MP by-poll results: Congress retains Mungaoli, Kolaras with huge margins

The Congress party has retained Mungaoli Assembly seat in a by-poll by a margin of over 2,000 votes, a poll official said.

Congress' Brijendra Singh Yadav beat BJP's Bai Sahib by 2,124 votes.
Brajendra Singh Yadav got 70,808 votes while the BJP candidate, Baisahab Yadav, bagged 68,684, the official said.
Congress also retained Kolaras Assembly seat with a margin of over 8,000 votes
A total of 22 candidates from Mungaoli and 13 from Kolaras were in the fray for the February 24 polls.
There was 77.25 per cent voting recorded in Mungaoli and 72.82 per cent in Kolaras on Saturday.
Both these seats were keenly contested in a prestige battle between the two parties ahead of the assembly polls in the state due later in 2018.

What to make of US Fed chairman Jerome Powell's hawkish testimony

Jerome H Powell, the newly minted Chairman of the US Federal Reserve (US Fed) came out as a clear hawk in his first testimony before the Congress on Tuesday.
Powell said that his expectations for domestic economic growth have increased since the beginning of the year, citing the passage of the $1.5 trillion tax cut, lifting of the debt ceiling and stronger global growth.
Our take on his testimony:
1. Clearly hawkish
His talons became visible when he answered a Democrat’s question as to what would cause the US Fed to hike more than three times that the central bank’s guidance currently calls for?
Powell said that each of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) member would take the developments since the December meeting into account and write down ‘new rate paths as we go into the March meeting, and I wouldn’t want to prejudge that.’
2. Personal views take front seat
When the Fed Chair testifies, he speaks for the Federal Reserve, not for himself. But, Powell gave his personal views many times. This is a big break from the past like Janet Yellen, Ben Bernanke or Alan Greenspan.

Twitter adds new Bookmark feature; now you can save tweets for later

Micro-blogging platform Twitter announced that its 'Bookmarks' feature would be rolled out to all its users on Thursday.

The new feature gives users an opportunity to save any tweets they may like and want to revisit, the Verge reported.

With the current version of Twitter, a tweet could be saved by liking it.

However, with the new update in place, twitterers can save any tweet of their choice with Bookmarks.

Furthermore, with Bookmarks, only the user who saves the tweet will be aware of the same, and not the one whose tweet is saved, or any other user.

In order to bookmark a tweet, a user may tap or click the new 'share' icon available beneath a tweet, where the message icon was earlier positioned.

Twitter also announced the amalgamation of sharing options under one bracket. Therefore, with the new version, a user may share a tweet via direct message, share it elsewhere outside of Twitter, or bookmark it

Centre's indifference is behind ongoing cease-work: Calcutta HC lawyers

Claiming an "inordinate delay" in the appointment of judges to the Calcutta High Court by the Centre, despite the Supreme Court collegium clearing five names, lawyers' bodies on Thursday alleged that the indifference of the Union law ministry had led to the extension of their ongoing ceasework.

Stating that the Supreme Court collegium had cleared the names of five persons on December 4, 2017 for appointment to the post of judges, three lawyers' associations at the high court said the silence of the government on the issue was "surprising".

"The government is sitting on the recommendations of the apex court even as the number of sitting judges at the high court has gone down to only 35 per cent of its sanctioned strength," Calcutta High Court Incorporated Law Society president Mukul Lahiri said.

Addressing a joint conference of the three associations, he said, "The inordinate delay in taking forward the recommendations of the Supreme Court by the Centre amounts to a contravention of the constitutional obligation of ensuring justice to all."
The high court now has only 30 judges, of whom two are always on rotation at the Andaman and Nicobar Circuit Bench, as against the sanctioned strength of 72.

Boney Kapoor letter: Sridevi, my love, was axis around which our family ran

Sridevi, whose last rites were performed on Wednesday, lived her life with "dignity", her family said in a statement, while requesting the media to give the family the space to grieve her untimely death.
The Bollywood icon's husband, film producer Boney Kapoor, also released a statement on Wednesday saying the loss was "inexplicable in words". "To the world she was their Chandni ...their Sridevi... but to me she was my love," the filmmaker wrote in a post that he shared from his wife's Twitter handle.

On the lines of the statement released by the family, Kapoor also urged media to respect the family's need to grieve privately.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sridevi was cremated in Vile Parle crematorium with full state honours. Hundreds of thousands of people, including Bollywood celebrities, joined the film star's family to bid adieu to the first lady superstar of India.

Hyderabadi woman trafficked to Suadi Arabia, kin seeks Sushma Swaraj's help

In yet another case of human trafficking, a woman was allegedly trafficked to Saudi Arabia on the pretext of being offered a job.

