At the beginning of last year, Mike Pompeo ruled out a 2020 Senate run, saying he would serve as Donald Trumps secretary of state for as long as the president allows. But with impeachment entangling his boss, and Mitch McConnell working overtime to recruit him, the Pompeo rumor mill has continued to churn. In that uncertainty, which Pompeo himself has fed, several candidates have quietly begun to line up behind him, positioning themselves to replace him at State.

Three people whove spoken to the president directly about the matter told Washington Post that Trump has been tossing around names for Pompeos successor with lawmakers and officials. Two figures have emerged as leading contenders for Pompeos would-be replacement: national security adviser Robert OBrien and Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin. OBrien, who replaced John Bolton as national security adviser, reportedly charmed Trump as the State departments lead hostage negotiator, and has been rewarded with a growing portfolio. Hes also endeared himself to Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior adviser, and to Pompeo himself, perhaps making him a natural successor.

Mnuchin would be a less intuitive pick. Unlike Trump and Pompeo, the Treasury secretary has taken a less hawkish approach to China, putting him out of step with the rest of the administration on a key foreign policy front. Still, Mnuchin remains close to the president, as evidenced by his rare longevity in the Trump administration. In a White House characterized by infighting and high turnover, surviving in Trumps cabinet for three years makes him a competitive candidate by default.

Of course, their abilities to appease Trump notwithstanding, each comes with liabilities. Mnuchin was barely confirmed for his current job thanks to his lack of experience. His qualifications to serve as Americas top diplomat are even thinner, raising questions both about his ability to be confirmed and to fulfill his duties. OBrien is reportedly seen as one of the more competent officials in Trumps orbit, rooted in a traditional conservative foreign policy approach, but remains somewhat green behind the ears. I think the greatest challenge he will have is his relative lack of experience inside the U.S. government, and with the interagency process, Richard Fontaine, the chief executive of the nonpartisan Center for a New American Security, told the New York Times of OBrien in September, as he took over for Bolton.

Such concerns could open the door to other figures who have indicated interest in Pompeos job, including Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, Senators Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton, and deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun, who would become acting secretary of state should Pompeo decide to launch a 2020 Senate campaign. He hasnt yet signaled that hell do so. But the barely concealed jockeying suggests McConnells overtures to Pompeo may actually be workingparticularly Republican leadership believes their Kansas senate seat is in danger. He loves Kansas, he loves the people of Kansas, Trump said last month, suggesting hed be open to Pompeo mounting a bid. If he thought there was a chance of losing that seat, I think he would do that and he would win in a landslide because they love him in Kansas.

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Report: Trump Is Already Floating Replacement Secretary of State - Vanity Fair

Building the replacement facility for the relocation of a U.S. military base in Okinawa Prefecture is now expected to cost 930 billion, far exceeding its initial 350 billion estimate, and be delayed several years, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry has now estimated the landfill work will take nine years and three months, nearly twice as long as originally expected.

It will now take 12 years to complete the project of relocating the operations of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from a crowded residential area of Ginowan to the less populated coastal zone of Henoko.

That means the return of the land in the city of Ginowan is likely to be delayed until some point in the 2030s or later, compared with fiscal 2022 or later as set out under an agreement between Japan and the United States in 2013.

The new estimate was presented at a meeting of experts on Wednesday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Thursday that steadily carrying out the relocation work would lead to the earliest full return of Futenma and removal of danger.

The delay is expected to be met with strong local opposition.

This kind of public works project should be suspended immediately, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, a vocal opponent of the relocation plan, told reporters Thursday at the Okinawa Prefectural Governments headquarters in Naha. We have reiterated previously that the works at Henoko would take at least 13 years and cost 2 trillion or more.

According to the current plan, the construction for the replacement facility was supposed to take five years to finish and cost 350 billion. But additional work is necessary to reinforce the weak seafloor in an area where the landfill work is due to be carried out off the coast of Henoko in the city of Nago. After the construction is completed, more preparations such as moving and procuring equipment will be necessary before the relocated base can begin operations, according to the ministry.

The ministry began soil placement work off Henoko in December last year. However, it later found some of the ground in the area to be too soft.

The ministry now wants to install 71,000 support piles to bolster the weak ground. It plans to file an application to change its construction plan with the Okinawa Prefectural Government in the new year.

