Hosts India produced a spirited effort to eke out a 2-2 draw against Olympic silver medallists Belgium in an evenly-contested Pool C match of the men's hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

Pegged back by Alenander Hendricks's goal in the eighth minute, India made a valiant comeback after the change of ends, scoring two goals in the third and fourth quarter through Harmanpreet Singh (39th) and Simranjeet Singh (47th) to take the lead.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday accused the Congress of obstructing construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya and charged the Rahul Gandhi-led party and Telangana Rashtra Samiti with indulging in Muslim appeasement.

"If anyone is creating obstruction in the way of construction of a grand temple in the birthplace of lord Ram, it's Congress, Congress," he said, addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party election rally in Sangareddy.

"We should all make efforts to understand the intention of the Congress party," he said.

Adityanath said BJP is for good governance, development, and wants to fufil the model of 'Ram Rajya' in the country.

Addressing another election rally at Tandur town of Vikarabad district, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister hit out at Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen.

"If BJP forms government in Telangana, I can tell you that Owaisi will have to run away just like Nizam was compelled to run away from Hyderabad. BJP will give security to all but will not allow those who spread anarchy," he said.

He accused both Congress and TRS of indulging in Muslim appeasement and making religion a foundation for making schemes for them.

The BJP, he said, does not discriminate between caste, creed and religion while drafting policies.

"Congress says if it forms government in Telangana it will provide area development funds to Muslims. Congress policies are divisive, with wrong intentions," Adityanath said.

Congress and TRS are 'playing with' the interests of people in Telangana and once more they would make efforts to take the state towards 'Nizamshahi', he alleged.

"BJP did only development, but never did appeasement of anyone. Congress, TDP, TRS all do only dynastic politics. And Owaisi party also does only Muslim appeasement politics," Adityanath claimed.

He sought to know if TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao fulfilled the promise of giving three acre land to dalits and providing drinking water for every household.

Adityanath said KCR had, before the 2014 elections, promised to make a Dalit Chief Minister if his party came to power.

"Now, they (TRS) are handing over the 'virasat' (legacy) to (his) son and daughter."

"TDP (President) Chandrababu Naidu handed over (reins to his son)... like Sonia Gandhi handed over to Rahul Gandhi... till dynastic tradition runs in India, democracy cannot be strengthened. It needs to be stopped," he said.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last four-and-half years, the BJP-led government has been carrying out programmes with a mission of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas', he added.  -- PTI

Religious freedom activists and several other groups in the United States have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take all necessary measures to curb the rise of Hindutva extremism and punish groups involved in violence against religious minorities in the country.

The request was made during a briefing titled 'Religious Freedom in India: A Briefing on Capitol Hill', organised by the Indian-American Muslim Council, at the US Capitol on Thursday which was attended by activists, Congressional staffs, State Department officials, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and civil society members.

"The failure of Prime Minister Modi to definitively condemn and to definitively distance himself from the extreme elements of his party has played a substantial and significant role in bringing about the situation that we see today," said Katrina Lantos Swett, former Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

India maintains that its Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens including the right to freedom of religion and the USCIRF has no locus standi to pass its comment on Indian citizens' constitutionally protected rights.

The participants urged Modi to condemn such violence against religious minorities as well as take all necessary measures to curb the rise of Hindutva extremism and punish the Hindutva groups involved in violence.

Swett, the daughter of Tom Lantos - the only Holocaust survivor to have ever been elected to US Congress and who founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus - said that Muslims and Christians are the 'primary victims'.

"Inflammatory rhetoric and a conception of India's national identity increasingly based on religion have contributed to an atmosphere of intimidation, exclusion, and even violence directed at non-Hindus," Swett alleged.

Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, said If the prime minister were to condemn acts of aggression and violence and push for prosecution, this (violence) would fairly quickly dry up.

"But it's not happening," King said.

He also urged Modi to 'condemn acts of aggression and violence' and allow a team of USCIRF to visit India on a fact-finding mission.

Matthew Bulger, Legislative Director of the American Humanist Association, alleged that several Indian laws and policies 'restrict religious freedom rights' and have led to arrests and prosecution of individuals, 'which is just unacceptable'.

