humanely, and in accordance with due process,? the Congressmen said.

US lawmakers seek full details of sting operation of fake university 

US lawmakers said on Wednesday they expect Congress will pass a resolution ending US involvement in the Yemen war, which would force President Donald Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency in order to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition.

Republican and Democratic senators and representatives said on Wednesday they were re-introducing a war powers resolution that passed the Senate by 56-41 in December, a rebuke of Trump amid anger at Saudi Arabia not just over civilian deaths in Yemen, but also the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

The lawmakers - an alliance of progressive Democrats and Republican constitutional conservatives - deplored the "humanitarian disaster" in Yemen but also said they wanted Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to decide whether the United States should be involved in military conflict.

"That decision has never been debated and discussed and voted on and approved by Congress," Republican Senator Mike Lee, one of the measure's sponsors, told a news conference.

The United States has supported the Saudi-led air campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen with mid-air refuelling support, intelligence and targeting assistance.

Opponents of the resolution are reluctant to risk disrupting the strategic US relationship with Saudi Arabia, seen as an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran, the arch-enemy of close US ally Israel.

The embassy of Yemen in Washington issued a statement opposing the resolution, saying it would "deliver a massive victory to Iran" if Washington were to stop supporting the coalition.

December's Senate vote was the first time either chamber of Congress backed a resolution to withdraw US forces from a military engagement under the War Powers Act. That law, passed in 1973, limits the president's ability to commit US forces to potential hostilities without congressional approval.

The measure never went further in December because the Republicans who then controlled the House of Representatives did not allow a vote in that chamber before the end of the year.

However, the measure's sponsors insisted it had helped lead to a ceasefire in Yemen that began in December. "Sometimes we underestimate how much influence we have," Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said.

Democrats now have a House majority, but Trump's fellow Republicans have increased their edge in the Senate by two seats to hold a 53-47 margin.

It would take a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress to overcome a Trump veto. Trump had threatened a veto in December. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he still intended to do so.

"President Trump is going to have to make a decision," said Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

US lawmakers said on Wednesday they expect Congress will pass a resolution ending US involvement in the Yemen war, which would force President Donald Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency in order to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition.

US lawmakers said on Wednesday they expect Congress will pass a resolution ending US involvement in the Yemen war, which would force President Donald Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency in order to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition. Republican and Democratic senators and representatives said on Wednesday they were re-introducing a war powers resolution that passed the Senate by 56-41 in December, a rebuke of Trump amid anger at Saudi Arabia not just over civilian deaths in Yemen, but also the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. The lawmakers - an alliance of progressive Democrats and Republican constitutional conservatives - deplored the "humanitarian disaster" in Yemen but also said they wanted Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to decide whether the United States should be involved in military conflict. "That decision has never been debated and discussed and voted on and approved by Congress," Republican Senator Mike Lee, one of the measure's sponsors, told a news conference. The United States has supported the Saudi-led air campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen with mid-air refuelling support, intelligence and targeting assistance. Opponents of the resolution are reluctant to risk disrupting the strategic US relationship with Saudi Arabia, seen as an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran, the arch-enemy of close US ally Israel. The embassy of Yemen in Washington issued a statement opposing the resolution, saying it would "deliver a massive victory to Iran" if Washington were to stop supporting the coalition. December's Senate vote was the first time either chamber of Congress backed a resolution to withdraw US forces from a military engagement under the War Powers Act. That law, passed in 1973, limits the president's ability to commit US forces to potential hostilities without congressional approval. The measure never went further in December because the Republicans who then controlled the House of Representatives did not allow a vote in that chamber before the end of the year. However, the measure's sponsors insisted it had helped lead to a ceasefire in Yemen that began in December. "Sometimes we underestimate how much influence we have," Democratic Representative Ro Khanna said. Democrats now have a House majority, but Trump's fellow Republicans have increased their edge in the Senate by two seats to hold a 53-47 margin. It would take a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress to overcome a Trump veto. Trump had threatened a veto in December. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he still intended to do so. "President Trump is going to have to make a decision," said Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

US lawmakers seek to force Trump decision on Saudi-Yemen war

Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended his response to Russian election meddling on the world's largest social media network and issued a new plan aimed at stifling misbehaviour while maintaining a vibrant hub for online speech.

His comments in a conference call with journalists and in a Facebook post followed a New York Times report on Wednesday that contended that he and other executives tried to deflect criticism internally and in Congress about Russian propaganda spreading through Facebook during the last three years.

Many US lawmakers said after the report that the government must regulate or investigate Facebook, which has become a daily source of information for more than 2 billion people globally.

Zuckerberg said on Thursday that he has acted swiftly to combat the Russian challenge and supports regulation that would encourage companies to reduce the prevalence of "harmful content."

He announced several self-regulatory measures, including rough plans to create an independent body by the end of 2019 to review appeals from users who contend their content was wrongly banned. Users also would get a new choice on whether they want to view "borderline content" in their news feeds, he said.

"I've increasingly come to believe that Facebook should not make so many important decisions about free expression and safety on our own," Zuckerberg wrote.

Facebook shares fell 0.3 per cent on Thursday, plus an additional 0.3 per cent after hours.

