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India Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"We will never give in to nuclear blackmail": EAM Jaishankar at Vadodara
Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], May 31 (ANI): Emphasising that safeguarding the nation's interests remains paramount, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hit out at Pakistan asserting that India will never succumb to any form of nuclear blackmail. Addressing the Convocation Ceremony of Foreign National Students at Parul University in Gujarat's Vadodara, EAM S. Jaishankar said that New Delhi's zero tolerance for terrorism has been manifested today through its actions. 'We will never give in to nuclear blackmail. Whatever decisions have to be taken in India's national interests are taken and will continue to be taken,' he said. He termed April's Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives, including a Nepali national, an attempt to devastate the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir and an evil desire to sow the seeds of religious discord. 'Recently, we saw an attempt to devastate the tourism economy of Jammu and Kashmir and an evil desire to sow the seeds of religious discord. The barbarity of the killings required an exemplary response, which was delivered... It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture, and utilise terrorism for their ends are made to pay a high cost. That it warranted a forceful response, even after the 26/11 attack in Mumbai in 2008, is widely acknowledged,' Jaishankar added. 'But times have changed, and our resolve is much stronger now. Terrorism epicentres are no longer immune. India's zero tolerance for terrorism has been manifested today through its actions...' said Jaishankar. Further stressing the issues of the Global South, the EAM said, 'There are also other pressing challenges faced by the world especially our brothers and sisters of the Global South. We all realised during the COVID Pandemic how much our health security depended on others. The Ukraine conflict brought home the vulnerability of energy security. The shortage of fertilisers and scarcity of food grains left many economies deeply impacted.' He spoke about the imperative of stronger international cooperation in a more diverse and pluralistic world, and New Delhi's outlook driven by the ethos of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam. He also highlighted India's strong advocacy for the Global South, rooted in shared history and common aspirations. Notably, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. (ANI)
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate confirms Marty Makary as FDA commissoner
March 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate confirmed Marty Makary as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration mostly along party lines on Tuesday night. Makary was confirmed in a 56-44 vote, with Democratic Sens. Richard Durbin of Illinois and Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire casting "yea" votes alongside their Republican colleagues. The Johns Hopkins surgeon was nominated for the position by President Donald Trump and will report to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a known anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist. As commissioner, Makary will lead the agency responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of drugs, vaccines and other biological products, as well as medical devices. The FDA also oversees the safety of food, dietary supplements and other products, such as tobacco and electronic radiation. He assumes the role amid a time of uncertainty and confusion for his agency, as it -- like many others in the federal government -- faces workforce and other cuts as the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency seeks to eliminate wasteful spending. Like other Trump cabinet nominees, Makary was a Fox News contributor. He gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for voicing contrary opinions to those coming from the President Joe Biden White House. Makary supported the controversial notion that natural immunity to COVID-19, meaning developing immunity to the disease by contracting it, was preferable to vaccine-induced immunity, the government's preferred method to fight the pandemic. "Public health officials made ignoring natural immunity a political badge," he said in a May 2023 hearing before the Select Subcommittee on the COVID Pandemic. "They dismissed it by dangling uncertainty about it, saying we don't know how long it lasts -- as if we knew that vaccinated immunity was certain to be durable. They got it backwards." During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Makary vowed to examine childhood illnesses, while raising concerns among medical abortion advocates over the future of access to the abortion pill due to stating he would take "a solid, hard look at the data."
Miami Herald
26-03-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Senate confirms Marty Makary as FDA commissoner
March 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate confirmed Marty Makary as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration mostly along party lines on Tuesday night. Makary was confirmed in a 56-44 vote, with Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire casting "yea" votes alongside their Republican colleagues. The Johns Hopkins surgeon was nominated for the position by President Donald Trump and will report to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a known anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist. As commissioner, Makary will lead the agency responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of drugs, vaccines and other biological products, as well as medical devices. The FDA also oversees the safety of food, dietary supplements and other products, such as tobacco and electronic radiation. He assumes the role amid a time of uncertainty and confusion for his agency, as it -- like many others in the federal government -- faces workforce and other cuts as the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency seeks to eliminate wasteful spending. Like other Trump cabinet nominees, Makary was a Fox News contributor. He gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for voicing contrary opinions to those coming from the President Joe Biden White House. Makary supported the controversial notion that natural immunity to COVID-19, meaning developing immunity to the disease by contracting it, was preferable to vaccine-induced immunity, the government's preferred method to fight the pandemic. "Public health officials made ignoring natural immunity a political badge," he said in a May 2023 hearing before the Select Subcommittee on the COVID Pandemic. "They dismissed it by dangling uncertainty about it, saying we don't know how long it lasts -- as if we knew that vaccinated immunity was certain to be durable. They got it backwards." During his confirmation hearing earlier this month, Makary vowed to examine childhood illnesses, while raising concerns among medical abortion advocates over the future of access to the abortion pill due to stating he would take "a solid, hard look at the data." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Solicitor requests budget hike to speed up slow justice system
BEAUFORT, S.C. (WSAV) — The 14th Circuit Solicitor's Office is asking Beaufort County to double its budget next year. While it seems to be a significant change, Solicitor Duffie Stone told WSAV that it could be a game changer for the area and the court system. 'You have to have the resources to carry out the process. and we have about half of the resources we need to finish the job,' said Stone. Solicitor Duffie Stone's job is to protect victims and prosecute criminals but that process has been slow since before the COVID Pandemic. The office currently has more than 3,800 active cases, the majority of which are nearly two years old. That's why he is asking Beaufort County Council for $1.7 million dollars more in the next budget. The money goes to hiring more lawyers and getting the system moving faster. 'I want one day to be able to stand in front of the jury and say, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to tell you what happened several months ago instead of what happened two years ago,' said Stone. That's why he is asking Beaufort County Council for $1.7 million dollars more in the next budget. The money will go to hiring more lawyers and getting the system moving faster. 'It's not unusual at all for prosecutors to be carrying a caseload of three, four and 500 cases apiece.' Stone instituted a system for the cases coming into his office that works. 70% of those cases have been cleared within a year. To knock down that backlog, more people are needed and more money to keep the attorneys in place who know how to prosecute those cases. 'You've got to give them a living salary, a salary that allows them to raise a family and send kids to college. number two, to give them a job in which it's fulfilling,' Stone said. 'It's something that's important that they enjoy but in which they are not overwhelmed.' Beaufort County has appropriated $5 less than the state average per case. Stone says the money he is asking for would go directly to public defenders and prosecutors directly to trying to clear cases. 'This is an opportunity for us to create an efficient process and a court system in which victims have a speedy trial or speedy disposition of their case,' said Stone. 'I think victims deserve that.' Jasper County has already listened to the solicitor's request and increased their cost per warrant, and the Colleton County Council is expected to do the same in the next few weeks. The Beaufort County Council is debating all budget requests now and the public should know more early next month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
