Washington: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has met senior executives of American aerospace and defence majors Boeing and Raytheon and asked them to take advantage of policy initiatives in India to steadily march from ‘Make in India’ towards ‘Make for the World’.Singh along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in the US capital on Sunday to attend the India-US 2+2 ministerial dialogue in Washington on Monday – the first under the Biden administration.“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh met with the US aerospace &amp; defence majors Boeing and Raytheon after reaching Washington DC. He exhorted the companies to take advantage of policy initiatives in India to steadily march from ‘Make in India’ towards ‘Make for the World’, ” the Defence Ministry tweeted on Monday.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will host Jaishankar and Singh for the 2+2 ministerial on Monday.To be held under the shadow of the Ukrainian crisis, the 2+2 ministerial is reflective of the significance the two governments attach to this bilateral strategic relationship.In fact, President Biden has signalled to elevate the 2+2 ministerial by himself having a virtual meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the White House on Monday.The two Indian ministers along with their American counterparts are slated to participate in the virtual meeting from the White House.The 2+2 ministerial along with the respective delegations would take place at the State Department on Monday afternoon.The 2+2 Dialogue would enable both sides to undertake a comprehensive review of cross-cutting issues in the India-US bilateral agenda related to foreign policy, defence and security with the objective of providing strategic guidance and vision for further consolidating the relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Thursday.“The 2+2 Dialogue will also provide an opportunity to exchange views about important regional and global developments and how we can work together to address issues of common interest and concern,” it said.The 2+2 Ministerial is an important opportunity to advance our shared objectives across the breadth of the US-India Strategic Partnership, the State Department said last week.It is also a chance to highlight the growing Major Defence Partnership between the United States and India, it said on the importance of the meeting.—PTI

 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has met senior executives of American aerospace and defence majors Boeing and Raytheon and asked them to take advantage of policy initiatives in India to steadily march from ‘Make in India’ towards ‘Make for the World’.

Rajnath Meets Executives Of US Aerospace Giants Boeing And Raytheon

Washington: In anticipation of a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an $800 million package of military assistance, including additional helicopters and the first provision of American artillery.The Ukrainians also will receive armored personnel carriers, armored Humvees, naval drone vessels used in coastal defense, and gear and equipment used to protect soldiers in chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological attacks."This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine," Biden said in a statement."The steady supply of weapons the United States and its allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion," Biden added. "It has helped ensure that (Russia President Vladimir) Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now."Biden announced the aid after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is the latest in a series of U.S. security assistance packages valued at a combined $2.6 billion that has been committed to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24. The weaponry and support material has played an important role in Ukraine's successful defense thus far.Biden is under pressure from members of both parties in Congress to expand and accelerate U.S. aid.Robert Gates, a former CIA director and defense secretary, said Wednesday he believes the administration needs to push hard for weapon donations by NATO members in Eastern Europe, whose arsenals include Soviet-era tanks and other weaponry and equipment that could help Ukraine immediately."The United States ought to be acting, 24/7 - how do we mobilize the equipment and how do we get it into Ukraine and into the hands of the Ukrainians," Gates said in an online forum sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace."It's critically important and critically urgent, and we ought to be sort of ransacking the arsenals of those states, and I think they would be cooperative, particularly" if they are given assurances that the Pentagon will provide American replacements for the donated weapons.The Pentagon said the $800 million package announced by Biden includes weapons and equipment that will require some training for a Ukrainian military not fully accustomed to American military technology. U.S. and allied forces had been present inside Ukraine to provide training for eight years before pulling out in advance of the Russia's latest invasion.The new arms package includes 18 of the U.S. Army's 155mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds, two air surveillance radars, 300 Switchblade "kamikaze" armed drones, and 500 Javelin missiles designed to knock out tanks and other armor. Also included are 10 counter-artillery radars used to track incoming artillery and other projectiles to determine their point of origin for counter attacks.Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said delivery of the material will be expedited, but he offered no specific timetable."This list came directly out of multiple conversations with Ukrainians in the last few days as we began to see the Russians now start to reprioritize the Donbas fight," he said, referring to Russia's shift from a failed offensive in Ukraine's north aimed at Kyiv, the capital, to a force buildup in the country's eastern Donbas region, where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting since 2014.Ukrainian military personnel will need training on the radars as well as the howitzers and the Switchblade drones, Kirby said. He said the training may be done by U.S. soldiers in Europe and the arrangements are being worked out."These are not highly complex systems," Kirby said, and so extensive training will not likely be required.Among the other items in the package are 11 Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters that the United States had planned to provide to Afghanistan before Biden last year decided to fully withdraw from the country. They are transport helicopters that also can function in an attack role. The Pentagon previously had sent five Mi-17s to Ukraine, Kirby said. —PTI

In anticipation of a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved an $800 million package of military assistance, including additional helicopters and the first provision of American artillery.

Biden Approves $800M In New Military Assistance For Ukraine

Washington: US President Joe Biden on Wednesday labelled his predecessor, Donald Trump, ''the great MAGA king'' and continued sharp criticism against Republicans ahead of mid-term elections that could be bruising for Democrats.''I think it is important that, as we go forward, you are gonna hear me talking more about not only what we have done, but what they are trying to do,'' the president told an evening Democratic fundraiser crowd of about 40 at a Chicago hotel.The party that controls the presidency usually loses seats during the next election and, with inflation reaching its highest levels in 40 years, Biden's party could see its control of Congress wiped out in November.To try to counter that, Biden has in recent days begun decrying ''ultra-MAGA'' Republicans -- a reference to Trump's ''Make America Great Again'' campaign slogan.He told the fundraiser that the Democratic National Committee is already devoting more time and money to promoting the differences between his party and the GOP, adding, ''We have to make sure we keep this clear contrast on either side.'' The president also said he has not done enough to promote his administration's accomplishments, including a USD 1 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure package approved by Congress last fall.''One of the things that I think we have to do is not just talk about what we have done -- we do not do that enough and that is my fault,'' he said. But Biden also added, ''Because of how outrageous some of the things that former president Trump has done and said, I think we found ourselves in the position where it was almost like, how could that happen? How could that be?'' When an attendee's cell phone rang, the president joked: ''I know that is Trump calling. He always does that.'' His remarks at the fundraiser followed a speech earlier Thursday in which Biden offered a new nickname for Trump, who himself enjoys bestowing often unflattering monikers on political opponents.''Under my predecessor -- the great MAGA king -- the deficit increased every single year he was president,'' he told the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference, which was also being held in Chicago. ''The first year of my presidency, the first year, I reduced the deficit.'' During the conference and fundraiser, Biden also repeated criticism he has offered lately of Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott's 11-point plan. It was released in February and suggests imposing a modest tax increase on many of the lowest-paid Americans, while opening the door for cutting Social Security and Medicare.''I call it the ultra-MAGA plan, Make America Great Again plan,'' Biden told the union conference. At the fundraiser, he struck a similar note, saying, ''I think we have to point out how radical it is...so people are reminded what is at stake here.''—PTI

US President Joe Biden on Wednesday labelled his predecessor, Donald Trump, ''the great MAGA king'' and continued sharp criticism against Republicans ahead of mid-term elections that could be bruising for Democrats.

