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U.S. Lawmakers React To Russia Attacking Ukraine

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 15:19:47 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 42 Second

U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle spoke in support of embattled Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military attack on his neighboring country early Thursday.

“One person alone, Vladimir Putin, is responsible for the destruction and likely deaths that will occur from this unprovoked military incursion,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, tweeted. “He will be held accountable for these actions.”

One person alone, Vladimir Putin, is responsible for the destruction and likely deaths that will occur from this unprovoked military incursion. He will be held accountable for these actions. https://t.co/24U9KEUAZy

— Senator Ben Cardin (@SenatorCardin) February 24, 2022

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), also a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, echoed the calls for strong action against Russia.

“The US will stand with our Ukrainian allies, continue to provide them with arms to defend themselves, and work to counter Putin and hold accountable those responsible for this aggression,” Cruz tweeted.

Following news of Putin's further invasion of Ukraine with enormous concern and anger.

The US will stand with our Ukrainian allies, continue to provide them with arms to defend themselves, and work to counter Putin and hold accountable those responsible for this aggression.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 24, 2022

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who ran for her party’s presidential nomination in 2020, called for unity at home and abroad.

“Putin’s invasion of a free democracy has begun. The warnings from our Intel sources were right,” Klobuchar tweeted. “There must now be swift sanctions and consequences worldwide.”

Putin’s invasion of a free democracy has begun. The warnings from our Intel sources were right. There must now be swift sanctions and consequences worldwide. It is the time for our country and our world to unite. We stand with the brave people of Ukraine .

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) February 24, 2022

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said the world should challenge the invasion with financial measures.

“Russia has a weak economy,” Lieu tweeted. “The U.S. and our allies will target Russia’s economy with sanctions, to create the same situation that caused the Soviet Union to collapse.”

Many people will die for no reason because of the unprovoked invasion by Putin of Ukraine, a sovereign nation. Russia has a weak economy. The U.S. and our allies will target Russia’s economy with sanctions, to create the same situation that caused the Soviet Union to collapse. https://t.co/zGOXRNPWw9

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 24, 2022

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, who appeared enamored of Putin even before his presidency, praised the Russian leader.

“I mean, he’s taking over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I’d say that’s pretty smart,” Trump said in a radio interview this week.

Many of Trump’s allies, including Fox News personalities, shrugged off the conflict. Tucker Carlson suggested President Joe Biden was actually the aggressor.

In an apparent reaction to Trump’s comments, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), one of the few anti-Trump Republicans, tweeted: “There is no excuse for praising or appeasing Putin.”

As Ronald Reagan knew, America must not “ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire.”

There is no excuse for praising or appeasing Putin.

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) February 24, 2022

Biden, who spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday night, pledged the U.S. will impose further sanctions on Russia. Biden will meet G-7 leaders virtually on Thursday morning to coordinate the response.

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US House Committee Subpoenas Ex-Trump Adviser Peter Navarro

David — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 07:32:19 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 44 Second

The nine-member panel said it has obtained information from public interviews, reporting and even Peter Navarro’s own book that indicates he worked with longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon and others to delay the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral win.

The House committee investigating the US Capitol insurrection subpoenaed former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Wednesday, seeking to question an ally of former President Donald Trump who promoted false claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

The committee is demanding information and testimony from Navarro, who they say was involved in efforts to delay Congress’ certification of the 2020 election and ultimately change the election results, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s Democratic chairman, said in a statement.

“Mr. Navarro appears to have information directly relevant to the Select Committee’s investigation into the causes of the January 6th attack on the Capitol,” Thompson said.

“He hasn’t been shy about his role in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and has even discussed the former President’s support for those plans.”

Navarro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The nine-member panel said it has obtained information from public interviews, reporting and even Navarro’s own book that indicates he worked with longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon and others to develop and implement a plan to delay the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral win on January 6, 2021.

Navarro was one of the White House staffers who promoted Trump’s baseless claims of mass voter fraud. He released a report in December 2020 that he claimed contained evidence of the alleged misconduct.

The 72-year-old former economics professor was seen as a man with ideas considered well outside the mainstream before he joined the Trump campaign in 2016.

The former president asked him to come on board after one of Navarro’s books on China happened to catch the eye of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner during an internet search.