Increased regulation is among the biggest threats to Facebook, along with increasing user unease about the service being a safe and secure place to converse, according to financial analysts.

Company profit margins have narrowed in recent quarters as it executes Zuckerberg's initial plan to combat misbehaviour: spending aggressively on people and technology to bolster monitoring.

New plan, New data

Details of the appeals body are evolving, but the goal is to increase accountability of removal decisions and ensure they are not being driven by commercial reasons, Zuckerberg said.

Facebook's appeals process would expand to enable people who complain about content to seek second opinions if it is not removed initially. In addition, Facebook would become transparent about their rationale as well as policy changes, he said.

His announcement came as part of an update on Facebook's Transparency Report, which discloses how the company deals with inappropriate content and requests for user data by governments.

For the first time, Facebook on Thursday revealed data on bullying and harassment content, saying it had identified about 2.1 million such posts on its service between April and September, with about 15 per cent found proactively before user complaints.

Other notable updates included sharp rises during the first half of this year in censorship demands from Russian and Pakistan authorities and user data requests from Indian authorities, according to Facebook's statistics.

Facebook has been under for fire for the last two years for its self-admitted sluggishness in developing tools to combat extremist content and propaganda operations.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump by undermining Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Russia has denied any meddling in the election.

Western countries issued coordinated denunciations of Russia last month for running what they described as a global hacking campaign, which Russia has also denied.

The New York Times report, which revealed Facebook's use of a public relations firm to attack critics and rivals, prompted fresh criticism.

US Senator Amy Klobuchar said she will ask the Justice Department to look into whether the PR firm engaged in undisclosed political activity as lawmakers weighed new rules on Facebook.

Facebook stopped working with the firm Wednesday, when Zuckerberg said he became aware of it.

Scott Stringer, head of New York City Pension Funds, which holds Facebook shares, renewed a call for an independent board chair to replace Zuckerberg.

Facebook's board in a statement on Thursday credited Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg for making considerable progress fighting misuse of the social network. 
&nbsp;

Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended his response to Russian election meddling on the world's largest social media network and issued a new plan aimed at stifling misbehaviour while maintaining a vibrant hub for online speech.

Facebook Chairman and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday defended his response to Russian election meddling on the world's largest social media network and issued a new plan aimed at stifling misbehaviour while maintaining a vibrant hub for online speech. His comments in a conference call with journalists and in a Facebook post followed a New York Times report on Wednesday that contended that he and other executives tried to deflect criticism internally and in Congress about Russian propaganda spreading through Facebook during the last three years. Many US lawmakers said after the report that the government must regulate or investigate Facebook, which has become a daily source of information for more than 2 billion people globally. Zuckerberg said on Thursday that he has acted swiftly to combat the Russian challenge and supports regulation that would encourage companies to reduce the prevalence of "harmful content." He announced several self-regulatory measures, including rough plans to create an independent body by the end of 2019 to review appeals from users who contend their content was wrongly banned. Users also would get a new choice on whether they want to view "borderline content" in their news feeds, he said. "I've increasingly come to believe that Facebook should not make so many important decisions about free expression and safety on our own," Zuckerberg wrote. Facebook shares fell 0.3 per cent on Thursday, plus an additional 0.3 per cent after hours. Increased regulation is among the biggest threats to Facebook, along with increasing user unease about the service being a safe and secure place to converse, according to financial analysts. Company profit margins have narrowed in recent quarters as it executes Zuckerberg's initial plan to combat misbehaviour: spending aggressively on people and technology to bolster monitoring. New plan, New data Details of the appeals body are evolving, but the goal is to increase accountability of removal decisions and ensure they are not being driven by commercial reasons, Zuckerberg said. Facebook's appeals process would expand to enable people who complain about content to seek second opinions if it is not removed initially. In addition, Facebook would become transparent about their rationale as well as policy changes, he said. His announcement came as part of an update on Facebook's Transparency Report, which discloses how the company deals with inappropriate content and requests for user data by governments. For the first time, Facebook on Thursday revealed data on bullying and harassment content, saying it had identified about 2.1 million such posts on its service between April and September, with about 15 per cent found proactively before user complaints. Other notable updates included sharp rises during the first half of this year in censorship demands from Russian and Pakistan authorities and user data requests from Indian authorities, according to Facebook's statistics. Facebook has been under for fire for the last two years for its self-admitted sluggishness in developing tools to combat extremist content and propaganda operations. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump by undermining Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Russia has denied any meddling in the election. Western countries issued coordinated denunciations of Russia last month for running what they described as a global hacking campaign, which Russia has also denied. The New York Times report, which revealed Facebook's use of a public relations firm to attack critics and rivals, prompted fresh criticism. US Senator Amy Klobuchar said she will ask the Justice Department to look into whether the PR firm engaged in undisclosed political activity as lawmakers weighed new rules on Facebook. Facebook stopped working with the firm Wednesday, when Zuckerberg said he became aware of it. Scott Stringer, head of New York City Pension Funds, which holds Facebook shares, renewed a call for an independent board chair to replace Zuckerberg. Facebook's board in a statement on Thursday credited Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg for making considerable progress fighting misuse of the social network.

