10 Most Genius Child Prodigies of The World

10 Most Genius Child Prodigies of The World

God blessed some selected people with extraordinary talent. Some people are gifted with this magical talent since their childhood. They’re the super genius and really smart. Generally before 10 years old they showed their abilities comparable to those highly skilled adults in specific fields; hence the term child prodigy is used for them. There have been many child prodigies throughout history, and some of them even go on to be prolific adults. Most of them have done more intellectually by that time than we’ll do in our entire lifetimes. This list explores top 10 most genius child prodigies in various fields from around the world.

10. Priyanshi Somani

Priyanshi Somani is a mental calculator from India. She started mental calculation at the age of six. At the age of 11, she was the youngest participant of the Mental Calculation World Cup 2010 and won the overall title. She is the only participant who has done 100% accuracy in Addition, Multiplication, Square Root till date in all five Mental Calculation World Cups. She is the winner of “Pogo Amazing Kids Awards 2010” in genius category. Her name is also added in the Limca Book of World Records as well as the Guinness Book of World Records.

9. Elaina Smith

A straight-talking schoolgirl, Elaina Smith became Britain’s youngest agony aunt – at just seven years old. She is the youngest broadcaster ever seen. Her local radio station gave her the job after she called in and advised a listener who wanted to dump her boyfriend. The broadcaster was so impressed with her advice — “go bowling with pals and drink a mug of milk.” They offered her a weekly slot to give tips to thousands of adult listeners. The littler adviser tackles problems and offers many solutions about romance to the listeners on how to select a boyfriend.

8. Michael Kevin Kearney

Best known as the world’s youngest college graduate at the age of 10. Michael was born in 1984 and known for setting several world records and teaching college at the age of 17. Michael spoke his first words when he was just four months old. When he reached six months, he said to his pediatrician “I have a left ear infection” and learned to read at the age of ten months. In 2008, he became a reality show Millionaire, and earned $1,000,000 on the television game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

7. Gregory R Smith

Born in 1990, Gregory Smith was memorizing and reciting books at the age of 14 months and had enrolled in university at 10 years. When Gregory graduates, he was the youngest person ever to receive a master’s degree from the University of Virginia. This young man travels the globe as a peace and children’s rights activist and got the Nobel Prize at the age of 12 only. He is the founder of International Youth Advocates, an organization that promotes principles of peace and understanding among young people throughout the world.

6. Saul Aaron Kripke

Kripke was born in New York on November 13, 1940, and spent his childhood in Omaha, Nebraska. He was labelled a prodigy, having taught himself Ancient Hebrew by the age of six. He read the complete works of Shakespeare by the age of nine. Kripke mastered the works of Descartes and complex mathematical problems before finishing elementary school. He wrote his first completeness theorem in modal logic at the age of 17, and had it published a year later. In 1958, Kripke attended Harvard University and graduated summa cum laude obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. During his 2nd year at Harvard, Kripke taught a graduate-level logic course at nearby MIT.

5. Aelita Andre

The two-year old artist who showed her paintings in a famous Gallery. Born on 9 January 2007, Aelita Andre is an Australian abstract artist known for her Surrealist painting style and her young age. She began to paint when she was only nine months old. Her work was displayed publicly in a group exhibition shortly after she turned two. Her first solo exhibition opened in New York City in June 2011, when she was four years old.

4. Cleopatra Stratan

A three-year old singer who earns 1000€ per song. Cleopatra was born on 6 October 2002 in Moldova. She was the youngest singer to get the commercial success with her album named “La Varsta de Trei ani”. She also has a record for performing live for straight two hours in front of a huge audience. Cleopatra holds the record for the highest paid young artist. She’s the youngest artist to receive an MTV award and the youngest artist to score a No.1 hit in a country.

3. Arfa Karim

Arfa Karim was a Pakistani student and computer prodigy who in 2004 become the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), just at the age of nine years. She represented Pakistan on various international forums including the TechEd Developers Conference. She also received the President’s Award for Pride of Performance. A science park in Lahore – The Arfa Software Technology Park – was named after her. She was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in the USA. She died in hospital at Lahore on 14 January 2012, aged 16 years.

