New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Fitch Ratings Friday cut India's economic growth forecast for the next financial year starting April 1, to 6.8 per cent from its previous estimate of 7 per cent, on weaker than expected momentum in the economy.

"While we have cut our growth forecasts for the next fiscal year (FY20, ending in March 2020) on weaker-than-expected momentum, we still see Indian GDP growth to hold up reasonably well, at 6.8 per cent, followed by 7.1 per cent in FY21," Fitch said in its Global Economic Outlook.

NEW DELHI, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen shot and injured a lawmaker of main ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, local media reported on Thursday.

Yogesh Verma, a BJP member of Uttar Pradesh legislative Assembly who represents the Lakhimpur assembly constituency, was shot at while he was on his way back to his residence after celebrating the festival of colors "Holi" at his office in Patel Nagar area of the city.

Wellington, Mar 21 (AFP) New Zealand imposed an immediate ban on assault weapons on Thursday, taking swift action in response to the Christchurch massacre and triggering renewed calls from leading American politicians for curbs in the United States.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said assault rifles and military-style semi-automatic weapons would be banned with immediate effect, making good on a pledge to ensure that nothing like last week's slaughter of 50 people ever occurs in the Pacific nation again.

21 Mar 2019; DW: A United Nations court in The Hague on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic against his convictions for crimes committed during the Bosnian war on Wednesday. The appeals chamber also increased his sentence from a 40-year prison term to life in prison.

Presiding judge Vagn Joensen said that the previous verdict was too light given the "sheer scale and systematic cruelty" of Karadzic's crimes.

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI) Donald Trump has prioritised peace efforts in Afghanistan and his special envoy has initiated direct talks with the Taliban, but the US President will not accept a "bad deal" on efforts to end America's longest war, the White House has said.

According to a senior Trump administration official, America has "contingency" plans, which might involve "military options" if the peace talks fail to yield desired results.

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China and the United States will hold their eighth round of high-level economic and trade consultations in Beijing from March 28 to 29, the Ministry of Commerce (MOF) said Thursday.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were invited to visit China for the talks, MOF spokesperson Gao Feng told a news conference.

LONDON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Theresa May announced Wednesday she will not delay Britain's departure from the European Union beyond June, ruling out a further extension if MPs reject her Brexit deal.

Her message from 10 Downing Street to the British people came after another tense day in the House of Commons when she announced she has asked EU Council President Donald Tusk to delay Britain's exit from the bloc.

21 Mar 2019; DW: Brexit — soft or hard — is expected to cost Europeans billions of euros every year in the form of reduced incomes, a new study by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation shows.

The impact would be particularly huge if Britain were to leave the European Union without a deal.

The losses are expected to be mainly driven by higher prices of goods and services as a result of tariffs that would kick in after Brexit. Currently, there are no tariffs in the EU single market.

WASHINGTON, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday left interest rates unchanged after concluding a two-day policy meeting, in a move that met market expectations and reflected the central bank's patient approach regarding monetary policy changes.

In support of the goals of fostering maximum employment and price stability, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent, the central bank said in a statement.

Washington, Mar 21 (PTI) The United States will continue to impose additional import tariff on Chinese products till the time a trade deal is reached with the country, President Donald Trump has said.

"We're not talking about removing them. We're talking about leaving them for a substantial period of time, because we have to make sure that if we do the deal with China that China lives by the deal," Trump told reporters on the south lawns of the White House Wednesday.

21 Mar 2019; DW: The European People's Party voted on Wednesday to suspend membership for Hungary's ruling Fidesz party.

Delegates of the main center-right alliance in the European Parliament are opposed to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's authoritarian style and anti-European Union, anti-migration policies.

Campaign posters for the upcoming European elections taking aim at Jean-Claude Juncker and George Soros were a particular point of contention. 

PARIS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Military forces would be poured across French cities to help maintain public order during "Yellow Vest" protests planned this weekend, Benjamin Griveaux, the government's spokesman said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson told reporters that President Emmanuel Macron announced this morning a reinforced mobilization of the "sentinel operation" to secure fixed points, such as government buildings.

"The aim is to allow police to focus on the movement, maintaining and restoring (public) order," he added.