NAFTA 2.0: US and Canada aim to finalise trilateral deal today

Top NAFTA negotiators from Canada and the United States increased the pace of their negotiations Thursday to resolve final differences to meet a Friday deadline, with their Mexican counterpart on standby to rejoin the talks soon. Despite some contentious issues still on the table, the increasingly positive tone contrasted with US President Donald Trump's harsh criticism of Canada in recent weeks, raising hopes that the year-long talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement will conclude soon with a trilateral deal. "Canada's going to make a deal at some point. It may be by Friday or it may be within a period of time," US President Donald Trump told Bloomberg Television. "I think we're close to a deal." Trilateral talks were already underway at the technical level and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo was expected to soon rejoin talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, possibly later on Thursday, people familiar with the process said. President Donald Trump said in a Bloomberg interview: "Canada's going to make a deal at some point. It may be by Friday or it may be within a period of time," Trump said. "I think we're close to a deal."

Google is betting big on cloud services to woo Indian companies

In the face of rising competition from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, global tech giant Google is betting big on its cloud services to woo 44 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs), more than 20,000 start-ups and hundreds of major companies. Google’s cloud customers in India include Ashok Leyland, goibibo.com, Hero MotoCorp, Policybazaar.com, Quikr, Yaatra, SBI Cards, Hike Messenger, Vistara and ShareChat. The company, which currently has three data centres in Mumbai, is on an expansion spree. Knowing that the demand is set to increase from the fintech sector in over the next couple of months as banks and non-banking financial institutions hurry to meet Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) directive to bring financial data back to India, the company is hoping for a rise in demand.

AT&T's court win in Time Warner takeover major setback for US Justice dept

AT&T’s sweeping court victory allowing its takeover of Time Warner delivers a sharp setback to the Justice Department’s new approach to policing mergers under President Donald Trump and promises to spark a merger wave across industries. The federal judge’s decision raises the bar for the government’s ability to challenge deals between companies that don’t compete directly. That opens a pathway for firms contemplating such deals, especially in media where distributors are racing to acquire content companies. Comcast is expected to be the first out of the gate, making a formal offer for 21st Century Fox assets as early as Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because the details are private. At issue for Comcast and other companies is how antitrust enforcers will approach so-called vertical deals that unite companies operating in different parts of a supply chain rather than direct competitors.

US margins under stress, Indian drug makers get booster dose in Europe

While the North American market may have dragged margins of the Indian pharmaceutical sector in 2017-18, most of the large caps seem to have done well in terms of growth in Europe. Aurobindo Pharma, for example, led the pack with a 33 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise in EU sales, followed by Glenmark (27.55 per cent), Lupin (11.2 per cent), among others. Europe is the third-largest market for Indian drug makers, after the US and Africa. IQVIA data shows that at $35 billion, the European generics market is the world's second largest by value, after the US. For some players such as Torrent Pharma, sales from Europe almost equalled the the revenues from the US market. Analysts pointed out that the robust growth in Europe business of Aurbindo in 2017-18 is partly because of the fact that it benefited from the absence of a major player in the tendering process last year. Aurobindo had made some acquisitions in Europe (Generis Farmaceutica S.A. in Portugal in 2017 and the generic operations of Actavis in 2014) that have helped the company to boost its sales in the continent. "The company as such has done well in Europe. Even if one takes out the sales from the acquired companies, Aurobindo's Europe growth would still be at around 15-18 per cent," said Amey Chalke, analyst with HDFC Securities.

India is currently the most dangerous country for forest rangers: Study

On February 20, 2017, Range Forest Officer (RFO) Daulat Ram Lader was having his ritual after-dinner tea with wife Pushpa when there was a knock at the door. Lader was posted at Lailunga, Dharamjaigarh forest division, in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district. Lader opened the door and stepped out to speak with the visitors. 