2. Akrit Jaswal

With the IQ level of 146, a young Indian Akrit Jaswal, who has been called “the world’s smartest boy”. He is considered the smartest person of his age in India. He came to public attention in 2000, when he performed his first medical procedure at his home. Jaswal shocked the people at the age of 7 years, when he did a surgery on a native girl who suffering from the burns on her hands.

1. Kim Ung Yong

Kim Ung Yong is thought to be the most Genius Child in the world. He was born on March 8, 1962, in Korea. He has broken the Guinness book records by the IQ level of 210. At the age of 4 years only he had the ability to read Korean, Japanese, English and German language, also solved complicated differential and integral calculus problems. He was a guest student of physics at Hanyang University from the age of 3 to 6. At the age of 7 he was invited to America by NASA. He finished his university studies, eventually getting a Ph.D. in physics at Colorado State University before he was 15. This Korean super-genius might just be the smartest guy alive today.

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10 Most Intelligent People of The World

10 Most Intelligent People of The World

The brain is the most mysterious part of the human body. It is the most essential parts of our system. But what is really with the brain that make other people seem to be so smart? some call them abnormalities but others take it as a gift. There are a lot of most intelligent people all around the world. We are only left amazed and interested to find out who are the smartest people in the world? And what they have accomplished.

Let us take a look at the people with the highest IQ ever recorded – The 10 most intelligent people of the world.

10. Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is alleged to have an IQ of 190.

Kasparov has totally amazed the world, when he played to a draw against a chess computer that could calculate three million positions per second in 2003. He is a chess grandmaster from Russia. At the age of 22, he became the youngest undisputed world champion by defeating then-champion Anatoly Karpov.

9. Philip Emeagwali

Emeagwali is alleged to have an IQ of 190.

Philip Emeagwali is a Nigerian-born engineer, mathematician, computer scientist and geologist. He was one of two winners of the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, a prize from the IEEE, for his use of a Connection Machine supercomputer to help detect petroleum fields.

8. Marilyn vos Savant

Marilyn vos Savant has a verified IQ of 190.

In 1985, The Guinness Book of World Records accepted vos Savant’s IQ score of 190. According to marilynvossavant.com, crowned her the woman with the highest IQ for five consecutive years. She has tested as high as 228 on various IQ tests. She is a popular columnist for Parade Magazine. Through “Ask Marilyn,” readers can send puzzles and questions on different subjects for vos Savant to solve and answer.

7. Mislav Predavec

Mislav Predavec is alleged to have an IQ of 192.

The Croatian maths professor Mislav Predavec ranked 7th on the list of the 10 most intelligent people in the world. He is the founder and president of the GenerIQ Society, an elite organization of some of the most intelligent people in the world. He is also the owner and director of a trade company.

6. Rick Rosner

Rick Rosner is alleged to have an IQ of 192.

Gifted with an amazing IQ of 192, by simply looking, Rick Rosner would not be thought of as one of the most intelligent people in the world. He has a rough and tough demeanor, having spent a number of years as a bar bouncer. He is an American television producer best known for creating the television show CHiPs. Rosner later developed a portable satellite television in partnership with DirecTV.

5. Christopher Langan

Christopher Michael Langan has a verified IQ of 195.

Langan is an American autodidact with an IQ reported to be between 195 and 210. He has been described as “the smartest man in America” as well as “the smartest man in the world” by the media. He began talking at six months. In addition, he taught himself to read when he was just 3 years. Langan has developed a “theory of the relationship between mind and reality” which he calls the “Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe” (CTMU).

4. Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis

Evangelos Katsioulis is alleged to have an IQ of 198.

Known for his high intelligence test scores. Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis is a Greek national who works as a medical doctor and psychiatrist. He has earned degrees in philosophy, medical research technology and psychopharmacology. He is the founder of the World Intelligence Network (WIN), an international organization of high IQ societies. Also, he found the organization AAAA.GR, a pioneer voluntary team for the detection and support of gifted individuals in Greece. Katsioulis is also a good painter and a decent swimmer.

3. Kim Ung-Yong

Kim Ung-Yong has a verified IQ of 210.

With a verified IQ of 210, Korean civil engineer Ung Yong is considered the master in child prodigy. At the age of 6 months he was able to speak and understand Korean and other languages. At the age of 3 years, he could read several languages already, including; Korean, Japanese, German and English, as well as solve complex calculus problems as exposed live on Japanese television. He was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under “Highest IQ”.