We will aim to move ahead with the (additional) work smoothly, Defense Minister Taro Kono told reporters Wednesday.

But Tamaki is unlikely to approve the change. Deputy Gov. Kiichiro Jahana told reporters Wednesday that this is a good opportunity for the central government to re-examine the base relocation plan.

The plan was delayed in 2015 when Takeshi Onaga, the governor of Okinawa at the time, revoked his predecessors permission for the landfill work. The decision led to court disputes between the central and Okinawa governments.

The project to move the Futenma base originated in an agreement reached between Tokyo and Washington in 1996. But local residents have long hoped for the base to be moved outside of the island prefecture, which is home to about 70 percent of the total area of land exclusively used by U.S. military forces in Japan.

Still, the central government has maintained that the current relocation plan is the only solution for removing the dangers posed by the Futenma base without undermining the deterrence provided by the Japan-U.S. security alliance.

Japan and the United States plan to reclaim about 160 hectares, including the sea area with soft ground, for the replacement facility and build two runways in a V configuration.

A prefectural referendum on the transfer plan was held in February, with more than 70 percent voting against it.

Tamaki said in an interview with Kyodo News in March that it was impossible to conduct such seafloor reinforcement work and he has no plan to approve the additional work.

Excerpt from:
Work on US base at Henoko in Okinawa to cost nearly triple initial estimate - The Japan Times

The director of fundraising for the federal Conservatives has taken over as acting executive director of the party as it continues to grapple with the fallout from the resignation of leader Andrew Scheer.

Jaime Girard is replacing Dustin Van Vugt, who left his job as executive director earlier this month over questions about party funds used for Scheers personal expenses.

Girard jumps into the new role at a crucial time for the party figuring out how to run the race to select Scheers replacement.

Scheer announced on Dec. 12 that he will step down as leader as soon as a new one is chosen, a move that came after weeks of intense criticism of the way the party fared in the fall election, despite the fact it increased its overall seat count and share of the popular vote.

Campaigns to oust Scheer reached a fever pitch in the days leading up to his announcement, including word circulating that his childrens private school tuition was paid for with party money details that surprised some members of the partys main fundraising arm, the Conservative Fund.

Girard has spent more than a decade serving as director of fundraising for the Conservative party, a position that would have placed her into close contact with the Funds board.

The board includes former prime minister Stephen Harper, Conservative Sen. Linda Frum, and, as the current director, retired Conservative senator Irving Gerstein. Gerstein is expected to step back from his role running the board next year.

While the Fund sets the partys budget, some members were not fully aware of the details of Scheers spending. The deal to cover tuition costs for Scheers children was struck between him and Van Vugt, who had called it standard practice.

All proper procedures were followed and signed off on by the appropriate people, he said in a statement the same day Scheer stepped down.

But some members of the Fund disagreed. Van Vugt subsequently left the job.

Replacing him with Girard was one of a series of decisions adopted by the partys national council on Friday as they seek to sort out the mess created by Scheer and Van Vugts departure.

Another: punting Aprils planned policy convention to November in order to free up more room to organize the leadership race.

The committee who will be in charge of that is expected to be named in the coming days. Theyll in turn have to sort out when and where the vote will take place, and the rules for it, including the entry fee and number of signatures required to run.

Though several people including former Quebec premier Jean Charest and former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose have signalled an interest in running for the leadership, all are waiting for clarity on the rules and deadlines before they commit. Other potential contenders include current Conservative MPs and former cabinet ministers Pierre Poilievre, Erin OToole and Michael Chong, as well as former MPs and cabinet ministers Peter MacKay and James Moore.

Meanwhile, there is ongoing debate about the scope of Scheers expense accounts.

Scheers office has repeatedly said they have nothing to add when asked for clarification about how Scheer used the money, the decision to fire Van Vugt, or whether hell support a line-by-line review of his expenses.

Stephanie Levitz, The Canadian Press

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Conservative partys fundraising boss takes over temporary helm of party - Coast Mountain News

A forum visitor is silhoutetted in front of a projected logo before a Conservative party leadership candidate forum at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary, Alta. on Wednesday March 1, 2017.Jim Wells / Jim Wells/Postmedia

OTTAWA The director of fundraising for the federal Conservatives has taken over as acting executive director of the party as it continues to grapple with the fallout from the resignation of leader Andrew Scheer.

