Bihar polls: INDIA bloc leaders to meet in Delhi on Aug 7, says Farooq
He also expressed confidence over the restoration of J&K statehood. 'We have faith in the one who is the master of all. We will get our rights,' he said.
Responding to a question on LS Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi claiming that his party has an 'atom bomb' of an evidence to prove 'vote chori', Abdullah said Gandhi 'has said that they have made such an arrangement that they will win the Bihar elections'.
'I am going to meet him. All the leaders (of INDIA bloc) have been called for a meeting on August 7 and I will find out (the truth),' he said.
On BJP's claim about development post-Article 370 abrogation, Abdullah said, 'I will not say anything. Whatever the BJP says, it keeps on saying.' 'Trump also keeps on shouting that I got peace done. Today they have imposed 25% tariff on us… The material for our destruction is being prepared. All our industrialists are running away,' he said.
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Hindustan Times
2 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Sena protests against Prithviraj Chavan for advocating term ‘Sanatani terrorism'
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Hindustan Times
2 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Modi highlights govt's farmer outreach, his bond with Kashi
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He cited the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi as proof of the government's firm commitment and recalled how Opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party and Congress had spread rumours in 2019, claiming the scheme would stop after elections or the money would be taken back. 'Has a single installment stopped over the years? The PM-KISAN scheme is running without any break,' he said. Presenting data, he shared that nearly ₹3.75 lakh crore has been transferred directly to farmers' accounts so far. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 2.5 crore farmers have received over ₹90,000 crore, while farmers from Kashi have got ₹900 crore. Modi emphasised the transparency of the scheme, saying there are no cuts, commissions or middlemen. 'We have created a permanent system where there's no leakage and no one can steal the rights of the poor,' he added. 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'Our government is working with full strength to transform the lives of farmers, increase their income, and reduce the cost of cultivation, We stand firmly with farmers from seed to market,' he said , highlighting that to ensure water reaches the fields, irrigation schemes worth lakhs of crores of rupees are being implemented across the country. He acknowledged that weather has always posed a major challenge for farmers—be it excessive rainfall, hailstorms, or frost. To protect farmers from such uncertainties, the government launched the PM Fasal Bima Yojana. He informed that under this scheme, farmers have received claim settlements amounting to over ₹1.75 lakh crore so far. Affirming that the government is committed to ensuring farmers receive fair prices for their produce, the prime minister stated that record increases have been made in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops, including key staples like rice and wheat. 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He appealed to every individual who holds a Jan Dhan account to ensure they complete their KYC process without delay. Modi shared that in recent days he had been observing images of Shiva devotees in Varanasi carrying Gangajal, especially on the first Monday of Sawan, when the pilgrims set out to perform the sacred Jalabhishek of Baba Vishwanath. 'I had a deep desire to visit Baba Vishwanath and Markandeya Mahadev during the holy month of Sawan,' he said. However, he noted that his presence could cause inconvenience to Mahadev's devotees or disrupt their darshan, hence he was offering his salutations to Lord Bholenath and Maa Ganga from here only. Recalling his recent visit to the historic Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple in Tamil Nadu, Modi noted that this temple was built by the renowned king Rajendra Chola, who had brought Gangajal from North India to symbolically unite the North and South. He highlighted that a thousand years ago, through his devotion to Lord Shiva and commitment to Shaivite tradition, Rajendra Chola had proclaimed the vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.' He said that during his recent visit to Gangaikonda Cholapuram, he had carried Gangajal with him, and with the blessings of Maa Ganga, the puja was conducted in a deeply sacred atmosphere. He stated that such eventful occasions ignite the spirit of unity in the country.