An hour later, he was found hacked to death near his home, just across the local police thana (outpost). A month earlier, Lader had seized a tractor carrying illegally mined stones from the Kelo river, a tributary of Mahanadi and flows through the Lailunga reserve forest. It belonged to one Dilo Kumar. “Kumar had repeatedly threatened Lader over the past month,” said Sub-Divisional Officer Chakrapani Sharma. “(But) Lader dabang type ka tha (he was fearless).” Lader’s murder was not an isolated incident. India is currently the most dangerous country for forest rangers. In 2017, 29 rangers were killed on duty in India; the Democratic Republic of Congo (17) and Thailand (8) made for a distant second and third, according to a report of the International Ranger Federation.

US lawmakers demand Facebook to come clean over Chinese data sharing

Facebook Inc faced criticism on Wednesday from Republican and Democratic US lawmakers who demanded that the social media company be more forthcoming about data it has shared with four Chinese firms. 

The bipartisan criticism reflected rising frustration in Congress about how Facebook protects the privacy of the more than 2 billion people who use its services worldwide. The leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee accused Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg of failing to disclose the company’s agreements with the Chinese firms when he appeared before them in April and testified about Facebook’s sharing of users’ personal information with third parties.

Hawaii volcano turns deadlier: Lava flow wipes out hundreds more homes

Lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano destroyed hundreds of more homes overnight, overtaking two oceanfront communities where residents were advised to evacuate last week, officials have said. No injuries were reported as most residents heeded the advice to leave. The latest lost homes were in addition to at least 117 others that were previously reported by officials since lava began spilling last month from cracks in the ground in a mostly rural district of the Big Island. "We don't have an estimate yet, but safe to say that hundreds of homes were lost in Kapoho Beach Lots and Vacationland last night," Janet Snyder, a spokeswoman for Hawaii County, said Tuesday. 

A morning overflight confirmed that lava had completely filled Kapoho Bay, inundated most of Vacationland and covered all but the northern part of Kapoho Beach Lots, scientists with the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. Despite earlier reports that lava claimed Big Island Mayor Harry Kim's second home in Vacationland, an aerial flyover confirmed his home is still standing, Snyder said

Former Google exec Nikesh Arora named CEO of Palo Alto Networks

Former Chief Business Officer at Google, Nikesh Arora has been named the CEO and Chairman of the US-based security firm Palo Alto Networks. After leaving Google in mid-2014, the high-profile executive became president of SoftBank and was heir apparent to its charismatic founder Masayoshi Son. But Arora left two years later amid some controversy, recode.net reported on Friday. Arora has replaced Mark McLaughlin, who will now serve the cybersecurity company as Vice Chairman. Arora said that while he had long wanted to become a CEO, he would be working closely with McLaughlin and also co-founder and CTO Nir Zuk, the report said. "I may not have a background in security, but with my background as an engineer, I can sit down with Zuk to help guide the next generation of products we can offer," recode.net quoted Arora as saying. McLaughlin said that the decade-old Palo Alto Networks now serves 50,000 companies globally and has 5,000 employees.

Moon Jae-in 'very generous' for suggesting my name for Nobel Prize: Trump

United States President Donald Trump, who is apparently in high spirits amid all the Nobel Peace Prize chatter, has said that South Korean President Moon Jae-in was "very generous" to suggest that the former should be bestowed with the prestigious award over his efforts to denuclearize the Korean peninsula.

"I just think that President Moon [Jae-in] was very nice when he suggested it. I want to get peace. The main thing, we want to get peace. It was a big problem, and I think it's going to work out well," the Hill reported, Trump as saying, on Tuesday, when asked about his Nobel prospects.

"We'll see. . But I thought it was very generous of President Moon of South Korea to make that statement, and I appreciate it, but the main thing is to get it done. I want to get it done."

The remarks came a day after South Korean President Moon Jae-in lauded the U.S. leader for leading multilateral discussions with North Korea.

"President Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize," Moon had remarked.

It is highly likely that Trump could have been nominated for this year's peace prize, which former President Obama won in 2009, according to the report.

Americans are murderers: Massive protest in Athens against Syria airstrikes

Thousands of Greeks turned up at a rally and march in central Athens organised by the Communist Party to protest the US-led airstrikes against Syria.

The protesters gathered Saturday at Athens' central Syntagma Square before marching to the US Embassy, chanting anti-US slogans and carrying banners.