Jaime Girard is replacing Dustin Van Vugt, who left his job as executive director earlier this month over questions about party funds used for Scheers personal expenses.

Girard jumps into the new role at a crucial time for the party figuring out how to run the race to select Scheers replacement.

Scheer announced on Dec. 12 that he will step down as leader as soon as a new one is chosen, a move that came after weeks of intense criticism of the way the party fared in the fall election, despite the fact it increased its overall seat count and share of the popular vote.

Campaigns to oust Scheer reached a fever pitch in the days leading up to his announcement, including word circulating that his childrens private school tuition was paid for with party money details that surprised some members of the partys main fundraising arm, the Conservative Fund.

Girard has spent more than a decade serving as director of fundraising for the Conservative Party, a position that would have placed her into close contact with the Funds board.

The board includes former prime minister Stephen Harper, Conservative Sen. Linda Frum, and, as the current director, retired Conservative senator Irving Gerstein. Gerstein is expected to step back from his role running the board next year.

While the Fund sets the partys budget, some members were not fully aware of the details of Scheers spending. The deal to cover tuition costs for Scheers children was struck between him and Van Vugt, who had called it standard practice.

All proper procedures were followed and signed off on by the appropriate people, he said in a statement the same day Scheer stepped down.

But some members of the Fund disagreed. Van Vugt subsequently left the job.

Replacing him with Girard was one of a series of decisions adopted by the partys national council on Friday as they seek to sort out the mess created by Scheer and Van Vugts departure.

Another: punting Aprils planned policy convention to November in order to free up more room to organize the leadership race.

The committee who will be in charge of that is expected to be named in the coming days. Theyll in turn have to sort out when and where the vote will take place, and the rules for it, including the entry fee and number of signatures required to run.

Though several people including former Quebec premier Jean Charest and former interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose have signalled an interest in running for the leadership, all are waiting for clarity on the rules and deadlines before they commit. Other potential contenders include current Conservative MPs and former cabinet ministers Pierre Poilievre, Erin OToole and Michael Chong, as well as former MPs and cabinet ministers Peter MacKay and James Moore.

Meanwhile, there is ongoing debate about the scope of Scheers expense accounts.

Scheers office has repeatedly said they have nothing to add when asked for clarification about how Scheer used the money, the decision to fire Van Vugt, or whether hell support a line-by-line review of his expenses.

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Fundraising boss takes over temporary helm of Conservative party - Saskatoon StarPhoenix

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More News28 Dec 2019 | 5:01 PM

Kannur, Dec 28 (UNI) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan's inaugural speech, at the 80th Session of Indian History Congress (IHC) in Kannur University Thavakkara campus here on Saturday, was disrupted following protest by delegates and Research students.

Puducherry, Dec 28 (UNI) Alleging that Muthialpet Inspector of Police Senthil Kumar has prevented the DMDK workers from joining the rally organized by the BJP in support of the CAA here on Friday, the Puducherry unit of the party on Saturday urged the police department to initiate action against him.

Salem, Dec 28 (UNI) Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said Tamil Nadu emerging on top in the National Good Governance Index (GGI) among the 'Big States' was a proud moment for the State.

Hubballi, Dec 28 (UNI) On the background of countrywide anti-CAA protests, the BJP has decided to run a pro-CAA awareness campaign across the state from January 1 to 15 which will include door-to-door campaigning to contact 30 lakh households, social media campaign, and rallies in all district centres.

Salem, Dec 28 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the opposition parties was due to political vendetta and to confuse the people.

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AP Cabinet nod for providing reservation in Panchayat Election for SCs, STs - United News of India

Union Cabinet on Tuesday announced that it has allocated around Rs 3,500 crores for updating National Population Register (NPR). The process shall commence from April next year and will be completed by September.

NPR was first done in 2010 and was later updated in 2015 when it was linked with the Aadhar. But since the announcement of the NPR update has come in the middle of a raging controversy on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), there is widespread confusion between the two. Many have also confused the National Population Register with Census, which is also due.

So what is National Population Register and how is it different from NRC or Census? Let's have a look:

WHAT IS NPR

The NPR is a register of the usual residents of the country. It contains information collected at the local (village/sub-town), subdistrict, district, state and national level under provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.

WHO IS USUAL RESIDENT OF INDIA

A usual resident is defined, for the purposes of the NPR, as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more, or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months.