The victim, who left for the UAE five years ago, was allegedly offered a good job in Saudi Arabia by an agent. However, upon reaching the country, the victim was not paid her dues on time or given any refreshments by the employer.

Unable to bear the torture, the victim ran away from the employer but was later handed over by the police, and subsequently threatened by the employer,

"She (victim) went to Saudi Arabia for a job she received through agents based out of Hyderabad and Mumbai. I was told she would return in two years' time, but it has been five years since then.

IIS officer who wrote to PMO on transfers, shunted out by I&B ministry

The information and broadcasting ministry has transferred IIS Group A Officers' Association President Anindya Sengupta with immediate effect, according to an order.
Sengupta had recently written to the prime minister's office (PMO) regarding the transfers of Indian Information Service (IIS) officers by the I&B ministry, alleging that the "large-scale" transfers were happening due to the ministry's refusal to adhere to the laid down policies and guidelines.
Sengupta, who was working as the Director of Doordarshan News, New Delhi has been transferred as the Director at the Publication Division, New Delhi, the ministry's order said.
The transfer was with "immediate effect or until further order", it added.
In the letter written to the secretary to the prime minister, Sengupta had said the ministry had issued a number of transfer orders, affecting one-fourth (around 140 officers out of less than 500 Group A officers) of the IIS cadre, in the past two months.

Purchasing a gun in the US? Walmart just hiked the minimum age limit to 21

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Dick's Sporting Goods Inc said it will permanently stop selling assault-style rifles after the massacre at a Florida high school that has reopened a fierce debate over gun control in America.

The US retailer of camping supplies, sporting goods and guns will also stop selling high-capacity magazines and will not sell any guns to people under age 21, Dick's chief executive, Ed Stack, said in an open letter on the company's website.

Hours later, Walmart Inc, the largest US retailer, said it was raising the minimum age for the purchase of firearms and ammunition to 21 from 18. Walmart stopped selling assault-style firearms and accessories in 2015.

The announcements came the same day that classes resumed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people, mostly students, were killed two weeks ago in one of the deadliest US mass shootings.

Afghan Special Forces arrests German military advisor to Taliban in Helmand

A German national believed to be a military advisor to the Taliban in Afghanistan has been arrested in the insurgency-racked province of Helmand, officials said today.

"A man with a long beard, wearing a black turban who identified himself as a German citizen and speaks Dutch, was taken along with three other suspected Taliban on Monday night in Gereshk district of Helmand province," said Omar Zwak, the provincial governor's spokesman.
Gereshk police chief Ismail Khplwak said the man - who was detained by Afghan Special Forces during a night raid -- was the "military adviser of Mullah Nasir", commander of the Taliban's elite "Red Unit" in Helmand.

Photographs taken by the Afghan military show a man who looks to be in his 40s with a long reddish-brown beard speckled with grey and wearing a black turban.
He is flanked by two members of the Afghan Special Forces dressed in combat gear and with night vision goggles pulled up onto their helmets.

Paul Manafort pleads not guilty after new round of Russia probe charges

United States President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to a new indictment brought against him in the Russia investigation and will face trial in September.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson set Manafort's trial to start on September 17 in the US district court for the District of Columbia.

Manafort pleaded not guilty to a revised, five-count indictment in Washington.

He is scheduled to enter the second plea on Friday afternoon in federal court in Alexandria, where he faces 18 new and modified charges, reported the Washington Post.

White House communications director and Trump aide Hope Hicks resigns

Hope Hicks, one of US President Donald Trump’s longest-serving, most trusted aides, is resigning from her job as White House communications director.
The White House announced she was leaving a day after Hicks, 29, spent nine hours in a closed hearing of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee on its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Hicks’ decision to leave was not related to her appearance before the panel. Lawmakers said Hicks, Trump’s spokeswoman during the election campaign, declined to answer questions about the administration but she did answer every question asked about her time with the campaign and the transition months between the November election and the January 2017 inauguration.

Hicks’ exact departure was unclear but is expected to be sometime over the next few weeks.
Hicks was caught up in a controversy surrounding former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, whom she had been dating. She worked to defend him when charges of domestic abuse against his two former wives emerged. Porter was ultimately forced to resign.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics mascots unveiled after Japanese children's vote

Two futuristic figures, inspired by anime, have been chosen as mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after voting in thousands of schools in Japan, the organising committee announced on Wednesday.

The winning designs represent the "tradition and innovation" of Japan according to the organisers, reports Efe.

The mascots beat the other two pairs in contention by a big margin, getting 53 per cent of the votes.

The results were announced in a ceremony at Hoyonomori school in Tokyo's Shinagawa district, attended by hundreds of students and the mascot designers.

Japanese illustrator Ryo Taniguchi, whose entries won, designs characters for language teaching books and companies.

