Trade deals are not simple arithmetic but much more complicated as they involve a number of variables, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said, exuding confidence that India and US will "find a fix" to their trade disputes with intense engagement going on between the two countries.
Trade tensions between India and the US have been rising with American President Donald Trump complaining that tariffs imposed by New Delhi on American products were "no longer acceptable".
Trump, championing his 'America First' policy, has been a vocal critic of India for levying "tremendously high" duties on US products. He has described India as a "tariff king".
Ahead of the New Delhi visit of US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for trade talks with his Indian counterpart Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Jaishankar on Tuesday said he was hopeful that something will come out of this ongoing intense engagement between officials of the two countries on trade issues.
"My understanding of the ...

India, US will fix their trade disputes: Jaishankar

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India and the US have experienced dramatic changes in their relationship in the last two decades, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said, asserting that the bilateral ties between the two largest democracies in the world are on a roll and the challenge is how to accelerate this pace to look at a new horizon.
Jaishankar arrived here on Sunday night from New York after attending the annual General Assembly session of the United Nations along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, the two leaders held bilateral meetings with dozens of world leaders.
"You've really seen the last 20 years a dramatic change in this relationship. And dramatic change between big countries is not that common," the External Affairs Minister said on Tuesday at an event organized by the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum.
"When I say dramatic change, there isn't a sector today you wouldn't say that there has been a very, very high growth rate," said .

Dramatic changes in India-US ties in last 20 years: Jaishankar

On the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, 11 non-profit organizations on Tuesday announced the formation of a new India Philanthropy Alliance aimed at enhancing collaboration among organizations working to advance India's development.
The organisations comprising the new Alliance include Akanksha Fund, American India Foundation, Arogya World, CRY America, Dasra, Ekal USA, Foundation for Excellence (FFE), Indiaspora, Magic Bus USA, Pratham USA, and VisionSpring.
These organisations collectively raise USD 125 million annually in philanthropic donations, including more than USD 50 million in the United States, a media release said.
Their most generous donors are Indian-American entrepreneurs and professionals as well as companies doing business in both the United States and India.
Together, these 11 organizations have cumulatively impacted more than 67 million people with their evidence-based programs spanning education, health care, livelihood support, and other essential ...

11 nonprofit bodies join to form India Philanthropy Alliance

An Australian teenager has been charged over the deaths of 20 kangaroos, which he allegedly mowed down with his truck in a killing spree that lasted an hour.
The dead kangaroos, including two joeys, were found littered over roads in Tura Beach, 450 kilometres (280 miles) south of Sydney, on Sunday morning.
At least three other joeys were orphaned as a result of the disturbing attack, according to wildlife rescue group WIRES.
Police said Wednesday the man, 19, had been arrested and charged with animal cruelty offences on Tuesday.
The man allegedly hit and killed the marsupials with his utility vehicle late on Saturday night.
"We take incidents such as these very seriously and anyone who engages in activities such as these will face the full brunt of the law," Bega Valley chief inspector Peter Volf said.
Though the sight of dead kangaroos by the roadside is not uncommon in New South Wales state -- where about 90 percent of car crashes are caused by collisions with the animals -- the ...

Australian teen 'deliberately' mowed down, killed 20 kangaroos

America's first cannabis restaurant has opened in West Hollywood, offering diners an array of weed products and hoping to rival Amsterdam's famed coffee shops.
Called Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe, the much-hyped 240-seat establishment is open to people 21 and over, who can order from a cannabis menu just like they would a wine bottle.
"Flower Hosts," or "budtenders," help patrons navigate the menu, giving advice to connoisseurs or novices on what strain of cannabis to order with their meal and the potency and flavor of each product.
On offer are pre-rolled joints starting at USD 18 dollars apiece, highly potent concentrates, some edibles, and accessories such as bongs, pipes and dabbing devices.
"It's amazing to be a part of making history, I never thought I would have been," said executive chef Andrea Drummer as she surveyed diners at the soft opening of the eatery on Monday.
"It's important to have a safe space to consume in a very communal setting," she added. "The only other ...