Biden calls Trump 'MAGA king', vows to push GOP contrasts

I only echo the voices of thousands who sounded the alarm before me, but then again it cannot be said enough. America is facing unprecedented social and political peril. We must mobilize every resource humanly possible to prevent a catastrophe from happening before it is too late.Righting the Wrong New York (The Hawk): Since Trump rose to power in 2016, my concerns about the future of America have only been gravely compounded. It never occurred to me that after 240 years of a successful experiment in democracy and the development of solid democratic institutions based on the will of the people, we would face such unimaginable social and political peril. President Biden has made significant progress in addressing some of these issues that have plagued us, especially in restoring America’s global leadership. That said, the prognosis for the mid-term elections suggests that the Republicans may well take back both the House and the Senate, and the possibility that Trump may run again and even win in 2024 should send shivers down the spine of every concerned American.Beware AmericaIt is not that I want to rehash the past, but what happened to America during Trump’s presidency continues to have horrifying implications as to where America is heading. Was it even conceivable that a thoroughly corrupt racist, who failed to win the popular vote, was impeached twice, lost reelection, conspired to reverse the result of a legitimate and fair election, and instigated an insurrection to seize power, would still unfathomably remain in command of his party? If this is not a terrifying prospect, what is?To be sure, the Republican party has slipped into a bottomless pit of political sewage. What does it say about the party that chose him? This is a party that has long since lost its moral bearing, a party that put its own interest above that of the nation, and a party that blindly followed an imposter and a liar only because he is shameless, bold, and crude, and served the party’s racist agenda. This is a party whose members seek the endorsement of a charlatan, a party that will stop short of nothing to regain power, including violence that will make the January 6 resurrection look like a mere rehearsal, which could lead to civil war.The shortcomings of the Republican party are numerous, but it suffices to mention only a few to demonstrate how dangerous the party has become to the future of this nation.Bigotry runs rampantThe Republican party is a bigoted party that embraces white supremacy, and being the minority party, it is terrified of the prospect that people of color will replace white America. Thus, bent on recapturing power, the party is enacting in every Republican state hundreds of electoral laws designed to deprive Black and Hispanic Americans of their right to vote through gerrymandering, voter ID laws, and other nefarious schemes that defy democracy. Racism is consuming America from within, and white supremacy, which has been allowed to run rampant, is poisoning America’s soul.Carnage of Americans by gun violenceThe Republican party refuses to pass gun control laws regardless of how many Americans are shot to death. Gun violence is destroying our youth, decimating families, and literally robbing this country of its future. Yet, knowing all this, the Republican party refuses to do anything to stem the tide of violence. Gun violence is now the number one cause of death for all children and teens between 1-19 years of age.More than 120 Americans are killed every day by firearms. How many more mass shootings must we endure before the Republican party comes to its senses? At a minimum, we must move to ban assault weapons and implement universal background checks. The recent racially-motivated shooting in Buffalo where 10 innocent people were shot to death should shock the conscience of any decent American. Yet Republicans seem to be numb to this American tragedy; even when 20 children—six and seven-year-olds—were gunned down in their school in 2012, Republicans still refused to act.Defying climate change to our perilAnother catastrophic failure of the Republican party is its refusal to acknowledge that climate change is real. The plethora of scientific evidence is indisputable and overwhelming, and denying climate change, which is already upon us, is tragic. As a result, we are now witnessing massive fires, hurricanes, an unprecedented rise in sea levels, droughts, and the destruction of coral reefs. Moreover, climate-related migration is rising due to increased flooding, storms, extreme weather events, and higher temperatures, while precipitating geopolitical instability.Erin Pettit, a glaciologist from Oregon State University, is alarmed at how fast ice is cracking up in Antarctic. “It was hugely surprising to see things changing that fast,” said Pettit. According to the Washington Post, satellite imagery revealed long, parallel fissures in the frozen expanse. This is a calamity in the making, but the Republican party couldn’t care less.Denying healthcare as a rightAnother vile attitude of the Republican party is its position regarding universal healthcare. The Republican party never understood that healthcare is a human right. Everyone has the right to receive the healthcare they need. It is simply inconceivable that the richest country in the world provides no basic access to healthcare, which is central to the wellbeing of society, especially to children whose health directly impacts their mental development.According to CEOWorld Magazine’s 2021 Health Care Index, the ten countries with the best health care are: South Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, Austria, Japan, Australia, France, Spain, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. It is disgraceful that the United States comes in 30th on the Index – behind Mexico, Greece, and Ecuador. One of the strongest arguments for universal health care is that it will foster a healthier population overall; a healthy population will be less prone to disease, and hence more productive and competitive, not to speak of the moral obligation that a responsible government must be guided by.Usurping women’s right to chooseOne more manifestation of the Republican party’s moral bottom is its treatment of women, especially denying them the right to abortion. Here we have white haired reactionary Republican men, controlling red states from governor’s mansions or legislative bodies, deciding what women can or cannot do with their bodies. How dare they? For 50 years they have been trying to reverse the landmark law Roe v. Wade ruling, and the Supreme Court, with a majority of conservative justices, is now poised to do just that.This conservative-dominated Supreme Court is thoroughly politicized and the justices’ assumed impartiality gives in to dogma on hot-button issues, and lately they have been putting ideology above remaining faithful to the letter and the spirit of the rule of law. The Court, which is tasked to uphold the sacred right of every American, is becoming an instrument in the hands of the Republican party, which has manipulated the nomination and confirmation process in recent years to ensure as many conservatives on the Court as possible. The overturning of Roe v. Wade will not be the end of the conservative assault on women’s rights but only the beginning. We can be sure that laws limiting access to contraception, prohibiting same sex marriage, and denying the rights of the LGBTQ+ community will be next.To understand how debased the Republican party has become, all we have to do is see who most of the party’s leadership follows. Trump represents a new moral bottom, a new definition of sleaziness, a new standard of sheer loathsomeness. Trump is not only a traitorous, lying, narcissistic con man — he is literally the embodiment of the rot and moral decay that is consuming America’s spirit. Trump is a cancer on the body politic and the longer the Republican party allows him and all that he represents to remain and fester, the closer this Republic will inch to suicide.Trump’s grip on the Republican Party is a sad testament to the spinelessness of its leadership, the majority of whom still subscribe to his false claim that the 2020 election was stolen; in recent primaries, those who backed his claim were predominantly rewarded. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that even if Trump is not the Republican nominee in 2024, whoever is will in all likelihood be aligned with Trumpism and even transcend it by their extremely twisted conservatism, which rivals even the most backward extremists such as the Taliban.A victory for Trumpism in 2024 will mean that this country will continue to see its democratic institutions and processes attacked and gradually eroded; toxic white supremacy will thrive and anti-immigration policies will be the order of the day; environmental deregulation will continue apace, and economic inequality will keep soaring to new and unprecedented heights. America’s global leadership will evaporate and spell the end of the country as we know it. Trumpism is literally poison that will destroy this country from within if it is permitted to grow.There are thousands of loyal and dedicated Republican officials who are just as concerned as I am about the future of this country but remain silent, fearing the wrath of their fellow party members. They must remember that their allegiance is to the country and to the constitution, which they took an oath to defend and protect. Their solemn duty is to raise the alarm now and save America before the extreme right destroys what this country has stood for, fought for, and sacrificed for over two and a half centuries.If the Republican party in its current ideological makeup ends up in control of both Congress and the presidency, it will be to America’s everlasting shame. It will be a confession that we have lost faith in our Constitution and in this Republic. The noble principle of electing a government of the people, by the people, and for the people will tragically vanish.I am only adding my voice to the thousands who preceded me. No one can say we were not warned. Beware America; time is running out. If we do not act now, it will be us who wrote the obituary of the American dream. *Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

