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Amit Shah on Tuesday rubbished the Opposition allegations on lack of transparency in the PM-CARES Fund, stating that unlike the National Relief Fund during UPA rule, which had Congress president as a member, the PM-CARES Fund has the cabinet committee on security with ministers to decide the disbursement on the advice of five top secretaries. Shah was replying to the debate on the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Rajya Sabha. The bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha in the last winter session, was approved by the Upper House on Tuesday. The home minister said disaster management is based on four pillars of transparency, responsibility, efficiency and synergy as he refuted apprehensions of any discrimination against states in disbursement of their share of disaster management funds, saying it is not meant for financing the freebies announced by the governments.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President K T Rama Rao launched a scathing attack on the Congress-led Telangana government for prioritizing beauty pageants over addressing the «escalating crisis of farmer suicides in Telangana.» Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, KTR criticized the government's decision to spend Rs 55 crore on events like Miss World while claiming that farmers are struggling without drinking or irrigation water, according to a statement released by his office. «When the state is reeling under distress, with farmers taking their lives, the government is busy organizing beauty contests. These events have no relevance or necessity,» KTR said. He demanded that the government explain how the pageants generate jobs or revenue. He accused the administration of projecting them as a grand international achievement despite their declining global significance. KTR also slammed the government for «locking up» the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, questioning why it has been excluded from the tourism circuit. «Why is Ambedkar being held captive behind locks? Will they open it at least on his birth anniversary when followers from across the country visit?» he asked.

global shipping industry should be open to working with a new group of insurers that emerged to support Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, provided they follow best practice, according to a leading maritime group. The new insurers and P&I clubs — groups that pool risks — should be assessed based on their adherence to international safety and technical standards, Nikolaus Schues, president of shipping association Bimco, said in an interview. They may become legitimate should the Trump administration roll back sanctions on Russia, he said, with the US bidding to end the war in Ukraine. “Some of the new insurers may become part of the IG,” Schues said on Tuesday, referring to the International Group of P&I Clubs, an association whose members provide cover for most ocean-going tonnage against risks including spills and collisions. “Hopefully, after the Russian sanctions end, the bad part of the parallel fleet will go away.”

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Rapturous applause and a sea of phones in the air greeted President Trump as he walked on stage and declared, “The golden age of America has officially begun." He was barely a month into office when the Saudi-backed investor conference in Miami captured the optimism. “The Nasdaq is up nearly 10% in just a few months," Trump said, ticking through a list of economic indicators.

copper imports could be coming within several weeks, months earlier than the deadline for a decision, according to people familiar with the matter. Copper traded in New York rose to a record. US President Donald Trump in February directed the Commerce Department to open an investigation into potential copper tariffs and submit a report within 270 days, though it’s now expected to be resolved sooner, said the people who asked not to be identified because the discussions are confidential. The investigation already is looking like little more than a formality, some of the people said, with Trump having regularly said he plans to impose the tariffs. The administration is proceeding expeditiously with the review, and a conclusion could be possible well before the 270-day deadline, an official familiar with the process said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The White House declined to comment. In February, Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, said the investigation would proceed quickly.

Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that would require voters to prove they are U.S. citizens and attempts to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. The sweeping order also would seek to take federal funding away from states that do not comply. Trump has long questioned the U.S. electoral system and continues to falsely claim that his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud. The president and his Republican allies also have made baseless claims about widespread voting by non-citizens, which is illegal and rarely occurs. Last year the Republican-controlled House of Representatives approved a bill that would ban non-citizens from registering to vote in federal elections, a practice that is already illegal. It did not pass the Senate, which was then controlled by Democrats. The White House's order seeks to achieve similar goals. Voting rights groups argued that it, like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act that did not become law, would disenfranchise voters, particularly people of color, who do not have access to passports or other required identification.

America First economic push. This time, Trump has signaled plans to limit exceptions to his tariff push, offering another cryptic hint ahead of his April 2 announcement on reciprocal duties. As trading partners scramble to secure carveouts from the tariffs Trump has made central to his economic agenda, the president has suggested exemptions will be difficult to obtain. “I know there are some exceptions, and it’s an ongoing discussion, but not too many, not too many exceptions,” Trump told Newsmax. “No, I don’t want to have too many exceptions.” He has promised a sweeping tariff announcement on April 2, branding it 'Liberation Day' against trading partners he claims have been 'ripping off' the US. The plan is expected to include reciprocal levies for countries that impose their own tariffs on American goods, though details on the size, scope, and implementation remain unclear.

Sergei Lavrov said in remarks published late on Tuesday. The United States reached separate deals on Tuesday with Ukraine and Russia to cease fighting in the Black Sea and pause attacks against energy targets, with Washington agreeing to push to lift some sanctions against Moscow. «We want the grain and fertilizer market to be predictable, so that no one tries to 'ward us off' from it,» Lavrov told the Russian state Channel One television. «Not only because we want… to make a legitimate profit in fair competition, but also because we are concerned about the food security situation in Africa and other countries of the Global South.» If implemented, the deal could be the first significant step toward U.S. President Donald Trump's goal to achieve a more encompassing ceasefire in the war in Ukraine that Russia started with its full-scale invasion three years ago.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Texts by President Trump’s advisers about whether to attack Houthi militants in Yemen underscored the ad hoc nature of the administration’s national security deliberations, a mode that has sometimes left allies bewildered and his own aides at odds. Other presidents have relied on the State Department, Pentagon and National Security Council staff to develop and filter options in an orderly manner.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. AMERICA’S ECONOMY is looking peaky. Inflation expectations are creeping up.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Ukraine has navigated a turbulent political landscape since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Its strategy has shifted among direct negotiations, military offensives and increasingly complex diplomatic back channels.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Jeffrey Goldberg, who writes frequently about foreign affairs and domestic politics, became the Atlantic’s editor in chief in 2016.

Greenland, which former President Donald Trump once claimed would boost U.S. national security. The designer called Vance’s March 27 trip—which includes touring historical sites and a dogsled race—a “charm offensive” to sway Greenlanders toward American interests.

Columbia University must comply with its commitments to address anti-Israel activism to regain $400 million in federal funding. Education Secretary Linda McMahon emphasized that the school must follow through on its promises.

Donald Trump shared his thoughts on Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post in a recent interview. He said Bezos criticized the newspaper’s employees and discussed changes in its opinion section. Trump said he believes Bezos is making efforts to be fair.

Canadians need a drink.

Donald Trump has said America is being “ripped off by every country in the world, friend and foe” and liberation day, as he calls it, is when he aims to set that right.

President Donald Trump’s crypto project World Liberty Financial said it plans to launch a stablecoin redeemable one-for-one with the United States dollar, an announcement that comes as his administration throws its support behind the digital tokens that underpin most crypto transactions.

Last week, Pierre Cléroux of the Business Development Bank of Canada wrote here that for the first time in 15 years of making economic outlook presentations, he’s getting unprompted questions about productivity. It seems Canadians are having an “Aha!” moment about productivity, thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff attack on their bottom lines.