Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours

FGN17 UK-3RDLD MAY

UK PM May narrowly survives no-confidence vote after Brexit defeat; reaches out to rivals

London: Beleagured British Prime Minister Theresa May has appealed to Opposition leaders to "put self-interest aside" and work with her to secure a new Brexit deal after she narrowly survived a no-confidence vote, a day after her divisive divorce agreement with the EU was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs. By H S Rao

FGN15 US-H1B-LD VISA

H-1B visa holders 'vulnerable to abuse', placed in poor working conditions: US think tank

Washington: A US think tank has claimed that H-1B workers are "vulnerable to abuse" and frequently placed in "poor working conditions", seeking reforms like substantial increase in wages to those holding the visa, popular among Indian IT professionals. By Lalit K Jha

FGN11 US-TRUMP-LD INDIANS

Trump taps 3 Indian-American experts for key admin posts

Washington, Jan 17 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has nominated three influential Indian-Americans including a woman nuclear expert to powerful administration positions. By Lalit K Jha

FGN18 CHINA-US-LD TRADE

Chinese Vice Premier to visit US on Jan 30-31 for talks to end trade war

Beijing: China's Vice Premier and top trade negotiator Liu He will travel to the US on January 30-31 to hold crucial high-level talks as the world's two largest economies are holding negotiations to resolve their bitter trade dispute ahead of a March 2 deadline. By K J M Varma

FGN12 US-NKOREA-PENCE

N Korea yet to take concrete steps to dismantle nukes: Pence

Washington: The US awaits "concrete steps" by North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons that threaten America and other countries in the region, Vice President Mike Pence has said. By Lalit K Jha

FGN14 PAK-BILAWAL-ECL

Pak SC asks govt to lift travel ban on opposition leaders

Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday ordered the government to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister, and asked the country's anti-corruption body to probe their involvement in the Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case'. By Sajjad Hussain

FGN20 KENYA-2NDLD BLAST

Sniffer dogs, bomb experts comb through Kenya attack site

Nairobi: Kenyan security forces on Thursday resumed their search of the hotel complex attacked by Islamists with sniffer dogs and bomb experts, as information emerged about one of the attackers who killed 21 people. (AFP)

FGN19 NISSAN-GHOSN-LD APPEAL

Japan court rejects ex-Nissan chief's bail appeal

Tokyo: Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn will stay behind bars in Japan for the foreseeable future after a Tokyo court quashed his appeal for bail as he faces charges on three counts of financial misconduct. (AFP)

FGN5 US-TRUMP-PELOSI

Pelosi writes to Trump, urges him to reschedule his State of the Union address

Washington: In an unprecedented move, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has urged President Donald Trump to reschedule his annual State of the Union address slated for January 29, citing security concerns triggered by the ongoing government shutdown which has "hamstrung" the critical departments. By Lalit K Jha

FGN7 MALI-ATTACK

'10 killed' in attack near Mali-Niger border: govt official

Bamako (Mali) At least 10 people were killed by "terrorists" in northeastern Mali, including members of an armed group and civilians, a government official said on Wednesday. (AFP) MRJ

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