North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former presidential candidate, won’t seek third term
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on Monday morning announced that he will not seek a third term as governor after already having dropped out of the Republican presidential primary. “Serving as governor and first lady of the great state of North Dakota has been one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences of our lives,” Burgum said in a statement. “Kathryn and I are eternally grateful to the citizens of North Dakota for twice giving us this opportunity to serve the state we love so much.” Speculation has swirled over Burgum’s future after former President Trump praised his ex-rival last week, promising him an “important” role in a potential Republican administration. Burgum, who did not build a substantial base in his own presidential campaign, endorsed Trump ahead of the former president’s sweeping win in the Iowa caucuses. TRUMP TEASES EX-RIVAL DOUG BURGUM COULD HOLD ‘IMPORTANT’ ADMIN ROLE AFTER IOWA WIN During a Fox News town hall earlier this month, Trump first teased that he already knew who he would choose as his vice presidential running mate but would not announce the decision yet. Burgum, who poured over $12 million of his own money into his presidential campaign, ended his bid for the White House in December after six months. TRUMP SAYS HE IS ‘HONORED,’ ‘INVIGORATED’ AFTER WINNING IOWA CAUCUSES: ‘WE WANT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN’ Burgum, 67, won an upset victory in 2016 over the state’s popular attorney general in the Republican gubernatorial primary election before going on to win his first term and reelection in 2020 by overwhelming margins. Before becoming governor, Burgum was primarily known as a businessman who led Great Plains Software, which Microsoft acquired for over $1 billion in 2001. Burgum stayed on as an executive with Microsoft until 2007. He has led other companies in real estate development and venture capital. Fox News’ Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hospitals cut off as Israel batters southern Gaza
With bombing from all sides and in areas including hospitals and universities, there is no safe corridor for people to escape. Israeli shells have battered Khan Younis, cutting off two hospitals as the city in southern Gaza saw the bloodiest fighting since the New Year. Tanks closed in on Al-Amal Hospital and Al-Khair Hospital on Monday, part of an Israeli offensive that began last week to take control of Khan Younis, with Israel saying the city is now the main headquarters of the Palestinian group Hamas. The bombardment marks a revitalised Israeli offensive in the war, which began on October 7 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,139 people. Israel’s retaliation has killed 25,295 Palestinians since. Residents told AFP that it was the most intense bombing they had witnessed since the war began. The fighting around the hospitals has made the provision of medical care difficult and halted most ambulance services, cutting the wounded off from medical care. Attack drones have targeted hospitals and Al-Aqsa University, the enclave’s largest, as the area is bombed by land, air and sea, with no safe corridor for people to escape, said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza. Israeli ground troops were also assaulting residential buildings, he added. The city, under heavy bombardment for over a month, was once designated a “safe zone” by Israel, with thousands having fled there from the north. “Now it’s just a scene of devastation and suffering as Israeli forces push deeper into the city,” Mahmoud said. No refuge The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that its ambulance centre had been attacked, preventing first responders from reaching the wounded. The rescue agency also said it had lost contact with its staff at its Khan Younis main base. 🚨Urgent: PRCS ambulances unable to reach the wounded in Khan Yunis. Israeli occupation forces are besieging the PRCS ambulance center, and targeting anyone attempting to move in the area.#Gaza #NotATarget ❌#IHL pic.twitter.com/NXOT2Zzvlv — PRCS (@PalestineRCS) January 22, 2024 Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, just like all the hospitals in southern Gaza, is also under intense attack, PRCS spokesperson Nebal Farsakh told Al Jazeera, with ambulances unable to respond to calls. Health officials said at least 20 dead bodies had arrived overnight when the hospital was still accessible. “The occupation has overnight launched an unprecedented ground and air war on Khan Younis. People are trapped near Mawasi, people are trapped in Al-Amal Hospital, in Al-Aqsa University. People are carrying the dead and wounded on donkey carts,” said a medic inside Nasser Hospital. Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra said that dozens of dead and wounded were trapped in areas targeted by Israeli troops. “The Israeli occupation is preventing ambulance vehicles from moving to recover bodies of martyrs and the wounded from western Khan Younis,” he said. Dark days It seems there’s little chance that the fighting will ease in the near future. Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday that military operations will not only continue, but will be expanded. The majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are now caged in two towns, Deir el-Balah and Rafah, just north and south of Khan Younis respectively. Around 85 percent of the territory’s population has been displaced, with thousands sheltering in United Nations-run camps in squalid conditions, with disease and hunger rife. “Very dark days ahead as the situation gets worse by the hour,” said Mahmoud. Adblock test (Why?)
