Vineyard leaders conference 2018

He has extolled the value of racial purity, is vehemently anti-immigration, has cultivated close ties with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and is a speaker at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference , known as CPAC, in Dallas. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán , 59, is widely criticized around the world for systematically dismantling his country’s nascent democracy during his 12 years in power — but that hasn’t stopped him from emerging as a darling of many on the right in America. Former President Donald Trump and his onetime chief strategist Steve Bannon are also speaking at CPAC, America’s top conservative conference. And both are fans of Orbán’s. Trump endorsed Orbán in January, three months before he was re-elected to a fourth term , and Bannon called the Hungarian leader “Trump before Trump” in a speech in Budapest in 2018. While Trump was voted out, Orbán, the first European Union leader to speak out in support of Trump’s campaign in 2016, looks … [Read more...] about Why Trump and the GOP love Hungary’s authoritarian leader

A new corporate tax that is intended to raise $300 million a year from San Francisco’s largest companies and direct that money toward homeless services, was approved Nov. 6. Known as Proposition C, which passed with 59.9 percent of the vote, the measure is the largest corporate tax increase in San Francisco’s history, according to NBC . Many, however, are unhappy with how the tax is structured, like Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, although in the past he has made remarks like, “I want to help fix the homeless problem in SF and California.” With Proposition C approved, companies with more than $50 million in gross annual receipts will be taxed on any gross annual receipt revenue in San Francisco. The city already has a gross receipts tax , which is calculated by multiplying a company’s global revenue with an “apportionment percentage,” which is based on their business category . Because of this, businesses could pay an additional tax of between 0.175 percent to 0.69 percent. This … [Read more...] about San Francisco’s Biggest Companies To Pay ‘Homeless Tax,’ A Measure That Had Tech Leaders Butting Heads

The JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar forming the government in Bihar after dumping the BJP was hailed by several Opposition leaders who called it a payback for engineering the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra and a "timely effort" to forge unity among secular forces. However, the BJP attacked the JD(U) leader for his switch with Union minister Giriraj Singh saying the RJD will wield real power in Bihar and that Mr. Kumar is serving his last term as Chief Minister. Also read | Grand Alliance brings no-confidence motion against Bihar Assembly Speaker Lashing out at the saffron camp, Bihar Congress in-charge Bhakta Charan Das quipped that "BJP-mukt Bihar" is the new message that has been sent out to people. Bihar Timeline by TH Graphics Team No ‘Operation Lotus’ in Bihar: Jairam Ramesh Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Bihar was no "Operation Lotus". "No cash caught. No ED raids. No Assam CM. No resort travel. All done in characteristic … [Read more...] about Opposition leaders call Nitish Kumar’s switch a ‘timely effort’ to forge unity among secular forces

Referring to the continuous and repeated interrogation of Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, party’s national leaders Rahul Gandhi and M. Mallikarjun Kharge by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the National Herald case, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice-president Sharan Prakash Patil said that the BJP-led government at the Centre was murdering the democracy by capturing constitutional bodies and misusing them to suppress the Opposition. “The very act of bringing the National Herald case under the er Prevention of Money Laundering Act is ill-intentioned. The National Herald was a newspaper started by Jawaharlal Nehru and other freedom fighters and it played a crucial role in the freedom movement. When the paper of historical significance was facing serious financial problems, the Congress established an entity with a non-profit motive and bought the paper to save and preserve it. The Election Commission was notified about the development. The transaction was … [Read more...] about ED interrogation of party leaders an attack on democracy: Congress

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will be on a three-day visit to Gujarat from Tuesday and will meet Congress leaders ahead of Assembly polls expected to take place here later this year. This will be Gehlot’s first visit to Gujarat after he was appointed senior observer for the state Assembly elections by All India Congress Committee on July 12. He will visit Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Ahmedabad and will meet leaders at zonal levels, state Congress chief spokesperson Manish Doshi said. The Rajasthan CM will start his visit from Surat, where he will meet leaders from the south zone of the state, before holding discussions with leaders from Saurashtra zone in Rajkot, Doshi informed. “On the next day, he will hold meetings with central zone leaders in Vadodara. Later in the day, he will meet north zone leaders. On August 18, he is scheduled to address a press conference in Ahmedabad,” Doshi added. Earlier this month, the Congress had appointed senior ministers and MLAs, most of … [Read more...] about CM Gehlot to Visit Gujarat for 3 Days, Meet Cong Leaders Ahead of Polls