Once Trump took office, Navarro was appointed to head a new White House National Trade Council. But he was quickly sidelined by chief of staff John Kelly and closely managed by former staff secretary Rob Porter.

Navarro is the latest person to receive a subpoena from the committee as part of the large-scale investigation it began last summer.

The congressional probe has scrutinised Trump family members and allies, members of Congress and even social media groups accused of perpetuating election misinformation and allowing it to spread rampantly.

The committee investigating the Capitol attack is not the only group of lawmakers seeking Navarro’s compliance.

A House subcommittee set up to investigate the Trump administration’s response to Covid-19 also subpoenaed him in November.

He denied their request, citing a direct order from the former president to claim executive privilege.

The January 6 select committee, comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans, has subpoenaed close to 100 people so far and interviewed nearly 500

The committee plans to move into a more public-facing phase of its work in the next few months.

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Farm Laws Were Brought To Benefit Farmers, Repealed In Nation’s Interest: PM Modi On Eve Of UP Polls

David — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 15:43:37 +0000

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The battle for Uttar Pradesh will begin on Thursday with first phase polling scheduled to take place in 58 assembly seats spread across 11 districts in the western part of the state.

2022 Assembly Election Live Updates: Ahead of the first phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Wednesday said that the agri laws were brought in for the benefit of farmers, but were withdrawn in the interest of the people. He added that he has always worked for the benefit of the farmers and they too have always supported him. He also exuded confidence of BJP’s victory in the assembly elections across all the five states. Speaking to news agency ANI, he further stated that the BJP has always functioned with stability, and has been greeted with an atmosphere of pro-incumbency instead of anti-incumbency.

Launching a scathing attack on “dynastic politics”, Modi said it is a “big threat” and the “greatest enemy of democracy”. Elaborating on his “fake Samajwadi” jibe at the Samajwadi party in poll-bound UP, Modi said these parties were only concerned about “parivarvad”.

BJP’s manifesto for Uttarakhand named, “Vision Document 2022”, has promised amendment of the law of ‘love jihad’ to make it stricter, including a provision of 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told news agency ANI on Wednesday. Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday released BJP’s manifesto in Dehradun ahead of the assembly polls in Uttarakhand laying a roadmap for its development over the next five years as a model state. The party’s poll manifesto also puts renewed emphasis on infrastructure development, tourism, stopping migration, employment generation, empowerment of women, farmers, horticulture and dairy development.

Releasing the Congress party’s Unnati Vidhan manifesto, Priyanka Gandhi announced that the party will waive off farmers’ debt within 10 days of coming to power in Uttar Pradesh. The party will halve electricity bills in the state and families financially affected by Covid-19 will be given Rs 25,000. The manifesto also promises free treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh for any disease, Gandhi said. The party will also provide smartphones to girl students in Class 10 and 12, as well as electric scooties to college-going females.

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Trump Was Wrong To Seek To Overturn Biden Win, Says Mike Pence

David — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 06:20:25 +0000

Read Time:3 Minute, 8 Second

Former US Vice-President Mike Pence has dismissed claims by Donald Trump that he could have stopped Joe Biden becoming president last year.

In his strongest rebuttal yet, he said Mr Trump was wrong to suggest he had had the right to overturn the election.

Separately the Republican Party censured two of its top lawmakers for investigating the Capitol riots.

A mob stormed the Capitol as lawmakers met to confirm President Joe Biden’s poll win on 6 January last year.

Four people died during the riots, and a police officer who suffered two strokes while defending the building died the following day.

The two legislators, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, are the only Republicans on a congressional select committee investigating the riots.

The statement by the Republican National Committee (RNC) accused the pair of helping to persecute “ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse”.

The RNC appeared to suggest rioters had been involved in legitimate political actions but RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel clarified that it was a reference to “legitimate political discourse that had nothing to do with violence at the Capitol”.

The vote was passed by an overwhelming majority of the 168 RNC members at their winter meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, reports say.

The committee said it would “immediately cease any and all support of them” as party members without removing them from the party.

Both lawmakers issued statements in advance of the vote.

“The leaders of the Republican Party have made themselves willing hostages to a man who admits he tried to overturn a presidential election and suggests he would pardon 6 January defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy,” Ms Cheney said.