Since Trump rose to power in 2016, my concerns about the future of America have only been gravely compounded. It never occurred to me that after 240 years of a successful experiment in democracy and the development of solid democratic institutions based on the will of the people, we would face such unimaginable social and political peril. President Biden has made significant progress in addressing some of these issues that have plagued us, especially in restoring America’s global leadership.

Beware America

Mumbai: Indian tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan cherished his first ever main draw win at a Grand Slam as he combined with American Hunter Reese to beat the German team of Daniel Altmaier and Oscar Otte in the men's doubles event of the French Open, here on Wednesday.Ramkumar, who has made umpteen attempts to crack a singles main draw of a Grand Slam without success, and Reese beat their rivals 7-6(4) 6-3 in their opening round of the clay court major. The 27-year-old Indian had broken into the doubles top-100 early this year, following his maiden ATP Tour title win with compatriot Rohan Bopanna in Adelaide and at home in Pune, competing in the Tata Open Maharashtra.Rohan Bopanna and his Dutch partner Matwe Middelkoop had progressed to the second round with 6-4 6-1 win over local wild cards Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg and Luca Van Assche, on Tuesday.—PTI

Indian tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan cherished his first ever main draw win at a Grand Slam as he combined with American Hunter Reese to beat the German team of Daniel Altmaier and Oscar Otte in the men's doubles event of the French Open, here on Wednesday.

Maiden grand slam win for India's Ramkumar at French Open

Alon Ben-Meir*I am at a loss for words to describe my utter outrage, my excruciating pain, and my revulsion at yet another massacre in what has become an unending cycle of carnage wrought by guns. The perpetrators are not only the murderers themselves but the Republican members of Congress who enable them to commit such heinous crimes and thus become complicit in this unfathomable American tragedy. Righting the Wrong New York (The Hawk): Yet another elementary school shooting massacre has left 19 children and two teachers dead – this time in Uvalde, Texas. The gunman was an 18-year-old who is also dead. The victims in this case were mostly 8, 9, and 10-year-olds. The bloodletting that this country is experiencing daily due to gun violence is inflicting such suffering that it cannot be measured or grasped. Suffering that leaves every parent choked in anguish that cannot be assuaged, that cannot be compensated for, explained, or given some greater meaning. This is absolute, unfathomable loss. These parents who have lost children to inexplicable, murderous rage have been plunged into a nightmare from which they will never wake. This is a horror which defies any and all explanation, a horror which any decent society would prevent by any means necessary. Are we really willing to live in a country where a parent taking their 4-year-old to school must wonder whether their child will be alive at the end of the day, whether their child will be subjected to unspeakable terror? Just to grasp how epidemic mass shootings have become in this country, consider the fact that since the May 14 massacre in Buffalo NY that left ten people dead, sixteen mass shootings have occurred. Five mass shootings occurred the very next day on Sunday, May 15, claiming four lives and injuring twenty-three. How on earth can we as a country pretend that this is in any way normal, acceptable, or anything less than an indictment of our society which has become so desensitized to gun violence? Every American should be standing up and crying out for an end to this awful and shameful epidemic which is permitted to continue because we apparently regard the right to have easy access to lethal firearms as of greater merit and legitimacy than the right to live free from violence, mayhem, and senseless killing.President Biden said in the aftermath of yesterday’s shooting, “I am sick and tired of it. We have to act.” The New York Times reports today that Texas has seen eight mass shootings in the last 13 years – but it is important to note that the Times is defining a mass shooting as an incident in which a lone shooter has killed at least four people. That is not how it is defined by the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which “a minimum of four victims [are] shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident.”Under that definition there have been 179 mass shootings in Texas, since January 1, 2017. We have had literally decades to say enough is enough, now we must act. Yet no action or meaningful legislation is forthcoming – no action will be taken to strengthen background checks for gun buyers, no action will be taken to ban the sale of assault rifles which were used in Uvalde and in over 165 mass shootings in this country since the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre on December 14, 2012.The heartbroken parents who have had to endure unspeakable pain are told by political leaders that they have the prayers of the country; that they and the children they have lost will be remembered in the prayers of concerned Americans all across the nation. Prayers? Parents who lost a child do not need anybody’s prayers, good wishes, or social media self-displays of condolence and commiseration. They want their child to come back from school alive, to be held again, kissed again, and loved again. Offering prayers sounds disgustingly irrelevant to the nature of the crisis at hand.What the parents and every American that has lost a loved one to senseless shooting needs now is serious action—actual legislation that will curb the spate of gun violence which is consuming this country from within. The whole world is watching as America continues to destroy itself, its social bonds of trust, its duty to its children, through its obsession with protecting gun rights at all costs.We have fetishized the Second Amendment; we have turned it into an idol, an altar on which to sacrifice our children – as if we exist to serve and protect this single right. Do we truly need to protect at all costs whatever the right for people to have unimpeded access to firearms that belong nowhere but on the battlefield?Is this what any serious person could think the Second Amendment is about? Is anyone supposed to believe that the Founding Fathers were so concerned that an 18-year-old should be able to purchase an assault rifle for his birthday that they would safeguard that right above the right of an 8-year-old not to be gunned down in the middle of school?Senator Ted Cruz is scheduled to speak at the NRA’s annual meeting on Friday. What is he going to say, given that he claimed to be “sickened” by what occurred in Uvalde? Is he going to rise to the moment and tell the NRA that the country can no longer bear to watch this horror unfolding day by day?Is he going to say that the right to guns can be protected while enacting basic common-sense laws which will prevent this needless, and unimaginably cruel killing of society’s most innocent and vulnerable members? Is he going to say that enough is enough, that we must all, Democrats and Republicans alike, wake up and together pass legislation to end this American tragedy?Or will he simply repeat the same platitudes and refuse to lay any responsibility at the door of an organization whose overriding concern has been to protect America’s right to deadly firearms for profit? For politicians to seek the support of a corrupted organization to be elected, and close their eyes and numb their hearts to the bloodletting of thousands of innocent men, women, and children – if this is not an American tragedy, then what is?No, we can no longer settle for prayers, we can no longer settle for platitudes, we can no longer settle for promises. We need action and we need it now. Any Republican who refuses to pass sensible legislation that at a minimum reduces the frequency and the scope of these mass shootings has the blood of the dead on their hands. They must be held responsible for failing to act because they know full well that their inaction will certainly lead to the next mass shooting, and by refusing to act, they become complicit to the killings.The American tragedy is not limited to the carnage that is daily sweeping the nation. Our real tragedy is when the lives of our citizens become fair play and those who refuse to act are still in power. *Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