Facebook defends Russia response, updates plan to curb misbehaviour

US lawmakers will introduce legislation on Wednesday urging a stronger response by the Trump administration to China’s crackdown on minority Muslims, including possible sanctions against a regional Communist Party chief and other officials accused of human rights abuses.

The legislation will also ask President Donald Trump to condemn China’s actions in the Xinjiang region, call for a new “special coordinator” of US policy on the issue and press for consideration of a ban on export of US technology that Beijing could use in surveillance and mass detention of ethnic Uighurs, according to a copy of the measure seen by Reuters.

The lawmakers want the Trump administration to consider human rights-related sanctions against Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who is also a member of the powerful politburo, and other officials “credibly alleged to be responsible” for the security crackdown, the measure will say.

“Chinese government officials should be held accountable for their complicity in this evil and US businesses should be barred from helping China create a high-tech police state in Xinjiang," said Republican US Representative Chris Smith, one of the sponsors of the bipartisan legislation that will be presented in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

The White House and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill, which is also being put forth by Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez

Trump’s senior aides recently have become more vocal in their criticism of China’s treatment of its minority Muslims in Xinjiang, which has sparked an international outcry. Any sanctions, however, would be a rare move on human rights grounds by the Trump administration against China, with which it is engaged in a bitter trade war.

Beijing has dismissed accusations of abuses in Xinjiang, urging the United States and other countries to stay out of its internal affairs.

China’s top diplomat said earlier on Tuesday that the world should ignore "gossip" about developments in Xinjiang and trust authorities there, when asked if Beijing would allow international observers to inspect camps holding Muslims there.

Western countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United States have urged China to shut down camps in Xinjiang, where activists say as many as 1 million members of the Uighur minority and other Muslims are being detained. Far western Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist militants and separatists, China has said in the past.

Rubio said in a statement that some Chinese officials were responsible for "possible crimes against humanity."

The Trump administration for several months has been weighing sanctions against Chinese officials and companies operating in Xinjiang, US officials have said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The new bill calls for consideration of measures under the Global Magnitsky Act, which hits rights violators with freezes on US assets, US travel bans, and prohibitions on Americans doing business with them, and also under a federal law to target those involved in religious repression around the world.

It will urge the administration to report back to Congress on Chinese companies involved in the camps and ask the FBI to take action against any Chinese government efforts to intimidate Uighurs living in the United States. 
&nbsp;

US lawmakers will introduce legislation on Wednesday urging a stronger response by the Trump administration to China’s crackdown on minority Muslims, including possible sanctions against a regional Communist Party chief and other officials accused of human rights abuses.

US lawmakers will introduce legislation on Wednesday urging a stronger response by the Trump administration to China’s crackdown on minority Muslims, including possible sanctions against a regional Communist Party chief and other officials accused of human rights abuses. The legislation will also ask President Donald Trump to condemn China’s actions in the Xinjiang region, call for a new “special coordinator” of US policy on the issue and press for consideration of a ban on export of US technology that Beijing could use in surveillance and mass detention of ethnic Uighurs, according to a copy of the measure seen by Reuters. The lawmakers want the Trump administration to consider human rights-related sanctions against Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, who is also a member of the powerful politburo, and other officials “credibly alleged to be responsible” for the security crackdown, the measure will say. “Chinese government officials should be held accountable for their complicity in this evil and US businesses should be barred from helping China create a high-tech police state in Xinjiang," said Republican US Representative Chris Smith, one of the sponsors of the bipartisan legislation that will be presented in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The White House and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the bill, which is also being put forth by Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez Trump’s senior aides recently have become more vocal in their criticism of China’s treatment of its minority Muslims in Xinjiang, which has sparked an international outcry. Any sanctions, however, would be a rare move on human rights grounds by the Trump administration against China, with which it is engaged in a bitter trade war. Beijing has dismissed accusations of abuses in Xinjiang, urging the United States and other countries to stay out of its internal affairs. China’s top diplomat said earlier on Tuesday that the world should ignore "gossip" about developments in Xinjiang and trust authorities there, when asked if Beijing would allow international observers to inspect camps holding Muslims there. Western countries including Canada, France, Germany, and the United States have urged China to shut down camps in Xinjiang, where activists say as many as 1 million members of the Uighur minority and other Muslims are being detained. Far western Xinjiang faces a threat from Islamist militants and separatists, China has said in the past. Rubio said in a statement that some Chinese officials were responsible for "possible crimes against humanity." The Trump administration for several months has been weighing sanctions against Chinese officials and companies operating in Xinjiang, US officials have said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The new bill calls for consideration of measures under the Global Magnitsky Act, which hits rights violators with freezes on US assets, US travel bans, and prohibitions on Americans doing business with them, and also under a federal law to target those involved in religious repression around the world. It will urge the administration to report back to Congress on Chinese companies involved in the camps and ask the FBI to take action against any Chinese government efforts to intimidate Uighurs living in the United States.

US to introduce legislation to urge possible China sanctions over Xinjiang crackdown

French President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-brushes-dandruff-off-perfect-macron-132660">Emmanuel Macron received a standing </a>ovation by US lawmakers as he addressed the joint session of the US Congress urging&nbsp;the Trump administration to help "preserve and reinvent multilateralism".

The French president spoke on various issues including the "new" Iran deal, climate change and trade wars.

