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Trump administration plans to renew immigration system

A Trump administration will execute a 10-point plan to “restore the integrity” of the US immigration system.

PTI | Washington |

A Trump administration will execute a 10-point plan to “restore the integrity” of the US immigration system, including building a wall along the border with Mexico, suspension of visas from certain countries and reforming the legal immigration system, the president-elect's transition team said today.
The new administration under Donald Trump will focus on radical ideologies, nuclear weapons and cyber-attacks as three areas of threat in the national defence and security domain, the transition team said.
The team listed out what it called the 10-point plan for immigration reform though not much details of such a policy framework were immediately available. It broadly indicates the policies articulated by Trump during his election campaigning, but the list gives a maturity in the policy formation and not simply a rhetoric.
As per the Trump Transition, the list includes build a wall on the southern border, end catch-and-release, zero tolerance for criminal aliens, block funding for sanctuary cities, and cancel unconstitutional executive orders and enforce all immigration laws.
It also includes suspending the issuance of visas to any place where adequate screening cannot occur. This policy appears to have evolved from Trump's election time statements related to banning entry of Muslims from entering the country.
The policy, among other things, also calls to ensure that other countries take their people back when US deports them.
Interestingly, this year India has taken back at least three charter planes full of people who came to the US illegally or were asked to be deported.
Among other policies include completing the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system and turning off the jobs and benefits magnet.
The Trump Transition has also talked about reforming the legal immigration system, which among other things includes the much sought after H-1B visas.
“Reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers,” it said, without giving any further details.
While there is no mention of H-1B visas, a position paper issued by the Trump Campaign during the primaries was critical of this system and had called for increasing the minimum wage of H-1B visas to USD 100,000.
This was described as a deal killer by immigration experts and Indian companies.
“We graduate two times more Americans with STEM degrees each year than find STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B programme,” said the position paper.
More than half of H-1B visas are issued for the programme's lowest allowable wage level, and more than 80 per cent for its bottom two, the position paper had rued. 

Trump Administration plans to renew immigration system

A Trump Administration will execute a 10-point plan to “restore the integrity” of the US immigration system.

PTI | Washington |

A Trump Administration will execute a 10-point plan to “restore the integrity” of the US immigration system, including building a wall along the border with Mexico, suspension of visas from certain countries and reforming the legal immigration system, the president-elect’s transition team said today.
The new Administration under Donald Trump will focus on radical ideologies, nuclear weapons and cyber-attacks as three areas of threat in the national defence and security domain, the transition team said.
The team listed out what it called the 10-point plan for immigration reform though not much details of such a policy framework were immediately available. It broadly indicates the policies articulated by Trump during his election campaigning, but the list gives a maturity in the policy formation and not simply a rhetoric.
As per the Trump Transition, the list includes build a wall on the southern border, end catch-and-release, zero tolerance for criminal aliens, block funding for sanctuary cities, and cancel unconstitutional executive orders and enforce all immigration laws.
It also includes suspending the issuance of visas to any place where adequate screening cannot occur. This policy appears to have evolved from Trump’s election time statements related to banning entry of Muslims from entering the country.
The policy, among other things, also calls to ensure that other countries take their people back when US deports them.
Interestingly, this year India has taken back at least three charter planes full of people who came to the US illegally or were asked to be deported.
Among other policies include completing the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system and turning off the jobs and benefits magnet.
The Trump Transition has also talked about reforming the legal immigration system, which among other things includes the much sought after H-1B visas.
“Reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers,” it said, without giving any further details.
While there is no mention of H-1B visas, a position paper issued by the Trump Campaign during the primaries was critical of this system and had called for increasing the minimum wage of H-1B visas to USD 100,000.
This was described as a deal killer by immigration experts and Indian companies.
“We graduate two times more Americans with STEM degrees each year than find STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B programme,” said the position paper.
More than half of H-1B visas are issued for the programme’s lowest allowable wage level, and more than 80 per cent for its bottom two, the position paper had rued. 

Banks to remain closed on Monday

SNS | New Delhi |

If you are waiting to exchange your old notes from the bank, you are in for disappointment. The banks will remain closed on Monday, according to the RBI website, on account of Gurupurab, a scheduled holiday.
The customers are going to face a lot of inconvenience for the next few days as more and more people are coming to exchange the old currency. The customers have been thronging in hundreds at the banks to exchange the banned currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000.
For the common man, the pain is likely to continue over the next few days even as the banks remain open on Saturday and Sunday.
On Monday, the banks will remain closed in 15 cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur,  Lucknow, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Hyderabad,  Guwahati, Nagpur, Belapur, Kanpur,  Raipur and Ranchi.

