Zero Point By Javed Chaudhry

Trump blasts 'phony' obstruction of justice media report

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WASHINGTON: Donald Trump derided claims of collusion between Moscow and his associates as "phony" Thursday (Jun 15) after reports of the head of a probe into Russia's alleged election meddling is investigating him for obstructing justice.</div>
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"They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice," Trump wrote.</div>
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They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice</div>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/875305788708974592">June 15, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Senior US intelligence officials have agreed to be interviewed by investigators working for Robert Mueller, a respected former FBI chief, according to reports in both The Washington Post and New York Times.</div>
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Mueller's office has also asked the National Security Agency (NSA) for documents related to its interactions with the administration as part of the probe into Russian meddling and possible collusion with Trump campaign officials, The New York Times reported.</div>
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Mueller has the authority to investigate whether Trump tried to obstruct justice which is a potentially impeachable offense.</div>
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Former FBI director James Comey told Congress last week that Trump pressured him to drop an investigation into his former national security advisor, Mike Flynn, who was forced to quit for lying about his links to Moscow.</div>
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Comey was later sacked, with Trump acknowledging that the Russian investigation was on his mind when he decided to dismiss him.</div>
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"You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA," Trump tweeted later Thursday morning. The acronym is a reference to his campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.</div>
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Trump was forced to fire Flynn in February after he misled the White House about his contacts with Russian officials last year as a member of Trump's transition team.</div>
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The president vehemently denies any collusion between himself or any of his associates and Russia.</div>
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The Post quoted five people briefed on the requests, saying those who agreed to be interviewed include national intelligence director Daniel Coats, Admiral Mike Rogers who heads the NSA, and his recently departed deputy, Richard Ledgett.</div>
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The shift toward investigating the president began days after Trump fired James Comey as FBI director on May 9, the Post said.</div>
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Comey, who had been overseeing the bureau's Russia investigation, says he had previously assured Trump he was not personally under investigation.</div>
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Recent reports have said Trump also requested help from Coats and Rogers to pressure Comey to end the investigation into Flynn's activities.</div>
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Trump blasts 'phony' obstruction of justice media report

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump derided claims of collusion between Moscow and his associates as "phony" Thursday (Jun 15) after rep...

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Pilots of missing Malaysian air force plane found dead

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQ8XbiGe6hL3gQlX66o5NFm8jTbOO1it_4XEbj-d-cwNsAYrskcC4S6F5acSV36lNys0W8gGPiRr_xSVvN3-oBrQZFnxF9BKzru7gidbcoykdvRl-ti0c9OhHMNzJtv4jVmxXJesVW0oO/s1600/malaysia+-air-force.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="malaysian air force png" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQ8XbiGe6hL3gQlX66o5NFm8jTbOO1it_4XEbj-d-cwNsAYrskcC4S6F5acSV36lNys0W8gGPiRr_xSVvN3-oBrQZFnxF9BKzru7gidbcoykdvRl-ti0c9OhHMNzJtv4jVmxXJesVW0oO/s640/malaysia+-air-force.jpg" title="Pilots-of-missing-Malaysian-air-force-plane-found-dead" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<br />KUALA LUMPUR: The pilots of a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) jet that went missing north of Kuantan near the Pahang-Terengganu border have been found dead, Malaysian state media reported on Thursday (Jun 15).</div>
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The two pilots of the Hawk 108 fighter jet were found in a swamp near Chukai in Terengganu at 2.30pm on Thursday, according to the Bernama news agency.</div>
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The victims were identified as Major Hasri Zahari, 31, and Major Yazmin Mohamed Yusof, 39. Both airmen were found with their parachutes strapped on but the wreckage of the jet had yet to be found.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSzxxFHHT9fkCwic_0VNoXBtlVgqTK9ksAJNUuouTlVYr5WvuTTSoC0GRE7R4wC3Px8ZgUyjFcclPTu_HcmgAbDvuQkWEvv1CNpM3_o7yPIjuW4GsIiX9cF75DU9YnXC1i7gF8i3IK2d2/s1600/air+force+pilot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="sacrifice his life to protect others" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSzxxFHHT9fkCwic_0VNoXBtlVgqTK9ksAJNUuouTlVYr5WvuTTSoC0GRE7R4wC3Px8ZgUyjFcclPTu_HcmgAbDvuQkWEvv1CNpM3_o7yPIjuW4GsIiX9cF75DU9YnXC1i7gF8i3IK2d2/s640/air+force+pilot.png" title="Pilots-of-missing-Malaysian-air-force-plane-found-dead" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<figure class="picture__wrapper" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><figcaption class="picture__caption" style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(161, 37, 40); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 5px; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.875rem; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.42857; margin: 0px; padding: 13px 64px 11px 17px; vertical-align: baseline;">Major Hasri Zahari, 31, and Major Yazmi Mohamed Yusof, 39, both lost their lives after a Royal Malaysia Air Force plane crashed on Thursday (Jun 15). (Photo: Bernama)</figcaption></figure></div>
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Contact with the fighter jet was lost at 11.30am after the aircraft took off from the Kuantan airbase, according to the RMAF. A search and rescue operation was then launched.<span style="font-size: 1rem; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, in a Twitter message, expressed his condolences and called for an investigation into the cause of the crash.</span></div>
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Pilots of missing Malaysian air force plane found dead