He said he was surprised and grateful to win.

Almost 17,000 primary schools in Japan - around 70 per cent of all such schools in the country - took part in the voting, along with some Japanese schools abroad.

US citizen held in California on charges of trying to join Islamic State

An American citizen from California who was radicalised by online propaganda travelled overseas to try to join a branch of the Islamic State group in Libya, US prosecutors have said.
A few days before he left in 2016, Bernard Augustine texted an unidentified relative, "If I ever get lucky enough to live in the khilafah, I'll burn my own passport, lol," according to a criminal complaint.
He made it as far as Tunisia but was detained by authorities there before he could carry out his plan, the complaint said.
Augustine, 21, is from the town of Keyes in California's Central Valley. He was jailed without bail yesterday during an initial court appearance in federal court in Brooklyn.

His lawyer, Samuel Jacobson, declined comment.
An examination of Augustine's laptop turned up evidence that he had been viewing Islamic State group material on the Internet, including a video showing the beheadings of Ethiopian Christians who were kidnapped in Libya, the court papers said.
He also searched for "jihadology" and "how to safely join isis," it said.

Bayer to win EU approval for $62.5-bn Monsanto deal: Sources

German drug and crop chemicals maker Bayer is set to win conditional European Union antitrust approval for its $62.5 billion bid for world No. 1 seed company Monsanto, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The takeover, one of a trio of major deals in the agribusiness sector in recent years, would create a company with a share of more than a quarter of the world's seed and pesticides market.

Shifting weather patterns, competition in grain exports and a souring global farm economy have spurred consolidation among the major players, triggering protests from environmental and farming groups worried about their market power.

Bayer has already pledged to sell certain seed and herbicide assets for 5.9 billion euros ($7.2 billion) to BASF to address EU regulatory concerns.

Turkey criticises France, US for commenting on 30-days Syria ceasefire

Turkey today sharply criticised France and the United States for arguing a ceasefire in Syria should apply to its military operation against Kurdish militia, as new tensions mounted between Ankara and its NATO allies.
The United Nations Security Council, crucially including regime ally Russia, has agreed on a 30-day nationwide ceasefire in Syria although this has yet to be implemented or end the violence in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta.
Turkey has welcomed the ceasefire but repeatedly insisted any truce will not affect its over the month-long operation in the Afrin region against Kurdish militia Ankara believes to be terrorists.
French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in telephone talks Monday the ceasefire must be applied across the country "including in Afrin," the French presidency said.

International Olympic Committee reinstates Russian team's membership

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has reinstated the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), ROC President Alexander Zhukov told reporters on Wednesday.

"Today, we received a letter from the IOC on the reinstatement. The ROC's reinstatement comes as the examination of doping tests from the PyeongChang Olympics has ended. The IOC may confirm that the other results (of examination of Russian athletes' doping samples) are negative.
This means that the ROC's rights have been fully reinstated," Zhokov was quoted as saying by Tass news agency.

The ROC chief noted that a huge effort had gone into the membership's reinstatement.

"You know that the past three months have been among the most challenging ones in Russian sports history," Zhukov said.

Northern Ireland can stay with bloc in custom union after Brexit: EU

The EU said today that British-ruled Northern Ireland could stay part of a customs union with the bloc after Brexit if a better solution is not found.

The "backstop" proposal in a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement unveiled by EU negotiator Michel Barnier is set to stoke fresh tensions between London and Brussels.
Britain says it opposes anything that would effectively create an internal border in its territory, but Barnier insisted it did not threaten UK sovereignty.

"My personal opinion is that this backstop will not call into question the constitutional or institutional order of the UK," Barnier told a news conference.
"I'm not trying to provoke, I'm not trying to create any shockwaves," Barnier added, calling on Britain to "keep calm and stay pragmatic."

The 120-page agreement says that in the absence of another plan, "a common regulatory area comprising the Union and the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland" would be set up.

Wall Street climbs after Q4 GDP growth revised lower to 2.5%; Celgene falls

Wall Street's main indexes rose on Wednesday after the downward revision of US economic growth in the fourth quarter weakened the case for faster increases in interest rates.

The US Commerce Department said gross domestic product expanded at a 2.5 percent annual rate, instead of the previously reported 2.6 percent pace.

Strong economic data earlier in the month had raised fear among traders that US interest rates would rise faster than previously expected, sparking Wall Street's biggest selloff in two years.

Even with the gains in recent weeks, the S&P 500 and the Dow are still on course for their first monthly fall since last March.

"As February comes to a close, large gyrations experienced during the month could very well spill into next month as topic of rates dominates," Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at First Standard Financial in New York, wrote in a note.

Air strikes and rockets hit Syria enclave despite Russia backed 5-hr truce

 

A fledgling "humanitarian pause" announced by Russia in Syria's rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta was rattled today by fresh air strikes and rocket fire, several sources said.
"Fighting continues this morning.

