US President Donald Trump will present on Monday his plan to combat an opioid abuse epidemic which will include seeking the death penalty for drug traffickers.
The Department of Justice “will seek the death penalty against drug traffickers, where appropriate under current law,” a White House official indicated Sunday whilst outlining the plan’s main points.
The official did not offer greater detail on how the death penalty could be invoked against drug dealers without amending statutes.
Trump is due to unveil his plan in a speech in Manchester, New Hampshire, a state hard hit by the crisis.
An estimated 2.4 million Americans are addicted to opiates, the narcotics that include prescription painkillers, as well as heroin.
Nationwide, emergency room visits for overdoses from drugs like heroin, fentanyl and prescription painkillers up 30 percent from 2016 to 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said earlier this month.
The report found that from July 2016 to September 2017, a total of 142,557 emergency room visits were due to suspected opioid overdoses.
Trump has previously mooted the “ultimate” punishment for drug dealers, and is said to have spoken in glowing terms about the policies of deeply controversial Filipino leader Rodrigo Duterte, who has ordered extra-judicial killings of traffickers.
New Delhi, Mar 18 : The Congress Party on Sunday criticised the foreign policy of Narendra Modi government and said the Prime Minister has pursued a ‘personalised foreign policy’ and resolved to restore the vision of late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in international relations..
The resolution on foreign policy adopted at the 84th Congress Plenary here, while charing Prime Minisetr Narendra Modi of pursuing a personalised foreign policy, said, the foreign policy engagements and PM’s visits abroad have been reduced to being purely transactional.
The resolution, which was earlier moved by its senior leader Anand Sharma, said the Congress will strive to restore the vision of the Jawaharlal Nehru on the foreign policy .
He said the Prime Minister is always saying that nothing has happened before 2014, which is an insult to the people of this country.
“We will throw out this government that has destroyed the foreign policy”, Mr Sharma said.
Attacking the Narendra Modi government, the resolution said the diplomacy must have depth and gravitas. “Grand events and photo opportunities cannot be a substitute to effective diplomacy”, it said.
The resolution further said there should be credibility and a ring of sincerity in India’s International engagements.
“India has long enjoyed international respect as a country deeply committee to multilateralism and a rule based world order even while zealously safeguarding its vital interests”, it added.
The resolution also said an urgent need to re-calibrate equations with the US, arrest the slide in relations with Russia and improve communication and trust with China.
Stressing on the significance of Nehru’s vision on foreign policy, the resolution said his vision laid the foundation of a foreign policy, which had the objective of enhancing India’s engagment with all regions of the world and to find its rightful place in the comity of the nations.
The resolution also condemned the trend of the PM running down his predecessors on foreign soil.
‘the Prime Minister’s tendency to disparage its predecessors and diminish India’s achievements since independence, has undercut India’s own credibility abroad”, the resolution said.
Criticising the BJP Government, the resolution added that the foreign policy has always been marked with continuity with the backing of a strong national consensus. But, “the BJP government has disrupted it, and its ill-advised actions have unravelled the national consensus. the government is carried away by its own propaganda, and has mismanaged India’s relation with major partner countries”, the resolution blamed.
Foreign policy of Narendra Modi government is confused and bereft of focus and direction, it added.
“A rapidly transforming and uncertain gloabal landscape demands a carefully crafted national security strategy”, said the resolution and added that “India should remain committed to concerted international cooperation for curbing terrorism”.
The foreign policy resolution also criticised the Narendra Modi government for its foreign policy towards neighbouring countries and said “never before in Indipendent India’s history, has the country been so diminished in its immediate periphery”.
The resolution warned that this policy will have significant implications for any meaningful role that India aspires to play in Asian region and the World.
“We have created spaces in our neighbouring countries through episodic engagement, which has allowed other powers, in particular China, to engage themselves”, it added.
It also pointed out the developments in Maldives Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka and said these are a matter of serious concerns.
“Relations with India do not become a factor in the domestic politics of the countries in our neighbourhood”, it said.
Unless Inida is able to manage its neighbourhood effectively, it will be unable to play any credible regional or global power, the resolution said.
The resolution criticised the Modi government’s policy on Pakistan and said, while “confronting cross-border terrorism with a robust security response, has enjoyed across the board national consensus”.