File photo of the Hawk fighter jet. (Photo: RMAF) KUALA LUMPUR: The pilots of a Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) jet that went missin...

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US blames North Korea for hacking spree, says more attacks likely

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WASHINGTON/TORONTO: The U.S. government on Tuesday issued a rare alert squarely blaming the North Korean government for a raft of cyber attacks stretching back to 2009 and warning that more were likely.</h2>
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The joint warning from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said that "cyber actors of the North Korean government," referred to in the report as "Hidden Cobra," had targeted the media, aerospace and financial sectors, as well as critical infrastructure, in the United States and globally.</div>
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The new level of detail about the U.S. government's analysis of suspected North Korean hacking activity coincides with increasing tensions between Washington and Pyongyang because of North Korea's missile tests. The alert warned that North Korea would continue to rely on cyber operations to advance its military and strategic objectives.</div>
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North Korea has routinely denied involvement in cyber attacks against other countries.</div>
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The North Korean mission to the United Nations was not immediately available for comment.</div>
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Tuesday's alert said Hidden Cobra has been previously referred to by private sector experts as Lazarus Group and Guardians of the Peace, which have been linked to attacks such as the 2014 intrusion into Sony Corp's Sony Pictures Entertainment.</div>
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Symantec Corp and Kaspersky Lab both said last month it was "highly likely" that Lazarus was behind the WannaCry ransomware attack that infected more than 300,000 computers worldwide, disrupting operations at hospitals, banks and schools.</div>
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The alert did not identify specific Hidden Cobra victims. It said the group had compromised a range of victims and that some intrusions had resulted in thefts of data while others were disruptive. The group's capabilities include denial of service attacks, which send reams of junk traffic to a server to knock it offline, keystroke logging, remote access tools and several variants of malware, the alert said.</div>
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John Hultquist, a cyber intelligence analyst with FireEye Inc , said that his firm was concerned about increasingly aggressive cyber attacks from North Korea.</div>
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The hacks include cyber espionage at South Korean finance, energy and transportation firms that appears to be reconnaissance ahead of other attacks that would be disruptive or destructive, he said.</div>
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"It suggests they are preparing for something fairly significant," he added.</div>
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Hidden Cobra commonly targets systems that run older versions of Microsoft Corp operating systems that are no longer patched, the alert said, and also used vulnerabilities in Adobe Systems Inc's Flash software to gain access into targeted computers.</div>
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The report urged organizations to upgrade to current versions of Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight or, when possible, uninstall those applications altogether.</div>
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Microsoft said it an emailed statement that it had "addressed" the Silverlight issue in a January 2016 software update. Adobe said via email that it patched the vulnerabilities in June 2016.</div>
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North Korean hacking activity has grown increasingly hostile in recent years, according to Western officials and cyber security experts.</div>
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The alert arrived on the same day that North Korea released an American university student who had been held captive by Pyongyang for 17 months.</div>
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Otto Warmbier, 22, was on his way back to the United States on Tuesday but in a coma and in urgent need of medical care, according to Bill Richardson, a veteran former diplomat and politician who has played a role in past negotiations with North Korea.</div>
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"The U.S. government seeks to arm network defenders with the tools they need to identify, detect and disrupt North Korean government malicious cyber activity that is targeting our country's and our allies’ networks," a DHS official said about the alert. The official was not authorized to speak publicly.</div>