Rev Sarah C Anderson-Rajarigam, a Dalit Christian Lutheran church priest from Philadelphia, alleged that the status of Dalits had worsened under the Modi government.  -- PTI

Air forces of India and the United States will begin a 12-day military exercise in Kalaikunda and Panagarh air bases in West Bengal from Monday with an aim to enhance operational coordination, officials said.

The 'Ex Cope India-18' will be the fourth edition in the series of bilateral drills between the Indian Air Force and the US Air Force.

This is for the first time, the exercise is being held at two air force bases, the officials said.

"The aim of the exercise is to provide operational exposure and undertake mutual exchange of best practices towards enhancing operational capability," the IAF said in a statement.

The US has sent a fleet of F15 C/D and C-130 military aircraft. The IAF is participating with the Su-30 MKI, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, C-130J and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft.

The US and Indian air forces are enhancing their overall cooperation as part of deepening of defence and security ties between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump, in his first prime-time televised address to the nation as commander-in-chief last year, had laid out his South Asia policy saying a 'critical part' of it was to further develop the USA's strategic partnership with India.

In June 2016, the US had designated India a 'Major Defence Partner' intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.  -- PTI

The Human Resource Development Ministry has given directions to all the schools in the country that expenditure incurred on books, uniforms and transport of children with disabilities would be reimbursed, Minister of State for HRD Satyapal Singh said.

Speaking at an award ceremony organised by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People and Mindtree, Singh said there are about 12 million people with disability and just one per cent go to schools.

"Specially challenged people just do not need courtesy and compassion, but real empowerment which would come through education. How to ensure it is a big challenge," he said at the Helen Keller Awards 2018.       

Singh said the directions have been issued to 'all the schools in the country that all the expenditure incurred on books, uniform and transport will be reimbursed by the government'.

He also said that the girl child will be given Rs 200 per month.

The government from this academic session has also issued directions that there will minimum 5 per cent admission in all educational bodies, he added.

"It is one of the top most priority for this government to make sure that the rights of specially challenged people are ensured," he said.

He also said for helping people with disabilities there is a need to not only supporters but also ambassadors fighting for the rights of the disabled people. -- PTI

Actor Sonali Bendre Behl, who was diagnosed with high grade cancer, is excited to return to the city she calls 'home' after undergoing treatment in New York for about five months.

In the first week of July, Sonali had revealed that she has been diagnosed with a 'high grade cancer' and was undergoing treatment in New York.

In an emotional statement, the actor had then said the cancer metastised which 'we frankly did not see coming'.

Sharing the news on Instagram Sonali said, 'They say 'Distance makes the heart grow fonder'. It sure does. But let's never underestimate what distance teaches you. Being away from home in the city of New York, I realised I was walking amongst so many stories.

'Each trying to write their own chapter in different ways. Each struggling to do it but never giving up. Each taking it #OneDayAtATime.'

She further said, she is now her way back, to "'where her heart is'.

'It's a feeling I can't describe in words but I'm going to try - it's the joy to see my family and friends again, the excitement to do what I love and mainly the gratitude for the journey I've had up until this moment.'

Without divulging any details about her treatment, Sonali said, 'The fight is not yet over. But I am looking forward to this happy interval. It's time to learn that there is a new normal out there and I can't wait to embrace it and #SwitchOnTheSunshine.'

Her post ended with a quote by Chris Martin, Sonali said, 'And as my adventure with life continues these words by Chris Martin hit home, 'Everything you want is a dream away. Under this pressure, under this weight We are diamonds taking shape...''  -- PTI

An NGO-run shelter home was Sunday sealed in Odisha's Dhenkanal district in the wake of allegations of sexual abuse by its minor inmates, an official said.

The action came two days after District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) Anuradha Goswami and members of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) raided the shelter home, acting on media reports which stated that girls were being abused at the facility.

"The private home, which has been operating illegally at Beltikiri area, was shut down by the police in presence of Dhenkanal Sadar Tehsildar U K Mohapatra and the DCPO," the district official said.