Macron was given a three-minute standing ovation in the US Congress as he started his speech, the French president said: "Our objective is clear, Iran shall never possess any nuclear weapons. Not now. Not in five years. Not in 10 years. Never."

Macron who is on a three-day visit to the US, said: "The United States' involvement as your role was decisive for creating and guarding today's free world. The United States is the one who invented this multilateralism. You are the one now who has to help preserve and reinvent it."

"Whatever the decision of the United States will be, we will not leave the floor to the actions of rogues. We will not leave the floor to this conflict of powers in the Middle East," Macron told the Congress.

"I think we can work together to build this comprehensive deal for the whole region, for our people, because I think it fairly addresses our concerns," he said.

On the contentious issue of climate change, Macron said: "Let us face it. There is no Planet B."

"We have disagreements between the United States and France. It may happen, like in all families," he said -- but such differences would be short-term," he insisted.

"We're just citizens of the same planet," Macron said.

The French president said that free and fair trade was the need of the hour.

"We need a free and fair trade, for sure," Macron said.

"A commercial war opposing allies is not consistent with our mission, with our history, with our current commitments for global security," he added.

The French president spoke on various issues including the "new" Iran deal, climate change and trade wars.

French President Emmanuel Macron received a standing ovation by US lawmakers as he addressed the joint session of the US Congress urging the Trump administration to help "preserve and reinvent multilateralism". The French president spoke on various issues including the "new" Iran deal, climate change and trade wars. Macron was given a three-minute standing ovation in the US Congress as he started his speech, the French president said: "Our objective is clear, Iran shall never possess any nuclear weapons. Not now. Not in five years. Not in 10 years. Never." Macron who is on a three-day visit to the US, said: "The United States' involvement as your role was decisive for creating and guarding today's free world. The United States is the one who invented this multilateralism. You are the one now who has to help preserve and reinvent it." "Whatever the decision of the United States will be, we will not leave the floor to the actions of rogues. We will not leave the floor to this conflict of powers in the Middle East," Macron told the Congress. "I think we can work together to build this comprehensive deal for the whole region, for our people, because I think it fairly addresses our concerns," he said. On the contentious issue of climate change, Macron said: "Let us face it. There is no Planet B." "We have disagreements between the United States and France. It may happen, like in all families," he said -- but such differences would be short-term," he insisted. "We're just citizens of the same planet," Macron said. The French president said that free and fair trade was the need of the hour. "We need a free and fair trade, for sure," Macron said. "A commercial war opposing allies is not consistent with our mission, with our history, with our current commitments for global security," he added.

US should help preserve and reinvent  multilateralism: Macron to US lawmakers

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zuckerbergs-testimony-before-congress-5-questions-facebook-chief-may-face-129671">Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg</a> appeared before US lawmakers Tuesday to apologize for how his company has handled the growing furor over online privacy, to promise change, and explain the social media giant's policies.

The wide-ranging questions -- including about <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-to-accept-mistake-at-us-hearing-for-data-leak-129658">Cambridge Analytica, which used data scraped from 87 million Facebook </a>users to target political ads ahead of the 2016 US election -- put the 33-year-old billionaire under a microscope for several hours at a joint Senate committee hearing.

Here are top quotes from Zuckerberg, and some of the dozens of senators who grilled him. "We didn`t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. And it was my mistake, and I`m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I`m responsible for what happens here."

"When we heard back from Cambridge Analytica that they had told us that they weren`t using the data and deleted it, we considered it a closed case. In retrospect, that was clearly a mistake. We shouldn`t have taken their word for it. We`ve updated our policy to make sure we don`t make that mistake again."

"It will take some time to work through all the changes we need to make across the company. I`m committed to getting this right. This includes the basic responsibility of protecting people`s information, which we failed to do with Cambridge Analytica."

"We`re investigating every single app that had access to a large amount of information in the past. And if we find that someone improperly used data, we`re going to ban them from Facebook and tell everyone affected."One of my greatest regrets in running the company is that we were slow in identifying the Russian information operations in 2016."

"There are people in Russia whose job it is to try to exploit our systems and other internet systems.... So this is an arms race. They`re going to keep getting better and we need to invest in getting better at this too."

Asked if Facebook executives have been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the US election: "Our work with the special counsel is confidential.... I actually am not aware of a subpoena. I believe there may be, but I know we`re working with them."

"I know we did help out the Trump campaign overall in sales support in the same way we do with other campaigns."There will always be a version of Facebook that is free."

"We need to take a more active view in policing the ecosystem and watching and looking out and making sure that all the members in our community are using these tools in a way that`s going to be good and healthy."

Asked if he believes the social media giant, with over two billion users worldwide, amounts to a monopoly: "It certainly doesn`t feel like that to me."Senator Dick Durbin: "Would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night? If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you`ve messaged?"

Zuckerberg: "Senator, no I would probably not choose to do that publicly here."

Durbin: "I think that may be what this is all about: your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you give away in modern America in the name of connecting people around the world."Senator John Thune: "This should be a wake-up call for the tech community.... We`re listening, America is listening, and quite possibly the world is listening too."

Senator Bill Nelson: "Let me just cut to the chase. If you and other social media companies do not get your act in order, none of us are going to have any privacy anymore."