US blames North Korea for hacking spree, says more attacks likely

WASHINGTON/TORONTO: The U.S. government on Tuesday issued a rare alert squarely blaming the North Korean government for a raft of cyber...

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US Europe seek measures to avert expanded airline laptop ban

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<span style="font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will meet European officials this week to discuss new security measures that could prevent the U.S. government expanding a ban on laptops beyond flights from ten airports primarily in the Middle East.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: "lato" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtB_oRe0fjAlC-DcRXY5VkQZCY0HcV2i31VrID8RMi-gCqWzCwOwaW7g0VDCrl-A-Mh_aW4nafVYBVYK9zP7VwPVs02ECPmuPGnUCRJjDBNgndQONN52z5jgECVZjDtLNlHapmcyfTNi_/s1600/US%252C+Europe+seek+measures+to+avert+expanded+airline+laptop+ban.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="US" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtB_oRe0fjAlC-DcRXY5VkQZCY0HcV2i31VrID8RMi-gCqWzCwOwaW7g0VDCrl-A-Mh_aW4nafVYBVYK9zP7VwPVs02ECPmuPGnUCRJjDBNgndQONN52z5jgECVZjDtLNlHapmcyfTNi_/s640/US%252C+Europe+seek+measures+to+avert+expanded+airline+laptop+ban.png" title="US-Europe-seek-measures-to-avert-expanded-airline-laptop-ban" width="640" /></a></span></h2>
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WASHINGTON: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will meet European officials this week to discuss new security measures that could prevent the U.S. government expanding a ban on laptops beyond flights from ten airports primarily in the Middle East.</h2>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">David Lapan, a DHS spokesman, said in a briefing Tuesday that he would not disclose specific security enhancements but said they were "in the way of information sharing, passenger information, detection types of steps."</span></div>
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Homeland Security chief John Kelly told a congressional panel last week he was looking at an additional 71 airports in Europe, Africa and the Middle East for a possible expansion of the ban.</div>
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A European airline industry official told Reuters the United States had suggested possible enhancements including explosive trace detection screening, increased vetting of airports' staff and additional detection dogs.</div>
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U.S. restrictions on laptops announced in March, including on flights originating from airports in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, came amid fears a concealed bomb could be installed in electronic devices taken aboard aircraft. Britain followed suit with restrictions.</div>
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Any expansion of the ban could impact U.S. carriers such as United Airlines, Delta Air Lines Inc and American Airlines Group.</div>
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Lapan said the United States would not present a definitive list to Europeans to avoid a ban but rather options under consideration. He added that it "remains to be seen" if enhanced security measure could allow reversal of existing airports under the ban.</div>
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DHS officials are attending the meeting in Malta "to present what we think are the minimum increased security standards ... and present those to people to say if you meet these standards we will not ban large electronics," Kelly said.</div>
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Reuters and other media outlets reported in early May that an expansion was likely, but more than a month later, the U.S. government has offered no timetable for making a decision. Lapan said no decision was expected this week.</div>
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US Europe seek measures to avert expanded airline laptop ban

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will meet European officials this week to discuss new security measures that could prevent the U.S...