They also received support from other opponents of Mr Trump in the party. Senator Mitt Romney tweeted: “Shame falls on a party that would censure persons of conscience, who seek truth in the face of vitriol.”

‘I had no right’

Speaking in Orlando, Florida, Mr Pence was responding to Mr Trump’s comments on Sunday that he could have overturned the election if he had wanted to. Mr Trump has falsely claimed that the election was stolen by Mr Biden.

Days later Mr Trump said the select committee should be investigating Mr Pence instead of the rioters.

“President Trump is wrong. I had no right to overturn the election. The presidency belongs to the American people, and the American people alone,” Mr Pence said.

“And [current Vice-President] Kamala Harris will have no right to overturn the election when we beat them in 2024.”

Last May, House Republicans voted to remove Congresswoman Liz Cheney from her leadership position because, they said, her criticism of Donald Trump prevented the party from focusing on upcoming elections.

On Friday, however, the Republican National Committee passed a resolution that will put Mr Trump, the 6 January Capitol riots and shifting Republican attitudes toward both into national headlines again.

The committee also did so in a way that will generate storms of criticism, by censuring Ms Cheney and Congressman Adam Kinzinger for, in part, helping Democratic “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse”. Republicans say the line – added in a last-minute revision – was meant to reference individuals who protested the election results and not those who attacked the Capitol, but its inartful wording will ensure it is construed to include both.

The resolution is just the latest example of the grip Mr Trump holds on the Republican Party apparatus, even if polls indicate that the loyalty of some conservatives may be slipping.

The practical purpose behind the committee’s move is that it frees the party to shift financial support from Ms Cheney to her Republican primary opponent. The political fireworks were a collateral – if not unintended – effect.

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Putin And Xi Unveil Alliance At Olympics, Mixing Politics And Sport

David — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 13:03:17 +0000

Read Time:3 Minute, 22 Second

BEIJING, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled a global alliance with an anti-Western tilt on Friday, just hours before the grand opening of the Olympics in Beijing, in a striking juxtaposition of politics and sport.

Xi later kicked off the opening ceremony, joined by International Olympic Committee Chairman Thomas Bach as he entered Beijing’s famed Bird Nest stadium, its rim decked with the flags of the 91 countries and regions taking part.

The event was to feature 3,000 performers on a stage comprised of 11,600 square metres of high-definition LED screen resembling an ice surface.

The crowd was pared down, with organisers deciding last month not to sell tickets to Olympic events to curtail the spread of COVID-19. A “closed loop” separates competitors and other personnel from the Chinese public throughout the Olympics.

Using the day to announce the new Russian-Chinese alliance was an extraordinary reminder that the games were taking place on a backdrop of geopolitical rivalry unseen since the 1980s – when the United States boycotted games in Moscow and the Soviet Union stayed away from Los Angeles four years later.

With geopolitical tensions on both sides of the Eurasian land mass at their most taut for decades, Putin and Xi publicly took each other’s sides in a range of disputes, notably Ukraine, where the West accuses Putin of preparing for war.

The lengthy joint statement released after their meeting occasionally veered into Cold War-era rhetoric, condemning “certain states’ attempts to impose their own ‘democratic standards’ on other countries”.

“Such attempts at hegemony pose serious threats to global and regional peace and stability and undermine the stability of the world order,” they said.

DIPLOMATIC BOYCOTT

The United States and other countries have declined to send dignitaries to Beijing, citing alleged human rights abuses, which Beijing denies.

China’s role in international sport has also drawn other uncomfortable headlines in recent months, with the women’s tennis tour cancelling events there over the case of Peng Shuai, a tennis player who appeared to vanish after accusing a senior official of sexual assault. Chinese media have shown Peng making public appearances, including a video phone call last year with Olympics boss Bach.

“I would like to thank you for the invitation to the opening of the Olympic Games,” Putin told Xi. “We know firsthand that this is a huge job. I am sure that our Chinese friends have done it brilliantly, as you always do when preparing such major events.”

In Putin and Xi’s joint statement, China backed Russia’s longstanding call for NATO to halt its expansion – Moscow’s central demand in a dispute with Western countries that say they believe Putin is preparing for war in Ukraine.