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg appeared before US lawmakers Tuesday to apologize for how his company has handled the growing furor over online privacy, to promise change, and explain the social media giant's policies

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg appeared before US lawmakers Tuesday to apologize for how his company has handled the growing furor over online privacy, to promise change, and explain the social media giant's policies. The wide-ranging questions -- including about Cambridge Analytica, which used data scraped from 87 million Facebook users to target political ads ahead of the 2016 US election -- put the 33-year-old billionaire under a microscope for several hours at a joint Senate committee hearing. Here are top quotes from Zuckerberg, and some of the dozens of senators who grilled him. "We didn`t take a broad enough view of our responsibility, and that was a big mistake. And it was my mistake, and I`m sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I`m responsible for what happens here." "When we heard back from Cambridge Analytica that they had told us that they weren`t using the data and deleted it, we considered it a closed case. In retrospect, that was clearly a mistake. We shouldn`t have taken their word for it. We`ve updated our policy to make sure we don`t make that mistake again." "It will take some time to work through all the changes we need to make across the company. I`m committed to getting this right. This includes the basic responsibility of protecting people`s information, which we failed to do with Cambridge Analytica." "We`re investigating every single app that had access to a large amount of information in the past. And if we find that someone improperly used data, we`re going to ban them from Facebook and tell everyone affected."One of my greatest regrets in running the company is that we were slow in identifying the Russian information operations in 2016." "There are people in Russia whose job it is to try to exploit our systems and other internet systems.... So this is an arms race. They`re going to keep getting better and we need to invest in getting better at this too." Asked if Facebook executives have been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the US election: "Our work with the special counsel is confidential.... I actually am not aware of a subpoena. I believe there may be, but I know we`re working with them." "I know we did help out the Trump campaign overall in sales support in the same way we do with other campaigns."There will always be a version of Facebook that is free." "We need to take a more active view in policing the ecosystem and watching and looking out and making sure that all the members in our community are using these tools in a way that`s going to be good and healthy." Asked if he believes the social media giant, with over two billion users worldwide, amounts to a monopoly: "It certainly doesn`t feel like that to me."Senator Dick Durbin: "Would you be comfortable sharing with us the name of the hotel you stayed in last night? If you messaged anybody this week, would you share with us the names of the people you`ve messaged?" Zuckerberg: "Senator, no I would probably not choose to do that publicly here." Durbin: "I think that may be what this is all about: your right to privacy, the limits of your right to privacy, and how much you give away in modern America in the name of connecting people around the world."Senator John Thune: "This should be a wake-up call for the tech community.... We`re listening, America is listening, and quite possibly the world is listening too." Senator Bill Nelson: "Let me just cut to the chase. If you and other social media companies do not get your act in order, none of us are going to have any privacy anymore."

'I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here': Zuckerberg at joint Senate committee hearing

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will strike a conciliatory tone on Tuesday in testimony before Congress in an attempt to blunt possible regulatory fallout from the privacy scandal engulfing his social network.

The 33-year-old internet mogul is scheduled to appear at 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) before a joint hearing of the US&nbsp;Senate's Commerce and Judiciary committees.

Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook in his Harvard University dorm room in 2004, is fighting to demonstrate to critics that he is the right person to go on leading what has grown into one of the world's largest companies.

Facebook faces a mushrooming crisis of confidence among users, advertisers, employees and investors after acknowledging that up to 87 million people, mostly in the United States, had their personal information harvested from the site by Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy that has counted US&nbsp;President Donald Trump among its clients.

Zuckerberg, who has never testified in a congressional hearing, said in written testimony on Monday that he had made mistakes and had held too narrow a view of the social network's role in society.

"Now we have to go through every part of our relationship with people and make sure we're taking a broad enough view of our responsibility," he said.

Facebook hired several outside consultants to help coach Zuckerberg, even holding mock sessions to prepare him for questions from lawmakers.

In an olive branch on Friday, Zuckerberg threw his support behind proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads.

US&nbsp;lawmakers have discussed legislation that would strengthen data privacy protections and enforcement. Tighter regulation of how Facebook uses its members' data could affect its ability to attract advertising revenue, its lifeblood.

Some 40 senators out of the 100-member Senate sit on the two committees holding Tuesday's hearing, setting up a possibly marathon hearing.

To ease the way, Zuckerberg on Monday met some lawmakers privately, listening to their concerns before they will have a chance to interrogate him in public.

Zuckerberg appeared willing "to turn things around where he sees mistakes that have been made," Senator Bill Nelson, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, said after meeting with the CEO.

For hearings last year about Russia's alleged use of social media to influence American politics, Facebook, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google sent lawyers, angering lawmakers.

Facebook's previous emissary "was a silver-tongued devil" who "said nothing," Republican Senator John Kennedy said on CNBC on Monday. Kennedy said he planned to ask Zuckerberg about antitrust enforcement and its acquisition of rivals.

Zuckerberg will get a second dose of questioning on Wednesday from the US&nbsp;House Energy and Commerce Committee.

His perch atop Facebook is assured as long as he wants it, given that he remains its controlling shareholder.

But his reputation has suffered as television comedians have mocked his perceived robotic speaking patterns and allegedly cavalier attitude toward privacy.