2. Christopher Hirata

Hirata has a verified IQ of 225.

Christopher Hirata was genius from his childhood. When just 13, he made waves by getting a gold medal at the international physics Olympiad. At the age of 16, he was working with NASA in its mission of conquering Mars. At the age of 22, he obtained his Ph.D at the Princeton University. Hirata is an authorized child genius. He is an American cosmologist and astrophysicist. Currently, he is teaching astrophysics at OSU’s Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP).

1. Terence Tao

Terrence Tao has a verified IQ of 230.

Gifted with an amazing IQ of 230, Terence Tao is at No. 1 position in this list of most intelligent people of the world. He is an Australian-born Chinese American mathematician. He is working in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, additive combinatorics, ergodic Ramsey theory, random matrix theory, and analytic number theory. At just 8 years, Tao achieved a score of 760 on the pre-1995 SAT, received a Ph.D from Princeton at 20 and at 24 became the youngest ever full professor at UCLA. He received inspiring awards; like the 2003 clay research award, the Bôcher Memorial Prize in 2002 and Salem Prize in 2000, are just few of them.

The smartest people know that there is always something left to learn. In generally aware of all the things they don’t know. In addition, their opinions are more informed and less concrete. The listed above are some of the world’s smartest people. They all are renowned most intelligent people of the world.

Emails: Breitbart editor pledges to do 'dirty work' for Bannon, smears Ivanka

Emails: Breitbart editor pledges to do 'dirty work' for Bannon, smears Ivanka

A self-described "email prankster" seemingly fooled top editors at Breitbart over the weekend into believing he was Steve Bannon, the fired White House chief strategist who returned to the right-wing website as executive chairman on Friday.

In the emails, Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow pledged that he and several other top editors would do Bannon's "dirty work" against White House aides. The emails were shared with CNN by the prankster.

In other emails, Marlow suggested he could have Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump ousted from the White House "by end of year" and shared a personal smear about their private lives, perhaps an indication of how low the website is willing to go to achieve its agenda.

This is not the first time the anonymous email prankster, who tweets under the name @SINON_REBORN and describes himself as a "lazy anarchist," has pulled a stunt like this. In July, the person fooled top White House officials into thinking he was other officials, causing a stir in the West Wing. At the time, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the White House was "looking into" the incidents.

The editor in chief was unrepentant, telling CNN,"The obsession with Breitbart News is simply a result of our effectiveness. This time, an imposter deceitfully obtained and shared with CNN tongue-in-cheek emails that revealed that we feel Globalists present an existential threat to the agenda that got President Trump elected.

" Marlow suggested, "If people want to know our thinking, they don't need to judge us on illicitly obtained comments that were intended to be private, they can simply read our front page. "

The email exchanges began with the prankster writing Breitbart editors a simple message from an account masquerading as Bannon's.

"Reading online about how i'll be bringing forth my wrath on Ivanka and Jared," read an email sent Sunday from the fake Bannon account to Marlow. 

"I'd be doing this great nation a service if I did."

"I spooked em today,"

 replied Marlow. "Did five stories on globalist takeover positioning you as only hope to stop it."

"You need to own that, just have surrogates do the dirty work. Boyle, Raheem, me, Tony have been waiting for this," 

Marlow added, referring to Washington editor Matthew Boyle, Breitbart London Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam, and reporter Tony Lee.

The prankster, posing as Bannon, emailed Marlow a link to a Sunday Breitbart post that aggregated a Daily Mail report to suggest Ivanka Trump was instrumental in pushing Bannon from the White House.

"This was a fun read," the fake Bannon account said.

Marlow then shared a personal smear about the private life of Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Kushner. CNN has chosen not to repeat the smear because it is unfounded and unsubstantiated.

"Haha.. lovely stuff," 

replied the fake Bannon account. "So do you think you'll have them packed and shipping out before Christmas?"

"Let me see what I can do... hard to know given your description of them as evil,

" Marlow replied. "I don't know what motivates them. If they are semi normal, then yes, they out by end of year."

Marlow added: "You saying no admin is more divided is more important thing you said all weekend... let's talk about it in person."

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the emails about Ivanka Trump and Kushner. Bannon also did not respond to CNN's requests for comment.

The prankster did not stop the emails and continued to bait Marlow, sending the Breitbart editor messages that were increasingly absurd.