Dhenkanal Subdivisional Police Officer Abdul Karim said the in-charge of the home, Simanchal Nayak, and managing director Fayaz Rahman have been detained.

The girls at the home had alleged that they were harassed sexually, physically and mentally by Nayak over the past two years.

Nayak has, however, denied the allegations and said they had done so as he had tried to enforce discipline at the shelter home.

Odisha Women and Child Development Minister (WCD) Prafulla Samal on Saturday described the centre 'unregistered and illegal', ordering its immediate closure.

Asserting that strict action would be taken against the offenders, she said district collectors across the state have been asked to shut down all 22 branches of the shelter home, operated by NGO Good News India.

The inmates of the Dhenkanal shelter home -- 47 girls and 34 boys -- have been shifted to another childcare institution, Mohaptra said.

Meanwhile, a fact-finding team of the state BJP, led by its women's wing president Prabhati Parida, visited Beltikiri on Sunday to assess the situation.

The team interacted with the locals to find out the modus operandi of the shelter home, sources in the party said. Hitting out at the state government, Parida alleged that the administration, local police and WCD minister had 'knowledge about the illegal home'.

Earlier this year, the central government directed all states to inspect shelter homes in the aftermath of two alleged sexual abuse cases in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

As many as 539 childcare institutions were shut down by the Union Women and Child Development Ministry in different parts of the country for various irregularities.  -- PTI

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Pakistan could seek India's help if it cannot handle the fight against terrorism alone.

Addressing a press conference in Jaipur, he said that Jammu and Kashmir was not an issue as it was an integral part of the country.

"The issue is of terrorism, and Pakistan can discuss it," Singh said.

"I want to ask the Pakistani prime minister that if in Aghanistan, a fight can be carried out against terror and Taliban with the help of the US, then, Pakistan can seek help against terrorism from India if it feels that it cannot handle it alone," he said.

He also accused the Congress of creating a crisis of distrust in politics and claimed there was a difference in their words and deeds.  -- PTI

Israeli police on Sunday recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara for bribery and other offences, the third such recommendation against the premier in recent months.

The attorney general will now decide whether to bring indictments in the case, which centres on regulatory benefits allegedly granted to telecommunications firm Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage from a related media company.

Police in February recommended indicting the prime minister in two other corruption investigations.   -- Agencies

Senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot Sunday accused Bharatiya Janata Party of mixing politics with caste and other issues.

"There is huge resentment among people against Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Asking about mother and father of anyone can be an issue of criticism, but it cannot be an issue of doing politics," Gehlot told reporters in Bikaner.

"BJP is not doing politics based on issues. It has mixed other issues including castes," he said.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gehlot alleged he was the first prime minister who is not doing politics on the issues maintaining the dignity of his post.

"He should do politics on national and international issues," the former chief minister said.

He said that elections are like festivals and should be celebrated with brotherhood and good feeling.

Gehlot said Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also said that the party doesn't have fight with anyone, but it is a fight of ideology, policies and programmes.

"They talk about Rahul Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, but Prime Minister Modi and Vasundhara will have to take 100 births to become Nehru," he said.

On demonetisation, Gehlot said it was a black chapter and prime minister 'shattered' the country's economy.

He also accused Vasundhara Raje government of closing down various public welfare schemes of the previous Congress government.

The Congress government had not  closed down public welfare schemes of Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Vasundhara Raje governments, he said.  -- PTI

Journalist Abhijit Iyer Mitra admitted to hospital in Bhubaneswar after complaining of stomachache.

He has been lodged in jail since October 24 after being arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Konark temple, Odisha.

More details awaited.   -- ANI

Days after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar on Sunday said members of the community should take over all Hanuman temples in the country and appoint Dalits as priests there.

While addressing a rally in Rajasthan's Alwar district on Tuesday, Adityanath had said, "Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to unite all Indian communities, from north to south and east to west."

Reacting to the comment, Chandrashekhar told reporters here that, "Dalits should take over all Hanuman temples in the country and appoint Dalits as priests there."

A right-wing group in Rajasthan has sent a legal notice to Adityanath, asking him to apologise for calling Lord Hanuman a Dalit.