The law compulsorily seeks to register every citizen of India and issue a national identity card.

WHO WILL CONDUCT NPR

The process of updating NPR will be carried out under the aegis of the Registrar General and ex-Officio Census Commissioner, India.

WHAT INFORMATION WILL BE COLLECTED UNDER NPR

The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. The database would contain demographic particulars such as:

WHAT DOCUMENTS DO YOU NEED TO PRODUCE FOR NPR

During the NPR, a respondent will not require to produce any document. As per a statement was given by Home Minister Amit Shah to news agency ANI, NPR information will be self-attested, that is, whatever information is provided by the respondent will be deemed correct and no documents or biometric would be required.

WHEN AND WHERE NPR WILL BE CONDUCTED

The process of collecting information for NPR will start in April 2020 and will be completed by September. NPR will be conducted across India, except Assam as the state has already gone through the National Register of Citizens. Gazette notification for the forthcoming NPR has been published by the central government in August.

HOW IS NPR DIFFERENT THAN CENSUS

While the process of NPR and Census will begin simultaneously, the two databases are not same.

The decennial census is the largest single source of a variety of statistical information on different characteristics of the people of India.

While NPR only contains demographic information, more details are required for census like information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, and housing and household amenities besides others.

The census is the basis for reviewing the country's progress in the past decade, monitoring the ongoing schemes of the government and plan for the future.

A census official collects details from village residents during Census 2011. REUTERS

The census provides detailed and authentic information on demography, economic activity, literacy and education, housing and household amenities, urbanisation, fertility and mortality, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, language, religion, migration, disability besides others.

The enumerators also collect data related to cultivators and agricultural labourers, their sex, occupational classification of workers in the non-households industry, trade, business, profession or service by class of worker and sex.

There will be a detailed survey on gender and literacy rate, a number of towns, slum households and their population.

Information is also collected on sources of potable water, energy, irrigation, method of farming, whether a house is a concrete, thatched or others.

Also read | What is NRC: All you need to know about National Register of Citizens

The census, 2021 will be done in two phases. In the first phase, the work of house-listing or housing census will be conducted from April to September 2020. In the second phase, the enumeration of the population will be done from February 9 to February 28, 2021, with reference moment as 00:00 hours of March 1, 2021.

For snow-bound areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date will be October 1, 2020.

With a history of more than 130 years, this reliable, time tested exercise has been bringing out a veritable wealth of statistics every 10 years, beginning from 1872 when the first census was conducted in India non-synchronously in different parts.

HOW IS NPR DIFFERENT THAN NRC

National Population Register is a database of people living in India, citizens or not, but National Resgiter of Citizens is a database of Indian citizens. The NRC process demands proof of citizenship from the respondents. Those who found in wnat of the proof may face deportation or detention in long run. But in NPR, there is no need to provide any document.

WILL ANYONE LOSE CITIZENSHIP BECAUSE OF NPR

"It is possible that some names are missed in the NPR, still their citizenship will not be revoked because this is not the process of NRC. The NRC is a different process. I want to make it clear that nobody will lose citizenship because of NPR," Amit Shah said.

The home minister's statement came amid controversy that NPR was the first step towards NRC. Several opposition leaders requested CMs to boycott the NPR process to avoid NRC. But the home minister has claimed that the two are not linked in any way.

The home ministry officials have also said that there is no plan to use data collected during NPR to form the basis of NRC.

WHAT IS THE USE OF NPR

The question remains that if the government has Census than why does it need NPR.

The officials say that NPR data helps identify the demographics of actual residents who will be direct beneficiaries of any schemes launched in the area.

For example, a majority of permanent residents of an industrial town in Gujarat may be Gujarati speaking, but the majority of current residents may consist of Hindu speaking people from various parts of the country. The NPR data will help government design and adapt schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Jandhan Yojna, or medium of instruction in schools as per the current demographics, thus making the schemes more effective.

(With inputs from agencies)

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What is NPR: All you need to know about National Population Register - India Today

Council chiefs have signed off plans to invest 7 million to turn more than 16,000 street lights LED in the county.

Shropshire Council will turn 16,523 lights that arent already LED over the next three years.

Councillor Simon Harris, member for Broseley, said his town made the switch earlier this year and said it was a fantastic scheme with 178 lights completed.