Russia, which has deployed more than 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian frontier, denies planning to invade but says it could take unspecified military action unless demands are met, including barring Ukraine from ever joining NATO.

Moscow, for its part, said it fully supported Beijing’s stance on Taiwan and opposed Taiwanese independence in any form. L8N2UF2RX

A broadcast aired in Moscow showed Xi and Putin, neither wearing a mask, sitting opposite each across a large table in a Beijing state guesthouse, surrounded by masked aides.

“I am ready to work with President Putin to plan the blueprint and steer the course for Sino-Russian relations under new historical conditions,” Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.

China state television footage showed a jet flying with the Russian and Chinese flags. Next to it were jets with Mongolian and Serbian flags. Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene of Mongolia were expected to attend the opening ceremony later on Friday. read more

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the United Arab Emirates’ Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had also touched down, according to state media reports. read more

Before this week, Beijing had not received foreign political guests for almost two years as it tried to keep the coronavirus out..

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India May Cut Record 2022/23 Mmarket Borrowing Plan By Up To 600 Bln Rupees – Sources

David — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 08:28:47 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 27 Second

NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (Reuters) – The Indian government may reduce by as much as 600 billion rupees its planned record market borrowing of 14.95 trillion rupees ($200 billion) for the next fiscal year, two government sources said.

The sources said the latest bond switch conducted by the government with the central bank at the end of January was not factored into budget estimates released on Tuesday. read more

The reduction could be announced before the end of March, the sources said requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

India’s 10-year bond yield continued to rise on Wednesday, hitting a two-and-half year high, largely in reaction to the latest borrowing plan, which was over 40% higher than the borrowing slated for this year.

Markets had been expecting borrowing of 12-13 trillion rupees for 2022/23.

India switched nearly 1.2 trillion rupees of government bonds on Jan. 28 with 636.5 billion rupees worth of debt maturing in the next fiscal year.

“The switch has not been factored. It would lower the borrowing for the current year,” one of the official said.

A second official said the switch could lower the 2022/23 borrowing by as much as 500-600 billion rupees.

The officials also said that they expect RBI to intervene in the market to help smoothen the borrowing for 2022/23.

India’s growth-focused budget for the upcoming fiscal year has fuelled worries among bond traders who fear the central bank may now be forced to act on the inflationary risks by raising interest rates, despite its dovish policy stance. read more

Traders will now look ahead at the upcoming monetary policy review to be held between Feb. 7-9 for further clues.

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India Under ‘Threat Of Bigotry And Religious Hegemony’, Stalin Writes To 37 National Leaders

David — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 12:13:22 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 43 Second

Stalin asked the leaders to nominate representatives for the platform called Social Justice which he had formed to create a roadmap to take forward the battle for social justice in India.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to leaders cutting across regional and political lines inviting them to nominate their party representatives to the All India Federation for Social Justice, a platform he formed on Republic Day. Stating that the country is “under threat of bigotry and religious hegemony”, Stalin mentioned in the letter that “these forces can only be fought if all who believe in equality, self-respect and social justice unite together”.

The platform, Social Justice, had been formed to create a roadmap to take forward the battle for social justice in India and to identify the areas to bring about a common minimum programme to be uniformly adopted by all states.

The letter has been sent to 37 leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Farook Abdullah, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, D Raja, Sitaram Yechury, N Chandrababu Naidu, Arvind Kejriwal, Memboobha Mufti, Chandrasekara Rao, Udhav Thackeray and Akhilesh Yadav. Tamil leaders who got the letter were AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam, PMK founder S Ramadoss, VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan and Vaiko.

Stalin said the federation has been essentially formed forge a common platform for all leaders, members of civil society, like-minded individuals and organisations to strive towards achieving the principles of federalism and social justice at national level. “Social Justice as an ideology is simple – ‘everything for everyone’. It is the belief that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. Only by ensuring this equality of opportunity can we build the egalitarian society visualised by the framers of our Constitution,” said Stalin on Wednesday.

Referring to rationalist Thanthai Periyar and his “indomitable philosophy that has formed the bedrock of Tamil society and shaped the politics during the last eight decades,” Stalin said it is because of Tamil Nadu’s emphasis on social justice that helped the state to eradicate inequality to a larger extent and develop the State in all spheres.