Last week, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) chairperson Nand Kumar Sai claimed that Lord Hanuman was a tribal. During an event in Lucknow on November 29, Sai said, "I want to make it clear... People think that there were monkeys, bears, and vultures in the army of Lord Ram. In Kurukh language spoken by people belonging to the Oraon tribe, 'tigga' (a gotra) means 'vanar' (monkey). In the Kanwar tribe, which I belong to, there's a gotra (clan) called 'Hanuman'."

"Similarly, 'Giddh' or vulture is a gotra in many other Scheduled Tribes. Therefore, I believe they belonged to the tribal community and accompanied Lord Ram in the big war," he said.  -- PTI

The Reserve Bank is likely to maintain status-quo on interest rate in the upcoming monetary policy review on December 5 despite moderation in economic growth and easing inflation, opined experts.

After back-to-back hikes since June, the RBI had kept interest rates unchanged in the previous policy review in October, surprising markets that had expected a rate hike to support the tumbling rupee and combat inflationary pressures from high oil prices.

The repo rate, at which RBI lends to other banks, was left unchanged at 6.50 per cent.

The six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by RBI Governor Urjit Patel, will meet for three days starting December 3 for the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy review of the current financial year.

The MPC's decision will be announced in the afternoon of December 5. Since the previous policy announcement, rupee has appreciated against the US dollar and moved above the psychologically crucial mark of 70.

Global crude oil prices too have softened significantly, slipping below $60 per barrel from $86.

However, India's economic growth slowed to 7.1 per cent in the September quarter after peaking to an over two-year high in the first three months of this fiscal, as consumption demand moderated and farm sector displayed signs of weakness.

The growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in July-September is the lowest in three quarters but better than 6.3 per cent in the same period of the previous year.

The Indian economy had grown by 8.2 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year that began in April, according to data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Kotak Research said the MPC in its last policy had estimated inflation at 3.9-4.5 per cent in the second half of the fiscal and 4.8 per cent in first quarter of next year.

It expects the inflation at 2.9-4.3 per cent in the second half of the fiscal and 4.5 per cent in first quarter of 2019-20.

"The softer-than-expected inflation prints are on the back of benign food inflation, especially as most kharif crop prices remain well below the MSP prices.

"While softer retail fuel prices will push core inflation lower, there will be significant divergence from headline inflation mainly on the back of higher prices of education and health," Kotak Research said, adding that it expects RBI to maintain status-quo.

Devendra Kumar Pant, Chief Economist, India Ratings and Research (Fitch Group), said 2018-19 may still end up with a GDP growth of 7.3 per cent and 'RBI may get the much needed elbow room to keep the policy rate unchanged in the forthcoming bi monthly policy review on 5 December 2018'.

Retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell to a one-year low of 3.31 per cent in October on the back of cheaper kitchen staples, fruits and protein-rich items, as per latest available data.

It was 3.7 per cent in September 2018 and 3.58 per cent in October 2017.

The retail inflation number is the lowest since September 2017, when it touched 3.28 per cent.  -- PTI

United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has said that there is no 'direct evidence' which could link Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

While reiterating Washington's support for Riyadh amid a global outcry over Saudi Crown Prince's possible involvement in Khashoggi's murder, Pompeo told CNN in an interview on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, "I have read every piece of intelligence that is in the possession of the United States government.

"And when it is done, when you complete that analysis, there's no direct evidence linking him to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. That is an accurate statement, it is an important statement, and it is a statement that we are making publicly today."

Replying to a question on Saturday on whether the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has a 'high confidence' of the Saudi crown prince's alleged involvement, the US Secretary of State underlined, "I can't comment on intelligence matters."

Last month, Pompeo seconded that Saudi Arabia is an important ally of the US, especially to take control of Iran, secure Iraq's democracy and to fight the Islamic State terrorists and other armed groups.

His remarks came despite the CIA's announcement that the Saudi crown prince had ordered the murder of Khashoggi.

On October 2, Khashoggi was reported missing after he stepped into Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul to collect paperwork that would allow him to get married to his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz, who later said that he never appeared from the building.

After days of denial, Saudi Arabia later confirmed its role in Khashoggi's killing after facing massive pressure from Turkey over their investigations on the issue.

