National

In the wake of the latest mass shooting to occur in the U.S., the Ulvade massacre, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers , people are calling for action on gun legislation in the country. People are also gearing up to protest the NRA 's annual Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum , which is taking place just a few days after the Texas Robb Elementary School Shooting. The event has sparked significant anger, particularly as one of the most common and celebrated firearms in the America, the AR-15 , was used by the Uvalde shooter. Another way people are pledging their support to ending gun violence is by recognizing and showing solidarity with the National Gun Violence Awareness Day. When Is Gun Violence National Awareness Day? It falls on the first Friday of June, this year it is on June 3, 2022. This is also known as the Wear Orange Day , and was founded to honor survivors and victims of gun violence. What Is The Origin Of Gun Violence … [Read more...] about When is National Gun Violence Awareness Day? Origins and traditions

Pakistan’s National Assembly on May 26 passed a bill to abolish the former Imran Khan government’s election reforms giving expats the right to vote through I-Voting and the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country. The Elections (Amendment) Bill 2022 presented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi was passed with a majority vote in the lower house, with only members of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) opposing it. Mr. Abbasi, before presenting the bill, presented a motion to allow the bill be sent directly to the Senate for its approval, bypassing the relevant standing committee. The bill is expected to be sent to the Senate on May 27. The current National Assembly would complete its five-year term in August next year, which would be followed by the general elections. However, the prime minister can dissolve parliament any time and call fresh elections. Describing the bill of “immense significance”, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s National Assembly approves bill to bar overseas citizens’ from voting, stop use of EVMs

Hadiya Pendleton would have turned 18 years old on June 2. Instead of celebrating, though, her friends on Tuesday are wearing orange to remember her and the dozens of Americans who die from gun violence each day. Pendleton, 15, an honor student in Chicago and a member of her high school's drill team, was killed in what police said was a mistaken identity, a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's second inauguration in January 2013. Her friends declared June 2 the first-ever National Gun Violence Awareness Day to honor her and the other victims and survivors of gun violence. Members of Congress, local leaders, activists and celebrities across the country wore orange on Tuesday. The color represents the uniform of hunters that keeps them and others safe from harm. Comedian Sarah Silverman, singer Michael Stipe, the label Motown Records and the New York Mets are among those who have joined the campaign. MTV changed its typical black and white icon to orange in … [Read more...] about Chicago Teens Wear Orange and Declare June 2 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day

The Dallas Stars will proudly continue to play the national anthem before games. The NBA has been consumed by chaos after Mark Cuban tried to end the song prior to games for the Mavericks, which the league ultimately ended up blocking. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football) The NBA bows down to China to kiss the dictatorship’s shoes, and then turns around and spits on America. It’s shameful and embarrassing. The Dallas Mavericks refusing to play the national anthem is just the latest reminder that fact. https://t.co/Y6VfRhZlya — David Hookstead (@dhookstead) February 10, 2021 However, there’s no question where the Stars stand. The team released a statement Wednesday afternoon announcing that the song will continue to be played before games. “As the only National Hockey League team in Texas, we are proud to represent our state and our country,” The Stars stated in part. You can read the full statement below. … [Read more...] about The Dallas Stars Say They Will Continue To Play The National Anthem

A number of Republicans are still scheduled to attend a National Rifle Association event in Houston, Texas, just days after the Uvalde school shooting. The NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center from Friday to Sunday. The annual event by the pro-gun lobby group is being held as the debate on gun reform in the country has been reignited in the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School , which left 19 children and two teachers dead, as well as criticism of the influence the NRA has over lawmakers in the country. As with previous years, the NRA meeting will feature a number of Republicans as guest speakers, as well as the NRA's head, Wayne LaPierre, and Jason Ouimet, the executive director of the group's lobbying arm. The biggest name scheduled to speak is Donald Trump , who confirmed he will still be attending the event despite it being held just days after the Uvalde massacre. … [Read more...] about NRA convention 2022 attendees—Full list of Republicans appearing in Texas