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Terror attacks dent visitor numbers at London sights

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LONDON: Terror attacks in Britain have lowered visitor numbers at London attractions and theme parks run by Merlin Entertainments, the company said on Tuesday.</h2>
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Merlin, which runs the London Eye and Madame Tussauds and a string of theme parks, said the Westminster attack on March 22 in which five people were killed initially led to "a softer domestic, day-trip market".</div>
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Two subsequent attacks in Manchester and London which killed 30 people and injured dozens more "resulted in a further deterioration in domestic demand," the company said in a stock market trading update.</div>
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"Given the typical lag between holiday bookings and visitation, we are also cautious on trends in foreign visitation over the coming months," the company said.</div>
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Theme parks including Legoland had also been "adversely affected in recent weeks by the terror attacks and subsequent heightened security measures".</div>
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Merlin chief executive officer Nick Varney said the impact of the attacks was "unclear at this stage".</div>
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"What is clear however is that London has bounced back before, and will do again," he said, adding: "I have every confidence in the longer term resilience and growth trajectory of the market".</div>
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The company statement also said it had benefited from the plunge in the value of the pound following last year's Brexit referendum, which has increased the number of foreign tourists coming to London.</div>
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Shares in Merlin were down 2.54 percent on the London Stock Exchange after the announcement.</div>
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Terror attacks dent visitor numbers at London sights

LONDON: Terror attacks in Britain have lowered visitor numbers at London attractions and theme parks run by Merlin Entertainments, the...

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Ukrainians Celebrate Visa-Free Travel To EU

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BRUSSELS -- Ukrainians are celebrating the first day of visa-free travel to most EU countries, which President Petro Poroshenko welcomed as a "a final exit of our country from the Russian Empire."</h2>
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The liberalized regime entered into force on June 11, allowing Ukrainian citizens who have biometric passports to enter all EU member states other than Ireland and the United Kingdom without a visa for up to 90 days during any 180-day period. It also applies to four Schengen Area countries that are not in the EU: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland.</h3>
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Poroshenko met with Slovak his counterpart, Andrej Kiska, on the Slovak-Ukrainian border, opening a symbolic "door to the EU."</div>
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<a class="PrettyLink hashtag customisable" data-query-source="hashtag_click" data-scribe="element:hashtag" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Visafree?src=hash" rel="tag" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">#</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Visafree</span></a> with <img alt="🇪🇺" aria-label="Emoji: Flag of European Union" class="Emoji Emoji--forText" draggable="false" src="https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/72x72/1f1ea-1f1fa.png" style="border: 0px; height: 1.25em; padding: 0px 0.05em 0px 0.1em; vertical-align: -0.2em; width: 1.25em;" title="Flag of European Union" /> illustrates progress of reforms. We changed the country together & our European partners kept their word – <a class="PrettyLink profile customisable h-card" data-mentioned-user-id="2423747006" data-scribe="element:mention" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/poroshenko" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">@</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">Poroshenko</span></a></div>
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<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2017-06-11T10:21:26+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/TheBankova/status/873847636092223489" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">14:21, 11. Jun. 2017</a></div>
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  <span aria-hidden="true" class="TweetAction-stat" data-scribe="element:retweet_count" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: text-bottom;">50</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">50 retweetů</span></a></li>
   
