Seattle Daily Star

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday defended the Budget 2024 amid protests by Opposition MPs that it was discriminatory. Speaking in Rajya Sabha, she said that the Budget did not ignore any state and the Congress-led Opposition was deliberately attempting to mislead citizens. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Soon after her speech, the Opposition MPs walked out of Rajya Sabha. "In every Budget, you don't get an opportunity to name every state of this country," Sitharaman said amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs. She further stated that the Union Cabinet has decided to set up a port on Vandhavan, a town in Maharashtra's Palghar district, but the state's name was not mentioned in her Budget speech on Tuesday. "Does this mean that Maharashtra feels ignored? If a particular state is named in the speech, does it mean that programmes of the Government of India don't go to these states? This is a deliberate attempt of the Opposition led by C...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has left it up to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to convince the BCCI to send its team to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in the first quarter of next year. According to a PCB source, while the budget for the Champions Trophy was approved at the recent ICC meetings in Colombo, the schedule and format didn't come up for discussion at all. "The PCB now has done what was required of it as hosts of the Champions Trophy. It has submitted the draft schedule and format for the event and also submitted budget for the event,” a PCB insider said. ICC to Convince BCCI for Pak Tour "It is now up to the ICC how soon they circulate, discuss and finalise the schedule of the Champions Trophy. The PCB for its part in the draft schedule has suggested hosting all of India's games in Lahore including a semi-final (if India qualifies) and final," he said. Another source said that the PCB has already submitted ...

In the small village of Thulasenthirapuram Tamil Nadu, hopes and prayers are fervently directed towards and election. No, its not local elections or Assembly elections. It is the 2024 US presidential elections. This village, known as the ancestral home of US Vice President Kamala Harris’ maternal grandparents, has been conducting special pujas for her success in the presidential bid. Kamala harris connection with villagers Kamala Harris, an Indian-origin Senator, has become the Democrat's presumed nominee after President Joe Biden withdrew from his reelection campaign on Sunday. Harris, who was endorsed by Biden, has enough Democratic delegates pledging to endorse her, clearing her path to the nomination. The villagers believe that Harris’s connection to their community runs deep, with her ancestors having prayed at the local Dharma Sastha temple. The current residents are now praying for her victory. Parimala, a resident of Thulasenthirapuram, expressed her belief in Harris' p...

An unidentified terrorist was killed and a soldier injured in an overnight encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, the Indian Army said on Wednesday. Security on alert in Kupwara The anti-terror operation was launched by the security forces in the Lolab area of the Kupwara district. "Based on specific input regarding presence of terrorists in general area Kowut, Kupwara, a Joint Search Operation was launched by Indian Army & Jammu and Kashmir Police on days leading upto 23 July 24. On 24 July, suspicious movement was observed and challenged by vigilant troops, in response to which terrorists opened indiscriminate fire. In the ensuing fire fight one terrorist has been eliminated and a NCO injured. Operation is in progress," the Indian Army's Chinar Corps said in a post on X. The encounter was going on at the time of writing this news story. Earlier last week, the security forces also neutralised at least two terrorists as they foiled an infiltration bid ...

Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik called the Union Budget a "disappointment" for ignoring the state's demand for a special category status while allocating crores of funds to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. Patnaik, whose party was recently ousted by the BJP in the Odisha Assembly polls, said the demand for revision of coal royalty was also rejected by the Centre, due to which the state would lose thousands of crores of revenue every year. PM Narendra Modi and former Odisha Chief Minister "There has been nothing substantial for Odisha over the years, and this Budget has also been a disappointment for us," the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo said. "The BJP had put special category status in their manifesto as a promise to the people of Odisha. However, this promise has not been considered for Odisha, whereas special packages have been announced for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar," Patnaik said.