In another email thread, the prankster seemed to fool Joel Pollak, Breitbart's senior editor-at-large.

"No one can figure out what [Ivanka Trump and Kushner] do," Pollak wrote in an email to the fake Bannon account.

"Had a good chat with Alex," the prankster replied, referring to Marlow. "Seems he's already aligning the crosshairs and making me the masked puppeteer."

"Excellent. I just tried calling," Pollak wrote back. "Not sure if you have the same number. I'm at 847-XYZ-XXXX. Available anytime."

The prankster told CNN that the latest stunt was inspired by Bannon's ouster and how Breitbart was "literally falling over itself to attack those he sat drinking coffee with days before."

"It all seemed very duplicitous and littered with nuance and righteousness," the prankster said. 

"I don't much care for the Trump administration or Breitbart so I didn't really do much but see what happened."

After the Breitbart editors realized they had been hoodwinked, Breitbart president and CEO Larry Solov wrote a cautionary note to staffers.

"For the moment, be especially careful of emails from this address," Solov wrote in the company's internal Slack channel, a copy of which was obtained by CNN.

Solov added: "They are fake."

Bannon served as executive chairman of Breitbart before he joined the Trump campaign last August and later took the role as chief strategist in the White House. On Friday, mere hours after being fired by Trump, Bannon returned to Breitbart as executive chairman.

Immediately after Bannon's return, Breitbart started to prepare stories critical of people in the Trump White House, a person at the website told CNN on Friday. It's most likely the site will not -- for now, at least -- directly attack the president. Instead, it will likely focus its ire on people in Trump's circle who had clashed with Bannon, or who are viewed as Democrats or "globalists." On Monday, for instance, the website savaged Trump's speech on Afghanistan, placing much of the blame for the strategy on National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster.

Bannon, for his part, has strongly hinted at a war with members of the White House. He told the Weekly Standard on Friday that he felt "jacked up" to be back at Breitbart and once again have his hands "back on my weapons."

"Someone said, 'it's Bannon the Barbarian.' I am definitely going to crush the opposition," he said. "There's no doubt. I built a f***ing machine at Breitbart. And now I'm about to go back, knowing what I know, and we're about to rev that machine up. And rev it up we will do."

Top Things To Do In New York City

Top Things To Do In New York City...

New York City is larger than life: in population, in square feet (think of the five boroughs), in culture and food, in arts and entertainment. Visitors to New York have the world at their fingertips, from Uptown to Downtown and beyond. There’s so much to do and see, no two visits will ever be quite the same. Whether it’s your first visit to Gotham or your fifteenth, these top things to do in New York capture the energy, spirit and style of the city.

Empire State Building Experience

Empire State Building

No visit to New York City would be complete without a stop at this masterpiece of Art Deco design, and perhaps the most famous office building in the world. From its magnificent lobby — now sporting a re-creation of its original spectacular ceiling mural — to the 86th-floor observatory perched more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) above the city streets, this National Historic Landmark gives visitors plenty to admire.

What to Do

Open past midnight 365 days a year, it’s a romantic spot for a late-night kiss. Take the audio tour to learn more about everything you can see from the observation deck. The 80th floor is home to the Dare to Dream exhibit, featuring original documents, sketches, reproduction photos and other artifacts that capture the building's history.

What to See

On a clear day, the view encompasses five states. You'll get a clear view of many famous New York landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Statue of Liberty, The Hudson and East River, and more. It's no wonder why this is one of the top places to visit in New York.

Highlights

Look out on New York City from 1,050 feet above the bustling streets below.

See panoramic views of up to five states from the surrounding open-air promenade or from climate controlled viewing galleries.

Get the details about what you’re viewing from every vantage point with The Empire State Building Experience Official Multimedia Guide, free for download on Apple and Android devices.

Take in the whole Empire State Building Experience, including the newly renovated art-deco lobby and the sustainability and historical exhibits.

The Empire State Building is a trademarked image and used with permission by ESRT.

Statue of Liberty

A stirring symbol of freedom, the Statue of Liberty has been a beacon in New York Harbor since 1886. A gift from the people of France, the Statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel.

Statue of Liberty

What to Do

Once on Liberty Island, free National Park Service tours fill in the details about the copper-sheeted masterpiece. For an extra fee, upgrade to a Crown Ticket and go into the statue itself.

