Experts call for ensuring patient safety while expanding access to new drugs

Union Health Minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda also stressed on providing ‘Street Safe’ Rapid Testing Kit to ensure safe food is used by street food vendors and highlighted the need to empower them by enrolling them on food delivery platforms

Promises to waive off farm loans have been issued by most political parties during this Lok Sabha election. Here’s a look at how these waivers are implemented, the effect on farmers and governments and what alternatives exist

The Centre should not relax its clinical trials norms unless the situation is exceptional or dire

Removing GST on health insurance would make it more affordable, driving higher penetration and reducing the government’s burden

It is a treasure of information as told by Mahaperiyava

New Delhi described the accusations as baseless and politically motivated, claiming they serve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s domestic vote-bank agenda.

The latest updates from the Tamil film industry.

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The last time the duo collaborated was on the action blockbuster Dalapathi in 1991.

Rajinikanth traveled to Bengaluru to attend the Karnataka Ratna Award ceremony on Tuesday, November 1, which honoured the late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar.

Star Cast: S.S. Rajendran, Kalyankumar, R. Vijayakumari, Pushpalatha, V.K. Ramasami, T.V. Kumudhini, C.K. Nagesh, C.R. Manorama, S. Ramarao, ‘Master’ Mohan, ‘Baby’ Savithri

Testimony of Susan Ginsburg, then Director of MPI's Mobility and Security Program, before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security.

This effectively eliminates the role of middlemen and allows farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers and traders outside the mandi yard.

Farm loan waivers by state governments have potential to crowd out corporate borrowing if financed through state debt issuance, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its annual report.

By Abhinav Mukerji Recently, there have been a spate of news reports on measures issued through executive orders directing waiver of rents, reduction or freezing of school fees, continuation of employment, restriction on termination of employees, and restriction on reduction in salary in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has also issued executive […]

The World Bank says countries whose debt is in dollars and those whose local debt is bought by foreigners are especially exposed.

Money from the sale of properties will be used to is to settle debts and run the party.

It seems clear now why the Trump administration fought so hard to avoid making public the details of the waivers it granted to White House staffers who might otherwise have been in violation of the president's self-imposed ethics rules. They show that President Donald Trump, who made "drain the swamp" a campaign battle cry, has enlisted numerous swamp-dwellers—former lobbyists, consultants, corporate executives—to staff key positions in his White House and has granted them broad exemptions to work on issues directly related to their former jobs and clients.

After repeatedly slamming DC lobbyists during the campaign, Trump used one of his first executive orders to lay out ethics rules for his new administration. The January 28 order barred Trump officials from working on issues related to their former employers for at least two years, and these rules applied not only to lobbyists, but to anyone who worked for a business or organization potentially affected by federal policy decisions. The prohibitions were not absolute: Waivers would be available in certain cases.

The Trump administration initially balked when the Office of Government Ethics demanded the White House hand over the waivers it had granted. But after a standoff the administration relented late Wednesday and released about 14 waivers covering White House staffers. They make clear that Trump's ethics rules are remarkably flexible and that his top staffers don't need to worry too much about staying on the right side of them. On paper, Trump's rules are similar to those imposed by President Barack Obama, but it appears that Trump is far more willing to hand out exemptions. At this point in the Obama administration, just three White House staffers had been granted ethics waivers. So far, Trump has granted 14, including several that apply to multiple people.

White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and adviser Kellyanne Conway were both granted waivers to deal with issues involving their previous employers. In the case of Priebus, this narrowly applies to the Republican National Committee. But Conway is now free to work on issues involving her ex-clients from her previous life as an operative and pollster—clients that included political campaigns, nonprofit activist groups, and corporations.

Conway's relationships with these clients were murky to begin with; she was never required to disclose who she worked for. We do know that she repped virulently anti-immigration and anti-Muslim groups. The names of some of her corporate clients also have trickled out, including Major League Baseball, Hasbro, American Express, and Boeing. The waiver may have been granted to help smooth the way for Conway after evidence emerged that she continued to operate own her polling and consulting company even after she'd gone to work in the White House—a possible violation of conflict-of-interest laws that drew the attention of congressional Democrats who have begun probing her relationship with the company.

