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Tight security for US President-elect Biden's inauguration
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in at 12 noon Wednesday at the West Front of the Capitol building. The transition will be marked by incumbent President Trump's absence.

WASHINGTON, Jan 19: The incumbent US President Donald Trump's term ends at 12 noon Wednesday when the newly-elected Joe Biden will be sworn in in the background of a devastating pandemic that has claimed 400,000 American lives so far and still counting high, as also the gripping violence and rampage of the Capitol that was inspired and incited by Trump who lost his November 3 re-election but claimed for no rhyme or reason his election was "stolen" and tried to physically overturn the results for months obsessively in a manner that bordered on the schezotypal.

In the US tradition, the President-elect's inauguration involves mainly two parts: The first is the swearing-in that is a universal constitutional procedure; the second, unique to America, is a ceremony and celebration that is mostly planned by the new team.

Washington DC, especially the Capitol, has been put under a thick cloak of security bundobast in view of the January 6 episode as also the likelihood of fresh violence forewarned by the FBI. Even the 25,000 National Security Guards deployed in the city are being checked by the secret service personnel, leaving nothing to chance. The FBI apprehends 'insider attack'.

Ahead of the inaugural function starting at 11:30 am EST (16:30 GMT), Biden arrived in the Capital on Tuesday evening and was staying overnight at Blair House across the street from the Capitol.

There is fear in the air even as Trump was about to quit White House and move bag and baggage to his club residence, Mar-a-Lago mansion, in Florida's Palm Beach, in the morning without attending Biden's inauguration, as he had indicated long since, and transferring power to him formally. He is likely to take Air Force One from Andrews for the last time, so also the Marine One for shuttle. One report says the last time a President abstained from an inauguration was in 1869: President Andrew Johnson. However, Trump on Tuesday released a farewell message "wishing success" to the new Administration, not naming Biden as usual, and stating,-"We did what we came here to do," and concluding the message with "The best is yet to come." Melania Trump, the FLOTUS, too had addressed the Americans in a farewell video earlier.

There was no invitation to Biden for the traditional pre-inauguration meeting at the White House. So also Jill Biden was not taken around the living quarters of the White House by Melania before vacating, as is the convention.

As the usual tens of thousands of spectators will not be present because of covid, the Presidential Inaugural Committee has put up 200,000 national flags at the National Mall to stand in for the crowds (not for the dead in the pandemic who are over 400,000 as reported in some media) that were to converge on the Capital from all across the country.

  • Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) CEO Tony Allen has listed the participants of the 59th inaugural ceremonies:- Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Amanda Gorman, and others to join the inaugural ceremony on the West Front of the US Capitol.
  • The following will be part of the inaugural swearing-in ceremony: Invocation – Father Leo J. O’Donovan; Pledge of Allegiance – Andrea Hall; National Anthem – Lady Gaga ; Poetry Reading – Amanda Gorman; Musical Performance – Jennifer Lopez; Benediction – Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman.
  • 12 noon: President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will be sworn in on the West front of the US Capitol building. After they take their oaths of office, President-elect Biden will deliver an inaugural address laying out his vision to defeat the pandemic, build back better and unify and heal the nation.
  • Following the ceremony, the President-elect, First Lady, Vice President-elect, and Second Gentleman will participate in a Pass in Review on the East front with members of the military. Pass in Reviews are a long-standing military tradition that reflect the peaceful transfer of power to a new Commander-in-Chief.
  • 2 pm: The President-elect, Dr. Biden, the Vice President-elect, and Emhoff will visit Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They will be joined by ex-President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, ex-President George W Bush and Laura Bush and ex-President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.
  • 3 pm: President-elect Biden will receive a Presidential Escort from 15th Street to the White House with every branch of the military will be represented in the escort, including The U.S. Army Band, a Joint Service Honor Guard, and the Commander- in-Chief’s Guard and Fife and Drum Corps from the 3rd U.S. Infantry “The Old Guard.”
  • The Presidential Escort to the White House will be followed by a “Parade Across America."

Ways to watch the 59th Presidential inauguration;- YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, Amazon Prime Video, Alexa-enabled devices, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW from Fox, AT&T U-verse (Channel 212/1212 in SD/HD), AT&T DIRECTV (Channel 201).

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The incident has triggered a debate on social media whether the officer refused to take orders from a party leader or he was accused of any corruption, some netizens justifying the handling in either case, that Ratnakar was blocking public welfare work! It is true the Govt machinery has been the enemy Number One of the people of this country, existing for itself and for these politicians, for well over seven decades. India will never make an inch of progress - real progress, not make-believe-progress - unless and until this machinery is eliminated.

The irony lies in her illustration of her experiences in the country she has been living in for the last four years. What it really is!

ANALYSIS: There have been cases of Britons going to Switzerland to get rid of a miserable life. Now once the House of Lords also passes the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, terminally ill Britons can call it quits with the help of a medical practitioner here itself. But the measure when comes into practice, will have very serious social consequences, it is feared. There won't be comparisons, even as tropes in Latin American folklores. The worst case scenario is of those who are not terminally ill also trying to misuse the provision to leave this world early when life with dignity is not available. But that is, in fact, a political question and not a moral imbroglio!

The CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.

Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.

  • The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
  • The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
  • The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)

A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924) (Today's headlines )

Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”

Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.

PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.

Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people. (Today's headlines )

"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...

Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.

Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.

The committee headed by justice Kurian Joseph will study Centre-State relations and make proposals to ensure foolproof separation of powers.

"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.

Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.

ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!

What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America! (Today's headlines )

PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).

In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.

THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

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