A member of the National Rifle Association ( NRA ) criticized the gun group for holding its annual three-day convention beginning Friday in Houston, Texas in the aftermath of Tuesday's mass school shooting that left 21 people killed earlier this week in the state. "I'm an NRA member. I'm an NRA supporter. But read the room. Postpone the convention a few weeks. Having a party in the state where 19 babies were just murdered, even if it was a convention for bakers, is not a good look," Carmine Sabia tweeted Friday morning. His remarks come after Salvador Ramos, 18, shot and killed 19 children and two teachers on Tuesday inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde using two AR-15-style rifles that he purchased on his birthday a few days before the incident. Some Republicans supporting gun rights are expected to give speeches during the firearms event, including former President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz . Texas Governor Greg Abbott is also listed as a speaker, but … [Read more...] about Outspoken NRA member breaks with gun group over convention: “Read the room”

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at the National Rifle Association ( NRA ) annual meeting in Houston, which is taking place just days after a mass shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas. Trump confirmed he would be appearing at the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum despite the fact that the event was occurring just days after 19 children and two teachers were shot dead at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School. Trump, who got an early endorsement from the NRA before he was nominated as the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, gave mixed signals over his views on gun reform in the U.S. while in the White House During Trump's time as president, the U.S. saw a number of high-profile mass shootings, including a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida , attacks in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and in Las Vegas, where a gunman killed 60 people after opening fire at a country music festival, … [Read more...] about What Donald Trump has said about gun control as he heads to NRA convention

The Union government has made capturing of attendance through its app , National Mobile Monitoring System, compulsory at worksites where 20 or more workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are employed. This move comes despite many problems, including patchy Internet connectivity in rural areas and little or no technical support. The Ministry of Rural Development had started the exercise on a pilot basis on May 21 last year. Initially, the utilisation of application was to be voluntary but from May 16 this year, it has been made mandatory. The Ministry’s directive claims that the app, which requires two time-stamped and geotagged photographs of the workers in a day, encourages transparency and increases citizen oversight. The biggest setback after the move has been for women employees, especially the supervisors or “work mates”. In a majority of cases, the employees’ families are averse to giving phones to women, especially … [Read more...] about App-based attendance hits rural jobs scheme workers

India’s GDP growth in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021-22 could be as low as 2.5% to 2.9%, State Bank of India (SBI) economists have estimated, almost half the 4.8% growth projected earlier by the National Statistical Office (NSO), which will release the official data on May 31. While the NSO’s previous estimate had pegged GDP growth at 8.9% in 2021-22, a report from SBI’s group chief economic adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh said a range of 8.2% and 8.5% is more likely, with the pace of economic activity slackening in Q4 owing to the Omicron wave and the ‘geopolitical conflagrations’ since February. “Economic activity, which gained strength in Q2 of 2021-22, with the ebbing of the second wave, has lost pace since Q3… the Q4 GDP numbers are expected to be much lower than Q3 [when GDP grew 5.4%] indicating a continuous deceleration in growth since the starting of the year,” the report said, adding that Q4 also marked the resurgence of retail inflation beyond the tolerance threshold of 6%. … [Read more...] about SBI expects GDP growth to dive below 3% in Q4, 2021-22

Indian peacekeepers, as well as Blue Helmets from other nations, pushed back an attack by an armed group in Congo, a top U.N. official has said, lauding the peacekeepers’ efforts and “proactive role” in countering these assaults on the civilian population. India is the second-highest military (1,888) and fifth-highest (139) police-contributing country to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). India has been among the largest troop-contributing countries to the U.N. peacekeeping missions. The U.N. Security Council has strongly condemned the attack on (MONUSCO) and Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo (FARDC) positions by the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23) on May 22 in the area of Shangi, North Kivu. U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, responding to a question by PTI on the attack on the U.N. mission and peacekeepers from India and other nations, said the M23 armed … [Read more...] about U.N. official praises Indian peacekeepers for thwarting attack in Congo