Indian Express
2 minutes ago
- Indian Express
It's Trump's economy now. The latest financial numbers offer some warning signs
For all of President Donald Trump's promises of an economic 'golden age,' a spate of weak indicators this week told a potentially worrisome story as the impacts of his policies are coming into focus. Job gains are dwindling. Inflation is ticking upward. Growth has slowed compared with last year. More than six months into his term, Trump's blitz of tariff hikes and his new tax and spending bill have remodeled America's trading, manufacturing, energy and tax systems to his own liking. He's eager to take credit for any wins that might occur and is hunting for someone else to blame if the financial situation starts to totter. But as of now, this is not the boom the Republican president promised, and his ability to blame his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for any economic challenges has faded as the world economy hangs on his every word and social media post. When Friday's jobs report turned out to be decidedly bleak, Trump ignored the warnings in the data and fired the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures. 'Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes,' Trump said on Truth Social, without offering evidence for his claim. 'The Economy is BOOMING.' It's possible that the disappointing numbers are growing pains from the rapid transformation caused by Trump and that stronger growth will return — or they may be a preview of even more disruption to come. Trump's aggressive use of tariffs, executive actions, spending cuts and tax code changes carries significant political risk if he is unable to deliver middle-class prosperity. The effects of his new tariffs are still several months away from rippling through the economy, right as many Trump allies in Congress will be campaigning in the midterm elections. 'Considering how early we are in his term, Trump's had an unusually big impact on the economy already,' said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist at Firehouse Strategies. 'The full inflationary impact of the tariffs won't be felt until 2026. Unfortunately for Republicans, that's also an election year.' The White House portrayed the blitz of trade frameworks leading up to Thursday's tariff announcement as proof of his negotiating prowess. The European Union, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and other nations that the White House declined to name agreed that the US could increase its tariffs on their goods without doing the same to American products. Trump simply set rates on other countries that lacked settlements. The costs of those tariffs — taxes paid on imports to the US — will be most felt by many Americans in the form of higher prices, but to what extent remains uncertain. 'For the White House and their allies, a key part of managing the expectations and politics of the Trump economy is maintaining vigilance when it comes to public perceptions,' said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist. Just 38% of adults approve of Trump's handling of the economy, according to a July poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. That's down from the end of Trump's first term when half of adults approved of his economic leadership. The White House paints a rosier image, seeing the economy emerging from a period of uncertainty after Trump's restructuring and repeating the economic gains seen in his first term before the pandemic struck. 'President Trump is implementing the very same policy mix of deregulation, fairer trade, and pro-growth tax cuts at an even bigger scale – as these policies take effect, the best is yet to come,' White House spokesman Kush Desai said. The economic numbers over the past week show the difficulties that Trump might face if the numbers continue on their current path: — Friday's jobs report showed that US employers have shed 37,000 manufacturing jobs since Trump's tariff launch in April, undermining prior White House claims of a factory revival. — Net hiring has plummeted over the past three months with job gains of just 73,000 in July, 14,000 in June and 19,000 in May — a combined 258,000 jobs lower than previously indicated. On average last year, the economy added 168,000 jobs a month. — A Thursday inflation report showed that prices have risen 2.6% over the year that ended in June, an increase in the personal consumption expenditures price index from 2.2% in April. Prices of heavily imported items, such as appliances, furniture, and toys and games, jumped from May to June. — On Wednesday, a report on gross domestic product — the broadest measure of the US economy — showed that it grew at an annual rate of less than 1.3% during the first half of the year, down sharply from 2.8% growth last year. 'The economy's just kind of slogging forward,' said Guy Berger, senior fellow at the Burning Glass Institute, which studies employment trends. 'Yes, the unemployment rate's not going up, but we're adding very few jobs. The economy's been growing very slowly. It just looks like a 'meh' economy is continuing.' Trump has sought to pin the blame for any economic troubles on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying the Fed should cut its benchmark interest rates even though doing so could generate more inflation. Trump has publicly backed two Fed governors, Christoper Waller and Michelle Bowman, for voting for rate cuts at Wednesday's meeting. But their logic is not what the president wants to hear: They were worried, in part, about a slowing job market. But this is a major economic gamble being undertaken by Trump and those pushing for lower rates under the belief that mortgages will also become more affordable as a result and boost homebuying activity. His tariff policy has changed repeatedly over the last six months, with the latest import tax numbers serving as a substitute for what the president announced in April, which provoked a stock market sell-off. It might not be a simple one-time adjustment as some Fed board members and Trump administration officials argue. Of course, Trump can't say no one warned him about the possible consequences of his economic policies. Biden, then the outgoing president, did just that in a speech last December at the Brookings Institution, saying the cost of the tariffs would eventually hit American workers and businesses. 'He seems determined to impose steep, universal tariffs on all imported goods brought into this country on the mistaken belief that foreign countries will bear the cost of those tariffs rather than the American consumer,' Biden said. 'I believe this approach is a major mistake.'