Commando 2: Release date out

IANS | Mumbai |

Vidyut Jamwal and Adah Sharma-starrer Commando 2 has been locked for release on January 6, next year.

Vidyut took to Twitter to announce the release date of the film, which is the
second instalment of the 2013 film Commando.

“‘Commando 2’ releasing on 6th January 2017,” he tweeted on Friday.

Actress Esha Gupta is also part of the film.

The film has been produced by Namastey London director Vipul
Amrutlal Shah, who was responsible for giving Vidyut the break as a baddie in
Force. The role fetched him the Filmfare Award for Best Debut
(Male).
Commando 2 reportedly revolves around the issue of black money.

Centre paves way for employees timely promotions

PTI | New Delhi |

All central government departments have been asked to conduct meetings of Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) in time to check “abnormal delay” in giving career benefits to employees. 

The move comes after noticing cases of delay in holding the meeting of DPC –which decides on employees’ promotions. 
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has issued instructions to all the departments asking them to ensure timely promotions to the employees by conducting meetings of DPC in time. 
A model calender has also been issued by the DoPT in this regard. It has been brought to the notice of the government that many promotion posts are lying vacant due to abnormal delay in convening DPCs.

Nikkhil Advani: Tantrum maker on the sets

IANS | Mumbai |

Filmmaker Nikkhil Advani says he throws tantrums on sets if
things or scenes dont go the way as planned for the day.

Advani, who has helmed movies like Kal Ho Naa Ho and
D-Day, is busy with his TV show P.O.W. Bandi Yuddh Ke!.
He says he has tried “to give the audiences a cinematic experience on
television through this show” and he wants everything in order to ensure
the team delivers their best.

“I’m the tantrum maker on the sets. I’m very particular about the timing
and schedules planned for the day on the sets. More than my artistes, I create
a ruckus if things or scenes don’t go the way I’ve planned for the day,”
Advani said in a statement. 

“I have a certain vision with this show and I’m not treating it like any
other television show. I have put my soul in it and ensured to give the
audiences a cinematic experience on television through this show showcasing the
right kind of emotions, which will keep the audiences hooked through the
series,” he added. 

An Indian adaptation of the Israeli TV drama Hatufim, P.O.W.
Bandi Yuddh Ke 
tells the story of two missing-in-action soldiers who
return home after 17 years. The Star Plus show features names like Purab Kohli,
Sandhya Mridul, Amrita Puri, Satyadeep Dubey and Rasika Dugal. 

Trump’s speculated contacts in Moscow shocks Russia

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov has expressed surprise over media speculations about Moscow’s so-called contacts with US President-elect Trump’s team.

IANS | Moscow |

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has expressed surprise over media speculations about Moscow’s so-called contacts with US President-elect Donald Trump’s team.
Ryabkov noted on Thursday that Moscow has contacted Trump’s presidential campaign team members and will continue such “routine practice”, Xinhua news agency reported.
In an interview, Ryabkov said the contacts were “seemingly obvious things” made under “natural circumstances”.
He also accused the Western media of trying to look for ulterior motives behind Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulating Trump on winning the election.
The message of congratulations was sent according to “centuries-old diplomatic protocol and etiquette”, Ryabkov said.
Later, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova added that during the US election process, unofficial statements were made on Russia’s readiness for an improvement in interaction and relations with the American side.
Also on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and the Trump have common ground in national and foreign policy principles.
Russia and the US have long been at odds over the Ukraine crisis, Syria, as well as other regional and international issues.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any intervention in the US election.

SBI records steep fall in Q2 profits

IANS | Chennai |

India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) on Friday said it closed the second quarter of the current fiscal with a lower net profit of Rs.2,538.32 crore.
In a regulatory filing in the Bombay Stock Exchange, the bank said it has posted a net profit of Rs.2,538.32 crore for the quarter ended September 30, down from Rs.3,879.07 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.
The bank’s total income for the period under review increased to Rs.50,742.99 crore from Rs.46,854.81 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.
The bank’s unamortised loss on account of selling its assets to Asset Reconstruction Companies as on September 30, 2016, stands at Rs.516 crore.