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  <span aria-hidden="true" class="TweetAction-stat" data-scribe="element:heart_count" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: text-bottom;">45</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">45lajků</span></a></li>
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"We have waited so long for this," the Ukrainian president said at the Uzhhorod border crossing in the Zakarpattia region. "I am sure that this day, June 11, will go down in the history of Ukraine as a final exit of our country from the Russian empire and its return to the family of European nations. "Welcome to Europe," Kiska told the crowd attending the event. "I want to call on you to continue carrying out reforms."</div>
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"The visa-free regime for Ukraine has started! Glory to Europe! Glory to Ukraine!" Poroshenko earlier wrote on Twitter after hundreds of Ukrainians crossed the EU border.</div>
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"Flights to Warsaw, Budapest, Frankfurt, and Munich have successfully landed and passed passport control;) #Bezviz -- just the beginning!" Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin cheered on Twitter.</div>
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Thousands of people had crossed the border into EU countries by midday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's consular department wrote on Twitter.</div>
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Ukrainian travelers arriving in Brussels on June 11 said they were pleased about the ease with which they could now travel to Europe and the greater integration with the EU that it represented.<br />
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"It feels very good when you can travel without any restrictions, when you just need to have a passport and that's all. That feels very good," Ukrainian student Inna Teryokhina told RFE/RL at Brussels Airport.</div>
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Ukrainian border officials said they are expecting a 30 percent rise in passenger traffic at control sites along the frontier with the new regulations.</div>
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Mykola Tochytskyi, the head of Ukraine's mission to the EU, told RFE/RL outside the European Parliament in Brussels on June 11 that "for Ukraine, today is a big day."<br />
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"It is not only about celebration; it is also a confirmation of our stand[ing]. To be with Europe. Not only outside of the region, but to be with Europe, to be a partner [who had] implemented all the benchmarks when it was decided to go for the visa-free regime," Tochytskyi said.</div>
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In a message on Twitter posted on June 11, European Council President Donald Tusk wrote, "A day to remember. Visa free travel for Ukrainians now a reality. Bringing us closer together."</div>
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In a video address, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn said that visa-free travel was achieved after "a long process but finally the reform efforts paid off."<br />
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"This is a real milestone proving that the European Union delivers on its promises," he said. "Ukraine's commitment to the reform process will always result in tangible benefits for the citizens. This should be a motivation to stay on the reform course."</div>
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"Today, we bring down a barrier between the people of Ukraine and the people of the European Union," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a video address released late on June 10.</div>
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<a aria-label="EU External Action (screen name: eu_eeas)" class="TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend" data-scribe="element:user_link" href="https://twitter.com/eu_eeas" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span class="TweetAuthor-avatar Identity-avatar" style="background-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; display: inline-block; height: 36px; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 36px;"><img alt="" class="Avatar" data-scribe="element:avatar" data-src-1x="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2240259187/22_May_eeas_logo_facebook_normal.png" data-src-2x="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2240259187/22_May_eeas_logo_facebook_bigger.png" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2240259187/22_May_eeas_logo_facebook_normal.png" style="border: 0px; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%;" /></span><span class="TweetAuthor-name Identity-name customisable-highlight" data-scribe="element:name" style="font-weight: 700;" title="EU External Action">EU External Action</span> <span class="TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge" data-scribe="element:verified_badge" style="position: absolute; top: 0px;"></span></a><br />
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<a aria-label="EU External Action (screen name: eu_eeas)" class="TweetAuthor-link Identity u-linkBlend" data-scribe="element:user_link" href="https://twitter.com/eu_eeas" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.2; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;"><span class="TweetAuthor-verifiedBadge" data-scribe="element:verified_badge" style="position: absolute; top: 0px;"><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">✔</span></span><span class="TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName" data-scribe="element:screen_name" dir="ltr" style="color: #697882; font-size: 14px;" title="@eu_eeas">@eu_eeas</span></a></div>
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"Today we bring down barrier between people of Ukraine and people of EU. No more visa for short trips between our countries" <a class="PrettyLink profile customisable h-card" data-mentioned-user-id="460163041" data-scribe="element:mention" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/FedericaMog" style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b7bb9; outline: 0px;"><span class="PrettyLink-prefix">@</span><span class="PrettyLink-value">FedericaMog</span></a></div>
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<a class="u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink" data-datetime="2017-06-11T06:36:51+0000" data-scribe="element:full_timestamp" href="https://twitter.com/eu_eeas/status/873791117401214976" style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: inherit; outline: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">10:36 AM - 11 Jun 2017</a></div>
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  <span aria-hidden="true" class="TweetAction-stat" data-scribe="element:retweet_count" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: text-bottom;">265</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">265 Retweets</span></a></li>
   