However, the resolution blamed that it is being undermined by the government by making policy towards Pakistan a divisive domestic issue.
“It needs mention that under the Congress led UPA Government, the long standing India-Pakistan hyphenation in international perception was successfully removed”, it said.
There is a danger of that hyphenation being revived as a result of renewed international focus on Indo-Pak tensions, the resolution said.
It also blamed that the BJP Government has no roadmap and its Pakistan policy has been a disaster.
It also advocated that India’s approach to China must not only be marked with pragmatism, but also realism.
Moscow, Mar 17 : Russia is to expel 23 British diplomats amid tensions over the nerve agent attack on a former spy and his daughter in the UK., a BBC News report said on Saturday.
The Russian foreign ministry said staff from the UK’s Moscow embassy would be expelled within a week.
It also said it would close the British Council in Russia, which promotes cultural ties between the nations, and the British Consulate in St Petersburg.
The move comes in response to Britain’s decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats.
They were ordered to leave over the incident on 4 March which the UK government has blamed on Russia – but which Russia denies.
The UK Foreign Office said it had “anticipated a response of this kind” from Russia and the National Security Council would meet early next week to consider its next steps.
Its statement added: “Russia’s response doesn’t change the facts of the matter – the attempted assassination of two people on British soil, for which there is no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian State was culpable.”
Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital, after they were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
The UK government says they were poisoned with a nerve agent of a type developed by Russia called Novichok, and PM Theresa May has said she believes Moscow is “culpable”.
On Friday, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it was “overwhelmingly likely” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the nerve agent attack.
Responding, Mr Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the accusations were “shocking and unforgivable”.
The tensions come as presidential elections take place in Russia.
Britain’s ambassador to Russia, Laurie Bristow, was summoned to Russia’s foreign ministry on Saturday and was handed Russia’s response to the UK’s sanctions.
Following the meeting, Mr Bristow said the UK had no quarrel with the Russian people and would “always do what is necessary to defend ourselves”.
The British ambassador had been expecting this call for three days.
In the end, he spent just over 10 minutes in the foreign ministry where he was handed Russia’s counter-sanctions.
The response from Moscow is robust and does go further than the UK measures. But it doesn’t appear calculated to escalate tensions.
The ministry has stuck to 23 for 23 in terms of diplomatic expulsions, no more.
And while it is ordering the closure of the UK consulate in St Petersburg — both Moscow and Ekaterinburg remain open.
Russia’s response has also targeted the British Council, which promotes cultural ties.
That will be seen by Britain as a low blow, hurting the Russian people – not the British government. But the UK is unlikely to want to retaliate in kind.
The council’s activity here had already been significantly curtailed by Moscow after the last crisis in relations, when Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned.
Meanwhile, the double tactic of denial and distraction here continues, both in comments by officials, and in the mocking, dismissive coverage of the Skripal case on state-run media.
The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that the British diplomats would be “declared persona non grata”, adding that it “reserves the right to introduce other retaliatory measures in case of further unfriendly actions”.
It said it was responding to “provocative actions” and “unproven accusations” by Britain.
A Downing Street spokesman said the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had been invited to come to the UK to take a sample of the nerve agent.
Counter-terrorism police have renewed their appeal for witnesses who may have seen Mr Skripal’s burgundy BMW car in Salisbury on 4 March.
Neil Basu, Met Police Assistant Commissioner, said: “We are learning more about Sergei and Yulia’s movements but we need to be clearer around their exact movements on the morning of the incident.”
Police believe the car – registration plate HD09 WAO – may have been in the areas of London Road, Churchill Way North and Wilton Road at about 09:15 GMT. At about 13:30 GMT it was seen being driven down Devizes Road towards the centre of town.
Mr Basu said investigators were making good progress but further work could take “months”.
He added that the continued presence of officers in the area wearing specialist protective clothing was a precaution and that the risk to the public was low.
Det Sgt Nick Bailey, who was part of the initial response to the incident, remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital after being exposed to the chemical.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of businessman and Kremlin critic Nikolai Glushkov – a Russian exile who was found dead in his south-London home on Monday.
A post-mortem examination found the 68-year-old died from “compression to the neck”.
Police say there is no evidence at this stage linking his case with the Salisbury attack.