That is what our reports from Eastern Ghouta tell us," a spokesman for the UN humanitarian office, Jens Laerke, told reporters in Geneva, adding that it was premature to discuss any relief operations for desperate civilians given the persisting clashes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported air raids, including the dropping of two barrel bombs, as well as rocket fire, while state media accused rebel forces of shelling humanitarian corridors to keep civilians hostage.
The Britain-based Observatory said two barrel bombs -- crude, improvised munitions that cause indiscriminate damage -- on the Shaifuniyah area of Eastern Ghouta.
Rockets were also fired on several areas in the enclave but the head of the Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, said no deaths were immediately reported as a result of the fresh violence.

Trump says he would've ran inside Florida school even without weapon

US President Donald Trump today said he would have entered the Florida school to save the students from a gunman even without a weapon as he criticised the inaction of a sheriff's deputy assigned to the school.
Last week, Trump called out the armed school resource officer who stayed outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as the shooting unfolded, saying he "didn't have the courage."
Addressing a gathering of US governors at the White House, Trump said, "You know, I really believe -- you don't know until you test it -- but I really believe I'd run in there, even if I didn't had a weapon.
"I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too, because I know most of you. But the way they performed was really a disgrace," he said, criticising the armed sheriffs deputy who did not confront the shooter, an expelled student, at the school early this month who killed 17 people, mostly students.

Top German court bans diesel cars affecting 12 mn vehicles across country

A top German court ruled on Tuesday in favour of allowing major cities to ban heavily polluting diesel cars, a move likely to hit the value of 12 million vehicles in Europe's largest car market and force carmakers to pay for costly modifications.
There has been a global backlash against diesel-engine cars since Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating U.

S. exhaust tests, meant to limit emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxide (NOx), known to cause respiratory disease.
While other countries are also considering restrictions on diesel cars, a ban in the birthplace of the modern automobile is a new blow for the car industry, and an embarrassment for Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, which opposes bans.
The ruling by the country's highest federal administrative court came after German states had appealed against bans imposed by local courts in Stuttgart and Duesseldorf in cases brought by environmental group DUH over poor air quality.
Merkel's government, which has come under fire for its close ties to the car industry, had lobbied against a ban, fearing it could anger millions of drivers and disrupt traffic in cities, with public transport not in a position to take up the slack.

China shares slip on uncertainty over unlimited rule for Xi Jinping

Chinese stocks slipped today despite gains in most other world markets as uncertainty lingered over the removal of term limits for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Shanghai Composite sank 1.1 per cent to close at 3,292.07, while Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index lost 0.7 per cent to finish at 31,268.66.

Benchmarks elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 and Japan's Nikkei 225 ending higher but South Korea's Kospi slightly lower.

European shares rose in early trading but futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street, a day after the Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq gained more than 1 per cent.
Investors are still mulling the implications of the decision by China's Communist Party to scrap presidential term limits, ensuring party chief Xi Jinping can remain head of state indefinitely and setting the stage for him to become the most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

Pak govt made enormous sacrifices for counter terrorism: China

China today said global community should shed bias and take an "objective" look at Pakistan's efforts on counter terrorism, days after it backed out from supporting its all weather ally at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting which placed Islamabad on terrorist financing watch list.
The 37-nation FATF at its plenary meeting in Paris last week placed Pakistan on a watch list of the countries where terrorist outfits are still allowed to raise funds.
Though Pakistan has not been named, it has to submit the action plan to implement UN Security Council resolutions on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism by April, failing which it would figure in the list.
"Pakistan government and people have made enormous sacrifices for counter terrorism," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing here today.
China which earlier opposed the move along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey later backed out after Riyadh under pressure from the US withdrew its opposition in view of the rule that at least support of three members was required to stall the resolution against Pakistan.

Government, military shake up in Saudi Arabia amid unpopular Yemen war

The Saudi King has sacked the country's Army Chief and other top generals and named new ministers and governors across the kingdom in a major shake-up in the government and military leadership amid a three-year-war with Shia Muslim rebels in Yemen.

A series of royal decrees approved by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on Monday night announced the changes as part of a wider shake-up in royal advisory positions and provincial governorships in the government, especially in the Defence Ministry.

The surprising changes came ahead of a visit to the UK, the US and France by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also the Defence Minister, amid global protests against Saudi Arabia's conduct of the war in Yemen.

According to the decrees, Saudi Armed Forces Chief General Abdulrahman al-Banyan and Air Force Commander Mohammed al-Qatibi were asked to retire and six generals were promoted to be appointed for senior commander posts.

