Donald Trump Nominates 2nd Indian-American Woman To Top Administration Post

Donald Trump Nominates 2nd Indian-American Woman To Top Administration Post

WASHINGTON:  US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated a second Indian-American woman to a top administration position, putting her in charge of a federal agency within the health department as part of a "dream team" which he said would transform America's healthcare system.

"I am pleased to nominate (Dr) Seema Verma to serve as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services," Mr Trump said in a statement.

The announcement came along with Trump's nomination of Congressman Tom Price as his Health and Human Services Secretary.

A leading expert in the country on Medicare and Medicaid, Dr Verma would serve as Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

"She has decades of experience advising on Medicare and Medicaid policy and helping states navigate our complicated systems. Together, Chairman Price and Seema Verma are the dream team that will transform our healthcare system for the benefit of all Americans," Mr Trump said.

"I am honoured to be nominated by President-elect Trump today," said Dr Verma, who met Mr Trump in New York last week.

"I look forward to helping him tackle our nation's daunting healthcare problems in a responsible and sustainable way," she said.

Her nomination comes days after Indian-American Nikki Haley was named as US envoy to the United Nations by Mr Trump.

Ms Haley had scripted history by becoming the first-ever Indian-American to be appointed to a cabinet-level post in any US administration.

Dr Verma currently is the President, CEO and founder of SVC, Inc, a national health policy consulting company.

Based in Indianapolis, Dr Verma has supported Indiana through development of the historic programme since its inception in 2007, from development of the enabling legislation, negotiating the financing plan with the state's hospital association, developing the federal waiver, supporting federal negotiations and leading the implementation of the programme, including the operational design.

For more than 20 years, she has worked extensively on a variety of policy and strategic projects involving Medicaid, insurance, and public health, working with Governors' offices, state medicaid agencies, state health departments, state departments of insurance, as well as the federal government, private companies and foundations.

"Verma has extensive experience redesigning Medicaid programmes in several states. Verma is the architect of the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), the nation's first consumer directed Medicaid programme under Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana and then-Governor Pence's HIP 2.0 waiver proposal," said the presidential transition team.

Dr Verma received her Master's degree in Public Health, with a concentration in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University, and her Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences from the University of Maryland.

She served as the state of Indiana's health reform lead following the passage of Obamacare in 2010.

Indulge in a Luxury Like No Other at Amanora Gateway Towers

Indulge in a Luxury Like No Other at Amanora Gateway Towers

Luxury. The very mention of the word conjures up images of spacious and beautiful mansions, expansive green landscapes, lavish interiors and an indulgent lifestyle.

Who doesn't like lounging on a sun deck after a stressed day at work, soaking in a warm bath in an elegant Jacuzzi, spending a blissful time surrounded by nature?

Well, it's time to embrace a lavish new world where every moment of your life blossoms with hope and joy – where there's no end to holidays, but only endless celebrations. What we are talking about is the amazing Gateway Towers, Amanora's latest jewel in Hadapsar. One of India's most iconic residential buildings, the twin towers are marvelled by Swarovski and boast of futuristic designs, green terraces and sky bridges.

Reserve Bank of India : December 30 Deadline For Depositing Old Notes Will Not Be Extended: 10 Facts

Reserve Bank of India : December 30 Deadline For Depositing Old Notes Will Not Be Extended: 10 Facts

NEW DELHI:  The government has said that it is sticking by the end-of-the-year deadline for depositing the 500 and 1,000-rupee notes that were banned earlier this month. The outlawed notes must be submitted to bank branches before they close on December 30. Those who have black money have a new chance to make the disclosure and hold onto 50% of the amount. The government's new proposal on how to tax black or undeclared money was cleared today by the Lok Sabha, where the government is in a majority, which virtually guarantees it will become a law.

Here is your 10-point guide to this big story:

1.     All old 500 and 1,000-rupee notes must be deposited by the end of the year. Deposits over 2.5 lakhs in an account will be studied by tax officials. So far, nearly 90 billion dollars of the old notes have been placed in banks.

2.     The government says that black money that is now disclosed in accounts will be taxed and penalized at 50% of the amount. 

3.     Of the rest, 25% will be used by the government for four years in a special new fund that will be called the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana and will be used to pay for  irrigation and other infrastructures. No interest will be paid to the owner for this amount during the four-year lock-in.

4.     The remaining 25% of the disclosed amount will be available for immediate use to the owner.

5.     If the owner refuses the option of the government bond mentioned above, 85% of the amount will be taken in taxes and penalties.