Mukesh Ambani, Nita Ambani, Isha, Akash, Anant attend ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony, donate Rs…
Mukesh Ambani and his family made a generous donation to the Ram Bhumi Temple. Know details of it.
South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace endorses Trump over Haley ahead of New Hampshire primary
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Monday joined the list of South Carolina Republicans backing former President Trump over Nikki Haley ahead of the New Hampshire primaries. Mace, who notably ruffled feathers in the House GOP as one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker last year, told The Associated Press that she was backing Trump over Haley, who lives in her congressional district and supported her in 2022 against a Trump-backed challenger. “I don’t see eye to eye perfectly with any candidate. And until now I’ve stayed out of it,” Mace told the AP. “But the time has come to unite behind our nominee.” Mace had stayed out of the 2024 Republican primary as two fellow South Carolinians – Haley, the former governor, and Sen. Tim Scott – entered the race last year. Scott, who ended his own 2024 bid in November and was appointed to the Senate by Haley in 2012, endorsed Trump over Haley on Friday in a rousing call-and-response speech in New Hampshire. On Saturday, Trump was joined on stage at another New Hampshire rally by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, the state’s lieutenant governor and other senior statewide officials, including the state’s attorney general, treasurer and House speaker, as well as U.S. Reps. Joe Wilson, William Timmons and Russell Fry. REP. NANCY MACE’S FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF CONSIDERING SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PRIMARY RUN AGAINST HER: REPORT Haley, appearing on Fox News Monday morning, touted that she won South Carolina twice and expected a strong showing in the upcoming primaries in the Palmetto State. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ departure from the race on Sunday leaves Haley as the main GOP candidate remaining to challenge Trump. New Hampshire votes on Tuesday, but South Carolina’s primary is in a month, and the state’s Republican leadership has largely already lined up behind Trump. Mace’s endorsement means that Trump has secured four of the state’s six Republican U.S. House members. Rep. Ralph Norman is backing Haley and Rep. Jeff Duncan is saying he’s not endorsing before the primary. Just two years ago, Mace and Haley were aligned in a congressional primary that tested Trump’s heft in South Carolina, where his own 2016 presidential primary win helped cement his nomination. After the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol, Mace, who had just been sworn in as a freshman lawmaker, went on TV to criticize Trump for his role in the day’s events, saying the president’s accomplishments in office “were wiped out in just a few short hours.” SC CONGRESSMAN TOUTS NIKKI HALEY’S ‘YOUTH,’ HITS TRUMP’S AGE AFTER PELOSI JAN. 6 MIX-UP Trump responded by calling Mace “an absolutely terrible candidate” and soliciting “any interest from good and SMART America First Republican Patriots” to run against a list of sitting House Republicans, including Mace, whom he endorsed for her first run in 2020 and who worked for his 2016 campaign. When Katie Arrington, who unsuccessfully sought the seat in 2018, launched her 2022 bid against Mace, she had Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement.” During a pre-primary rally in South Carolina, Trump called Mace “crazy” and “a terrible person.” Haley, meanwhile, stumped with Mace, as she had in 2020, helping raise money and appearing in a television ad on her behalf, calling her a “fighter.” But the two reportedly haven’t spoken since last year, when Mace’s name was floated as a possible running mate for Trump, should he win the GOP nomination. On Monday, Mace said she felt Trump was the better option this year. “Donald Trump’s record in his first term should tell every America how vital it is he be returned to office,” she told the AP. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sen Hawley introduces bill to slash DHS funding of ‘liberal propaganda’