America's first cannabis cafe opens in Hollywood

Describing himself as a "parade person", watching marches all his life, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said the Chinese military parades have always been impressive.
Jaishankar made his appreciation known for the Chinese parade a day after the country held its biggest march showcasing its might in celebration of 70 years of Communist party rule.
Chinese parades have always been very impressive. I saw a little bit on television. So if you ask me as as a comparative parade analysis, it was ranked up (high) there, Jaishankar told a Washington audience when asked about the mega Chinese military parade in Beijing a day earlier.
Jaishankar recollected that as India's top diplomat in China he had witnessed the one 10 years ago.
On the parade in China, 10 years ago I actually was there. I (had) just arrived as the (Indian) ambassador to China. (And) I saw the 60th anniversary parade, he said.
I'm a parade person. I have watched parades all my life. Part of the reason was my 

Chinese parades have always been impressive says Jaishankar

North Korea fired two missiles into the sea on Wednesday, a day after Washington and Pyongyang announced they would resume stalled nuclear talks later this week.
One of the projectiles fell into waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone, Tokyo said, and although the type of weapon was not clear, previous tests have been identified as short-range ballistic missiles.
The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired from Wonsan into the East Sea (Sea of Japan).
"Our military is monitoring the situation for additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture," they said in a statement, without providing further details.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tokyo would hold a meeting of the National Security Council to decide how to respond to the firing.
"The launching of ballistic missiles violates UN Security Council resolutions and we strongly protest and strongly condemn it," Abe told reporters.
The launch came a day after the North's Vice Foreign Minister .

North Korea launches missiles ahead of nuclear talks

Romania's opposition on Tuesday initiated a no confidence vote against the ruling left-wing government, which finds itself in a vulnerable moment after it was recently abandoned by its coalition partner, was thrashed at the polls and saw its leader sent to jail.
The document, entitled "To rebuild Romania, Dancila's government must be sacked urgently", was signed by 237 senators and deputies.
Although 233 votes are needed for the government to collapse, the number of signatures gathered to launch the process is not a guarantee that lawmakers will turn their signature into a formal vote.
Four current and former members of the ruling Social Democratic party (PSD) are amongst those who signed the document.
"For all the arrogance, the incompetence and the malice with which they have governed, the vote for the collapse of this anti-national government it's a necessity for every lawmaker of good faith", said Raluca Turcan, leader of the deputies of the National Liberal Party (PNL), the ...

Romania's government threatened by no confidence vote

Hundreds of Hong Kongers staged a sit-in on Wednesday outside the school of a protester who was shot by police as authorities said the wounded 18-year-old was now in a stable condition.
The international finance hub has been left reeling from the shooting, the first time a demonstrator has been struck with a live round in nearly four months of increasingly violent pro-democracy protests.
Hong Kong was battered by the most sustained political clashes of the year on Tuesday as China celebrated 70 years of Communist Party rule with a massive military parade in Beijing.
The spiralling violence underscored seething public anger against Beijing's rule and shifted the spotlight from China's carefully choreographed birthday party, which was designed to showcase its status as a global superpower.
Running battles raged for hours across multiple locations as hardcore protesters hurled rocks and petrol bombs. Police responded for the most part with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.
In ...

Sit-in at school of Hong Kong protester shot by police

The recession in US manufacturing worsened last month as plunging global demand and trade frictions drove activity to its lowest point since the Great Recession, according to an industry survey released Tuesday.
The unexpected drop in the Institute for Supply Management's closely-watched index was another worrying sign for the US economy, amid President Donald Trump's trade war with China, slowing consumer spending and weaker sales of major factory-made goods.
The bad news knocked the wind out of Wall Street's sails, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing down 1.3 percent.
Trump blamed the Federal Reserve, rather than his own trade wars, accusing the central bank and Fed Chair Jerome Powell of hurting factory output by allowing the US dollar to strengthen, by failing to cut interest rates aggressively, which puts American exports at a disadvantage.
"As I predicted, Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve have allowed the Dollar to get so strong, especially relative to ALL other ...