But their contradictory statements have led to international uproar led by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has demanded Riyadh to come clean and accept their role in the scribe's death.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had admitted that the murder of the scribe was 'a mistake and a rogue operation'.

Recently, the Donald Trump administration slapped sanctions on 17 Saudi nationals allegedly involved in Khashoggi's killing.   -- ANI

China has not accepted India's proposal to carry out bilateral trade in local currencies which was aimed at bridging the ballooning trade deficit with the neighbouring country, an official said.

India's exports to China stood at only $13.4 billion, imports aggregated to $76.4 billion in 2017-18, leaving a trade deficit of $63 billion.

It was $51.11 billion in 2016-17. India had suggested China for renminbi-rupee trade to boost its exports and tackle the widening trade deficit concern.

"They have not accepted the proposal," the official said.

The issue was discussed in an inter-ministerial meeting in October.

In the meeting, it was suggested to the Reserve Bank of India and the Department of Economic Affairs would look at the possibility of exploring renminbi-rupee trade with China. India has also proposed trade in national currencies with some other countries, including Russia, Iran and Venezuela.

New Delhi has trade deficit with these three countries, too. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) President Ganesh Kumar Gupta said that the government should promote exports from India in the domestic currency.

"This will help in bridging trade deficit with countries like China," Gupta said. Trade experts have stated that bilateral trade in domestic currencies will help India only in the case of those countries with which it has a trade balance.

"Trade imbalance should not be there with the country with which we want to do trade in rupee. It will not help in bridging the deficit. The partner country should have an opportunity to invest in India to use the rupee," said Biswajit Dhar, professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The Indian industry and exporters have time and again raised the issue of increasing trade deficit with China and have asked the government to seek greater market access for domestic goods in the Chinese market.

Recently, China has permitted exports of rice and sugar.

But India wants to increase exports of several other items, including pharmaceuticals, engineering and services.  -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has said that his party was not thinking of bringing an ordinance "as of now" for construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

He, however, asserted that it was only the saffron party that could construct the Ram temple at Ayodhya as "no one else has the guts" to do it.

According to him, the temple issue did "more harm than good" to the BJP as the matter was being used by the opposition "to terrorise minorities and polarise votes".

"We would appeal to the court once again for a verdict on the issue (Ram Mandir). When a matter is in court, we should not be in a hurry and give it enough time to take a decision.

"But if people's aspirations keep increasing, the government will have to take a call on it (whether to bring ordinance or not). As of now, the party is not thinking of bringing in an ordinance on construction of temple,"

Vijayvargiya told PTI in an interview.

The Supreme Court has recently declined an early hearing of petitions in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case. It had earlier fixed the case for the first week of January before an "appropriate bench", which will decide the schedule of hearing.

When asked about the growing clamour for ordinance by various organisations and political outfits such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), RSS and Shiv Sena, he reiterated that they would have to appeal to the court for an early verdict.

Thousands of devotees thronged Ayodhya on November 25 to attend VHP's 'Dharam Sabha' to discuss the Ram Mandir issue, with a senior religious leader asserting the dates for building the temple would be announced early next year.

Last week, NDA-ally Shiv Sena's chief Uddhav Thackeray said the BJP government at the Centre "may not last" if the temple was not constructed in Ayodhya, warning that "emotions of Hindus should not be taken for granted".

Rubbishing opposition claims that the saffron party rakes up Ram Mandir issue for political benefits ahead of elections, Vijayvargiya said, "The BJP has not raised the matter, it was saints and other organisations that did. The party has never gone into polls with Ram Mandir issue. For us, the agenda has always been 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'," he said.

He alleged that opposition parties have been trying to harm the party's prospects by intimidating minorities with the temple issue.

"During elections, some sections of people raise this issue just to terrorise minorities. The issue doesn't help the BJP, rather it causes damage as minorities en bloc vote against us," he claimed.

Vijayvargiya, who is the BJP in-charge of Bengal, said the saffron party would wish to build the temple, keeping the court's decision and Constitution's provisions in mind.