Some wrote on the pavement in red paint: "Americans, murderers of people."

Police vehicles barricaded access to the embassy and protesters left peacefully.

Dimitris Koutsoumbas, the Communist Party's leader, blasted Greek politicians for believing "flimsy excuses about a use of chemical weapons" by Syria.

He also criticized their "subservience" to the EU and NATO, as well as their support for Israel.

He told the crowd "the imperialists once again spill the blood of the local people. They destroy and splinter states by using fabricated evidence.

Kim Jong-un ready to discuss denuclearisation with US: Trump admin

North Korean officials have told their US counterparts that Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss denuclearisation, an assurance that could pave the way for a meeting with President Donald Trump, reports said on Sunday.

It is the first time the offer was made directly to Washington, after it was previously conveyed through South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-yong.

"The US has confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," a Trump administration official told The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post on Sunday.

Washington stunned observers when it announced last month it had agreed to a historic first meeting between Trump and Kim to be held by the end of May.

But Pyongyang has not followed up with Washington since, which the Journal suggested may indicate that Seoul overstated the North's willingness to negotiate over its own nuclear arsenal.

No specifics have yet emerged concerning the date or venue of the proposed summit.

Maldives Parliament extends emergency by 30 days; 'disappointed', says US

Maldives parliament approves extension of state of emergency by 30 days
Parliament in the Maldives on Tuesday approved a 30-day extension of a state of emergency sought by President Abdulla Yameen who cited an ongoing national security threat and constitutional crisis.
Countries including the United States, India and Canada along with the United Nations have urged Yameen to lift the emergency and restore normalcy.

Tour operators say hundreds of hotel bookings have been cancelled daily since the 15-day emergency was imposed on Feb 5 despite government assurances that all is normal in the resort islands, which are far from the capital.

Yameen imposed the emergency to annul a Supreme Court ruling that quashed the convictions of nine opposition leaders and ordered his government to free those held in prison.
The emergency "shall only apply to those alleged to have carried out illegal activities, it shall not apply to otherwise law abiding residents of, or visitors to, the Maldives," a statement from Yameen's office said on Tuesday.

As Saudis go nuclear, US seeks an edge over power rivals China, Russia

At a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna last September, word spread that Saudi Arabia had identified a handful of countries that could build two nuclear reactors in the kingdom. The US wasn’t among them -- until Energy Secretary Rick Perry buttonholed the Saudi delegates and told them America wanted in.

Within weeks, a mostly US consortium headed by Westinghouse Electric Co. had joined the race. Its executives have visited the kingdom. So has Perry, whose intervention was described by two people who attended the meeting. In the next few months, the Saudis are expected to narrow the field to two or three bidders.

A glance at the current list of contenders shows the geopolitical perils that accompany this business opportunity. American allies South Korea and France are on it -- and so are China and Russia, recently designated by the Pentagon as the main US threats. Reactor-building could become another arena of superpower rivalry.

UK judge upholds Assange's arrest warrant, rejects his bid to leave embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had his hopes of freedom dashed on Tuesday when a judge in London upheld a warrant for his arrest on a charge of skipping bail.

The 46-year-old Australian has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 fearing arrest if he leaves the building, potentially paving the way for him to be extradited to the US, reports Xinhua news agency.

Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot delivered her ruling on Tuesday at Westminster magistrates court in London stating it is in the public interest to pursue him for failing to surrender to his bail.

"I find arrest is a proportionate response even though Assange has restricted his own freedom for a number of years," she was quoted as saying.

Clear evidence that Russians meddled in 2016 US election: George W Bush

Former President George W Bush on Thursday said "there's pretty clear evidence that the Russians meddled" in the 2016 US presidential election.
Bush made the comments in a talk in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, put on by the Milken Institute, an economic think tank based in California.
Bush also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin "is zero-sum.

He can't think, 'How can we both win?' He only thinks, 'How do I win, you lose?'"
Bush also said that the United States needs to reform its immigration law.
While not directly naming President Donald Trump, it appeared Bush was targeting him in his comments.
Bush in 2008 became the first sitting US president to visit the UAE.