US manufacturing contracts in September to lowest since 2009: ISM

The shadowy head of Iran's elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, gave an insight on his role in Lebanon during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, in a rare interview broadcast Tuesday on state television.
The 90-minute interview was presented as the first of its kind with Soleimani, top commander of the Revolutionary Guards branch that runs foreign operations.
Soleimani said he spent almost the entire duration of the 34-day conflict in Lebanon, which he entered from Syria alongside Imad Moughnieh, a commander of the Iran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah who was assassinated in 2008.
The 2006 war killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
Apart from a one-day mission back to Iran "one week" into the war to report to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and return with a message for Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Soleimani said he remained in Lebanon to oversee the fight.
He also recounted how, under massive Israeli bombardment of ...

Shadowy Iran commander gives interview on 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war

Tunisia's court of appeal Tuesday rejected a fresh request to free jailed presidential candidate Nabil Karoui, his lawyer said, less than two weeks before the media magnate is expected to contest an election runoff.
"Unfortunately the indictment chamber... refused the release request," lawyer Kamel Ben Messoud told AFP, after what was the fourth such appeal turned down by the judiciary in the North African country.
A leader in Karoui's Qalb Tounes party, Oussama Khlifi, told local media that his continued detention "threatens the democratic process".
The 56-year-old, who has been under investigation since 2017 for money laundering and tax evasion, was placed in pre-trial detention on August 23 and subsequent applications to release him have been denied.
The timing of his arrest, 10 days before the start of campaigning, raised questions about the politicisation of the judicial process.
In July, an investigating judge froze the assets of Karoui and his brother Ghazi, and imposed a ...

Tunisia court keeps presidential runner behind bars

The man suspected of owning a black panther, which was rescued from rooftops near the northern French city of Lille two weeks ago and later stolen from a zoo, was questioned by police on Tuesday, legal sources said.
The young animal, thought to be around six months old and weighing 25-30 kilogram, had roamed free on September 19 after escaping through the window of a private apartment.
The ink-black feline was tranquilised with a dart and taken away in a cage.
The man is suspected of having illegally acquired the big cat, a protected species, and to have cut off its claws, according to the prosecutor's office in the city of Lille.
He is also suspected of illegally running a business exploiting a "non-domestic" animal or parts of it, the office said.
It said it was too early to consider the possibility of animal trafficking charges.
Last month, images of the black panther were plastered across newspaper front pages after it was rescued from rooftops only to be stolen from a zoo in ...

French man held after black panther stolen from zoo

The party of Israel's ex-military chief Benny Gantz on Tuesday pulled out of planned talks on forming a unity government with main rival Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following deadlocked elections.
Representatives of the centrist Blue and White alliance were set to meet Wednesday with counterparts from Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, followed by a face-to-face encounter between the two rivals.
But on Tuesday night, following a two-day holiday to mark the Jewish New Year, Gantz's party announced it had cancelled the talks.
"At this stage, the pre-conditions upon which any further meetings between the negotiating teams may take place have not been met," Blue and White said in a statement.
"In view of this, no meeting will be held on Wednesday," it added, without ruling out talks at a later date.
"When deemed appropriate and necessary, an additional meeting will be scheduled for this week or next," the party said, adding that the head-to-head with Netanyahu had also been called ...

Rivals call off Israel unity govt talks with Netanyahu

India on Tuesday asserted it has a "good case" to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a UNSC without it affects the United Nation's credibility.
Amid India's consistent growth as a potent power on global stage, the point was made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar before an influential Washington audience after a major foreign policy speech at a top US think tank, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
If you have... a United Nations where the most populous country in the world -- may be in 15 years --  with the third largest economy is not in the decision making of the United Nations, I grant you, it affects the country concerned.
"But I would also suggest it affects the United Nations' credibility, said Jaishankar in response to a question after his speech.
Obviously, we are biased. We believe we have a good case, he asserted.
It's not just the Security Council. Look, say how the peacekeeping operations (are being undertaken) around, who ...