What to See

With her torch ablaze more than 300 feet (91.5 meters) above the ground, "Liberty Enlightening the World" (the statue’s official name) is only accessible via commercial ferries, which offer amazing vantage points for the perfect vacation snapshot.

Highlights

Feel the splendor of Lady Liberty as you walk in the shadow cast by her 151-foot tall figure.

Learn about the experience of over 12 million immigrants who entered the United States through the now quiet halls of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Explore the grounds of Liberty and Ellis Islands and enjoy an audio tour for both islands.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum

Ellis Island, the portal through which millions of immigrants entered the United States, is a must-see for anyone interested in the personal stories of those who came to America in search of a new beginning.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum

What to Do

Walk in the footsteps of the nation’s newest citizens as they traveled through the baggage, registry and hearing rooms — in some cases, leaving with new, "American" names. Scan the Wall of Honor and see if you can find the name of an ancestor among the 700,000 inscribed names.

What to See

For those whose ancestors made the journey, the American Family History Center offers computerized genealogical records. Stop and watch the interactive American Flag of Faces™, a "living" digital exhibit featuring images submitted by individuals and families.

Highlights

Feel the splendor of Lady Liberty as you walk in the shadow cast by her 151-foot tall figure.

Learn about the experience of over 12 million immigrants who entered the United States through the now quiet halls of the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Explore the grounds of Liberty and Ellis Islands and enjoy an audio tour for both islands.

American Museum of Natural History

Dinosaur fossils? Check. Theories of evolution? Check. Planetarium space show and IMAX theater? Double-check. It's no wonder the American Museum of Natural History was voted #1 attraction in New York City by the Zagat Survey "U.S. Family Travel Guide."

American Museum of Natural History

What to Do

At the American Museum of Natural History, more than 32 million specimens and cultural artifacts await exploration. Catch a show in the Hayden Planetarium and explore the rest of the Rose Center for Earth and Space to learn more about the 13-billion-year history of the universe.

What to See

Thanks to its starring role in the film Night at the Museum, AMNH draws enthusiastic young fans eager to see the 94-foot (28.6 meters) blue whale, the fossilized skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex (the dinosaur that loved to play fetch), and the gum-chewing Easter Island head.

Highlights

Feel the drama of the undersea world in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, featuring models of more than 750 sea creatures, including the 94-foot-long, 21,000-pound model of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling.

See more than 130 scientifically significant meteorites in the Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites and learn what the rocky space fragments may tell us about the formation and evolution of the Sun and planets.

Spend time exploring the museum’s famed series of fossil halls, including the dinosaur halls that feature the largest collection of dinosaur fossils in the world, including imposing mounts of Tyrannosaurus rex and Apatosaurus, as well as the 122-foot-long cast of a Titanosaur, a species so new it has not yet been formally named by the paleontologists who discovered it.

Learn about the evolutionary story of the human family and travel the world in the Human Origins and Cultural Halls, with halls examining the cultures of Asia, Africa, North and South America and the Pacific.

Don’t miss the renowned dioramas in the Mammal Halls, with precise depictions of geographic locations and anatomically correct specimens from around the globe.

Visit the spectacular Hayden Sphere and explore the 13-billion year history of the Universe at the Rose Center for Earth and Science.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Known simply as "the Met," this museum offers an unparalleled view of the world, all under one roof. In total, the Met's collections include more than two million works of art that span over five thousand years of history.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

What to Do

Enjoy its wide-ranging collection including Greek and Roman art, European and Asian paintings and sculptures, artifacts from Africa and the Americas, and more. Make time to head over to The Cloisters museum and gardens, a branch of the Met dedicated to the art of medieval Europe.

What to See

Of particular note are the ancient Egyptian collection — a special department for the collection was established in 1906 — and the arms and armor holdings, which include examples from both Europe and Japan. The Met's collection of Egyptian art ranges from 300,000 B.C. to the 4th century A.D.

Highlights

Experience the grandeur of the Great Hall, the majestic main entry of the The Met.
Take your time as you explore The Met’s incredible collections, comprising more than two million works of art in areas such as Modern Art, European Paintings, Asian Art, Arms and Armor, Photographs, American Art and more.

