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Inauguration passes off peacefully; Biden revokes Trump's orders
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris as the first female, first Black and first South Asian Vice-President on Wednesday at the Capitol.

After an acrimonious and violent presidential race, unseen in American electoral history, and watched by a deeply apprehensive world like never before, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris as the first female, first Black and first South Asian Vice-President on Wednesday at the 59th inaugural ceremony at the West Front of the Capitol, the parliament house. While Biden's prayers were granted by his Lord, Harris got her reward. And, marking an auspicious beginning to the new presidential term, it snowed like a shower of petals from the heavens even as the participants were getting set to start under the shadow of an all-pervading fear struck by an unpredictable Donald Trump, who boycotted the function and left the city early in the morning.

WASHINGTON, Jan 20: President-elect Joe Biden and Vice- President-elect Kamala Harris were sworn in at the US Capitol on Wednesday according to the convention and without any adverse events that was feared in the background of the January 6 violence inspired by the then President Donald Trump who had lost the November 3 presidential election.

Harris made history as the first female, first Black and first South Asian by descent to become the Vice-President.

Soon after reaching the White House after the elaborate ceremonies and other traditional formalities, the 46th President signed quite a few executive orders, revoking several of Trump's policies. Wearing of face mask has been made mandatory on federal property. Trump's earlier order withdrawing from the Paris accord has been revoked. So also a presidential permit for the Keystone XL oil and gas pipeline is being revoked. Trump's travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries is also lifted. The national emergency for building Mexican border is also over. He will also order to rework on Obama's pet Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, which Trump halted. There are 700,000 people enrolled as DACA. All student loans repayments are halted. There will be a bar on evictions until at least March 31. People could stay in their homes.

In the next ten days, Biden is expected to roll back many more of Trump's policies and orders. The coronavirus pandemic, job crisis, immigration and climate change are the issues top on Biden's agenda. A new Bill on regularising illegal immigrants is ready. There are 11 million immigrants who have no legal status, including documented and undocumented, who will now get a 5-year green card and later two-year citizenship. Scrapping the per country cap on H-1B visas that will help mostly Indians is also under way.

Talking to reporters after signing the executive orders, the new President said Trump had left a letter for him - the only tradition the outgoing President followed even as he boycotted the inaugural function - "a very generous letter." He did not disclose the contents.

The President swore in about 1,000 federal political appointees through video conferencing. He reminded them, “we work for the people”, and called upon them to be “decent, honourable and smart.” He stressed on one American value: "humility and trust." "If you ever work with me and I hear you another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I will fire you on the spot. No ifs, ands or buts."

Kamala Harris talked about the power of “American aspiration” in her first speech to the nation as Vice-President. She ceremoniously entered the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which houses the Vice-President’s office, near the White House. The Vice-President’s residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C, is under repair. However, she has a house of her own in the city.

Meanwhile, the Senate has fast-tracked and voted by 84-10 confirmation of Avril Haines as the new Director of National Intelligence. He is the first member of Biden Cabinet.

Three new Democratic Senators were sworn in by Vice- President Kamala Harris. The Democrats (50:50) now have control of the White House and Congress for the first time in a decade.

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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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