Yet another elementary school shooting massacre has left 19 children and two teachers dead – this time in Uvalde, Texas. The gunman was an 18-year-old who is also dead. The victims in this case were mostly 8, 9, and 10-year-olds.

The American Tragedy

Mumbai: The rupee inched 2 paise higher to close at 77.59 (provisional) against US dollar on Friday, supported by positive domestic equities and weakness of the American currency overseas.Forex traders said the rupee consolidated in a narrow range as elevated crude oil prices, fiscal deficit concerns and persistent FII outflows weighed on the local unit. At the interbank forex market, the rupee opened at 77.60 against the greenback and moved in a range of 77.57 to 77.67 in the day's trade. The rupee finally ended at 77.59, higher by 2 paise over its previous close of 77.61."Rupee continued to trade in a narrow range and volatility remained despite gains in domestic equities. Dollar retraced after the US preliminary GDP number came in below estimates," said Gaurang Somaiya, Forex and Bullion Analyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services. Euro and pound got support at lower levels and extended support, Somaiya said, adding that "we expect the USD-INR to trade sideways and quote in the range of 77.20 and 77.80." On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex advanced 632.13 points or 1.17 per cent to end at 54,884.66, while the broader NSE Nifty jumped 182.30 points or 1.13 per cent to 16,352.45. The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.05 per cent to 101.78.Foreign institutional investors remained net sellers in the capital market on Thursday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,597.84 crore, as per stock exchange data.Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.55 per cent to USD 118.05 per barrel.—PTI

 The rupee inched 2 paise higher to close at 77.59 (provisional) against US dollar on Friday, supported by positive domestic equities and weakness of the American currency overseas.

Rupee inches 2 paise higher to 77.59 against US dollar

 The rupee inched 2 paise higher to close at 77.59 (provisional) against US dollar on Friday, supported by positive domestic equities and weakness of the American currency overseas.



Washington: Actor Bo Hopkins, best known for his performance in 'American Graffiti', has died. He was 80. Hopkins' death was confirmed on the actor's official website, Variety reported. "It is with great sadness that we announce that Bo has passed away. Bo loved hearing from his fans from around the world and although he was unable to respond to every email over the last few years, he appreciated hearing from each and every one of you," " reads a statement on the website.Hopkins got his start in feature films as 'Crazy Lee' in the iconic 1969 western 'The Wild Bunch.' He was subsequently hired by director Sam Peckinpah for another supporting turn as a bank robber in 'The Getaway' (1972). 'White Lightning' (1973), 'Posse' (1975), 'The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing' (1973), and 'Midnight Express' (1978) are Hopkins' other remarkable projects. Prior to acting, Hopkins had served in the U.S. Army. He joined the U.S. Army at the age of 16.—ANI

Actor Bo Hopkins, best known for his performance in 'American Graffiti', has died. He was 80.