Guggenheim Museum

Known as much for what’s on the outside as what’s on the inside, the Guggenheim Museum is simply stunning. Devoted to the art of the 20th century and beyond, the Guggenheim Museum is a must-see for anyone looking to see art from contemporary artists.

Guggenheim Museum

What to Do

Notice everything - architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s revolutionary mid-20th-century design resulted in one of the most recognized buildings in the world. Inside, an exemplary gathering of modern and contemporary art awaits.

What to See

The collection, originally conceived by business magnate Solomon R. Guggenheim, showcases works by Camille Pissarro, Vasily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

Highlights

Discover this impressive collection of modern art housed in one of the most significant architectural achievements of the 20th century.
Explore the great spiral rotunda, featuring critically-acclaimed special exhibitions.
Learn more about the world-renowned collection with free daily educator-led tours and a free multimedia guide with architecture and collection tours in five languages.

Trump cites dubious story about Muslims in apparent comment on Barcelona attack

Trump cites dubious story about Muslims in apparent comment on Barcelona attack...

Donald Trump recently told crowds a story about U.S. Gen. John Pershing executing Muslim insurgents with bullets dipped in pig's blood. It's a gruesome story, and it is also not true. Time

In an apparent response to the Barcelona terrorist attack on Thursday, President Trump cited an apocryphal story about turn-of-the-20th-century American Gen. John Pershing – and missed its context.

"Study what General Pershing of the United States did to terrorists when caught," Trump tweeted shortly after condemning the attack in Spain. "There was no more Radical Islamic Terror for 35 years!"

Trump, following up on another tweet condemning the attack in Barcelona, was referring to a story he told on the campaign trail, a legend that began after Pershing served as governor of a heavily Muslim province in the Philippines from 1909 to 1913.

"He caught 50 terrorists who did tremendous damage and killed many people," Trump said during a rally in Charleston, S.C., in February of 2016:

"And he took the 50 terrorists, and he took 50 men and he dipped 50 bullets in pigs’ blood ... And he had his men load his rifles, and he lined up the 50 people, and they shot 49 of those people. And the 50th person, he said: You go back to your people, and you tell them what happened. And for 25 years, there wasn’t a problem. Okay? Twenty-five years, there wasn’t a problem."

Yet there's no evidence this ever happened, and Pershing certainly didn't stop violence in the Philippines.

Historians have found only a single letter from a soldier who said Pershing had a local chieftan buried with a bloody pig, a claim written decades after the alleged incident. A memoir by Pershing cited a letter from another U.S. officer who said several Filipinos were buried in a grave with a bloody pig.

"Of the eight historians we checked with, all were at least skeptical that what Trump said actually happened, and some expressed disbelief even more forcefully than that," reported the Politifact website in 2016.  

In any event, Pershing's administration did not end attacks by Filipinos who opposed U.S. occupation in the wake of the Spanish-American War.

"The historians took issue with Trump’s suggestion that the tactic – if it was even used at all – actually worked to end tensions, noting that unrest persisted for years," Politifact said. "In all, Trump’s claim is ridiculous, so we rate it Pants on Fire."

President Trump 'considering his options' on Afghanistan after Camp David meeting

President Trump 'considering his options' on Afghanistan after Camp David meeting

President Trump holds a national security meeting at Camp David Friday to decide on a new strategy for the conflict in Afghanistan.

President Trump boards Air Force One on Friday.

(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)

WASHINGTON – President Trump will soon decide on a new strategy for the conflict in Afghanistan that could involve sending a few thousand more U.S. troops, the White House said Friday after a national security meeting at Camp David.

"This afternoon the President was briefed extensively by his national security team on a new strategy to protect America's interests in South Asia," press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement following the session.

"The President is studying and considering his options," she said, "and will make an announcement to the American people, to our allies and partners, and to the world at the appropriate time." 

The Camp David conference capped a volatile week in which Trump drew criticism for his comments about racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Va., and dismissed senior White House strategist Steve Bannon.

Neither the president nor his aides spoke in public after the Camp David meeting that lasted most of the afternoon.

En route to the presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains, Trump also vowed tougher domestic security in the wake of Thursday's terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain. "Homeland security and law enforcement are on alert & closely watching for any sign of trouble," he tweeted. "Our borders are far tougher than ever before!"

The Camp David meeting included Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who said Thursday that the Trump administration is close to finalizing a strategy for Afghanistan.