Beijing inches closer to becoming the world's busiest airport

Beijing inched one step closer to taking the crown for the world’s busiest airport.
As the ranks of the Chinese middle-class swell and more people take to the skies, passenger traffic at Beijing’s international airport rose to a new record of 95.8 million last year.

This increase at the world’s second-busiest air hub - at least the fifth straight year of gains - has allowed Beijing Capital International Airport to narrow the gap with top-placed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, whose passenger numbers fell in 2017.

'Interview' with Mueller 'seems unlikely' to happen: Donald Trump

President Donald Trump today hinted that it "seems unlikely" that he would allow Special Counsel Robert Mueller to "interview" him in the ongoing probe into the potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 US presidential election.

Mueller and congressional committees investigating the matter have yet to reach a conclusion about whether any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia took place.
Mueller, a former highly decorated FBI director, has already interviewed several of the close aides and family members of Trump over the issue.

In the last one week, news reports have appeared in the US media that Mueller was seeking an interview with Trump as part of his investigation.
Trump's attorneys were said to have asked whether it could be in the written format.
At a joint news conference here with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Trump hinted that the interview was unlikely to happen.

"We'll see what happens. I mean, certainly I'll see what happens. But when they have no collusion and nobody's found any collusion at any level, it seems unlikely that you'd even have an interview," Trump said.
He termed the allegations as a "Democratic hoax brought up as an excuse for losing an election".

Russia-Pak friendship new, Moscow has no influence in Islamabad: US

Amid increased bonhomie between Russia and Pakistan, the White House believes that Moscow does not have a great influence on Islamabad, a senior Trump Administration official has said.

"I don't particularly believe that there is a great deal of influence that Russia is asserting (over Pakistan) even though I do acknowledge they have a better relationship than they had five years ago," a senior administration official has said.

The official was responding to questions on the recent increase in relationship between Russia and Pakistan and how much influence it has over Islamabad.

"But Russia as of now does not have a great deal of influence over Pakistan, with which its ties is relatively new," the official said who on condition of anonymity.

"I think the Russia-Pakistan relationship is still something relatively new," the senior administration official said noting that Pakistan, being an independent country is making its own assessment and doing what it considers is in its own interests.

However, the official said that the Russian thinking that the Taliban can help fight ISIS is a flawed approach.

Most of the US soldiers who perished last year were in operations against ISIS in Afghanistan.
READ MORE

Pak summons US ambassador over Trump's outburst over Twitter

Pakistan has summoned US Ambassador David Hale to register its protest after President Donald Trump accused the country of lying and deceiving America by sheltering terrorists while receiving billions of dollars in foreign aid, a media report said on Tuesday.

The Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) summoned Hale on Monday's night. Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua sought an explanation from Hale over Trump's remarks, The Express Tribune reported.

There was no immediate response from foreign office officials.

Trump, on Monday,  tore into Pakistan accusing it of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for $33 billion aid over the last 15 years thinking of American leaders as "fools".

In his strongest attack against Pakistan yet, Trump in his first tweet of the year on New Year's day also appeared to suggest he could cut off foreign aid to Pakistan.

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools," Trump tweeted on New Year's Day.

"They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!"

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif responded immediately and said, "...Will let the world know the truth... difference between facts and fiction."
READ MORE

Saudis, Turks voice alarm over US move to mark Jerusalem as Israel capital

Saudi Arabia on Monday voiced "grave and deep concern" over possible US plans to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying the move could have serious implications for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

President Donald Trump faces a key decision this week over Jerusalem's status, potentially reversing years of US policy and prompting a furious response from the Palestinians and the Arab world.

"Saudi Arabia (expresses) grave and deep concern over reports that the US administration intends to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem," the official Saudi Press Agency said, citing a foreign ministry source.

"This step will have serious implications and will further complicate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It will also obstruct the ongoing efforts to revive the peace process."

The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contentious issues of the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Facing dark warnings of a historic misstep and widespread unrest, Trump on Monday delayed a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and move the US embassy there.
READ MORE