Veteran star Bo Hopkins passes away

M.R.LALUGruesome, horrific and bone-chilling- I know, the vocabulary to describe the massacres in schools across America cannot be limited to these three words. But the level of animosity that the young generation in this country is growing with is harrowing and I really believe that this gut-wrenching killing spree cannot be addressed with gun control alone. Much more needs to be done with respect to bring the young minds to sensitize the gravity of chaos their brains are enmeshed in. It should be unbelievable to know that America has more guns than the actual population of the state. The richest and the most developed country in the world has more than 400 million guns circulating among a population of nearly 332 million. Despite making economic affluence, America is largely a society stooping towards a complete moral decline. This appears to be a crude observation but on ground the situation is worsening with every passing day. The children who walked into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in Texas on 24 May 2022 would not have thought that the morning leisure time in their school would witness a bloodbath killing at least 19 of them and two adults in their lovely campus. Before taking his assault rifle to the school campus, the young killer Salvador Ramos checked the efficacy of the weapon that he procured a few days before his 18th birthday on his grandmother, shooting in her face. The reason behind this barbarity is yet to be uncovered but this is not the first of its kind the U.S witnessed - a mass shooting in a school. There have been such horrific massacres across the country and the one that happened in Stockton, California in 1989 was the first which killed five children. On December 14, 2012 in the Sandy Hook School of Newtown, Connecticut, the young shooter Adam Lanza was 20 years old and fearless when he pointed his assault rifle taking the lives of 20 children and 6 adults. 17 children were mercilessly gunned down by the young shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and the list continues. Imagine the trauma of the parents who, on that day, sent their children off to the school by the school bus and waited for their homecoming with jubilant faces. Shockingly, statistics reveal that hundreds of children were killed in mass shootings in the state of America in between 1989 to 2022.As per the studies carried out by different agencies, most of the cases of mass murder by the youngsters in the schools had a common feature which is staggering. Almost everywhere, before the mass killing, the shooters attempted to either kill someone at their homes or attempted at least an assault. It is indeed distressing to notice that most of the school shooters were either current or former students of those schools where they tested the precision of their weapons. There may be various reasons that provoked these young minds to carry out such terrible atrocities. A child, from his formative days would be influenced by various factors. The depth of influence that his parents are capable of having on him matters the most at this stage. As a society, America has been witnessing a rise of non-marital cohabitation and frequent divorce and the family life that a child is forced to grow through would find him totally distressing and wobbly. What we experience in India is totally different. In India, we have been focussing on strengthening family relationships from all possible dimensions. The values that we cherish as a family surely reinforce the bond among its members. We value the atmosphere in a family, respecting and recognising its effect on the children as they grow. From two parents to one parent to no parent, life of many children in America is actually inconsolable. Reasons to this level of mishmash in childhood must be enough for the young minds to become muddleheaded and satisfy the silent rebellion forced by the circumstances that they have been growing in. Children, with a childhood lost of its tenderness, love and care in broken families are bound to develop a rebellious itch against all who enjoy such faculties.&nbsp;The Pew Research Center, in its study reports share some interesting facts which probably can substantiate focusing on the reasons that push the young Americans to become atrocious at a young age. It reveals the speed with which the American families are breaking from two-parent households to single parent households or children growing without parents. The country is witnessing a rapid rise in divorce, remarriage and cohabitation, forcing the families to shrink. In a tumultuous family atmosphere, parenting is challenging and the children trapped in this volatility live in fear, horror and uncertainty and mostly with hatred for their parents. According to the Pew Research Report, 16% of children are living in “blended families” with a stepparent, step siblings or half sibling. A new estimate states that about one in five children born within a marriage will experience the breakup of the parents by age 9 and half of the children born within a cohabiting union will experience the breakup of their parents at the same age. This data is evident enough to unearth the reason, which is mainly the lack of moral values that the families are sailing with. A family without parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents at the family table and the whole family organ trimmed to an atom size, devoid of the beauty and the lovely mischief that a family, a replica of a society would have; would mostly be a volcano inside. The loneliness and the squabbles that the child finds as part of the family’s parental discourse and the absence of mutual respect amid affluence and a morality in decline contribute to his volatile behaviour.&nbsp;Broken families are mushrooming in India too; but of course, the trend is yet to gain momentum.A satisfactory assessment is that India has the lowest divorce in the world. It is almost lower than 1% in India. This may not be an awesome achievement, as many families are silent with the atmosphere inside them terribly obnoxious, and many of the upsetting issues never break open the walls or are concealed tight. In comparison to America’s 50% marriage breakups, India’s 1% is really praiseworthy. With Sweden ranking the highest in divorce rates followed by America, India is still in a better position. It is quite unlikely for India to face the situation that America does. But families should become more resourceful and centers of magnanimity and care where children can grow with self-respect and generosity.&nbsp;Violent family atmosphere ignites self-hate and despair among children as it did in the case of most of the school shooters in America. The solution to what we call an epidemic of gun violence in America is basically a course correction that every family needs to get ready to go for. A ban on assault rifles will be an initial administrative step that the country can take but it is for the people of the country to set their houses alright. To a large extent, India is a good example for value based families and happy parenting.—The Hawk Features

Gruesome, horrific and bone-chilling- I know, the vocabulary to describe the massacres in schools across America cannot be limited to these three words. But the level of animosity that the young generation in this country is growing with is harrowing and I really believe that this gut-wrenching killing spree cannot be addressed with gun control alone.

Fragile Family Atmosphere And The School Shootings In America

VIRGINIA:&nbsp;Popular American actor Johnny Depp on Wednesday won a high-profile defamation case between him and his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Following his win, the social media is flooded with wishes, fans using the hashtags #TruthWins, #HeWon and #JusticeForJohnnyDepp on Twitter.Not just that, fans are all praising Johnny’s legal team and sharing their gratitude towards his two main lawyers, Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew. The fans are giving a major shootout for all the jury members involved in the case.“He did it, he told the world and the world believed him. #JohnnyDepp #DeppHeardTrial #JohnnyDeppAmberHeardTrial” a fan tweeted.Another fan tweeted, “This win isn’t a blow for women it’s a win for Truth ! Abuse is abuse it being from a woman or man It’s justice for the right so happy for Johnny and his incredible team #CamilleVazquez #BenChew #JohnnyDepp #JohnnyDeppVsAmberHeard” A fan thinks ‘And he won that battle’ and tweeted, “In the end, true justice prevailed. I’m glad about this story. I wish Johnny Depp a happy, quiet and successful, healthy life. He deserved it 100%! I would also like to congratulate Johny’s team. lawyers. #JohnnyDepp #TruthWins #JusticeForJohhnyDepp” A fan thinks Johnny’s case would serve as a great example for men who suffer domestic abuse or violence, the fan tweeted, “I sincerely hope any male who’s suffered domestic abuse/violence, now feels heard. I hope they come forward. I hope people working in the sector now create safe spaces for men to help and to heal. #JohnnyDepp” A fan congratulated Johnny’s ‘incredible legal team’, the fan wrote, “I remember many lawyers kept saying defamation cases are hard to win and there’s a high chance Johnny Depp will lose. But he did it with the help of his incredible legal team. He won. #TruthWins #JohnnyDepp” After several years of dating, Depp and Heard married in a very private ceremony in their home in Los Angeles in 2015. On May 23, 2016, Heard filed for divorce from Depp and obtained a temporary restraining order against the Oscar-nominated actor. She alleged that Depp had physically abused her during their relationship, and said it was usually while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.—ANI

Popular American actor Johnny Depp on Wednesday won a high-profile defamation case between him and his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Following his win, the social media is flooded with wishes, fans using the hashtags #TruthWins, #HeWon and #JusticeForJohnnyDepp on Twitter.

Fans celebrate Depp’s win in defamation case against Amber Heard

New York: An Indian origin patient was among those who had a “miracle” cure using a cancer medication that is being tried out by a research centre here achieving an unprecedented healing rate when all 14 patients in the trial had their cancers disappear. “It’s a miracle”, Nisha Varughese said about the immunotherapy drug’s efficacy in curing her. In the trial at the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center in New York using dostarlimab, “the rectal cancer disappeared after immunotherapy — without the need for the standard treatments of radiation, surgery, or chemotherapy — and the cancer has not returned in any of the patients, who have been cancer-free for up to two years,” the MSK said.According to researchers, this was the first time that all the patients in a cancer trial were completely healed with a medication and they did not have serious side effects. The results of the trial were disclosed over the weekend in the New England Journal of Medicine and at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. An editorial in the Journal called it “an early glimpse of a revolutionary treatment shift”. MSK explained that “immunotherapy harnesses the body’s own immune system as an ally against cancer”. It said, “The Immune cells contain a safeguard called a checkpoint, to prevent them from attacking normal cells. Cancer cells can trip this safeguard and shut down immune cells, allowing a tumour to hide and grow.” Immunotherapy uses what is called a “checkpoint inhibitor” that frees immune cells to recognise and attack cancer cells. Varughese recalled discovering she was completely cancer-free: “That day I didn’t see the tumour. So, I was thinking, where is the tumour? Then, maybe I thought it’s hiding somewhere inside. Doctor told me, there is no more tumour. It’s a miracle.” Andrea Cercek, a cancer specialist who ran the trial, said, “The immunotherapy shrank the tumours much faster than I expected.”Luis Diaz, who was the other researcher running the trial and is a member of the White House National Cancer Advisory Board, said, “It’s really exciting. I think this is a great step forward for patients.”Usually, rectal cancer is treated with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, But Cercek said, “The most exciting part of this is that every single one of our patients has only needed immunotherapy. We haven’t radiated anybody, and we haven’t put anybody through surgery.” She added, “They have preserved normal bowel function, bladder function, sexual function, fertility. Women have their uterus and ovaries.” But in the Journal editorial, a cancer expert, Hanna K. Sanoff from the University of North Carolina, cautioned, “Whether the results of this small study conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center will be generalisable to a broader population of patients with rectal cancer is also not known.” “Despite these uncertainties,” she added, “Cercek and colleagues and their patients who agreed to forgo standard treatment for a promising but unknown future with immunotherapy have provided what may be an early glimpse of a revolutionary treatment shift.”—IANS