A UNSC without India affects UN's credibility: Jaishankar

India has apprised the Trump Administration of its decision to purchase S-400 S-400 missile system from Russia, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Tuesday, exuding confidence that the Americans would appreciate its rational.
India has made a decision on the S-400 and we have discussed that with the US government. I am reasonably convinced of the powers of my persuasion (sic), Jaishankar said, responding to a question from a Russian journalist on the possibilities of US sanctions on India under CAATSA as it goes ahead with its decision to purchase S-400 Triumph missile defence system from the Russia.
It would be my hope that people understand why this particular transaction is important for us, so I think of your question to me is hypothetical, Jaishankar said, during his appearance at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington DC-based top American think tank.

US will sure understand India's rational to buy S-400 from Russia: Jaishankar

The 21st century world is increasingly becoming multipolar and is unlikely to return to bipolarity, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said here on Tuesday, predicting that a strategic appreciation of the emerging global landscape would bring India and the US closer.
Preparing for a more competitive and complex era will require a different mindset and for a nation like India, it would be in addition to changes induced by its climb up the global power hierarchy, Jaishankar told a Washington audience in a major foreign policy speech Preparing for a Different Era.
The minister was addressing the gathering at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a top American think-tank.
As a broad approach, it will lead to the primacy of long-term thinking over short-term calculations, he said, adding it would encourage undertaking deep structural changes and ambitious socio-economic initiatives that can transform both habits and attitudes.
In this world, what are presumed to be ...

World increasingly becoming multipolar, says Jaishankar

India's Annu Rani failed to repeat her impressive qualifying round form as she finished eighth in the women's javelin throw while Avinash Sable made it to the men's 3000m steeplechase finals under dramatic circumstances here on Tuesday.
Annu, who on Monday smashed her own national record with a 62.43m throw, could only produce a best of 61.12m in the final round competition on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Annu opened with a 59.25m before coming up with efforts of 61.12m and 60.20m which put her among the top eight after three attempts and gave her three more throws.
However, she could not improve upon her second round bid of 61.12m, coming up with 60.40m, 58.49m and 57.93m, to finish at eighth out of the 12 finalists.
The 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist, Kelsey Lee Barber, won the gold with a final round throw of 66.56m while the Chinese duo of Asian Games champion Liu Shiying and Asian champion Lyu Huihui took the silver and bronze with efforts of 65.88m and 65.49m ...

Annu 8th in javelin final; Avinash qualifies for 3000m steeplechase final after dramatic appeal

Ukraine's president said Tuesday that no one explained to him why millions of dollars in US military aid to his country was delayed, shrugging off suggestions that President Donald Trump froze the funding to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is struggling to distance himself from US politics, and to contain the damage to Ukraine and his own reputation from a July phone call between him and Trump that unleashed a congressional impeachment inquiry.
"It is impossible to put pressure on me," he told reporters Tuesday.
"Many people try to influence me," he said, but "I am the president of independent Ukraine."
Zelenskiy said that in discussions with Trump, he repeatedly stressed the importance of the US military aid to help Ukraine battle Russian-backed separatists.
In the July call, he thanked Trump for his "great support in the area of defense" and said Ukraine was ready to "cooperate for the next steps," according to a ...

Ukrainian leader says he doesn't know why US aid was frozen

The Trump administration pushed back hard Tuesday against the impeachment investigation of the president, accusing Democrats of bullying and intimidation in asking five diplomats to testify on White House efforts to seek dirt on a Trump political rival.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo questioned the authority of three House committees conducting the impeachment probe to summon testimony from the diplomats and said they would not appear to testify in the coming week as requested.
He also challenged the Democrat-led committees' right to demand documents from them and suggested the administration was prepared to take the fight to court.
The committees' request "can be understood only as an attempt to intimidate, bully and treat improperly the distinguished professionals of the Department of State," Pompeo said in a letter to Congress.
"I will not tolerate such tactics, and I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals whom 

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