He added: The work men were fantastic, the whole town has benefitedand this is a great thing for the county.

The move will cost 6.83 million, but will save the authority 506,533 per year in bills.

More than 3,000 lights in the county have already been switched.

Councillor Steve Davenport, cabinet member for highways, said: It is a good scheme that will result in us saving 1million annuallyin total.

We currently have men in vans going around checking lights and this will help them.

Councillor Dean Carroll, cabinet member for climate change added: This will be a huge benefit to our efforts to tackle climate change.

I urge everyone to support it.

Councillor Viv Parry said the scheme was first mentioned five years ago and said it was a shame that the switch had not been made sooner.

Mark Barrow, director of place, said in a report to fullcouncil: Shropshire Council wishes to invest within its remaining 16,253 street lights that are located across the county, to replace the traditional street lighting bulbs with LED replacement, and where required replace the street lighting columns.

The LED conversion programme will contribute significantly to reduced energy consumption and will be intrinsic to the delivery of the councils environment agenda, by reducing the consumption of electric by 56 per cent over the working period.

The council currently spends approximately 1 million each year on energy for street lighting.

Recent projections indicate energy costs for street lighting will rise by between five per cent and 14 per cent over the next 10 years which could mean the annual cost increasing to nearly 3.7 million in that time and as high as 13.7 million in 20 years if prices rose by 14 per cent each year.

This forecast is clearly unsustainable, and a change in the approach is required.

He added: By investing approximately 6.83 million over three years to convert the councils 16,253 street lights to LED, it would reduce their consumption by 56 per cent saving approximately 506,533 per year (at todays prices) in energy and a reduction in maintenance costs of an estimated 390,899 per year.

In order to achieve the above intention, full council is asked to approve that Shropshire Council applies to SALIX (a government agency) for an interest-free loan, supported with identified and approved SC finance to deliver a total budget of 6,824,011 for the three years of the programme to deliver the improvements and changes.

Continued here:
Shropshire: 16000 street lights to be upgraded - Border Counties Advertizer

More News28 Dec 2019 | 5:01 PM

Kannur, Dec 28 (UNI) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan's inaugural speech, at the 80th Session of Indian History Congress (IHC) in Kannur University Thavakkara campus here on Saturday, was disrupted following protest by delegates and Research students.

Puducherry, Dec 28 (UNI) Alleging that Muthialpet Inspector of Police Senthil Kumar has prevented the DMDK workers from joining the rally organized by the BJP in support of the CAA here on Friday, the Puducherry unit of the party on Saturday urged the police department to initiate action against him.

Salem, Dec 28 (UNI) Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said Tamil Nadu emerging on top in the National Good Governance Index (GGI) among the 'Big States' was a proud moment for the State.

Hubballi, Dec 28 (UNI) On the background of countrywide anti-CAA protests, the BJP has decided to run a pro-CAA awareness campaign across the state from January 1 to 15 which will include door-to-door campaigning to contact 30 lakh households, social media campaign, and rallies in all district centres.

Salem, Dec 28 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the opposition parties was due to political vendetta and to confuse the people.

Original post:
AP government to set up 'High Power' Committee on Capital city issue - United News of India

More News28 Dec 2019 | 5:01 PM

Kannur, Dec 28 (UNI) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan's inaugural speech, at the 80th Session of Indian History Congress (IHC) in Kannur University Thavakkara campus here on Saturday, was disrupted following protest by delegates and Research students.

Puducherry, Dec 28 (UNI) Alleging that Muthialpet Inspector of Police Senthil Kumar has prevented the DMDK workers from joining the rally organized by the BJP in support of the CAA here on Friday, the Puducherry unit of the party on Saturday urged the police department to initiate action against him.

Salem, Dec 28 (UNI) Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said Tamil Nadu emerging on top in the National Good Governance Index (GGI) among the 'Big States' was a proud moment for the State.

Hubballi, Dec 28 (UNI) On the background of countrywide anti-CAA protests, the BJP has decided to run a pro-CAA awareness campaign across the state from January 1 to 15 which will include door-to-door campaigning to contact 30 lakh households, social media campaign, and rallies in all district centres.

Salem, Dec 28 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami today said the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the opposition parties was due to political vendetta and to confuse the people.

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Mahadayi row: Centre facing hurdle in coming out with Gazette Notification: Shettar - United News of India