6.     For  black money that is not declared and is detected by officials, taxes and penalties will take nearly 90 per cent of the amount, leaving 10 per cent with the owner.

7.     The new proposal was brought to the Lok Sabha yesterday by  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and was approved despite chaos caused by the opposition, which says demonetization and the resultant cash crunch is punishing not the rich, but the poor, especially in rural India, which is excluded from banking and digital transactions.

8.     Because the proposal is a Money Bill, the Rajya Sabha or Upper House, where the government is in a minority, cannot demand changes. It can only make suggestions which the Lok Sabha is not obliged to consider.

9.     The opposition has objected to the proposal not being put to a debate in the Lok Sabha and it could not ask for amendments or changes.

10.  The winter session of parliament has been largely stalled so far with the opposition adamant that Prime Minister Narendra Modi must explain to them his shock withdrawal of high-denomination notes. The government has said that the PM will speak during the debate "if needed" but that he is not required to attend the entire proceedings and offer a reply at the end. 

Colombia plane crash: Jet may have run out of fuel

As air safety officials begin their investigation into the deadly crash of LAMIA flight 2933 near Medellin, Colombia, the final resting place of the jet's wreckage may prove to be a central clue in determining why the airplane crashed.

The crash killed at least 71 people during a charter flight to Medellin, including members of the Brazilian Chapecoense soccer squad on its way to the Copa Sudamericana finals. Three players, two crew members and one journalist survived, Colombian authorities said.

The lack of apparent fire damage among the wreckage of the British Aerospace Avro RJ85 is pointing investigators to consider fuel starvation as one of the contributing factors to Monday's crash, a person familiar with the early inquiry said.

Fuel starvation occurs when fuel is cut off from the engines, causing them to stop running. It can be caused by a number of factors including a fuel leak, internal icing, failure of the fuel pumps or gauges, or crew error.

Alfredo Bocanegra, director of the Colombia Civil Aviation Authority, said even though a preliminary investigation pointed to an electrical problem, the possibility the plane ran out of fuel has not been ruled out, CNN Italian affiliate ANSA reported. However, Bocanegra said investigators would have to ascertain why the aircraft didn't have enough fuel, because it was just 5 miles away from the airport.

The Colombian Civil Aviation Authority declined to comment further on technical details. Photos released by Civil Aviation Authorities showed debris from the four-engine Avro RJ85 strewn across a hillside with no apparent charring amongst the wreckage.

Brazil Chapecoense football team in Colombia plane crash

Brazil Chapecoense football team in Colombia plane crash

A plane carrying 81 people, including a top Brazilian football team, has crashed on its approach to the city of Medellin in Colombia.

Police say five people survived the crash but the rest of those on board died.

The chartered aircraft, flying from Brazil via Bolivia, was carrying members of the Chapecoense team.

The team was due to play in the final of the Copa Sudamericana, against Medellin team Atletico Nacional.

The first leg of the final of the cup, South America's second most important club competition, was scheduled for Wednesday, but has now been suspended.

The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) said it was suspending "all activities".

Chapecoense issued a brief statement saying: "May God be with our athletes, officials, journalists and other guests travelling with our delegation."

It said it would refrain from any further statements until it had assessed the extent of the crash.

Later the team's vice-president, Ivan Tozzo, told cable channal SporTV: "There are a lot of people crying in our city. We could never imagine this. Chapecoense is the biggest reason for joy here."

One of the survivors was confirmed as Chapecoense defender Alan Ruschel.

Reports suggest that at least two other footballers - goalkeepers Jackson Follman and Marcos Danilo - may have survived.

Originally six survivors were reported, but police later said one of those rescued had died.

What we know about the crash so far

§  Plane operated by Bolivian charter airline Lamia

§  Carrying 72 passengers and nine crew, among them members of the Chapecoense football team

§  Flying from Brazil, bound for Medellin after a stopover in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

§  Plane crashed before midnight local time after pilot reported an electrical fault

§  Five people survived the crash, including three footballers

---

The sports network Telemundo Deportes tweeted (in Spanish) that Ruschel was in shock but conscious and talking, and asked to keep his wedding ring and to see his family.

His wife told Globo TV: "Thank God Alan is in the hospital. He's in a stable condition."

e team, from the southern city of Chapeco, was promoted to Brazil's first division in 2014 and reached the final last week after a victory against Argentina's San Lorenzo.