Mattis and other members of the national security team planned to outline a variety of options about the way forward, including proposals to send roughly 3,000 to 5,000 more U.S. troops to a conflict that stretches back to the 9/11 attacks in 2001. More than 2,400 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan.

The top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, has said several thousand additional troops are needed to help break the stalemate in the war against the Taliban, the Islamic State and other insurgent groups there. Mattis has said he wanted to delay the troop level decision until a broad strategy for the region is finalized.

Any additional U.S. and coalition troops would remain in a support role in Afghanistan, helping to advise Afghan forces, which have suffered high numbers of casualties in the fight against insurgents. The coalition is also providing limited air support for Afghan government forces.

The administration is also weighing a proposal from Erik Prince, the former head of the private security firm Blackwater, who has advocated using private contractors to advise and provide air support for Afghan forces.

Trump was supposed to have made a decision about troop levels by now, but delayed it amid dissatisfaction with his options regarding Afghanistan.

"It's our longest war," Trump said in July.  "We’ve been there for now close to 17 years."

During his presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized the length of the Afghanistan conflict, saying he wanted to "win" and then prevent future efforts at "nation building." Since becoming president, Trump has sought ways to help U.S. companies mine and extract valuable minerals from the sands of Afghanistan.

Reporters were kept away from Camp David during the national security meeting that may also have included a discussion about how to cope with nuclear-armed North Korea.

Vice President Mike Pence cut short a trip to South America to attend the Camp David conference.

The meeting began as the White House announced that senior strategist Steve Bannon had left his position.

Trump has still not shaken off the political firestorm he ignited for his comments earlier this week that "both sides" were responsible for last weekend's violence between white supremacists and protesters in Charlottesvile, Va. One alleged white nationalist has been charged with murder in connection with a hit-and-run car attack that left one 32-year-old woman dead and 19 injured.

Republicans have been themselves from the president, saying his suggestions of moral equivalence gave cover to the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who staged the rally to protest the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue.

The fallout could have serious implications for Trump's policy agenda.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has influence over Afghanistan policy, said "the president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful."

The latest national security meeting came a month after Trump criticized the military's inability to "win" in Afghanistan.

President George W. Bush authorized a U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 to topple the ruling Taliban for harboring al-Qaida terrorists who organized the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Bush and President Barack Obama both wrestled with how to meet the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan by remnants of the Taliban and a growing number of Islamic State militants. 

While Obama formally ended combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, there remain some 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan in a security capacity.

During his morning tweet storm about domestic security, Trump accused "obstructionist Democrats" of using "the courts" to stymie counter-terrorism efforts.

In another tweet, Trump said: "Radical Islamic Terrorism must be stopped by whatever means necessary! The courts must give us back our protective rights. Have to be tough!"

Contributing: Jim Michaels

Future Lifestyle arm raises Rs 250 crores

Future Lifestyle arm raises Rs 250 crores

NEW DELHI: Future Lifestyle Fashions has raised Rs 250 crore in a subsidiary that houses the Lee Cooper brand of clothing, valuing the brand at Rs. 1000 crores. The funds have been raised from a group of investors including Nomura, Barclays and Adani Capital, said people directly aware of the matter. 

Future Specialties Retail, a newly created subsidiary, has issued compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS) to the investors who have the option of converting these instruments into a 26% stake in the company after three years. 

The investment agreement is structured to provide a 20% assured return to the investors over a three year period and allows them to partake in any upside that emerges from the increase in the valuation of the company due to its financial performance when the option to convert the instruments is exercised, according to a person in the know. 

Spokespersons for Adani Capital and Barclays declined comment, while Nomura also did not respond to emailed queries. 

Future Lifestyle has exclusive rights to sell the Lee Cooper brand in a clutch of countries including India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal. 

The company announced in a stock exchange filing on October 1, 2016, that it was transferring the business of Lee Cooper into a wholly owned subsidiary and had plans to raise funds. It also notified in a stock exchange filing that it had signed a term sheet with Barclays Bank PLC, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal. 

The company announced in a stock exchange filing on October 1, 2016, that it was transferring the business of Lee Cooper into a wholly owned subsidiary and had plans to raise funds. It also notified in a stock exchange filing that it had signed a term sheet with Barclays Bank PLC, India, for the proposed transaction.