Conway's waiver was not retroactive, but there is another that specifically allows White House employees to communicate freely with former employers and coworkers at media organizations—and applies back to January 20. Trump's executive order didn't simply prohibit any of his hires from working on matters relating to a former employer—it specifically covered "any meeting or communication relating to the performance of one's official duties." This means at least two of Trump's top aides, former Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon and his assistant Julia Hahn, would be prohibited from chatting with their former colleagues at Breitbart about anything work-related—a rule that Bannon appears not to have followed. While not named, it seems likely that protecting the Breitbart alums from ethics complaints was the aim.

Another takeaway from Trump's waivers is that they appear to be far less restrictive than Obama administration waivers. Many Obama waivers (there were only 10 total granted to White House employees during his administration) were very narrowly tailored. For example, James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, was granted a waiver to allow him to introduce Bill Clinton at an event for the Atlantic Council, even though Jones had previously worked for the group. John Brennan, at the time one of Obama's deputy national security advisers, had previously worked for The Analysis Company, and he was granted a waiver to use the company's data while investigating the so-called "Underwear Bomber" incident. Brennan was not cleared to talk to any of the company's employees, however.

Trump's waivers, on the other hand, are broad.

For instance, Trump granted a waiver to Michael Catanzaro, who is the president's most senior energy policy aide, allowing him to work freely on "broad policy matters and particular matters of general applicability relating to the Clean Power Plan, the WOTUS [Waters of the United States] rule, and methane regulations." Catanzaro worked as a registered lobbyist for several oil and gas companies as recently as January, which made the waiver necessary. On his most recent lobbying disclosure form—filed on behalf of one of his clients, natural gas company Noble Energy—Catanzaro wrote that he was working on "EPA and BLM's proposed and final regulations covering methane emissions from new and existing oil and gas facilities." Nearly identical language appears in his most recent lobbying disclosure on behalf of another natural gas company, Encana. In other words, Catanzaro is now making policy on the very issues he was paid by corporations to lobby on. There are no restrictions in Catanzaro's waiver relating to his previous clients.

Another lobbyist turned Trump aide is Shahira Knight, who was previously employed as vice president of public policy for mutual fund giant Fidelity and now serves as Trump's special assistant for tax and retirement policy. Her waiver grants her permission to work on "matters of general applicability relating to tax, retirement and financial services issues." Fidelity's most recent lobbying report—filed while Knight ran its lobbying shop—lists the main issue areas targeted by the company's lobbyists: finance, retirement, banking, and taxes.

While the Obama administration reluctantly granted waivers for narrow sets of circumstances, the Trump waivers appear to be written to carefully exempt the previous lobbying work done by White House aides.

And this is just the beginning. The administration released only the waivers granted to White House employees—the release does not include waivers granted to administration officials who work for federal agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the Treasury Department. The White House will turn those waivers over to the Office of Government Ethics on Thursday, but it's not clear when they will be made public.

Tune into our new show Fox League Live on Channel 502 Monday to Friday at 6.30pm and on Saturday at 3pm and Sunday at 5pm.

Tune into our new show Fox League Live on Channel 502 Monday to Friday at 6.30pm and on Saturday at 3pm and Sunday at 5pm.

Serious and rampant irregularities exposed by the CAG audit of the Agricultural Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008 hold important cautionary advice for the government as it seeks to launch direct cash transfers. Himanshu Upadhyaya analyses.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says there is 'no reason' to waive main parts of the federal special education law.; Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will not recommend that Congress waive the main requirements of three federal education laws, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA. The federal law ensures that children with disabilities have a right to a free, appropriate public education whenever and wherever schools are operating.

When Congress passed the coronavirus relief package, known as the CARES act, they included a provision that allowed the Secretary to request waivers to parts of the special education law during the pandemic. The concern was that holding strictly to IDEA and other laws could hinder schools in the urgency to move schooling from the classroom setting to online and home-based approaches.

Th waiver provision, however, made disability advocates nervous. "We're talking about waiving a civil right for our most vulnerable people in our society, children who don't vote, who have no voice, who are relying on their parents to advocate for them," Stephanie Langer, a Florida civil rights attorney who focuses on education and disability, told NPR in March.

But the Education Department came to the conclusions that in general, big changes weren't needed. "While the Department has provided extensive flexibility to help schools transition," Devos said in a statement, "there is no reason for Congress to waive any provision designed to keep students learning."