An Indian origin patient was among those who had a “miracle” cure using a cancer medication that is being tried out by a research centre here achieving an unprecedented healing rate when all 14 patients in the trial had their cancers disappear.

Indian Origin Patient Among Those Healed Completely Of Cancer In Drug Trial

Washington: A study by the&nbsp;<a href="https://aninews.in/topic/american-society-for-nutrition" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: transparent;">American Society for Nutrition</a>&nbsp;outline the case for and against using the concept of ultra-processed foods to help inform dietary guidelines beyond conventional food classification systems. The authors, Carlos A. Monteiro, MD, PhD, of the University of Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Arne Astrup, MD, PhD, of Novo Nordisk Foundation in Hellerup, Denmark, will discuss the issue in a live virtual debate June 14 during NUTRITION 2022 LIVE ONLINE. The debate centres around NOVA, a system developed by Monteiro and colleagues that classifies foods by their degree of industrial processing, ranging from unprocessed or minimally processed to ultra-processed. NOVA defines ultra-processed foods as those made using sequences of processes that extract substances from foods and alter them with chemicals or additives in order to formulate the final product. Ultra-processed foods are characteristically designed to be cheap, palatable and convenient; examples include soft drinks and candy, packaged snacks and pastries, ready-to-heat products, and reconstituted meat products or plant-based alternatives.Studies have linked consumption of ultra-processed foods -- which are often high in salt, sugar and fat -- with weight gain and an increased risk of chronic diseases, even after adjusting for the amount of salt, sugar and fat in the diet. While the mechanisms behind these associations are not fully understood, Monteiro argues that the existing evidence is sufficient to justify discouraging the consumption of ultra-processed foods in dietary recommendations and government policies. "The negative dietary effects of ultra-processed foods have now been made clear by many nationally-representative studies," Monteiro wrote in his position paper. "[Guidelines] should emphasize the preference for unprocessed or minimally processed foods and freshly made meals and make explicit the need to avoid ultra-processed foods."In a counterargument, Astrup argues that classifying foods according to their processing methods does not meaningfully improve upon existing systems and could lead to unintended consequences. For example, there are both nutritional and environmental benefits to increasing the emphasis on plant-based foods, yet many healthful plant-based meat and dairy alternatives are considered ultra-processed. Astrup also contends that unhealthful foods like fries, burgers and pizza would be considered ultra-processed if purchased from a fast-food restaurant but minimally processed if made at home with similar ingredients. "Clearly, many aspects of food processing can affect health outcomes, but conflating them into the notion of ultra-processing is unnecessary because the main determinants of chronic disease risk are already captured by existing nutrient profiling systems," wrote Astrup. "The NOVA classification adds little to existing nutrient profiling systems; characterizes several healthy, nutrient-dense foods as unhealthy; and is counterproductive to solve the major global food production challenges."&nbsp;—ANI

A study by the American Society for Nutrition outline the case for and against using the concept of ultra-processed foods to help inform dietary guidelines beyond conventional food classification systems.

Are ultra-processed foods harmful? Experts present their argument

New Delhi: American Airlines and IndiGo have launched a codeshare agreement that allows the former to sell seats on the latter's flights operating on Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Mumbai routes, a statement said on Thursday. ''American and IndiGo plan to expand the codeshare in the near future to include more than a dozen additional destinations in India (in addition to Bengaluru and Mumbai),'' it said.American Airlines currently operates flights on the New York-Delhi route only. American Airlines and IndiGo had in September last year announced that they are entering into a codeshare agreement.—PTI

American Airlines and IndiGo have launched a codeshare agreement that allows the former to sell seats on the latter's flights operating on Delhi-Bengaluru and Delhi-Mumbai routes, a statement said on Thursday.

American Airlines, IndiGo launch codeshare agreement

Washington: American Singer Justin Beiber has revealed that he is suffering partial face paralysis after he cancelled shows this week. The 28-year-old pop singer in a video on his Instagram account said that he has been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which has caused his condition. Beiber announced that he will be taking a break from work as he needs time to recover. Apologising to his fans, he said that his condition is "pretty serious" and that is the reason why some of his shows were cancelled in recent times.In the video, Justin explained, "As you can see, this eye is not blinking, I can't smile on this side of my face, this nostril will not move. So, there's full paralysis on this side of my face. So for those who are frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I'm just physically, obviously, not capable of doing them. This is pretty serious, as you can see." Beiber said that he has been doing facial exercises to recover but that he does not know how long it will take to recover. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a rare neurological disorder characterized by paralysis of the facial nerve and a rash affecting the ear or mouth.Beiber currently on his 130-date Justice World tour in North America cancelled performances in Toronto, Washington DC and New York. Earlier, he cancelled a few gigs after being diagnosed with Covid-19.His wife Hailey Beiber was also diagnosed with Covid-19. Recently, wife Hailey also suffered a stroke due to a blood clot in her brain. After her recovery, she took to her YouTube channel to inform fans about her condition and the repercussions it can cause. Bieber's last album Justice released in March 2021. The album topped charts in US and UK.—ANI

American Singer Justin Beiber has revealed that he is suffering partial face paralysis after he cancelled shows this week. The 28-year-old pop singer in a video on his Instagram account said that he has been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which has caused his condition.