Shares in Facebook are down more than 14 percent since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke last month.

Zuckerberg said in written testimony on Monday that he had made mistakes and had held too narrow a view of the social network's role in society

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg will strike a conciliatory tone on Tuesday in testimony before Congress in an attempt to blunt possible regulatory fallout from the privacy scandal engulfing his social network. The 33-year-old internet mogul is scheduled to appear at 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) before a joint hearing of the US Senate's Commerce and Judiciary committees. Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook in his Harvard University dorm room in 2004, is fighting to demonstrate to critics that he is the right person to go on leading what has grown into one of the world's largest companies. Facebook faces a mushrooming crisis of confidence among users, advertisers, employees and investors after acknowledging that up to 87 million people, mostly in the United States, had their personal information harvested from the site by Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy that has counted US President Donald Trump among its clients. Zuckerberg, who has never testified in a congressional hearing, said in written testimony on Monday that he had made mistakes and had held too narrow a view of the social network's role in society. "Now we have to go through every part of our relationship with people and make sure we're taking a broad enough view of our responsibility," he said. Facebook hired several outside consultants to help coach Zuckerberg, even holding mock sessions to prepare him for questions from lawmakers. In an olive branch on Friday, Zuckerberg threw his support behind proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads. US lawmakers have discussed legislation that would strengthen data privacy protections and enforcement. Tighter regulation of how Facebook uses its members' data could affect its ability to attract advertising revenue, its lifeblood. Some 40 senators out of the 100-member Senate sit on the two committees holding Tuesday's hearing, setting up a possibly marathon hearing. To ease the way, Zuckerberg on Monday met some lawmakers privately, listening to their concerns before they will have a chance to interrogate him in public. Zuckerberg appeared willing "to turn things around where he sees mistakes that have been made," Senator Bill Nelson, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, said after meeting with the CEO. For hearings last year about Russia's alleged use of social media to influence American politics, Facebook, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google sent lawyers, angering lawmakers. Facebook's previous emissary "was a silver-tongued devil" who "said nothing," Republican Senator John Kennedy said on CNBC on Monday. Kennedy said he planned to ask Zuckerberg about antitrust enforcement and its acquisition of rivals. Zuckerberg will get a second dose of questioning on Wednesday from the US House Energy and Commerce Committee. His perch atop Facebook is assured as long as he wants it, given that he remains its controlling shareholder. But his reputation has suffered as television comedians have mocked his perceived robotic speaking patterns and allegedly cavalier attitude toward privacy. Shares in Facebook are down more than 14 percent since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke last month.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg aims to pacify US lawmakers

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg will hold meetings with some US&nbsplawmakers on Monday, a day before he is due to appear at Congressional hearings over a political consultancy's use of customer data, two congressional aides said on Sunday.

The planned meetings at Capitol Hill are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and include some lawmakers from committees before whom Zuckerberg is due to testify, said the aides, who asked not to be identified because the meetings have not been made public.

Facebook declined to comment.

Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before a joint hearing of the US&nbspSenate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and the US&nbspHouse Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after it said that the personal information of up to 87 million users, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

A Facebook spokesman said on Sunday that the company plans to begin telling affected users on Monday.

London-based Cambridge Analytica, which has counted US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's 2016 campaign among its clients, has disputed Facebook's estimate of the number of affected users.

Zuckerberg is expected in his testimony to recognize a need to take responsibility and acknowledge an initial failure to understand how many people were affected, a person briefed on the matter, who asked for anonymity, said on Sunday.

Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters last week that he accepted blame for the data leak, which has angered users, advertisers and lawmakers, while also saying he was still the right person to head the company he founded.

On Friday, Facebook backed proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads and introduced a new verification process for people buying "issue" ads.

The steps are designed to deter the kind of election meddling and online information warfare that US&nbspauthorities have accused Russia of pursuing, Zuckerberg said on Friday. Moscow has denied the allegations.

In February, US&nbspSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies with interfering in the 2016 US&nbsppresidential election by sowing discord on social media.

Zuckerberg, on the call with reporters, said Facebook should have done more to audit and oversee third-party app developers like the one hired by Cambridge Analytica in 2014.

The planned meetings at Capitol Hill are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and include some lawmakers from committees before whom Zuckerberg is due to testify

Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg will hold meetings with some US&nbsplawmakers on Monday, a day before he is due to appear at Congressional hearings over a political consultancy's use of customer data, two congressional aides said on Sunday. The planned meetings at Capitol Hill are expected to continue through Monday afternoon and include some lawmakers from committees before whom Zuckerberg is due to testify, said the aides, who asked not to be identified because the meetings have not been made public. Facebook declined to comment. Zuckerberg is scheduled to appear before a joint hearing of the US&nbspSenate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday and the US&nbspHouse Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Facebook has come under fire in recent weeks after it said that the personal information of up to 87 million users, mostly in the United States, may have been improperly shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. A Facebook spokesman said on Sunday that the company plans to begin telling affected users on Monday. London-based Cambridge Analytica, which has counted US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's 2016 campaign among its clients, has disputed Facebook's estimate of the number of affected users. Zuckerberg is expected in his testimony to recognize a need to take responsibility and acknowledge an initial failure to understand how many people were affected, a person briefed on the matter, who asked for anonymity, said on Sunday. Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters last week that he accepted blame for the data leak, which has angered users, advertisers and lawmakers, while also saying he was still the right person to head the company he founded. On Friday, Facebook backed proposed legislation requiring social media sites to disclose the identities of buyers of online political campaign ads and introduced a new verification process for people buying "issue" ads. The steps are designed to deter the kind of election meddling and online information warfare that US&nbspauthorities have accused Russia of pursuing, Zuckerberg said on Friday. Moscow has denied the allegations. In February, US&nbspSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller charged 13 Russians and three Russian companies with interfering in the 2016 US&nbsppresidential election by sowing discord on social media. Zuckerberg, on the call with reporters, said Facebook should have done more to audit and oversee third-party app developers like the one hired by Cambridge Analytica in 2014.