Punjab Congress announces massive statewide agitation over SYL

Statesman News Service | Chandigarh |

Upping the ante on the SYL issue, the Punjab Congress on Friday announced a massive action plan to protest against the Badal government’s failure to protect the interests of Punjab on the SYL issue, even as party MLAs, shouting anti-Modi and anti-Badal slogans, formally tendered their resignations from the state Assembly.

The Congress Legislative Party (CLP) met at the Assembly to discuss the fallout of the Supreme Court verdict on the SYL matter and decided on its plan of action to rescue the people of Punjab from the crisis resulting from the court judgement.

Congress leaders and workers will burn effigies of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in all the 117 Assembly segments of the state on Saturday, while on Sunday, the party will hold a rally at Abohar – the tail-end of the SYL canal – to highlight the Akalis’ mishandling of the case in the court, causing untold misery to the people of Punjab.

The CLP entrusted the task of organizing the rally, which will be attended by all party MPs and MLAs from Punjab, to PPCC vice president Sunil Jakhar.

 

Haryana govt to accept Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 for payment of house tax

Statesman News Service | Chandigarh |

With a view to facilitate the  people, the Haryana
government has decided that currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 denominations
will be accepted for payment of house tax, water supply and sewerage bills,
value-added tax and passenger and goods tax on November 11, till midnight.

The government has also extended the last date for payment
of water bills from November 9 to 21.

While stating this here on Friday, an official spokesman
said that the union Finance Ministry has amended its notification issued on
November 8, 2016.

According to the amendment, the transactions for using
Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes have also been allowed for making payment for any
fee, charges, taxes or penalties, payable to the central or state governments,
including municipal and local bodies and towards utility charges, including
water and electricity.

Chelsea Clinton being groomed to run for Congress

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton, is being groomed to run for the seat held by US Representative from New York Nita Lowey.

IANS | New York |

Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton, is being groomed to run for the seat held by US Representative from New York Nita Lowey.
According to sources, Chelsea could run for the seat in the city’s 17th Congressional District once Lowey, a 79-year-old member of the Democratic Party and a respected career politician with nearly 30 years in office, decides to retire, the New York Post reported on Thursday night.
Lowey’s district includes parts of Rockland and Westchester counties and Chappaqua, the Clinton family home base.
In August, Hillary and Bill Clinton purchased a home next door to their primary residence in Chappaqua for $1.16 million, which is intended for Chelsea, her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, and their two children, Charlotte and Aidan.
While Chelsea currently lives, and is registered to vote, in Manhattan, she could easily make Chappaqua her legal residence in order to run for Lowey’s seat when it becomes vacant.
“While it is true the Clintons need some time to regroup after Hillary’s crushing loss on Tuesday night, they will not give up. Chelsea would be the next extension of the Clinton brand. In the past few years, she has taken a very visible role in the Clinton Foundation and on the campaign trail. While politics isn’t the life Hillary wanted for Chelsea, she chose to go on the campaign trail for her mother and has turned out to be very poised, articulate and comfortable with the visibility,” a source told the New York Post.
“There has been a lot of speculation within New York Democratic circles about Lowey’s retirement and Chelsea running for the seat. There is a belief that Chappaqua is a logical place for Chelsea to run, because it would be straightforward for her to raise money and build a powerful base,” the source added.
A spokesperson for Lowey — who is serving her 14th term in Congress and was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1988 — declined to comment. 

Demonetisation move will greatly benefit economy: Amit Shah

IANS | New Delhi |

BJP president Amit Shah on Friday said the Narendra Modi government’s move to demonetise high value currency notes would greatly benefit the economy and urged the people to join the campaign against corruption. 

Addressing a press conference here, Shah said the government was taking steps to tackle problems faced by people in implementing the decision to demonetize Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. 

“The Narendra Modi government has embarked on a campaign to end corruption. I appeal to people to join in and give it speed,” Shah said.  

Admitting that people had to wait in queues outside ATMs to get fresh cash in view of the demonetization, he urged people to extend their cooperation. 

 “The step which has been taken will greatly benefit the economy,” he said.  Shah also said there will be no inquiry on people depositing up to Rs 2.5 lakh in demonetized currency in banks.  

“The middle class, the poor and small traders will face no problems,” he said, adding that there is no need to rush as the currency notes will be accepted till December end.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that the government had decided to demonetize Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to tackle the menace of black money. 

