Shatrughan joins Yashwant Sinha's farmer protests in MP, questions Modicare

Joining fellow disgruntled BJP leader Yashwant Sinha in a protest over farmers' issues, MP Shatrughan Sinha today questioned viability of the health insurance scheme announced in the Union Budget.

The actor-turned-politician today reached Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, where former finance minister Yashwant Sinha has launched a sit-in protest for farmers whose lands would be acquired for a thermal power plant.

The National Health Protection Scheme announced by finance minister Arun Jaitley would require Rs 1.25 trillion for premium payment, which is more than the allocation for health sector in the budgets of the Centre and the states put together, Shatrughan Sinha said.

Modi's 'TOP' priority draws Congress' ridicule, BJP retorts 'classy' INC

Congress social media head and Karnataka leader Divya Spandana Ramya on Monday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi wondering if he was on "pot", a put-down which invited a sharp response from the BJP by calling it atrocious and "insult" to the masses.

Ramya's swipe came following Modi's comment in a rally in Karnataka during which he said farmers are his top priority and described 'TOP' as tomato, onion, and potato.

She tweeted, "Is this what happens when you're on POT?"
Modi was at a public rally to mark the culmination of Karnataka BJP's 'Parivarthana Yatra' that crisscrossed the entire state covering all the 224 assembly constituencies.

South Carolina Amtrak crash: 2 killed, 70 injured after trains collide

At least two persons were killed and 70 injured after an Amtrak passenger train collided with a freight train in South Carolina early on Sunday, officials said.

Authorities confirmed that the two deaths occurred in the Amtrak train, not the freight train run by the CSX.

A spokesman for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said that injuries ranged from minor cuts to broken bones, Xinhua news agency reported.

Amtrak said in a statement that its passenger train, operating between New York and Miami, came in contact with a CSX freight train around 2.35 a.m. in Cayce, South Carolina.

"The lead engine derailed, as well as some passenger cars," the statement said, adding: "There were eight crew members and approximately 139 passengers, with injuries reported."

China to launch anti-dumping investigation into US sorghum imports

China will launch an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into imports of sorghum grown in the United States, the Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday, in a sign of increasing trade tensions between the world's top two economies.

The US is the world's top exporter of the grain and China's largest supplier by far, with imports from the US reaching 4.76 million tonnes in 2017, out of just over 5 million tonnes in total.

The grain is largely used to feed China's huge livestock sector, especially when other grains like corn are more expensive.

But preliminary evidence and information obtained by the commerce ministry found that imported sorghum from the US had been exported at a lower than normal value, it said, damaging local producers.

Two killed, 50 injured in US train collision in South Carolina

At least two people died and 50 were injured after an Amtrak passenger train collided with a freight train in the southeastern US state of South Carolina on Sunday morning, media reports said.

The Amtrak train operating between New York and Miami crashed with a CSX freight train in Cayce, South Carolina, Xinhua quoted Amtrak, the US National Railroad Passenger Corporation, as saying in a statement.

Third-highest ranking US diplomat quits in latest departure under Trump

The US State Department’s third-ranking official, Tom Shannon, said on Thursday he was stepping down, the latest senior career diplomat to exit since President Donald Trump took office a year ago.
Shannon, who serves as under secretary of state for political affairs, is the most senior career diplomat at the State Department and has been a fixture among the nation’s diplomatic ranks during more than 34 years of service spanning six presidents and 10 secretaries of state.

In a letter to department staff, Shannon, 60, said he was resigning for personal reasons.
“My decision is personal, and driven by a desire to attend to my family, take stock of my life, and set a new direction for my remaining years,” Shannon wrote in a note to staff after informing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday of his decision to retire.

Google parent Alphabet, Aramco may build tech hub in Saudi Arabia: Report

Google parent Alphabet Inc is in talks with Saudi state oil company Saudi Aramco about jointly building a technology hub in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

It is not clear specifically whose data the centres would house or who would control them, the WSJ said.

Reuters could not immediately reach Aramco and Alphabet for comment.

Alphabet rivals Apple Inc and Amazon Inc are in licensing discussions with Riyadh on investing in Saudi Arabia as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push to give the conservative kingdom a high-tech look, according to a Reuters report in December.