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is introducing a bill — called the Ending DHS Funding for Liberal Propaganda Act — that would slash Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant funding from going toward entities that discriminate against conservative viewpoints. “The Biden Administration has time and again demonstrated its willingness to weaponize its power against conservatives,” Hawley told Fox News Digital. “My bill simply bars Secretary Mayorkas from funneling taxpayer dollars to programs dedicated to targeting this Administration’s political opponents.” According to the bill’s text, the legislation would bar taxpayer dollars from going toward the development of “any programming relating to countering narratives or views on political topics, including COVID-19, vaccination, media bias, immigration, and crime.” CONSERVATIVE GOP SENATORS CALL FOR PARTY TO RALLY BEHIND TRUMP FOLLOWING IOWA VICTORY Last year, the Biden administration doled out taxpayer money through an anti-terrorism grant initiative to a university program that has explicitly lumped the Republican Party, as well as Christian and conservative groups, into the same category as the Nazis, according to documents shared exclusively with Fox News Digital at the time. The Media Research Center (MRC), a conservative watchdog group, obtained documents through Freedom of Information Act requests showing a DHS program meant to fight terrorism is funding a group whose work has explicitly targeted the American political right. The MRC outlined its findings in a report, arguing what the group found warrants criminal prosecution. HAWLEY DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM TSA ON MIGRANTS USING CONTROVERSIAL APP TO BOARD PLANES: ‘THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS’ Another example cited by Hawley includes a grant to the University of Rhode Island’s Media Education Lab, funded through the administration’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program, to create “counter-propaganda” against conservative viewpoints, the Daily Wire reported this month. The $700,000 grant was used to address “propaganda and misinformation concerning topics including immigration, racial justice, the coronavirus, and vaccination” and “build on top of concerns about so-called ‘fake news’ and ‘cancel culture.’” “This is an outrageous use of federal funds and abuse of power,” Hawley wrote in a letter to Mayorkas last week. “All these funds should be clawed back by the federal government immediately, and anyone involved in making this grant should be fired.” MAYORKAS NEEDS TO BE IMPEACHED: SEN. JOSH HAWLEY Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News’ Aaron Kliegman contributed to this report.
Trump vs Haley: Where they stand in the GOP primary battle and how they match up with Biden
EXETER, N.H. – Nikki Haley reacted to the roar of the crowd in New Hampshire as she walked to the stage at her first rally since Republican presidential nomination rival Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race. “Can you hear that sound?” she told her supporters on Sunday night in the historic town in New Hampshire’s Seacoast region. “That’s the sound of a two-person race.” Haley, the former South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in former President Trump’s administration, has been framing the GOP nomination battle as a two-candidate showdown between herself and Trump. With DeSantis suspending his campaign on Sunday, Haley and Trump are now the two remaining major candidates on the eve of the New Hampshire primary. HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH TO DESANTIS VOTERS However, most polls indicate that Haley remains double digits behind Trump with hours to go until the polls open in New Hampshire. Trump, who is running a third straight time for the White House, stands at 57% support in a Suffolk University, the Boston Globe and NBC10 in Boston daily tracking poll released on Monday morning, with Haley at 38%. Both candidates received two-point bumps with the departure of DeSantis, who was a distant third in New Hampshire in the single digits. DOWN AND OUT: WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE DESANTIS CAMPAIGN The poll was conducted on Saturday and Sunday nights, both before and after the Florida governor dropped out and endorsed Trump. Trump held a similar lead in a Monmouth University/Washington Post survey conducted Jan. 16-20. The former president stood at 52% support, with Haley at 34% and DeSantis at 8%. Trump was also up by double-digits in a University of New Hampshire/CNN poll that was in the field from Jan. 16-19, with the former president at 50%, Haley at 39%, and DeSantis at 6%. Trump scored a convincing victory in last Monday night’s low-turnout Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar. He grabbed 51% of the vote, 30 points ahead of DeSantis and Haley. RON DESANTIS ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP AS HE DROPS OUT OF THE 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE The former president predicted another major win on Tuesday, telling supporters at a rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Sunday night that “I think we’re going to have the same kind of result here as we did last week in Iowa.” However, New Hampshire — where independent voters who make up roughly 40% of the electorate can vote in either major party’s contest and have long played an influential role in the state’s storied presidential primary — may be fertile ground for Haley. The latest surveys indicate Trump dominating among registered Republicans, with Haley grabbing majority support among independents. However, there are likely more Republicans than independents who will vote in Tuesday’s GOP primary. Veteran New Hampshire-based Republican consultant Jim Merrill told Fox News that DeSantis’ departure from the race “narrows Haley’s margin for error here. Many, if not most, of DeSantis voters are going to migrate over to Trump. And so it’s critical for her to do well in New Hampshire to give her some momentum heading into South Carolina.” Mike Dennehy, another longtime New Hampshire-based GOP strategist, was more blunt. “I think it puts a nail in her coffin,” he said of Haley. “I don’t think she’ll be able to keep under 50%. And I think there’s a very good chance that Trump hits 60% on Tuesday, which will signal the end of the Haley campaign and virtually seal the deal for the Trump nomination.” Haley obviously does not see it that way. In a one-on-one interview with Fox News Digital on Sunday night, Haley said her message to voters who were supporting DeSantis is, “it’s time for a new generation. It’s time to stop the chaos. It’s time to stop the noise and get America back on track.” Additionally, she pledged that she would “absolutely” be moving on to South Carolina’s primary on Feb. 24 regardless of her finish in New Hampshire. Haley’s home state holds the next major contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar. In her rally Sunday night, Haley once again touted polls that indicate her defeating President Biden by larger margins than Trump would in hypothetical general election matchups. A poll released Friday by Marist College indicates Haley performing better against Biden than Trump or DeSantis in hypothetical general election matchups in November in New Hampshire, which is a key battleground state. The survey indicated Haley edging Biden by three points, while the president tops Trump by seven points. However, a Real Clear Politics average of all the most recent national polls in a potential Biden-Haley showdown indicates Haley edging the president by 1.1 points. The same average in a Biden-Trump rematch suggests the former president with a 2-point edge over the incumbent. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Modi opens controversial Ram temple in India
NewsFeed India’s prime minister has fulfilled a campaign promise by opening a Hindu temple built on the site of a centuries-old mosque destroyed by far-right mobs in 1992. Published On 22 Jan 202422 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Families of hostages storm Israeli parliament meeting
The demonstration signals growing anger over the fate of the hostages in the fourth month of the Gaza war. Relatives of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas have stormed a parliamentary committee session in Jerusalem, demanding lawmakers do more to free their loved ones. The action by a group of around 20 relatives on Monday illustrated the growing anger over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to agree to a deal with the Palestinian group as the Gaza war grinds through a fourth month. One woman held up pictures of three family members who were among the 253 people seized in the cross-border Hamas rampage of October 7 that triggered the massive Israeli operation in the enclave. Around 100 of the hostages were released during a week-long truce in November. Some 130 remain held in Gaza. “Just one I’d like to get back alive, one out of three!” the woman protester cried after pushing into the Knesset Finance Committee discussion. Other protesters, clad in black T-shirts, held up signs reading: “You will not sit here while they die there.” “Release them now, now, now!” they chanted. Riveted US, Qatari and Egyptian efforts at mediation seem far from reconciling the two sides. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will continue its campaign until Hamas is destroyed. The Palestinian group demands that Israel withdraw and free all of the thousands of Palestinians from its prisons for Israeli captives to be released. The fate of the hostages – 27 of whom Tel Aviv says have died in captivity – has riveted Israel. However, the relatives fear that war fatigue could soften that focus. Demonstrations that initially promoted national unity have become more aggressive. Parliament ushers, often quick to eject hecklers or protesters, stood by during the ruckus in the Knesset Finance Committee. One lawmaker covered her face with her hands. Panel chairman Moshe Gafni, head of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party in Netanyahu’s coalition, stood up, called a halt to the economic briefing under way and sought to calm the protester. “Redeeming captives is the most important precept in Judaism, especially in this case, where there is an urgency to preserving life,” he said, but added: “Quitting the coalition would not achieve anything.” Rally The anger of the families has not been confined to official buildings. Relatives and supporters of the hostages once again rallied near Netanyahu’s residence in West Jerusalem on Sunday night. “We are asking our government to listen, to sit down at the negotiating table and decide whether to accept this agreement or any other that would suit Israel,” said Gilad Korenbloom, whose son is a hostage in Gaza. Jon Polin, father of a hostage, said Israelis serve their country and in return “we expect the government to ensure our safety”. “We are asking the government to play its part, to propose an agreement, to bring it to a successful conclusion and to bring the remaining hostages back alive,” Polin said. Demonstrators have also been camping outside Netanyahu’s coastal home as well as the Knesset building, some demanding a unilateral end to the war or an election that might topple the hard-right government. On Sunday, Netanyahu rejected conditions presented by Hamas to end the war and release hostages that would include Israel’s complete withdrawal and leaving Hamas in power in Gaza. Following that, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum demanded that Netanyahu “clearly state that we will not abandon civilians, soldiers, and others kidnapped in the October debacle”. “If the prime minister decides to sacrifice the hostages, he should show leadership and honestly share his position with the Israeli public,” it said in a statement. Adblock test (Why?)
IOM makes ‘global appeal’ for $7.9bn to help 140 million people
The appeal comes as the number of people forced to migrate reached 117 million by the end of 2022, the IOM said. The United Nations migration agency has launched its first “global appeal”, aiming to drum up $7.9bn to help those forced to leave their homes due to everything from conflict to climate change. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) made its annual appeal Monday, as it seeks to bolster efforts to protect migrants, reduce displacement and expand avenues to migrate legally. The appeal comes at a time when top donor governments face tight budgets. The IOM says it hopes funding will come from individual and private-sector donors in addition to governments. The agency’s new director-general, Amy Pope, said the funding will benefit 140 million people – both migrants and the communities that house them. The appeal comes as the number of people forced to migrate reached 117 million by the end of 2022, the IOM said in a report accompanying the appeal. “Irregular and forced migration have reached unprecedented levels and the challenges we face are increasingly complex,” Pope said. “The evidence is overwhelming that migration, when well-managed, is a major contributor to global prosperity and progress.” Pope said that organisations need to be planning for future migration rather than reacting to waves of migration as they happen. “The evidence shows us that only being reactive means that more people are dying and being exploited as they migrate. This appeal will allow us to save more lives and work together more responsibly,” she said. Migrants often make harrowing, perilous journeys to escape their conditions at home, many dying in the process. The IOM’s “Missing Migrants” project estimates at least 60,000 people have died or disappeared making such journeys in the last nine years, especially those crossing into Libya, then heading across the Mediterranean to reach Europe. IOM data shows that 281 million international migrants, from manual labourers to white-collar jobholders, generate nearly 10 percent of global economic output. Adblock test (Why?)
From UK to US: Here’s how world media reacted to Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony
NBC, a very renowned media house in the United States in one of their reports wrote that the Ram Temple is transforming Ayodhya, a city of about 3 million people in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, into a tourist hub that officials hope will be a Hindu version of the Vatican.