Facebook's Zuckerberg to meet with US lawmakers Monday: Reports

The number of women and girls now known to have been abused by Larry Nassar has risen to 265, a Michigan judge told a final sentencing hearing Wednesday where the former USA Gymnastics doctor faced his accusers once again.

At least 65 of Nassar&#39;s victims were to speak out over several days at the last of three sentencing hearings for the disgraced doctor who molested his patients for two decades under the guise of medical treatment.

The 54-year-old Nassar was sentenced last week to 40 to 175 years for molesting girls at his Michigan State University (MSU) clinic, in addition to a prior sentence of 60 years for possessing child pornography.&nbsp;

The poignant accounts of abuse suffered by more than 150 young women and girls, who took the stand over the past two weeks, have had profound repercussions for the US sporting world, with resignations, retirements and new investigations announced at a rapid pace.

Under pressure, the entire board of USA Gymnastics has stepped down as of Wednesday.

As the final hearings got under way, star gymnast Simone Biles slammed the US Olympic Committee for failing to reach out to her after she revealed this month she had been molested by Nassar.&nbsp;

She revealed she was initially in denial -- and broke down when she realized she had been abused.&nbsp;

&quot;I remember just bawling my eyes out,&quot; the four-time Olympic gold medal winner told NBC News. &quot;It feels like he took a part of me that I can&#39;t get back.&quot;

Biles, along with fellow gold-medalists Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney, have all identified themselves as Nassar victims, along with scores of female athletes in gymnastics and others who sought medical treatment at Michigan State. &nbsp;

Criminal of the worst kind

The small courtroom in Charlotte, Michigan filled up early in the morning, long before Nassar was brought in for hearings that were expected stretch into early next week.

&quot;We have over 265 identified victims and an infinite number of victims in the state, in the country, and all over the world,&quot; Judge Janice Cunningham said.&nbsp;

&quot;As a result, by allowing live streaming and tweeting, all individuals are able to participate in this process.&quot;&nbsp;

Jessica Thomashow, 17, who had also testified at Nassar&#39;s previous sentencing hearing, urged the judge to impose the maximum allowable sentence.&nbsp;

&quot;Larry Nassar is evil,&quot; she said. &quot;Larry Nassar is a criminal of the worst kind.&quot;&nbsp;

Under a plea agreement, Nassar could get a minimum 25 to 40 years in prison, in addition to his prior sentences.&nbsp;

Best friends

Gymnast Madison Bonofiglio testified against Larry Nassar in March 2017, when molestation charges were initially brought. She said she knew of at least 10 other victims who have not come forward.&nbsp;

&quot;This really makes me sad that some of my best friends think because they were only assaulted by Nassar five to 10 times, that it doesn&#39;t matter,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

The latest hearing relates to abuse that took place at the Twistars gymnastics training facility. Approximately 30 statements were read Wednesday, and another 35 expected when court resumes Friday.&nbsp;

The victims&#39; courtroom revelations have sent shockwaves through the sport.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered an investigation of the Karolyi Ranch -- until recently the training ground for America&#39;s top gymnasts, where victims said they were abused. &nbsp;

USA Gymnastics severed ties with the ranch and three board members resigned, but that failed to quell the furor. The US Olympics Committee demanded all USA Gymnastics board members resign, and they complied Wednesday.

&quot;USA Gymnastics embraces not only the changes necessary,&quot; it said in a statement, &quot;but we also will hold the organization to the highest standards of care and safety.&quot;

US lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bipartisan bill mandating reporting of all sexual assault allegations in amateur sports.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the fallout from the Nassar case may yet grow, with the US Olympic Committee, MSU and USA Gymnastics all facing investigations in what victims see as a belated push to establish who knew about Nassar&#39;s conduct, and what could have been done to stop him.&nbsp; 
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US lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bipartisan bill mandating reporting of all sexual assault allegations in amateur sports