Crypto startups' hottest hires aren't millennials, they're banking cops

Veteran Wall Street enforcers are landing new roles on a wild frontier: virtual currencies.
A growing number of crypto startups are adding former regulators and other government authorities to their payrolls, a practice that could help them head off or prepare for stricter rules. Ventures have snapped up ex-prosecutors, national security officials and at least one former senior diplomat -- all of whom may prove handy as nations decide whether to embrace or outlaw digital money.

The drumbeat of hires crescendoed in November when Ripple, a venture looking to rewire global banking with its own cryptocurrency, added Ben Lawsky to its board. He earned a tough reputation as New York’s top financial watchdog by pushing banks to scrutinize client transactions for illicit dealings. In January, crypto brokerage Omega One enlisted a new adviser, Bart Chilton, a former member of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The agency oversees digital currencies.

“The fact that he’s willing to take an advisory role with us is a sign that we pass a certain level of due diligence,” Omega One’s chief executive officer, Alex Gordon-Brander, said of Chilton.

Wall St lower after Powell says mkt volatility won't stop more rate hikes

Wall Street's main indexes opened slightly lower on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell hinted the central bank would stick to its current path of gradual rate hikes.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 14.86 points, or 0.06 per cent, to 25,694.41.
The S&P 500 lost 1.38 points, or 0.049647 per cent, to 2,778.22. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 7.17 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 7,414.30.

Nawaz Sharif's brother Shahbaz Sharif becomes interim chief of ruling PML-N

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Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab province chief minister, was today elected as interim president of the PML-N while his elder brother and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif was made the ruling party's 'Quaid' for life time.

The PML-N elected its new head days after the Supreme Court disqualified 68-year-old Nawaz as the chief of his party and struck down all decisions taken by him as the party head.
Shahbaz, 66, has been elected as the party's president for 45 days by its central working committee (CWC) in a meeting held in Sharif's Model Town Lahore residence today.
In the meeting, Nawaz proposed the name of Shahbaz for the party's interim president which was unanimously approved by the CWC.

The meeting also approved making Nawaz PML-N "Quaid" (top leader) for life time and also paid tributes to his service for the party, country and democracy.

Just one out of three millennials carries credit card, threaten industry

Millennials have been accused of disrupting many industries, from newspapers to brick-and-mortar stores. Credit cards appear to be next in line.

Just one out of three millennials carries plastic, according to a Bankrate.com survey, compared to the majority of older Americans. In addition, a Fed survey found the 18 to 24 demographic preferred to pay cash more than others. And if they do carry a card, it tends to be of the prepaid or debit variety, TD Bank found.

None of that bodes well for banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co. or payment networks like Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., since the fees they earn from debit card transactions are less than those earned via credit cards. The 2008 global financial crisis and ballooning college tuition may have also scared some millennials away.

"They experienced the Great Recession just as they were beginning school or starting their career, pondering about buying a home," said Erin Currier, Director of Financial Security and Mobility at Pew Charitable Trusts. "They’re very sensitive to this life experience."

Xi confidant Liu He emerges as front runner to head China's central bank

Liu He, a Harvard-trained economist who is a trusted confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping, has emerged as the front runner to be the next governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), according to three sources with knowledge of the situation.

Liu may be in a position to become one of China's most powerful economic and financial officials ever, as he is already top adviser to Xi on economic policy and is also expected to become vice premier overseeing the economy.

Liu would replace current PBOC chief, 70-year-old Zhou Xiaochuan, who is China's longest-running head of the central bank, having taken the job in 2002. Zhou is expected to retire around the time of the annual session of parliament in March, sources previously told Reuters.

US Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem expected to open in May: WH official

The United States is expected to open its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem in May, a US official told Reuters on Friday.

US President Donald Trump announced last year that the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, setting in motion the move of the embassy to Jeruslaem from Tel Aviv.

Donors pledge $510 million for West Africa's G5 Sahel force

International donors today pledged 414 million euros ($510 million) to five impoverished countries in West Africa's Sahel region, much of it to fund a new counterterror force.

The 5,000-strong G5 Sahel force for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger needs around 400 million euros for its mission along mostly desert borders, including near Libya the main jumping-off point for thousands of African migrants bound for Italy.

The amount pledged "goes far beyond our initial expectations," said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. "It's a tremendous result that allows us to begin putting the force into operation." The pledges came at a summit in Brussels of 32 leaders and 60 delegations meant to show political, development and security support for the five countries.

"The Sahel is one of Europe's frontiers. The Sahel is a shield, a dike that must never burst," said Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou. He reminded the leaders that "security is a global public good."

Donald Trump suggests armed deputy at Florida school was a 'coward'

US President Donald Trump today cast doubts on the character of an armed deputy who remained outside during last week's school shooting in Florida, saying he froze or was a "coward".
"They're trained, they didn't react properly under pressure or they were a coward," Trump said, calling out Deputy Scot Peterson by name.
"He certainly did a poor job.

