Washington DC

US: House votes to oppose Trump’s Syria pullback

17 Oct 2019; MEMO: The US House of Representatives voted Wednesday on a bipartisan resolution opposing President Donald Trump’s decision to pull back troops in northern Syria, Anadolu reports.

The measure passed 354-60 with every Democrats and more than two-thirds of Republicans in favor.

Sponsored by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and Republican Michael McCaul, the resolution “opposes the decision to end certain United States efforts to prevent Turkish military operations” in northeastern Syria.

Trump defends troop pull out from Syria, says US not getting involved in 'crazy endless wars'

Washington, Oct 17 (PTI) The US is not going to get involved in "crazy endless wars" over 7,000 miles away, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, defending his decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria.

The last week decision paved the way for Turkey to launch a cross-border military offensive that aims to push the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from the region. Turkey considers the biggest militia in the SDF a terrorist organisation.

India halved its poverty rate since 1990s: World Bank

Washington, Oct 16 (PTI) India has halved its poverty rate since the 1990s and achieved a seven plus growth rate over the last 15 years, the World Bank said on Tuesday.

India is both critical to the success of global development efforts, including eliminating extreme poverty, and as an influential leader for global goods such as addressing climate change, the bank said ahead of the annual meeting between it and the International Monetary Fund.

US slaps sanctions on Turkey as Syrian government returns to north

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States slapped sanctions on Turkey Tuesday as it demanded an end to its deadly incursion against Syrian Kurdish fighters, accusing its NATO partner of putting civilians at risk and allowing the release of Daesh extremists.

The actions came hours after Syrian government troops returned for the first time in years to parts of northeastern Syria, invited by Kurdish fighters desperate for protection as the United States pulls out.

As options narrow on Syria, Trump prepares to drop sanctions hammer on Turkey

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s administration is set to impose economic sanctions on Ankara, potentially as early as this week, for its incursion into northern Syria, one of the few levers the United States still has over NATO-ally Turkey.

Using the U.S. military to stop the Turkish offensive on U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters was never an option, defense officials have said, and Trump asked the Pentagon on Sunday to begin a “deliberate” withdrawal of all U.S. troops from northern Syria.

World Bank cuts India's growth projection to 6 per cent

Washington, Oct 13 (PTI) After a broad-based deceleration in the initial quarters of this fiscal year, India's growth rate is projected to fall to 6 per cent, the World Bank said on Sunday.

In 2018-19, the growth rate of the country stood at 6.9 per cent.

However, the bank in its latest edition of the South Asia Economic Focus said the country was expected to gradually recover to 6.9 per cent in 2021 and 7.2 per cent in 2022 as it assumed that the monetary stance would remain accommodative, given benign price dynamics.

Day 1 of US-China trade talks end with hopes for limited deal

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Top US and Chinese negotiators wrapped up a first day of trade talks in more than two months on Thursday as business groups expressed optimism the two sides might be able to ease a 15-month trade war and delay a US tariff hike scheduled for next week.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with Vice Premier Liu He and other senior Chinese officials for about seven hours at the USTR’s headquarters near the White House.

Biden for first time calls for Trump's impeachment

Washington, Oct 10 (PTI) Former Vice President and Democratic presidential frontrunner Joe Biden on Wednesday for the first time called for President Donald Trump's impeachment, saying the White House occupant is a "threat to American democracy" and has "violated" his oath of office.

His party has launched an impeachment inquiry over claims that Trump pressured Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to look into what the US leader said were corrupt business deals involving Biden.

Trump To Participate In Impeachment Inquiry If “Rules Are Fair”

WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (NNN-XINHUA) – U.S. President Donald Trump said, he would participate in an ongoing impeachment inquiry led by House Democrats.

Asked if he would cooperate with the Democrats running the proceedings if they held a full House vote on the impeachment, Trump told reporters at the White House, “Yeah, that sounds OK. We would, if they give us our rights.”

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