"Only BJP can construct the Ram Temple, nobody else has guts to construct the Ram temple. We will do it. But we will do it by respecting the court, Constitution and social fabric," he said. -- PTI

Indian-Americans have urged the Union Government to start Air India service from Atlanta in the US so as to facilitate better connectivity with their motherland.

Air India currently has direct flights from Newark, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Direct flights between Atlanta and Indian cities will make it more convenient for passengers travelling to India from the Southeast US region, Georgia chapter of Federation of Indian American Associations said in a memorandum to the Minister of State for External Affairs Gen (rtd) V K Singh during his recent visit.

Dr. Vasudev Patel, president of FIA Georgia, said the minister promised to assist the community in establishing direct flights through India's state carrier.

"He said this is a very good suggestion and felt that the Atlanta region certainly deserves this type of service. He promised to work on it with us," he said.

A direct flight between Indian cities and Atlanta will make it more affordable for passengers travelling from this region, he said.

The Federation of Indian-American Associations of Georgia is an Atlanta based organisation representing the nearly 200,000 Indian immigrants in the state of Georgia. -- PTI 

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump on Saturday agreed to suspend any new tariffs and take steps to address the trade disputes, which over the past few months had threatened to spill over into a trade war between the world's two largest economies.

 

At their "highly successful" dinner meeting on the sidelines of the annual G-20 Summit Buenos Aires, Trump agreed not to bring in any new import tariffs on Chinese products, while Xi agreed to purchase a very substantial amount of US products so as to reduce the trade deficit between the two countries.

During the meeting, Trump agreed that on January 1, 2019, he will leave the tariffs on USD 200 billion worth of product at the 10 per cent rate, and not raise it to 25 per cent at this time.

"This was an amazing and productive meeting with unlimited possibilities for both the US and China. It is my great honour to be working with President Xi," Trump said in a statement released by the White House after the dinner talks between the two leaders.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders described it as a "highly successful meeting" between the two leaders and their most senior representatives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

"Very importantly, President Xi, in a wonderful humanitarian gesture, has agreed to designate Fentanyl as a Controlled Substance, meaning that people selling Fentanyl to the United States will be subject to China's maximum penalty under the law," she said.

She also said that an increase of tariffs from 10 to 25 per cent due to kick in on January 1 would now be put on hold, providing room for negotiations.

"China will agree to purchase a not yet agreed upon, but very substantial, amount of agricultural, energy, industrial, and other product from the United States to reduce the trade imbalance between our two countries. China has agreed to start purchasing agricultural product from our farmers immediately," Sanders said.

Trump and Xi also agreed to immediately begin negotiations on structural changes with respect to forced technology transfer, intellectual property protection, non-tariff barriers, cyber intrusions and cyber theft, services and agriculture.

"Both parties agree that they will endeavour to have this transaction completed within the next 90 days. If at the end of this period of time, the parties are unable to reach an agreement, the 10 per cent tariffs will be raised to 25 per cent," Sanders said.

It was also agreed that great progress has been made with respect to North Korea and that President Trump, together with President Xi, will strive, along with North Korean leader Chairman Kim Jong Un, to see a nuclear free Korean Peninsula. President Trump has expressed his friendship and respect for Kim, she said.

"Xi also stated that he is open to approving the previously unapproved Qualcomm-NXP deal should it again be presented to him," Sanders said.

Before their meeting, Xi underscored the need of cooperation between the two countries. "Only with cooperation between us can we serve the interest of both peace and prosperity," he said. -- PTI     

Three Punjab ministers on Saturday called for Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation from the state cabinet over his jibe at Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, a fallout of the controversial politician's recent trip to Kartarpur in Pakistan.

 

The row over the trip escalated in the state even as Sidhu backtracked on his claim that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was involved in his decision to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kartarpur corridor.

 

"Get your facts right before you distort them, Rahul Gandhi Ji never asked me to go to Pakistan. The whole world knows I went to Pakistan on Prime Minister Imran Khan's personal invite," Sidhu tweeted.

 

A day earlier in Hyderabad, Sidhu had mocked Capt Amarinder Singh, when reporters asked him about going to Pakistan despite his disapproval.