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  <span aria-hidden="true" class="TweetAction-stat" data-scribe="element:heart_count" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: text-bottom;">373</span><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">373 likes</span></a></li>
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"It will create new opportunities for all of us, strengthening our economies, or security, and our friendship," she also said. "And this is what our partnership is all about: making a difference to our citizens’ everyday life."</div>
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Hugues Mingarelli, head of the EU delegation to Ukraine, said at the ceremony that Ukrainians will be able "to travel to 33 countries of West Europe without any visa requirements."</div>
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Mingarelli said the visa-free regime was "just the first step" toward "intensifying relations" between the EU and Ukraine.</div>
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Poroshenko said on June 10 as he counted down the final 12 hours before the start of the travel regime that he believes Ukraine will become a member of both NATO and the EU, and that "nothing, nobody will ever stop us."</div>
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"The words 'back in the U.S.S.R.' will be heard only listening to The Beatles," Poroshenko said. "We will never return to the Soviet Union because we, a proud and free democratic nation, return to the family of European nations."</div>
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He said the "last sound of the countdown" will mark "the fall of not the concrete Berlin Wall but the paper curtain that has been separating Ukrainians from the European family for years."<br />
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"We must return Ukrainians their history. That is why today’s decision of the EU is so important. A long process has been completed. First of all, it goes about the return of Ukraine to its historic place among the European countries, not only about the visa-free border crossing," Poroshenko told the 1+1 television channel.</div>
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Poroshenko's predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, was pushed from power in 2014 by massive pro-European protests after he scrapped plans for a deal to tighten ties with the EU. Russia then seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region and fomented separatism in eastern Ukraine, where a war between Russia-backed forces and the government has killed more than 9,900 people.</div>
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Much of present-day Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire beginning in the 17th century, and Ukraine was under Moscow's thumb as a Soviet republic for most of the 20th century. It gained independence in the Soviet collapse of 1991.</div>

Ukrainians Celebrate Visa-Free Travel To EU

BRUSSELS -- Ukrainians are celebrating the first day of visa-free travel to most EU countries, which President Petro Poroshenko welcomed a...

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Britain's May still in talks with DUP on power deal