There's no question about that.

Two injured in early morning shootout at Southeastern Louisiana University

Two people were injured in a shooting early today at Southeastern Louisiana University, the university said, nine days after a massacre at a Florida high school sparked a national uproar over US gun violence.
"University Police confirmed incident occurred on North Campus involving several individuals.

Gunshots fired, 2 individuals suffered non-life threatening injuries," the university said in a statement on Twitter.
Students were warned by the school's emergency alert system at 4:01 am (local time), it said.
"No present threat to campus community," it said, adding that university police were investigating the incident.
The incident at the university in Hammond, Louisiana, came amid a national debate over gun control sparked by the killing of 17 students and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14.

Delhi chief secy hit by AAP MLAs, says Kejriwal aide: Top 10 developments

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's advisor V K Jain had confirmed that he saw Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanutullah Khan surrounding Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash and assaulting him, the Delhi Police told a Delhi court on Thursday. Additional public prosecutor Atul Shrivastava told the Metropolitan Magistrate that the police said that "new facts" had emerged after the interrogation of Jain, who had previously said he had not seen anything.AAP, for its part, said the whole issue was a conspiracy to "bring down the Delhi government" and to "defame" the party. "By putting pressure on him (Jain) throughout the day (Thursday) and by threatening him, police forced him to change his statement," AAP MP Sanjay Singh told the media on Thursday.The capital has been gripped by a political storm after the chief secretary on Tuesday alleged that he was beaten up by two AAP MLAs in the presence of Kejriwal at the Chief Minister's residence on Monday night, where he had been called for an emergency meeting. Denying the charges of assault, the AAP has said that the chief secretary was making allegations at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

India trying to curb freedom of speech, hate crimes intensified: Amnesty

Religious minorities, particularly Muslims, in India faced increasing "demonization", global rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday, accusing Indian authorities of using laws to stifle freedom of expression in the country.

In its latest annual report released, the group paints a bleak picture of human rights situation in South Asia. With reference to India, it said incidents like cow vigilantism and lynchings in the name of beef-eating plagued India over the past year, alleging inaction by the government.
"In India, dozens of hate crimes against Muslims took place across the country against the backdrop of a wave of Islamophobia under the Hindu nationalist government."

"At least 10 Muslim men were lynched and many injured by vigilante cow protection groups," it said, adding many of them seemed to operate with the support of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Coal imports to rise as India grapples with train shortage, surging demand

Caught between logistical bottlenecks and surging demand from power plants, India will likely increase coal imports in 2018, industry executives said, in what would be a setback to the government’s plans to cut the country’s dependence on foreign supplies.
The projected higher coal demand, which would reverse two years of declines, will be a boon for international miners such as Indonesia’s Adaro Energy, Australia’s Whitehaven Coal or global commodity merchant Glencore.

But, the country’s power plants and cement makers, the source of the resurgent demand, will end up eating the cost of the higher-priced imports.
State-owned Coal India, the world’s second-biggest coal miner by production, is grappling with a shortage of trains to carry the fuel from its mines to the country’s power plants, according to the minutes of government meeting held on a Jan. 22 and reviewed by Reuters.

India’s thermal coal imports may rise as much as 4 percent this year, with a steady 3 percent to 5 percent of growth expected over the next five years, a senior executive at Adani Enterprises, the country’s biggest coal trader, told Reuters.

SpaceX launches Falcon 9 with first broadband internet satellites

Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a customer payload plus its own broadband demonstration satellites in the company’s first mission since millions tuned in earlier this month for its Falcon Heavy debut.
The Thursday launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base on California’s central Coast carried a radar-imaging satellite for Spain’s Hisdesat Servicios Estrategicos SA. The PAZ satellite will orbit the planet 15 times a day and collect information - including ship tracking and weather data - for government and commercial customers.
The rocket also carried a pair of SpaceX’s own broadband satellites as a secondary payload.

Microsat-2a and -2b are the first prototypes for the company’s planned constellation of satellites - dubbed Starlink - intended to offer broadband internet around the world.
“If successful, Starlink constellation will serve least served,” Musk said in a Tweet Wednesday. SpaceX’s fourth launch in what is expected to be a record year took off from the California pad at around 6:17 a.m. local time. SpaceX is targeting roughly 30 total launches this year, including flying its new Falcon Heavy rocket again in June.

'Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety' review: This bromance vs romance is worth watching

Film: "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety"; Director: Luv Ranjan; Cast: Kartik Aryan, Nushrat Bharucha, Sunny Singh; Rating: **** ½

There is something to be said in favour of the spoken word in the movies, or the dialogue as its known. When sharply written, these words can embrace the characters in layers of unvarnished molten gold.