The number of women and girls now known to have been abused by Larry Nassar has risen to 265, a Michigan judge told a final sentencing hearing Wednesday where the former USA Gymnastics doctor faced his accusers once again. At least 65 of Nassar's victims were to speak out over several days at the last of three sentencing hearings for the disgraced doctor who molested his patients for two decades under the guise of medical treatment. The 54-year-old Nassar was sentenced last week to 40 to 175 years for molesting girls at his Michigan State University (MSU) clinic, in addition to a prior sentence of 60 years for possessing child pornography. The poignant accounts of abuse suffered by more than 150 young women and girls, who took the stand over the past two weeks, have had profound repercussions for the US sporting world, with resignations, retirements and new investigations announced at a rapid pace. Under pressure, the entire board of USA Gymnastics has stepped down as of Wednesday. As the final hearings got under way, star gymnast Simone Biles slammed the US Olympic Committee for failing to reach out to her after she revealed this month she had been molested by Nassar. She revealed she was initially in denial -- and broke down when she realized she had been abused. "I remember just bawling my eyes out," the four-time Olympic gold medal winner told NBC News. "It feels like he took a part of me that I can't get back." Biles, along with fellow gold-medalists Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney, have all identified themselves as Nassar victims, along with scores of female athletes in gymnastics and others who sought medical treatment at Michigan State. Criminal of the worst kind The small courtroom in Charlotte, Michigan filled up early in the morning, long before Nassar was brought in for hearings that were expected stretch into early next week. "We have over 265 identified victims and an infinite number of victims in the state, in the country, and all over the world," Judge Janice Cunningham said. "As a result, by allowing live streaming and tweeting, all individuals are able to participate in this process." Jessica Thomashow, 17, who had also testified at Nassar's previous sentencing hearing, urged the judge to impose the maximum allowable sentence. "Larry Nassar is evil," she said. "Larry Nassar is a criminal of the worst kind." Under a plea agreement, Nassar could get a minimum 25 to 40 years in prison, in addition to his prior sentences. Best friends Gymnast Madison Bonofiglio testified against Larry Nassar in March 2017, when molestation charges were initially brought. She said she knew of at least 10 other victims who have not come forward. "This really makes me sad that some of my best friends think because they were only assaulted by Nassar five to 10 times, that it doesn't matter," she said. The latest hearing relates to abuse that took place at the Twistars gymnastics training facility. Approximately 30 statements were read Wednesday, and another 35 expected when court resumes Friday. The victims' courtroom revelations have sent shockwaves through the sport. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered an investigation of the Karolyi Ranch -- until recently the training ground for America's top gymnasts, where victims said they were abused. USA Gymnastics severed ties with the ranch and three board members resigned, but that failed to quell the furor. The US Olympics Committee demanded all USA Gymnastics board members resign, and they complied Wednesday. "USA Gymnastics embraces not only the changes necessary," it said in a statement, "but we also will hold the organization to the highest standards of care and safety." US lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bipartisan bill mandating reporting of all sexual assault allegations in amateur sports. Meanwhile, the fallout from the Nassar case may yet grow, with the US Olympic Committee, MSU and USA Gymnastics all facing investigations in what victims see as a belated push to establish who knew about Nassar's conduct, and what could have been done to stop him.

USA Gymnastics doctor abused at least 265 women and girls, court told

The US House of Representatives has condemned Iran&#39;s crackdown on the recent anti-government protests.

US lawmakers adopted a resolution and voted in support of anti-government Iranian protesters by a vote of 415 to two.&nbsp;

The House &quot;stands with the people of Iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive, corrupt regime,&quot; and condemns the government&#39;s &quot;serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people,&quot; the resolution stated.

Iran&#39;s capital Tehran and other areas witnessed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/protests-hit-tehran-as-government-warns-against-illegal-gatherings-28138">violent protests against the government</a> over alleged corruption and economic crisis.&nbsp;

Close to 21 people were reported dead with multiple people injured in clashes that prompted the Iranian regime to temporarily block access to social media.

The government had warned the protestors stating that those who go against the law <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-said-protesters-should-pay-a-high-price-if-they-break-the-law-28170">will pay the price</a>.

&nbsp;The Trump administration may also issue new sanctions on Iran&#39;s human rights violators.&nbsp;

The White House has already imposed sanctions on five Iranian firms who were alleged to have been involved in an illegal ballistic missile program.

The US lawmakers also clarified that they stand firm in support of Iranian people and target the &quot;oppressive, destabilizing regime, not the people of Iran.&quot;

&quot;In standing with the Iranian people, we must explain that they are not the target of our sanctions,&quot; House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce said.

Close to 21 people were reported dead with multiple injured in clashes that prompted the Iranian regime to temporarily block access to social media

The US House of Representatives has condemned Iran's crackdown on the recent anti-government protests. US lawmakers adopted a resolution and voted in support of anti-government Iranian protesters by a vote of 415 to two. The House "stands with the people of Iran that are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against an oppressive, corrupt regime," and condemns the government's "serious human rights abuses against the Iranian people," the resolution stated. Iran's capital Tehran and other areas witnessed violent protests against the government over alleged corruption and economic crisis. Close to 21 people were reported dead with multiple people injured in clashes that prompted the Iranian regime to temporarily block access to social media. The government had warned the protestors stating that those who go against the law will pay the price. The Trump administration may also issue new sanctions on Iran's human rights violators. The White House has already imposed sanctions on five Iranian firms who were alleged to have been involved in an illegal ballistic missile program. The US lawmakers also clarified that they stand firm in support of Iranian people and target the "oppressive, destabilizing regime, not the people of Iran." "In standing with the Iranian people, we must explain that they are not the target of our sanctions," House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce said.

US lawmakers condemn Iran's crackdown on protesters

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