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxBrfOn8VyAXfyfhyJWHLLEJ_ZSiNRSFr54EEpY2rXK2tlVUj_Qdtz6wkthjKTHSvi3vYUZHnHK-s4bTW7u-e57y_WC8_QYqVGvFkXSWJmesZVNNcYSgx8MXfZXYVc6cC_-Fw1N70CPlg/s1600/Britain%2527s+May+still+in+talks+with+DUP+on+power+deal.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="zeropointbyjavedchaudhry.blogspot.com" border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="669" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxBrfOn8VyAXfyfhyJWHLLEJ_ZSiNRSFr54EEpY2rXK2tlVUj_Qdtz6wkthjKTHSvi3vYUZHnHK-s4bTW7u-e57y_WC8_QYqVGvFkXSWJmesZVNNcYSgx8MXfZXYVc6cC_-Fw1N70CPlg/s320/Britain%2527s+May+still+in+talks+with+DUP+on+power+deal.png" title="Britain's May still in talks with DUP on power deal" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May's office said Sunday (Jun 11) talks were still ongoing with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on seeking its support for a Conservative government after earlier saying an </span><span style="font-size: large;">outline agreement<span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">had been reached.</span></h2>
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May's Conservatives lost their parliamentary majority in a humiliating election Thursday and now need the support of the 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's ultra-conservative DUP to pass votes, sparking widespread calls for her to resign.</div>
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"The prime minister has tonight spoken with the DUP to discuss finalising a confidence and supply deal when Parliament returns next week," a Downing Street spokeswoman said, referring to a deal whereby the DUP would support the government but not enter a formal coalition.</div>
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"We will welcome any such deal being agreed, as it will provide the stability and certainty the whole country requires as we embark on Brexit and beyond."</div>
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The new statement came after Downing Street earlier said the DUP had agreed to the principles of an outline agreement to support a Conservative government.</div>
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The DUP said the "talks so far have been positive", adding: "Discussions will continue next week to work on the details and to reach agreement on arrangements for the new Parliament."</div>
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There was no mention of what concessions the DUP may have asked for, amid growing concern about the influence of a party opposed to abortion and gay marriage.</div>
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The DUP has proved hugely controversial in the past over the homophobic and sectarian views of some of its representatives.</div>
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May is struggling to reassert her leadership, has called an election three years early hoping to strengthen her hand going into Brexit negotiations - only to see the gamble backfire spectacularly.</div>
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Sunday's newspapers were unsparing, with The Observer writing: "Discredited, humiliated, diminished. Theresa May has lost credibility and leverage in her party, her country and across Europe."</div>
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The Mail on Sunday reported that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was set to launch a bid to oust May, while the Sunday Times said five cabinet ministers were urging him to do so.</div>
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Johnson denied the reports as "tripe" and said: "I am backing Theresa May."</div>
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In the Sunday Mirror, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who scored hefty gains in the election, said there was still a chance for him to be prime minister if May failed to form a government.</div>
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"This is still on," he said, adding he would vote down the government's programme when it comes before parliament this month.</div>
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Earlier on Saturday May lost her two closest aides.</div>
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Senior party figures have cautioned against any immediate leadership challenge, saying it would cause only further disruption as Britain prepares to start talks with Brussels as early as June 19.</div>
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But media reports suggest they had demanded the departure of May's joint chiefs of staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, as the price for allowing the 60-year-old vicar's daughter to stay in office.</div>
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They were replaced by Gavin Barwell, a former housing minister who lost his seat in the election.</div>
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The resignations of Timothy and Hill, on whom May had been heavily reliant since her previous job at the interior ministry, will be a personal blow.</div>
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Timothy - a combative character who one former colleague said had helped create a "toxic" atmosphere at the heart of the government - said he took responsibility for the Conservative manifesto, including a plan for elderly social care that caused a backlash.</div>
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May is preparing to name the rest of her cabinet after revealing Friday that her five most senior ministers would stay in their posts.</div>
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The Conservatives won 318 out of 650 seats - throwing away a 17-seat majority.</div>
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Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who is gay, was among the first to express disquiet over a deal with the ultra-conservative DUP.</div>
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"I sought, and to be fair to the prime minister, received a categoric assurance that in talking to the DUP that there would be no suggestion of any rollback on LGBTI rights in the rest of the UK," she said.</div>
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Several hundred people - many of them Labour voters - protested in central London against the alliance, with chants of "racist, sexist, anti-gay, the DUP has got to go".</div>
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Joining forces with the hardline Protestant party also threatens London's neutrality in Northern Ireland, which is key to the delicate balance of power in a province once plagued by violence.</div>
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On Brexit, the DUP supports leaving the EU but opposes a return to a "hard" border with Ireland -- which could happen if May carries through her threat to walk away from the talks rather than accept a "bad deal".</div>
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Her real test is likely to come when MPs vote on her programme after it is outlined in Parliament by Queen Elizabeth II on Jun 19.</div>
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May confirmed to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone call that Britain was ready to begin Brexit negotiations "as planned in the next couple of weeks", reassuring EU leaders who had expressed doubts after her heavy electoral losses</div>
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European Council President Donald Tusk had warned there was "no time to lose" in starting Brexit talks, after May on Mar 29 started the two-year countdown to ending Britain's four-decade membership.</div>
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Britain's May still in talks with DUP on power deal

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May's office said Sunday (Jun 11) talks were still ongoing with the Democratic Unionist Party ...

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