Photo

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  • Looking like a dream together, Saif stuns as the Nawab of Pataudi and Kareena charms with her grace and loveliness as the Begum (PHOTO: Twitter) 

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  • Dressed impeccably in a jacket by Arjun Saluja and safa designed by Raghvendra Rathore, Saif nails the Nawab style (PHOTO: Twitter)

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Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor: Redefining Royalty

Saif Ali Khan-Kareena Kapoor: Redefining Royalty

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Old notes ban to curb inflation, push white economy: Panagariya

PTI |

Hailing the demonetisation step, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya on Friday said the withdrawal of old higher denomination banknotes will check inflation and also help transactions move into white economy through the banking channel.
Cleaning of the black money is a very positive step and as a result transactions will begin to move into white economy through the banking system, Panagariya said in his interaction with the media here.
“Savings that were kept in different forms particularly in the form of currency notes, they will now move into bank deposits. So we will see some surge in bank deposits,” he said at the Economic Editor’s Conference.
He, however, said that removal of black money from circulation will have some impact on money supply.
The money supply (M1 or narrow reserve money) would shrink because the black money which is in circulation would be taken out, leading to fall in supply, he said.
“As the black money goes out of the system, the money supply will shrink to some degree. This will reduce the inflation rate in the absence of any open market operation s by the RBI,” Panagariya added.
The former Chief Economist at the Asian Development Bank, however, said that “very likely” the RBI will do some open market operations” to replace at least partially the money supply.
In a surprise move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced demonetisation of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes and introduction of the new Rs.500 and Rs.2,000 ones with additional security features.

‘Melania Trump a fan of Michelle Obama’

Trump said his wife Melania likes First Lady Michelle Obama a lot following a transition meeting between them at the White House.

IANS | New York |

US President-elect Donald Trump said his wife Melania likes First Lady Michelle Obama a lot following a transition meeting between them at the White House.
“A fantastic day in DC. Met with President Obama for first time. Really good meeting, great chemistry. Melania liked Mrs. O a lot!” Trump tweeted on Thursday night.
The tweet came after Michelle gave a traditional tour of the White House to Melania, who will succeed her as First Lady from January 20, 2017, Efe news reported.
The tour included a look around the private residence, the Truman balcony, the official reception area and the Oval Office, the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said.
The women also had tea together and talked about how to raise children in the White House. Melania’s son Barron is 10, the same age as Michelle’s oldest daughter Malia was when they moved into the presidential mansion.
“The meeting was a gesture of hospitality. Michelle Obama has publicly explained the stress of moving to a new place, living in a fishbowl, a museum, and I’m sure Melania Trump is feeling part of that same anxiety,” said Earnest.
The connection between the two wives began before they got to know each other when Melania plagiarised a part of Michelle’s speech during the Republican National Convention in July.
Although the plagiarism sparked a row, Trump himself joked about it at a charity dinner months later.
“Michelle Obama gives a speech, and everyone loves it. It’s fantastic. They think she’s absolutely great. My wife, Melania, gives the exact same speech, and people get on her case! And I don’t get it. I don’t know why,” he said. “This one’s going to get me in trouble.”
Melania, 46, will be an unquestionably atypical first lady, only the second to have been born outside the US. However, the former model still seeks to play the role in the most traditional way.