 

"Rahul Gandhi is my captain. It is he who sent me to Pakistan. Rahul Gandhi is the captain of the captain (Amarinder Singh) also," Sidhu had then said.

 

Reacting to this, the Punjab ministers said if Sidhu, who holds the local bodies and tourism portfolios, didn't consider Amarinder Singh to be his captain, he should quit the chief minister's team.

Sidhu was attacked over his Hyderabad remark by Rural Development and Panchayat minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Revenue and Rehabilitation minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Sports Minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi.

 

Sodhi said other ministers too are backing Amarinder Singh on this.

 

"Among the ministers I spoke with are Aruna Chaudhary and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot. We are all solidly behind Capt Amarinder Singh," Sodhi said.

 

Sources said the issue is likely to be raised in the state cabinet meeting on Monday

 

"If he does not consider Capt Amarinder as his captain then he should resign on moral grounds from the cabinet and do whatever work is assigned to him by Rahul Gandhi," Bajwa said.

 

He said Sidhu should apologise to the chief minister.

 

"He will have to accept Captain sahib as his leader in Punjab," Bajwa said.

 

"My advice to the younger brother is to speak less and concentrate on work," he added.

 

Sarkaria said Sidhu's language while referring to the chief minister was "objectionable."

 

"Rahul Gandhi is our leader, he is our party's national president. In Punjab, the government is headed by Capt Amarinder Singh, who is our captain in the state and we all work like a team under his leadership," he said. -- PTI

Argentina, which is home to some of the most talented football players in the world, seems to have passed on its game frenzy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the country's capital Buenos Aires to attend the G-20 summit. 

When FIFA President Gianni Infantino gifted him a football jersey that had his name printed on the back, Modi took to Twitter to share the news with the world. 

"Impossible to come to Argentina and not think about football. Argentinian players are tremendously popular in India. Today, received this jersey from @FIFAcom President Gianni Infantino. I thank him for the kind gesture," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that India will host the G-20 summit in 2022, the year the country would celebrate the 75th anniversary of its Independence.

 

The G-20 is a grouping of the world's 20 major economies. 

       

Modi made the announcement at the closing ceremony of the two-day summit held here in Argentina's capital.

Italy was to host the international forum in 2022. 

Thanking Italy for allowing India to play the host, Modi invited G-20 leaders to India in 2022, which also marks the 75th anniversary of India's Independence.

"In 2022 India completes 75 years since Independence. In that special year, India looks forward to welcoming the world to the G-20 Summit! Come to India, the world's fastest growing large economy! Know India's rich history and diversity, and experience the warm Indian hospitality," the prime minister tweeted after making the announcement.

G-20 members comprise Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US. 

        

Collectively, the G-20 economies account for nearly 90 per cent of the gross world product, 80 per cent of world trade, two-thirds of the world population, and approximately half of the world land area.  

Spain is a permanent guest invitee. -- PTI 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday came down hard on her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi for his "googly" remark, saying it "exposed" him and that Pakistan has no respect for Sikh sentiments

In as series of tweets, Swaraj said,"Mr.Foreign Minister of Pakistan - Your 'googly' remarks in a dramatic manner has exposed none but YOU. This shows that you have no respect for Sikh sentiments. You only play 'googlies'."  

"Let me explain to you that we were not trapped by your 'googlies'. Our two Sikh Ministers went to Kartarpur Sahib to offer prayers in the Holy Gurudwara", she said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who completed 100 days in office, on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Kartarpur Corridor linking two revered gurdwaras on both sides of the border in Kartarpur in Punjab province. 

Union ministers from India, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri, along with Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, attended the event in Pakistan Punjab province's Narowal area. 

On Thursday, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi had said Prime Minister Khan bowled a "googly" to ensure Indian government's presence at the groundbreaking ceremony of the landmark Kartarpur Corridor.

Qureshi's remarks came a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj categorically ruled out the possibility of resumption of bilateral talks with Pakistan unless it stops cross-border terror activities against India.

However, Pakistan on Saturday said the Kartarpur corridor initiative was taken solely to fulfil the longstanding wishes of "our Sikh brethren" and criticised the "negative propaganda campaign" against the historic move. -- PTI