Medellin's Mayor Federico Gutierrez described it as "a tragedy of huge proportions".

Conmebol said in a statement that its president, Alejandro Dominguez, was on his way to Medellin.

"The Conmebol family greatly regrets what happened. All activities of the confederation are suspended until further notice," it said.

---

Chapecoense football team

§  Founded in 1973.

§  Promoted to the Brazilian top division, Serie A, for the first time in the club's history in 2014. Currently ninth.

§  Were flying to play in the first leg of the final of the Copa Sudamericana - winner qualifies for Copa Libertadores, top continental competition in South America

§  Were underdogs - facing current Cope Libertadores holders Atletico Nacional

§  Based in the Brazilian city of Chapeco in the state of Santa Catarina

§  Brazil's 21st biggest club in terms of revenue at 46m reais ($13.5m/£10.9m)

469 naxals have surrendered after demonetisation was announced on Nov 8

469 naxals have surrendered after demonetisation was announced on Nov 8

There are various factors attached to the high number of surrenders that have taken place in the past 28 days. Off late many naxalites have come out complaining that the ideology is hollow. The other factor is that there is rapid development taking place in the naxal belts as a result of which the villagers have fewer complaints. When villagers have fewer complaints, naxalites have no rallying point to get them on board and seek out local support. Lastly the 469 surrenders of naxalites since November 8 could also be attributed to demonetisation. Let us rewind to last Friday when the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the naxalites were desperately trying to survive demonetisation. While the fading ideology of the naxal movement is one major reason for several of them surrendering the other aspect is that there is a solid cash crunch as well. Only recently the police recovered a bag with Rs 500 and 1,000 notes amounting to Rs 42 lakh abandoned at the Kondagon district. The naxalites had entered the village with the bag and threatened the villagers to get them exchanged. Howevever when the villagers refused to do so, they abandoned the bag and left. This is just one known incident of naxal money going down the drain. A similar cash crunch is faced by them in other belts as well. An estimate would suggest that the naxalites have lost over Rs 1,000 crore following the decision to demonetise currency. The maximum loss that has been incurred by them is in the Bastar region and estimates suggest that the amount is anywhere between Rs 400 to Rs 600 

Tourists in India forced to busk for cash after ‘demonetisation’

Tourists in India forced to busk for cash after ‘demonetisation’

AUSTRALIAN and European tourists have been forced to busk and beg for money on the streets of India after “demonetisation” of high-value currency left them “virtually penniless”.

Around 10 to 12 travellers were seen dancing and playing instruments in front of a crowd in Pushkar, Rajasthan, after their banknotes became worthless and ATMs ran out of cash.

The group, which included holiday-makers from France and Germany, are trying to fund tickets to Delhi, where they can get help from their countries’ embassies, displaying placards reading, “You can help us” and “Money problem”.

Jayden, from Australia, told the Hindustan Times they were struggling to even afford food and water.

“We came here on November 8 to see the famous Pushkar fair,” he said.

“The same night, the government of India announced demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee [$10 and $20] banknotes. Whatever change we had in Rs100 and lower denominations are exhausted.”

Their problem arose after Indian authorities announced on November 8 that all 500 and 1000 rupee banknotes were to be removed from circulation and were no longer legal tender.

Commercial banks are no longer exchanging the old notes for new currency. The Reserve Bank of India will still exchange old currency at customer service counters up to a limit of 2000 rupees (around $40), but long queues are expected.

Thousands of ATMs are not working and huge queues have formed at other machines, where withdrawals are typically limited because of cash shortages.

Indian citizens spotting the story about the tourists’ predicament have left commentsoffering to help on the India Times website, encouraging the travellers to get in touch on Facebook.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned Australians they may have to queue at several different machines and advised travellers to use electronic payments such as bank and credit cards wherever possible.

Their problem arose after Indian authorities announced on November 8 that all 500 and 1000 rupee banknotes were to be removed from circulation and were no longer legal tender.

Commercial banks are no longer exchanging the old notes for new currency. The Reserve Bank of India will still exchange old currency at customer service counters up to a limit of 2000 rupees (around $40), but long queues are expected.

Thousands of ATMs are not working and huge queues have formed at other machines, where withdrawals are typically limited because of cash shortages.

Indian citizens spotting the story about the tourists’ predicament have left commentsoffering to help on the India Times website, encouraging the travellers to get in touch on Facebook.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned Australians they may have to queue at several different machines and advised travellers to use electronic payments such as bank and credit cards wherever possible.