Sure enough the repartees in "Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety" (SKTKS) just roll off the characters' tongues making them sound sassy and sombre even when they are being mean and vicious just because it suits the script's purposes.

And God knows, this film needs no excuse to let the words flow. So full marks to co-writer Rahul Mody and Luv Ranjan for investing the vivacious proceedings with a verbal gusto that I found to be more sparkling in wit and insinuations than the dialogues in any recent film.

Amid Khalistan fire, Justin Trudeau meets Modi today: Top 10 developments

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, even as his maiden India visit plunged into another controversy on Thursday because of a dinner invitation to convicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal by the Canadian High Commissioner to India.
Trudeau's Khalistani problem continues to dog him, while the Canadian media has said that he has been given the cold shoulder by the Indian government, even as the latter has denied any such speculation. For his part, Trudeau on Thursday said that Atwal should never have been invited.

While the controversy raged, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening welcomed Trudeau on his visit and said he looked forward to meeting him on Friday. In a separate tweet, Modi said that he hoped Trudeau had an enjoyable visit to India so far and that he particularly looked forward to meeting Trudeau's three children Xavier, Ella-Grace, and Hadrien.
PM Modi also posted a picture 

From 'snub' to scandal: Canadian PM Trudeau's India visit in nutshell

Canadian and Indian officials scrambled on Thursday to explain how a convicted Sikh extremist was invited to a New Delhi reception for Justin Trudeau, the latest misstep in the Canadian prime minister’s bumpy eight-day trip to India.

The tour has been overshadowed by suggestions of a lukewarm reception by the government and a series of photo ops featuring the Trudeau family in coordinated Indian attire that have raised eyebrows in both countries.

The latest flashpoint, a swiftly cancelled invitation by the Canadian delegation to Jaspal Atwal -- convicted in 1986 of the attempted murder of an Indian politician visiting Canada -- came just days after Trudeau had assured his hosts he would not support anyone trying to revive a separatist movement in India.

US gun lobby blasts anti-gun advocates for 'exploiting' Florida tragedy

The head of the National Rifle Association lashed out at gun control advocates on Thursday, saying Democratic elites are politicizing the latest mass school shooting in the United States to try to erode constitutionally guaranteed gun rights.

NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre echoed President Donald Trump’s call to arm teachers to prevent school shootings, and weighed in on a long-running political and cultural divide over access to weapons that has been inflamed by last week’s massacre at a Florida high school that killed 17 students and staff.

“The elites don’t care not one whit about America’s school system and school children,” LaPierre told a friendly audience of conservatives outside Washington. “Their goal is to eliminate the Second Amendment and our firearms freedoms so they can eradicate all individual freedoms.”

In one tweet, Kylie Jenner wiped out $1.3 billion of Snap's market value

Snap Inc.’s flagship platform has lost some luster, at least according to one social-media influencer in the Kardashian-Jenner clan.

Shares of the Snapchat parent company sank 6.1 percent on Thursday, wiping out $1.3 billion in market value, on the heels of a tweet on Wednesday from Kylie Jenner, who said she doesn’t open the app anymore. Whether it’s the demands of her newfound motherhood, or the recent app redesign, the testament drew similar replies from her 24.5 million followers. Wall Street analysts too have begun to notice, citing recent user engagement trends noticed since the platform’s redesign.

Jenner’s tweet was followed late Thursday by one from Maybelline New York, asking its followers if it should stay on the Snapchat platform. The beauty-product brand owned by Paris-based L’Oreal SA said its “Snapchat views have dropped dramatically,” but it still wanted to connect with its followers.

Indiana Senate recognises contributions of 500-year-old Sikhism in US

The Indiana state Senate has passed a resolution recognising the "significant" contributions of Sikhism across the US and in the state of Indiana.
The Senate resolution passed last week acknowledged that Sikhism, which was founded over 500 years ago and is currently the fifth largest religion in the world, "preaches a message of devotion, truthful living, equality of mankind and social justice".

"Sikhs believe that people of different races, religions, or sexes are equal in the eyes of God and in the full equality of men and women," the resolution emphasised.
The resolution concludes by highlighting the Sikhs' "significant contributions" in serving the US, Indiana and its communities as well as by stating that the faithful service of the Sikh community to Indiana and America "merits appreciation as an integral thread in the fabric of American plurality".
Authored by Senator Aaron Freeman and Senator Jack Sandlin, the resolution was adopted on February 15 and presented to SikhsPAC, a political action committee representing American Sikhs, chairman Gurinder Singh Khalsa in open session on February 19, a statement said.