Half of Beiber's face paralysed by serious virus, cancels shows

Colombo: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assured crisis-hit Sri Lanka of support to promote American investments in the country after the completion of IMF negotiations, as he spoke with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss the island nation's current economic and political challenges.The two leaders spoke over the phone on Monday.Wickremesinghe explained the current status of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).He further said that Sri Lanka is willing to have closer cooperation with the US."It was a pleasure speaking to Secretary of State @SecBlinken. I briefed him on the current economic situation and requested for our countries to work closer. He assured his support to further promote US investments in Sri Lanka upon the completion of IMF negotiations," Wickremesinghe tweeted.Sri Lanka has decided to seek the assistance of the Washington-based global lender to combat the worst economic crisis since its independence from Britain in 1948. The talks between Sri Lanka and the IMF commenced on April 18.US State Department in a statement said, "The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed Sri Lanka's current economic and political challenges.""The Secretary affirmed the United States' commitment to the Sri Lankan people during this challenging time and the importance of supporting reforms that address the concerns of all Sri Lankans, including on democratic governance and human rights," it said.The nearly bankrupt country, with an acute foreign currency crisis that resulted in foreign debt default, announced in April that it is suspending nearly USD 7 billion foreign debt repayment due for this year out of about USD 25 billion due through 2026. Sri Lanka's total foreign debt stands at USD 51 billion.The IMF in May said that it requires sufficient assurance from the country that it will restore debt sustainability during the debt restructuring process. The IMF is planning to send an in-person mission in the coming weeks to Sri Lanka for policy discussions on a financial arrangement.The economic crisis has prompted an acute shortage of essential items like food, medicine, cooking gas and other fuel, toilet paper and even matches, with Sri Lankans for months being forced to wait in lines lasting hours outside stores to buy fuel and cooking gas. —PTI

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has assured crisis-hit Sri Lanka of support to promote American investments in the country after the completion of IMF negotiations, as he spoke with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to discuss the island nation's current economic and political challenges.

Blinken Assures Sri Lanka Of Support To Promote American Investments Once The IMF Negotiations Are Over

Seoul :&nbsp;South Korea's automotive export hit the highest in eight years in the first half of 2022 owing to strong demand for eco-friendly vehicles.Automotive shipment rose 3.2 per cent over the year to 24.35 billion US dollars for the first six months of this year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.It was the highest in eight years since the first half of 2014 amid growing demand for eco-friendly cars, which took up 30 percent of the total automotive shipment. It was up 8.3 percentage points from a year earlier, Xinhua news agency reported. Car export to Asia and Latin America advanced in double figures, but shipments to the European Union declined 9.3 percent in the first half.The domestic sale of eco-friendly cars, including electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles, jumped 34.3 percent from a year earlier to reach a record high of 210,474 units in the first half.It accounted for 26.1 per cent of the total automotive sale in the local market.The number of vehicles sold here was 807,605 in the first half, down 11.3 per cent from a year earlier.The number of cars manufactured in the domestic factories fell 2.0 per cent over the year to 1,779,044 in the January-June period amid the continued supply disruptions of semiconductors used to make vehicles. --- (IANS)

South Korea's automotive export hit the highest in eight years in the first half of 2022 owing to strong demand for eco-friendly vehicles. Automotive shipment rose 3.2 per cent over the year to 24.35 billion US dollars for the first six months of this year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

 SKorea's automotive export hits 8-year high in first six months

South Korea's automotive export hit the highest in eight years in the first half of 2022 owing to strong demand for eco-friendly vehicles.
Automotive shipment rose 3.2 per cent over the year to 24.35 billion US dollars for the first six months of this year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

New York: Three out of five Americans believe that the James Webb telescope is a somewhat or very good investment, according to a new YouGov poll.The $10 billion Webb telescope, is an international programme led by the NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.Last week, the NASA released the first images from the powerful next-generation telescope -- a treasure trove of full-colour images from deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date to cosmic cliffs, birthplace of stars, blackholes, a dying star's final 'performance', as well as the atmosphere of a distant planet.A new YouGov poll asked 1,000 Americans to share their views on space exploration, NASA, and a new image of the Carina Nebula, which shows "the earliest, rapid phases of star formation".According to the poll, conducted July 14-18, seven in 10 Americans have a very or somewhat favourable view of NASA, just 13 per cent view NASA unfavourably, and 16 per cent say they don't know.More men (76 per cent) than women (66 per cent) have a favourable perspective on the space-research agency, while similar shares of Democrats (79 per cent) and Republicans (72 per cent) view NASA favourably.Further, one-quarter (26 per cent) also noted being unsure whether the Webb telescope, which was launched in December 2021, is a good investment. About 13 per cent say it has been a bad investment. Americans generally showed to be in favour of many of the space investments that were polled, including the satellite-based GPS (76 per cent call it a good investment) and the Hubble space telescope (70 per cent), largely referred to as the predecessor to Webb.YouGov showed respondents the NASA-released picture of Carina Nebula and asked them to share their reaction to the image in an open-ended question.Many called the photo "beautiful," "pretty," or "amazing," while others wrote about the impact it has on their understanding of the universe.Some also applauded NASA's ongoing space exploration for its broader contribution to scientific knowledge and others said they look forward to seeing what else the telescope reveals.The telescope's first full-colour images and spectroscopic data culminates Webb's commissioning process, and marks the official beginning of its science mission, the NASA said.The telescope aims to solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. —IANS

Three out of five Americans believe that the James Webb telescope is a somewhat or very good investment, according to a new YouGov poll.