Tory Chancellor Philip Hammond today revealed the financial health of the nation in the 2018 Spring Statement. In the first speech of its kind, the Cabinet minister addressed the House of Commons to reveal there was "light at the end of the tunnel" on austerity. But he was accused of "complacency" as his slimmed down mini-Budget gave no new cash for anything and showed GDP will actually be lower than expected in 2022. Meanwhile experts revealed we'll still be paying for Brexit in 2064 and the Treasury paved the way for scrapping 1p and 2p coins. Read our handy round-up here or a verdict by our pundit Jason Beattie. Follow blow-by-blow text updates and analysis as it all happened below. Read more Spring Statement 2018 All the key points at a glance Chancellor accused of complacency 5 surprises hidden in the small print We'll still be paying for Brexit in 2064 15:08 KEY EVENT 1p and … [Read more...] about Spring Statement 2018 recap: Updates as Chancellor Philip Hammond reveals the financial state of the nation

Boris Johnson has attempted to defend his meeting with former Russian spy Alexander Lebedev insisting "no Government business was discussed as far as I'm aware". The outgoing Prime Minister reluctantly admitted to MPs earlier this month that he met the Russian oligarch in Italy on April 28 2018 without officials present. He visited Lebedev's castle in Perugia while he was Foreign Secretary, for a weekend-long party after attending a Nato foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels in which he had discussed Russia and security. Writing back to the Commons Liaison Committee who quizzed him on this meeting on July 6 in a bid to provide further detail on the meeting, Mr Johnson said: "At this social event, I also met Evgeny Lebedev’s father. “This was not a formal meeting, nor something that was pre-arranged. Boris Johnson campaigning to be Tory leader and Prime Minister in 2019 “Officials were aware in advance that I was attending the social event." He added: "If a minister … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson defends 2018 meeting with ex-Russian spy Lebedev on Italian jaunt

Leader of opposition in the West Bengal legislative assembly, Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the TMC-ruled government in the state of utilising central funds for corruption. He alleged that a majority of these funds were being misused under most schemes of the central government that had been implemented in the state. His action came a day after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee met the prime minister in Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking release of dues over Rs 1 lakh crore under central schemes and other financial aid. The chief minister had underlined that the Centre owed the state government funds under schemes such as MGNREGA, PM Awas Yojana and PM Gram Sadak Yojana. She had said the pending funds were required to implement these schemes properly so that beneficiaries could reap maximum benefits. In his letter, Adhikari alleged that money under certain schemes had been spent showing false utilisation … [Read more...] about BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari’s Charge in Letter to PM: ‘Bengal Govt Misappropriating Central Funds’

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A top Pakistani militant who had a $3 million U.S. bounty on his head has been killed along with three others in Afghanistan , three senior leaders of his group told NBC News. Abdul Wali, also known as Omar Khalid Khurasani, was killed in an explosion Sunday while traveling by car in the southeastern province of Paktika, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the attack had not yet been publicly announced. Khurasani was a senior leader of the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, which seeks to overthrow the nuclear-armed government of Pakistan and replace it with a strict version of Islamic law. Though the Pakistani Taliban are a separate group, they are allied with the Taliban militants who seized back power in Afghanistan as the United States withdrew one year ago. Khurasani’s death could jeopardize peace talks he was participating in between the TTP and the Pakistani government, which are being … [Read more...] about Pakistani militant leader with $3 million U.S. bounty killed in Afghanistan, sources say

Veteran Communist Party of India leader R. Nallakannu received the 'Thagaisal Thamizhar Award' from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin during the Independence Day celebrations on Monday. After receiving the award on the ramparts of Fort St. George in Chennai, Mr. Nallakannu donated the award's cash component of ₹10 lakh to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund along with his additional contribution of ₹5,000. Dr. S. Ignacimuthu, Director of Xavier Research Foundation of St. Xavier's College at Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district received the Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award in appreciation of his outstanding services in the field of scientific research. B. Ezhilarasi of Nagapattinam district, who rescued two children from drowning in a pond, was conferred with the Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise. Chief Minister M K Stalin giving away the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam award to S. Ignachimuthu, | Photo Credit: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN Deputy Collector S. … [Read more...] about Communist leader Nallakannu receives Thagaisal Thamizhar Award, donates ₹10 lakh cash prize to CM’s public relief fund