However, they have begun to contact a number of Russian exiles to discuss their safety as they investigate the murder.
Russia has also opened criminal investigations into “the murder” of Mr Glushkov, and the “attempted murder” of Ms Skripal.
Kochi, Mar 17: Top corporate honchos, business analysts and academicians will analyse the phenomenal changes in the conduct of businesses that are likely to be unleashed by new age disruptive technologies in the next 5-10 years in the Kerala’s upcoming Global Digital Summit #FUTURE.
‘Technology Disruption and Inclusion’ is among the major topics for panel discussions at the two-day event, to be held here on March 22-23, organisers said in a release here today.
The event is being viewed by the state government as a path-breaking initiative that would offer an array of innovative solutions for transforming the lives of people by leveraging digital and other emerging technologies.
The presentations by business and technology leaders, followed by a debate, will focus on how the changes are impacting individuals, especially the old and those with disabilities, in their daily lives and how businesses are visualising and planning to come to grips with those changes.
The speakers at #FUTURE will also put across their ideas on how Kerala can benefit from such opportunities or contribute to the changes for making technology inclusive and sustainable, the release said.
The panel on “Technology Disruptions and Inclusion” has six speakers.
The session will look into vital aspects of the emerging global scenario such as the changing needs of the global population in the next two decades, the role of technology in meeting these changing needs and how it can be designed for inclusion at all levels.
Other topics to be covered will include the importance of technologies such as Blockchain and how technology be used to complement or bring to the forefront the differently abled and economically disadvantaged people, the release said.
Moscow, Mar 17: The Kremlin has denounced British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson’s claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the poisoning of an ex-spy as “shocking and inexcusable.”
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that Johnson’s statement was “shocking and inexcusable breach of diplomatic propriety.”
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that it’s “overwhelmingly likely” that Putin ordered the use of a nerve agent against former spy Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury.
Peskov emphasized that “we have repeatedly said that Russia has no relation to that.” Britain has announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats over the poisoning, and Russia said it would respond in kind.
New Delhi, Mar 17: A group campaigning for a ‘GM-free’ India has written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, asking it to crackdown on sale of all genetically modified food in Indian supermarkets and initiate prosecution against those violating the law.
The GM foods are not permitted to be sold under the Indian Food Safety and Standards Act.
In a letter to the Chief Executive Officer Pawan Kumar Agarwal and Chairman Ashish Bahuguna of the FSSAI, the Coalition for a GM-free India said that certain brands of imported packaged food are openly being sold.
The label on various products says ingredients could be genetically modified, in various stores in locations all over the country such as Bengaluru, Noida and Mumbai, it said.
Neither Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) nor FSSAI have not approved any of these products, Kavitha Kuruganti, co-convenor of the Coalition for a GM-Free India, said.
As mentioned by Union Health Minster in Parliament on December 29, various companies have been illegally importing and selling genetically modified soyabean and canola oil for human consumption, the group said.
“We request you to take strictest action to all those who are violating the law and ensure that un-approved products must be removed from the shelves immediately, whether in a packaged form or loose,” Kuruganti said.
New Delhi, Mar 15 (UNI) The Union Cabinet made its presence felt in the battle for the Elders on Thursday, as four Union Ministers were elected unopposed to the Upper House, along with eight others, even as 14 seats will witness polling on March 23, when 11 candidates in Uttar Pradesh and four in Karnataka will fight it out for the coveted Rajya Sabha seats.
Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda was elected unopposed for Rajya Sabha from Himachal Pradesh, as Presiding officer and ADM GC Negi handed over the certificate of election to the 58-year-old Health and Family Welfare Minister at Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Secretariat in Shimla.
Mr Nadda was elected unanimously for his second term, as Congress supported his candidature by not giving party nominee.
Addressing mediapersons in the Assembly Complex of Shimla, Mr Nadda gave credit of his election to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Party president Amit Shah.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and five others were declared elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Bihar.
Returning Officer for Rajya Sabha election-cum-Bihar Assembly Secretary Ram Shreshtha Rai said Union Minister and BJP leader Mr Prasad, state JD (U) president Bashistha Narain Singh, industrialist Mahendra Prasad Singh alias King Mahendra, RJD Spokesperson Manoj Jha, Katihar Medical College Managing Director Ashfaque Kareem, (from RJD quota), Congress leader and former Union minister Akhilesh Prasad Singh were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, after the deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers ended.