Essar Oil seeks over $1-bn loan from traders as banks fear Russian links

Indian refiner Essar Oil is looking to raise over $1 billion from trading houses after its new Russian owners could not raise loans from major Western banks due to sanctions on Russia.
Essar wants to borrow the money for 3-4 years and repay it with cargoes of refined products as it seeks to cut its reliance on lending from Indian banks, banking and trading sources familiar with the discussions said.

It would be the first large multi-year pre-payment deal by Essar, which has previously engaged only in short-term deals.
Russian oil major Rosneft, fund UCP and Swiss commodities trader Trafigura bought Essar Oil’s large refinery, 3,500 fuel stations and infrastructure for $12.9 billion last year.

Kremlin-owned Rosneft has been under U. S. sanctions since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
The Essar deal was funded mainly by Russian state banks, including sanction-hit VTB, and the new owners’ attempts to partially borrow from large Western banks have so far not progressed.

Trump attacks AG, challenges him to probe Obama over Russia interference

President Donald Trump has attacked his own attorney general Jeff Sessions, challenging him to launch an investigation into the Obama administration for failing to do enough to stop the alleged Russian interference into the 2016 elections.

Trump in a tweet yesterday questioned why the Obama administration did not do more to counter Russian meddling in the presidential elections.

"Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren't they the subject of the investigation? Why didn't Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren't Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Sessions!" Trump tweeted.
It is the latest instance of the president publicly criticising federal law enforcement.

In recent months, Trump has become more critical of federal law enforcement and has called senior officials at the FBI biased against him.

Saudi Arabia to invest $64 bn in Western-style entertainment in next decade

Saudi Arabia announced plans today to spend billions on building new venues and flying in Western acts, in a total overhaul of its entertainment sector that would be unthinkable not long ago.

Long known for its ultra-conservative mores, the kingdom has embarked on a wide-ranging programme of social and economic reforms driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
At a glitzy press conference in Riyadh, General Entertainment Authority chief Ahmad bin Aqeel al-Khatib told reporters the kingdom is set to invest $64 billion in its entertainment sector over the coming decade.

"We are already building the infrastructure," Khatib said, adding that ground had been broken for an opera house.
"God willing, you will see a real change by 2020," Khatib said, adding that more than 5,000 events were planned for the coming year.

Racist' white powder letter sent to Meghan Markle: News report

A letter with white powder was sent to Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle, the Evening Standard newspaper reported today, saying it was also believed to contain a racist message.
The paper said that officers from the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command were called in after the letter was received on February 12 at a sorting office in St James's Palace in central London.
But analysis of the powder found that it was harmless.
Contacted by AFP, Prince Harry's press service at Kensington Palace declined to comment on the report.
"Police are investigating after a package containing a substance was delivered to St James's Palace on Monday, 12 February," police said in a statement.
"The substance was tested and confirmed as non-suspicious.

Officers are also investigating an allegation of malicious communications which relates to the same package," the statement said.

US jobless claims fall to near 45-year low; six states estimated

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell to a near 45-year low last week, but claims for six states were estimated because of Monday's Presidents Day holiday.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 7,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 for the week ended Feb. 17, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Still the underlying trend in claims suggested job growth in February, which should continue to underpin the economy.

Claims for the prior week were revised to show 1,000 fewer applications received than previously reported. Claims fell to 216,000 in mid-January, which was the lowest level since January 1973. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims unchanged at 230,000 in the latest week.

It was the 155th straight week that claims remained below the 300,000 threshold, which is associated with a strong labor market. That is the longest such stretch since 1970, when the labor market was much smaller.

Terror funding: Saudi, China, Turkey blocked US move against Pak at FATF

China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - the three close allies of Pakistan have joined hands to block a move by the Trump administration to place Islamabad on an international terror-financing watch list, a US media report said today.

While Pakistan has claimed a victory of sorts, the US was working behind the scenes during the ongoing Paris meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) so as to take action against the country which it believes has not acted against terrorist financing and the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions.

The Wall Street Journal which first reported about the development said this was one of the "rare disagreements" between Saudi Arabia and the administration of President Donald Trump.

Malaysia's Axiata Group posts Q4 net at $6 mn on cost-cuts, data earnings

Malaysia's biggest telecoms firm Axiata Group Bhd reported a fourth-quarter net profit of 24.7 million ringgit ($6.31 million) after a net loss of 309.5 million ringgit a year earlier, helped by cost-cutting and rising data earnings.

Revenue climbed 8.2 percent to 6.3 billion ringgit, powered by a strong performance from the group's main mobile units in Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh.

Axiata, Malaysia's biggest telecoms firm by market value, said the revenue rise was fuelled by the data business that contributed 49.2 percent to service revenue compared to 37.9 percent a year earlier.

"Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 17.5 percent quarter-on-quarter driven by strong increase in revenue growth and cost optimisation drive across the group," it said.