“As I write this, our unique, diverse, multi-cultural federation is under threat of bigotry and religious hegemony. These forces can only be fought if all who believe in equality, self-respect and social justice unite together. It is not a question of political gain but re-establishing the pluralistic identity of our Republic, as visualised by our founding fathers,” he wrote.

“The DMK has re-affirmed its commitment to battle for social justice at every turn, as exemplified by our recent politico-legal battle to obtain 27% OBC reservations in state contributed seats to All India Quota in medical and dental courses across the country. However, reservations are not sufficient to ensure social justice,” Stalin wrote.

“At every step, the oppressed must be accorded positive affirmation to enable them to unshackle centuries of oppression and exclusion from mainstream society. We must take extraordinary steps to eradicate gender discrimination along with caste discrimination, and also enable the differently abled to compete in the mainstream,” he further stated, adding that he firmly believes that “the time has finally arrived to stand together as a true Union of States to achieve the aforesaid objectives.”

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Budget Lays Blueprint For India At 100, Digital Rupee To Be issued By RBI Soon, Says Nirmala Sitharaman

David — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 07:21:55 +0000

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Budget 2022 India Live, FM Nirmala Sitharaman Speech Live Updates: The country is expected to grow at 9.27% in the coming year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget, said that the country is expected to grow at 9.27 per cent in the coming year. With a focus on four pillars of development — inclusive development, productivity enhancement, energy transition and climate action — the Budget gives a blueprint of economy from India at 75 to India at 100, Sitharaman said.

The Budget estimates the effective capital expenditure of the Central government at Rs 10.68 lakh crore in 2022-23, making up about 4.1 per cent of the GDP. The gross GST collections for the month of January 2022 are Rs 1,40,986 crore — the highest since the inception of the tax in 2017 — the Finance Minister said.

In a major push for digital currency, Sitharaman stated that digital rupee will be issued using blockchain technology by the RBI starting 2022-23. This will give a big boost to the economy, the Finance Minister said. She added that income from the transfer of any virtual digital asset shall be taxed at the rate of 30 per cent.

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Economic Survey In 5 Points: Nurturing A Post Covid Recovery And The Risk Factors

David — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 09:21:09 +0000

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The Survey has pointed out the “strong revival in revenues” — being 67% higher year-on-year in April-November 2021 — to peg that the government has fiscal space “to provide additional support if necessary”.

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Swedish PM resigns, paving the way for potential female leader

David — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:08:36 +0000

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Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven resigned on Wednesday, paving the way for the country, a gender-equality champion, to finally have a female prime minister.

Magdalena Andersson, the current finance minister, was elected to replace Lofven as the head of the Social Democratic Party last week, putting her on track to becoming premier if she wins a vote in parliament expected next week.

Lofven, a former welder and union negotiator, has headed a minority coalition with the Greens since 2014 and said earlier this year that he would step down ahead of the next general election, due in September 2022.

“We have an election in scarcely a year and it is important that we have a quick handover,” Lofven, who had said in August he would resign this month, told reporters. “I think voters want this to go smoothly.”

Installing the first woman as prime minister sounds almost anachronistic in a country that has long championed gender equality.

All other Nordic countries – Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland – have seen women lead their governments.

The change in the Social Democrats’ leadership comes as the party hovers close to its lowest-ever approval ratings.

It remains unclear if Andersson has enough support to pass a confirmation vote in parliament, which could happen next week.

She does not need a majority in the 349-seat parliament to back her as prime minister. But she must avoid a majority voting against her.

On Wednesday, the Centre Party agreed not to block Andersson’s candidacy in return for easier building regulations and changes to forestry ownership laws.

But Andersson will still need at least passive support from the formerly communist Left Party, whose leader, Nooshi Dadgostar, has demanded a say on policy.

If Andersson promises that, she risks losing the backing of the Centre Party, which has centre-right roots and wants to exclude the Left from any influence over government.

If parliament rejects Andersson, Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson will probably be given a try. He is backed by the populist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, a party that both the Centre and Left want to keep from influencing policy.

“The Left Party has to realise that there is going to be a new government and the question is which one do they want?” Lofven said.