60% Americans Believe NASA's Webb Telescope Is A Good Investment

Dr Alon Ben-Meir* Last Thursday’s hearing by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol was nothing but shocking. If we were watching a movie based on a fictitious story portraying an American president who had done what Trump attempted to do it would have still been simply so far-fetched beyond what anyone could possibly fathom Righting the Wrong New York (The Hawk): The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol held another hearing yesterday which was, no less than all the previous hearings, of historic significance. These are among the most important hearings in our nation’s history, for they detail the unprecedented depravity and dishonor of an American president, and they are crucial to exposing the existential danger that his political presence still represents.Thursday’s hearing focused on what must be the darkest and most morally outrageous three hours in the annals of the American presidency: the 187 minutes in which Trump refused to take any action whatsoever to quell a violent insurrectionary mob as it stormed the Capitol building, thwarting the peaceful transfer of power and seeking to kill the Vice President of the United States, who took shelter just feet away from his would-be assassins. The Committee revealed that Pence’s security detail believed that the mob was likely to discover their location and that they were not going to survive its violent onslaught – so much so that some were making calls to say goodbye to family members in the event they did not make it home alive.For three hours Trump watched the television as violence consumed the Capitol; and in all that time he did not make a single call to the Secretary of Defense, to the Attorney General, to the Secretary of Homeland Security, or to the Vice President for that matter. For three hours, against the unequivocal advice of his counsel, friends, and family, Trump purposefully and steadfastly declined to give the mob he had summoned any signal to disperse, to exit the building peacefully, or to simply cease threatening the life of his vice president or other members of Congress. The president knew full well, and better than anyone, that his mob of supporters were hanging on every word he said or tweeted; he knew beyond any doubt that had he told them to leave the Capitol they would have complied – but he would not do so for the simple reason that he wanted the attack to continue.Trump would not take any action to halt the insurrection because the attack served his unscrupulous designs: for while the mob held the Capitol, the Senate could not reconvene to certify the election result, and had the vice president been maimed or murdered then he would no longer be in a position to preside over the proceedings as specified in the Constitution. Indeed, after Trump knew the Capitol had been breached, he sent out a tweet at 2:24pm which served only to pour gasoline over the conflagration he had already ignited, describing Mike Pence as lacking the courage to do Trump’s bidding; immediately following that disgraceful message to his fanatical followers the mob swelled in size, and grew more enraged and emboldened.Trump’s inaction during those three pivotal hours was not merely a dereliction of duty: it was a deliberate, indefensible decision on his part to allow the mob to continue its desecration of the Capitol, its assault on our democracy, and its unbridled effort to impede the transfer of executive authority, all so that Trump could maintain power. Only after it became clear that the insurrectionists would not be successful did the president finally stand before the TV cameras and tell the mob to leave the Capitol and return home. He did not condemn the violence, he did not issue any reprimand to those who had defiled the Capitol, he did not express a single word of support for those who valiantly fought against the insurrection and sought to protect this Republic from being overthrown by a violent swarm of his deluded supporters. Instead, he praised the mob as patriots and told them how much he loves them.The former President of the United States, Donald Trump, betrayed this country and the American people – both Republicans and Democrats – in a manner so despicable and outrageous that the misdeeds of all his forty-four predecessors pale by comparison. He is the very embodiment of demagoguery: his lies are poisonous and his hollow vanity boundless. He has brought this Republic to the brink of dissolution with his contempt for the rule of law and the institutions of democracy. He forfeited the public trust when he determined that his hold on power was more important than the oath he took before the country and before God to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, more important than honoring the sacrifice of countless Americans who gave their life so that the Republic could survive, more important than the very continuation of this noble experiment in popular government.If he should ever hold office again, then the shame will be on our heads – for no one can say now that they did not know what this man was, or what he was capable of doing. Trump’s lust for power is insatiable and as we have witnessed, he resorted to any means, however illegal, to stay in power regardless of the unimaginable damage he inflicts on the country.Trump is corrupt to the core, a traitor who deserves nothing but contempt and to spend the rest of his life behind bars because he remains a menace to this country and an existential threat to our democratic institutions.____________*Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

Last Thursday’s hearing by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol was nothing but shocking. If we were watching a movie based on a fictitious story portraying an American president who had done what Trump attempted to do it would have still been simply so far-fetched beyond what anyone could possibly fathom

The Most Damning Hearing Yet

Washington: The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed insider trading charges against several Indian-Americans in connection with three separate schemes that together yielded more than $6.8 million in illicit gains.The SEC alleged that Amit Bhardwaj, the former chief information security officer (CISO) of Lumentum Holdings, along with his friends, Dhirenkumar Patel, Srinivasa Kakkera, Abbas Saeedi, and Ramesh Chitor, traded ahead of two corporate acquisition announcements by Lumentum, thereby generating more than $5.2 million in illicit profits.In addition, the SEC's complaint sought disgorgement of illicit profits with prejudgment interest from relief defendants Gauri Salwan, the Kakkera Family Trust, All US Tacos Inc, and Janya Saeedi.In another action, the SEC alleged insider trading by investment banker Brijesh Goel and his friend Akshay Niranjan, who was a foreign exchange trader at a large financial institution.Late Monday night, the SEC said in a statement that the two men, close friends from business school, made more than $275,000 from illegally trading ahead of four acquisition announcements in 2017 that Goel learned about through his employment."If everyday investors think that the market is rigged at their expense in favour of insiders who abuse their positions, they are not going to invest their hard earned money in the markets," said Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SEC's Enforcement Division.The SEC's complaints charge all nine defendants with violating the antifraud provisions of the securities laws and seek permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.At Lumentum, Bhardwaj learned material nonpublic information (MNPI) about the company's plans to first acquire Coherent, Inc. and later acquire NeoPhotonics Corporation.Based on this inside information, Bhardwaj allegedly purchased Coherent securities ahead of the January 2021 announcement of Lumentum's agreement to acquire Coherent and tipped his friend Patel, with the understanding that Patel would later share some of his ill-gotten gains.During October 2021, Bhardwaj shared the inside information about Lumentum's planned acquisition of NeoPhotonics with his friends Kakkera, Saeedi, and Chitor, who then amassed large positions of NeoPhotonics based on Bhardwaj's tips."After the November 2021 announcement of the NeoPhotonics acquisition, Chitor indirectly transferred funds to Bhardwaj's relative in India, as instructed by Bhardwaj," said the SEC. —IANS

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed insider trading charges against several Indian-Americans in connection with three separate schemes that together yielded more than $6.8 million in illicit gains.

 US SEC charges several Indian-Americans with insider trading

Geneva: Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Europe and the Americas have been the hardest hit by the global monkeypox outbreak.Addressing reporters here, the WHO chief said these two regions have reported 95 percent of the diagnosed cases and warned against stigma and discrimination against people who have contracted the virus, reports Xinhua news agency.Over 18,000 monkeypox cases have been reported to the WHO from 78 countries. More than 70 percent of these came from the European region and 25 percent from the Americas, he said.Ghebreyesus said that 98 percent of the reported cases have been among men who have sex with men, stressing that stigma and discrimination can be "as dangerous as any virus and can fuel the outbreak"."As we have seen with Covid-19 misinformation," it can spread rapidly online, he said, "so we call on social media platforms, tech companies, and news organizations to work with us to prevent and counter harmful information".On July 23, the WHO officially declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).A PHEIC is the highest level of alert that the UN health body can give.The WHO has been urging countries to take the monkeypox outbreak seriously by taking the steps needed to stop transmission and protect vulnerable groups."The best way to do that is to reduce the risk of exposure and make safe choices," the global health body head further said."For men who have sex with men, this includes, for the moment, reducing your number of sexual partners, reconsidering sex with new partners, and exchanging contact details with any new partners to enable follow-up if needed."Meanwhile, Canada, the European Union, and the US have already approved the vaccine called MVA-BN (Modified Vaccinia Ankara - Bavarian Nordic) for use against monkeypox, and two other vaccines are also being assessed.However, due to the lack of data on the effectiveness and dosage of the vaccines, the WHO currently does not recommend mass vaccination against monkeypox.It also urges all countries that are administering such vaccines to collect and share critical data on their effectiveness.--IANS

The Hawk

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Rajnath Meets Executives Of US Aerospace Giants Boeing And Raytheon

Sunil Aswal

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Rajnath Meets Executives Of US Aerospace Giants Boeing And Raytheon

Sunil Aswal

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