The ISI, Pakistan and South Asia: A dark, intertwined history

IANS |

Title: Faith, Unity, Discipline – The Inter-Service Intelligence of Pakistan 
Author: Hein G Kiessling 
Publisher: Harper Collins India 
Pages: 320 
Price: Rs 599 
Commonly known by its three-letter acronym, this organisation is held by its enemies, and even some allies, responsible for most of the trouble and instability in South Asia, as well as in its own Pakistan. But how did the ISI acquire this reputation, is it really part of an uncontrollable “deep state”, and did it know – and how much – of 9/11, 26/11 and Osama bin Laden's hideout. 
Ascertaining intelligence agencies' roles in national or international events is always difficult, due to their secretive functioning, a vested interest in portraying themselves as effective, and an inclination to maintain “deniability”. On the other hand, there is also the opponents' propensity to view them through the prism of own predilections or 'national interest', blame them reflexively for almost everything and ascribe to them capabilities they may not even possess. 
The latter is especially true of the ISI from an Indian view – and even of its Pakistani critics. 
But offering possibly the first-ever, full-length – and fairly neutral – look at Pakistan's largest spy agency from its origins to the present, with opinions and responses from the agency itself, as well as key players from the Zia ul-Haq era to the present, is German political scientist Hein Kiessling in this book. 
Having forged close contacts among political, military and intelligence elites of Pakistan, where he lived during a crucial decade (1989-2002) when it lurched from military rule to democracy and back, became an overt nuclear power, and faced consequences of 9/11, he “seeks to present an objective history of the ISI, its origin and development, tasks and objectives, successes and failures”. 
Kiessling says his “observations and analysis are drawn from personal experience” from his Pakistan stint, fleshed from “journeys to the rest of South Asia, to China and Central Asia and contacts with the political elites there” and at least bi-annual travels to Pakistan and India since 2004 to keep up with his contacts. 
He holds the ISI, which became a particular bugbear for India (replacing “the foreign hand”) since its support to Sikh insurgents in the early 1980s, came into global focus following the US invasion of Afghanistan post 9/11 when the scores of journalists thronging the region scrutinised its earlier involvement in Afghanistan and Kashmir. 
It was then, he says, it picked some of the odium associated with it. 
The ISI was depicted “as a state within a state – as an intelligence agency that was influencing and controlling Pakistan's domestic and international politics” and which “did not shy away from kidnapping and liquidating individuals it considered undesirable”. 
Kiessling holds that such assessments “might have been true in some cases, but they were also circulated by politicians and journalists in Pakistan without any substantial proof, and then adopted unchecked and republished by their international colleagues”. He also is sceptical of the perception that ISI houses various groups pursuing their own agenda and allegedly out of control of even their own leaders. 
However, he is no apologist for the spy agency, as he recounts its story from its inception by an Australian-born British army officer and early undistinguished record in its first two decades – including bungling in the 1965 war (failing agents sent into Kashmir and losing track of an entire Indian division), and its first directive to get rid of a troublesome opposition leader (the then chief managed to dissuade Ayub Khan). 
He then details how it actually gained prominence under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and then under Gen. Zia, the curious circumstances by which it began managing the clandestine war against Soviets in Afghanistan (and even beyond), and subsequent notoriety, deserved and undeserved, until the present. 
Along with an overview of the ISI's organisation and leaders, he deals credibly with issues such as the question of its involvement in 9/11 and in shielding Bin Laden, while giving prominence to its operations against India, including a planned 9/11-type attack in the 1980s. 
Though such dramatic revelations are not very frequent, Kiessling, noting ISI's de facto role as an internal intelligence agency, also provides sheds new light and insight into the trajectory of Pakistani politics from Ayub Khan to Nawaz Sharif (in his third stint). As such, it is required – and compelling read for all students of South Asia, beyond security.

Neymar shines as Brazil trashes Argentina

Neymar scored a goal and set up another as Brazil heaped misery on Argentina with a 3-0 victory in their World Cup qualifier.

IANS | Belo Horizonte |

Neymar scored a goal and set up another as Brazil heaped misery on Argentina with a 3-0 victory in their World Cup qualifier here.
Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and Guangzhou Evergrande's Paulinho were also on target to ensure that Brazil maintained their one-point cushion at the top of the South American zone (CONMEBOL) standings on Thursday, reports Xinhua.
It was a happy return for the Selecao to the Mineirao Stadium, which was also the stage for their worst-ever defeat 15 months ago.
And while nothing will erase the memory of that harsh 7-1 semifinal loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup, Thursday's result will likely go some way towards bringing some semblance of closure.
Desperately needing a win to jumpstart their stalled World Cup qualifying campaign, the Albiceleste predictably set their team up to sit back and exploit the hosts on the counterattack.
But Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain were starved of opportunities for most of the first half, as Brazil dictated the terms.
The hosts capitalized on their supremacy just before the half hour mark, when Neymar combined with Coutinho before the latter darted toward the edge of the box and unleashed a trademark curling effort into the top corner of Sergio Romero's goal.
Argentina looked bereft of ideas, and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi was forced to drift deeper in order to participate as the game progressed.
His Barcelona teammate Neymar scored Brazil's second goal just before halftime when he ran on to a deft Gabriel Jesus through-ball before cooly slotting it past Romero.
Paulinho then made it 3-0 by firing into the net after a pass from Beijing Guoan's Renato Augusto.
While Brazil now appear certain to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Argentina are wallowing in sixth place with just 16 points from 11 matches.
The top four teams at the end of the qualifying period will automatically book World Cup places. The fifth-ranked side will earn a play-off spot.
In other CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers on Thursday, Colombia drew 0-0 at home to Chile, Uruguay beat Ecuador 2-1, Peru overcame Paraguay 4-1 and Venezuela trounced Bolivia 5-0.