Legacy of Democracy, Sacrifice, and Public ServiceThe apocalyptic season of AdventSoto could decide on his next team before or during baseball’s winter meetings
( MENAFN - IANS) Washington, Dec 28 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has concluded a two-day conference of the team at the Indian Embassy in the US and Consuls General and "expressed confidence in the deliberations and noted that they would plummet the India-US partnership". EAM Jaishankar wrote on Friday on X, "Concluded a very useful two-day conference of team @IndianEmbassyUS and our Consuls General in Washington DC today. Confident from the deliberations that the continuous growth of the India-US partnership will be accelerated." As per a press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar is visiting the US from December 24 to 29. On Thursday, EAM Jaishankar met with the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, in Washington, DC. He said that the two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on the progress of the India-US strategic partnership and exchanged views on current regional and global developments. Jaishankar also held a meeting with his US counterpart Antony Blinken in Washington, DC on Thursday. The two leaders reviewed the advancement of the India-US partnership over the past four years and agreed that cooperation has strengthened in many sectors. EAM Jaishankar expressed confidence that ties between India and the US will serve mutual interests and global good. EAM Jaishankar, during his visit, met India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra and Consul Generals based in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston and Atlanta. The officials discussed opportunities for deepening India-US partnership, focusing on technology, trade and investments. The visit by the EAM comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US earlier in September and participated in the fourth Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware. The US and India have seen frequent high-level interactions. Earlier on Tuesday, senior diplomats from India and the US, including Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma, highlighted the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries. India-US bilateral relations have developed into a "global strategic partnership," based on shared democratic values and increasing convergence of interests on bilateral, regional and global issues. Regular exchange of high-level political visits has provided sustained momentum to bilateral cooperation, while the wide-ranging and ever-expanding dialogue architecture has established a long-term framework for India-US engagement. MENAFN27122024000231011071ID1109036109 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.Kellogg is retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues.
New Hampshire courts hear two cases on transgender girls playing girls sports
Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post , Jeff Bezos , said he may not be the best owner for the paper from the perspective of “the appearance” of conflict of interest, but defended a controversial decision not to endorse a presidential candidate for the first time in years ahead of last month’s election , but not that far ahead. Some called it cowardice to avoid offending Donald Trump given the billionaire’s various business interests. Bezos insisted it was “far from cowardly because we knew there would be blowback and we did the right thing anyway.” The publication lost many thousands of subscribers. “You can’t do the wrong thing because you are worried about bad PR, or whatever it is you want to call it. This was the right decision. We made. the right decision. I am very proud of the decision,” he told the New York Times DealBook Summit in NYC. “The pluses of doing this were very small and [endorsements] added to the perceptions of bias if news media are going to try to be objective and independent,” he said, adding that media “is suffering from a crisis of trust.” It should behave like a “voting machine. They have to count the votes accurately and people have to believe that they count the votes accurately.” “Not all of it is the media’s fault. But where we can do something we should ... We made this decision. I am proud of this decision.” However, he acknowledged, “I am a terrible owner for the Post from the point of view of the appearance of conflict ... Probably not a single day goes by where some Amazon executive or Blue Origin executive or some Bezos Earth Fund leader isn’t meeting with a government official somewhere. And so there are always going to be appearances of conflict.” “A pure newspaper owner who only owned a newspaper and did nothing else would probably be, from that point of view, a much better owner,” he said. “Now, the advantage I bring to the Post is when they need financial resources I’m available. I am the doting parent in that regard.” He said the Post will continue to cover “all presidents very aggressively.”
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir held an urgent meeting of top security brass on Friday after a shootout at the home of powerful former spy chief Akol Koor, who was sacked almost two months ago amid rumours of a coup plot. Gunfire erupted on Thursday evening in the capital Juba, sparking concerns about the stability of the world's youngest country that is already plagued by power struggles, ethnic infighting and a deep economic malaise. The shooting around the home of Koor, who was fired by Kiir in early October and placed under house arrest, caused panic among local residents before it was contained after about an hour. Following the meeting, South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) spokesman Lul Ruai Koang said the incident took place after a "misunderstanding" between security forces attempting to relocate the ex-head of the National Security Services. Koang said Koor had now agreed to the relocation "with his dear wife, one bodyguard, and a cook" elsewhere in the city. He would be provided with additional army protection at his new residence, but Koang emphasised he was not under "their (army) detention." He said four people, two civilians and two soldiers, had been killed during the confrontation. The meeting convened by Kiir included the heads of defence, police, national security and military intelligence. A source in the presidency press unit said Koor was also present. The Sudans Post newspaper quoted a security official as saying the meeting had "resolved all outstanding tensions" and that the spy chief and his family "have been assured of their safety". In an alert to its staff on the ground on Thursday, the United Nations in South Sudan had said the shooting was linked to the arrest of the former spymaster and advised people to take cover. Koang told AFP that Koor "remains at his house", and denied claims circulating on social media that he had fled to the UN compound in Juba. There was a heavy deployment of military forces around his home in the Thongpiny district, an AFP correspondent said, but traffic has resumed and people were going about their daily business. - 'Remain vigilant' - Police spokesman John Kassara said the situation was now calm but that Thongpiny remained sealed off and residents "should remain vigilant". Koor became head of the feared National Security Services (NSS) after South Sudan's independence in 2011 but was sacked in October leading to widespread speculation he had been planning to overthrow Kiir. After his dismissal from the NSS, Koor was appointed governor of Warrap State, Kiir's home state, but this was abruptly revoked by the president before he took the oath of office. Koang said there had been a "misunderstanding" between two security services forces present at Koor's residence when a third unit arrived for the relocation. "That was the start of the armed confrontation that you heard," he said. Four people, two servicemen and two civilians, were killed in the incident, he said, and two civilians were wounded. Koor's sacking came just two weeks after Kiir again postponed by two years, to December 2026, the first elections in the nation's history. The delay has exasperated the international community, which has been pressing the country's leaders to complete a transitional process, including unifying rival armed forces and drawing up a constitution. The NSS was at the centre of controversy in July when parliament approved amendments to legislation allowing the agency to continue to arrest -- without a warrant -- anyone accused of offences against the state, raising alarm among rights groups and South Sudan's international partners. The country has struggled to recover from a brutal civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and his now deputy Riek Machar from 2013 to 2018 that killed about 400,000 people and drove millions from their homes. It remains one of the poorest and most corrupt countries on the planet and continues to be plagued by chronic instability and climate disasters. str-txw-rbu/giv