Three candidates each from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the RJD-led Grand Alliance had filed their nomination papers for six seats falling vacant on April 2, paving the way for election of all six candidates unopposed to Rajya Sabha.
Congress, which had no member from Bihar in the Rajya Sabha, would now have a member in the upper house of Parliament, following unopposed election of Akhilesh Singh.
Four BJP candidates, including two Union Ministers and a Congress aspirant, were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.
With no candidate backing off as the time for withdrawal of nominations ended at 1500 hrs, Union Ministers Thawar Chand Gehlot and Dharmendra Pradhan, Ajay Pratap Singh, Kaialsh Soni (all BJP) and Rajmani Patel (Cong) were declared unopposed by election authorities.
The ruling Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) will be fighting it out for four seats in the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, scheduled for March 23, with five candidates in the fray for four seats.
It will be a political war of sorts between the two parties for the fourth seat with BJP assured of one seat and Congress two, based on their relative strength in the 224-member House. It will be a repeat of the previous biennial election, in which the third candidate of Congress, former IPS officer KC Ramamurthy was elected with seven rebel members of JD(S) voting for him, defying party whip and were subsequently suspended from the party.
There were talks of JD(S) seeking Congress support for the JD(S) nominee, but former prime minister H D Devegowda had ruled out such talks. Moreover, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was in no mood to have truck with the JD(S), to which he belonged to before joining the Congress. His main intention was to ensure a JD(S) defeat, according to sources close to him.
BJP has fielded two time Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who had won two terms before as an Independent. The party has strength of 43 MLAs and needs support of one Independent. A candidate has to get 44 votes to win the election.
JD(S), despite not having sufficient, has nominated businessman BK Farook once again after his loss in the previous elections.
With Samajwadi Party under pressure to give a return gift to BSP after their win in the two Lok Sabha bypolls on Wednesday, now the battle line has been drawn in the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, where 11 candidates are in the fray for 10 seats and elections for the same would be held on March 23.
After withdrawal of two BJP candidates– Vidya Sagar Sonkar and Salil Bisnoi on the last day of withdrawal on Thursday, now nine candidates of BJP and one each of SP and BSP are in the fray. Two General Secretaries of BJP state unit- Vidya Sagar Sonkar of Jaunpur and former MLA from Kanpur Sahil Bisnoi had filed their nominations at the fag end of the last day of the nomination.
The RS elections will now open for horse trading and defection. Election would be held through open ballots and members who violate the party whip, could be disqualified.
However, the Samajwadi Party, who are jubilant with bypoll results, winning both the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, are the worried lot with discussing how to give a return gift BSP chief Mayawati.
BJP had fielded eight candidates officially, including Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley, but on the last day, a businessman Anil Agarwal of Ghaziabad too filed as BJP candidate, thus forcing elections.
The other BJP candidates in the fray are Ashok Vajpayee, Sakaldeep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam,Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Dr Anil Jain, GVL Narsimha Rao, Harnath Singh Yadav. Actor Jaya Bachchan on SP ticket and BSP candidate B R Ambedkar are the two other candidates in the fray.
As per the calculation, BJP can win eight seats comfortably with 324 votes, which included its alliance partners too of the total 10 at stake, while SP can win one and a joint opposition can win the tenth seat.
But now, the fate of the BSP candidate hangs in balance after BJP fielded one more candidate.
Madurai, Mar 15 : Rebel AIADMK leader and Independent MLA from RK Nagar, T T V Dhinakaran on Thursday floated a new political party and unveiled its flag at Melur, here.
“Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) will be the name of my party,” said Mr.Dhinakaran at a public meeting.He also unveiled the party flag with black, white and red colour stripes bearing the image of late Chief Minister J.Jayalalitha at the centre.
Even though “Chinnamma” (Dhinakaran’s aunt V.K.Sasikala) is not here, I am introducing the party’s name with her permission and blessings, he said.
“I am starting this political journey to overcome the hindrance put up by enemies and to bring back Amma’s legacy in Tamil Nadu. We will win all upcoming elections, whether it is cooperative, local bodies, assembly or parliament from now by using the latest party name (AMMK) and party flag.