While the bulk of the IDEA remains unchanged, Devos did issue limited waivers to a few sections of the law, including one that will extend the timeline schools have to offer services. The provision that bans discrimination based on disability status, will go untouched.

"This is truly a celebration," says Kelly Grillo, a special education coordinator in Indiana. "My teams are elated to keep IDEA intact. Waivers would seriously threaten equitable education."

As schools and learning have moved online, one of the biggest challenges has been providing special education. School districts were concerned they might get sued if their digital offerings couldn't meet the needs of their students with disabilities, though the Education Department issued guidance in March telling schools to be flexible, writing in a fact sheet that disability law, "should not prevent any school from offering educational programs through distance instruction."

Educators say that flexibility helped them improve their offerings for students. "This situation made us get creative and actually allowed us to have an all-hands-on-deck approach," says Grillo.

But advocates warn there are still areas to watch, including in New Jersey, where parents have been asked to waive their right to sue before districts are able to provide their children with special education services.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Uber said the layoffs included its customer support and recruiting teams, and expects to incur about $20 million in costs for severance and related charges.

With rising Medicare premiums and costs, financial planners must understand the risks associated with Medicare means testing

COVID-19 has touched everyone worldwide, and there is a genuine need for therapy services to all affected

Realty Partners LLC, The Agent Owned Company™, announced today that it will provide all of its services absolutely free of charge to new agents joining the company during the COVID-19 crisis as part of its #WeAreAllInThisTogether campaign.

https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-to-waive-entrance-fees-the-weekend-of.htm

On Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16, Grand Canyon National Park will join national park units across the country in waiving entrance fees for all park visitors. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/news_2009-08-10_fee_free.htm

On Veteran’s Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2009, all military veterans and current members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families will be admitted to Grand Canyon National Park free of charge. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/news_2009-11-02_v-day.htm

The National Park Service will be celebrating National Park Week in Grand Canyon National Park by waiving entrance fees April 17 – 25, 2010. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2010-04-06_fee_free.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will be joining national park units across the country in celebrating National Park Week by waiving entrance fees April 16 – 24, 2011. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2011-03-31_fee-free.htm

https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2011-06-14p_fee-free.htm

https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2011-10-26_vets-day.htm

https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2011-12-30_mlk.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will be joining national park units across the country in offering fee free entry to the park on Saturday, June 9, in honor of National Get Outdoors Day. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2012-05-29_fee-free.htm

In honor of those that serve and have served in the United States military, national park units around the country, including Grand Canyon National Park, will be offering everyone fee-free entry during the Veterans Day weekend. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2012-11-02_vets-day.htm

In honor of those that serve and have served in the United States military, national park units around the country, including Grand Canyon National Park, will be offering everyone fee-free entry during the Veterans Day weekend. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-national-park-to-waive-entrance-fees-for-veterans-day-weekend-2013.htm

In honor of those that serve and have served in the United States military, national park units around the country, including Grand Canyon National Park, will be offering everyone fee-free entry on Tuesday, November 11. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/veterans-day-2014.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will offer free entrance to everyone on Veterans Day, November 11. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/fee-free-veterans-day.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will waive entrance fees April 16-24, 2016 to celebrate National Park Week and the National Park Service Centennial. To join in on the week-long celebration, visitors can attend ranger programs, cultural demonstrations, and Earth Day events. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/national-park-week-fee-free-days.htm

On Wednesday, November 9, Grand Canyon National Park will host a Native American Indian Heritage Celebration and will waive entrance fees on Veterans Day. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/2016-native-heritage-and-veterans-day.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will join national park sites around the country in celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with free entrance to the park. Entrance fees will be waived for all visitors arriving to Grand Canyon National Park on Monday January 16, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/mlk-fee-free-day.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will join national park sites around the country with free entry into the park in honor of President’s Day Monday, February 20, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/fee-free-presidents-day.htm

Grand Canyon National Park will join national park sites around the country in celebrating National Public Lands Day with free entrance to the park. Entrance fees will be waived for all visitors arriving to Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday, September 30, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/fee-free-national-public-lands-day.htm

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Grand Canyon National Park will join national park units across the country and offer visitors free entrance into the park on Monday, January 15, 2018. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/mlk-jr-fee-free-day-2018.htm