Republican party re-nominates Trump as presidential candidate and Mike Pence as his running mate
Washington: The Republican National Convention on Monday formally re-nominated President Donald Trump as the party's presidential candidate for the November 3 election.
Trump, 74, who faces a formidable challenge from former Democratic vice president Joe Biden, 77, is scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech from the South Lawn of the White House on August 27.
The once in four-year GOP (Grand Old Party) convention is being held in virtual mode due to the raging coronavirus pandemic. A small part of the official business of the convention is being held at Charlotte in North Carolina.
Trump was re-nominated following a roll call of votes from elected Republican Party delegates from all the 50 States.
Vice President Mike Pence, 61, was also re-nominated as the running mate of Trump.
Pence made a surprise appearance at Charlotte where the roll call vote was done. He will deliver his formal acceptance speech on Wednesday.
"We will be taking our case to the American people this week," Pence said soon after he and Trump were re-nominated by the party for the November election against the Biden-Harris Democratic ticket.
"It's going to be four more years. We are going to make America great again. Again," a confident Pence said.
Earlier, Trump's re-election campaign released a set of core priorities for a second term under the banner of Fighting for You!
Trump's boundless optimism and certainty in America's greatness is reflected in his second-term goals and stands in stark contrast to the gloomy vision of America projected by Biden and Democrats, the Trump campaign said.
Among top promises made by the Trump campaign for the second term included creating 10 million new jobs in 10 months, developing a vaccine for coronavirus by year end and return to normal in 2021.
The Trump campaign has also pledged to bring back one million manufacturing jobs from China, tax credits for companies that bring back jobs from China, no federal contracts for companies who outsource to China and hold China fully accountable for allowing the coronavirus to spread across the world.
In the second term, the campaign promises to block illegal immigrants from becoming eligible for taxpayer-funded welfare, healthcare, and free college tuition; mandatory deportation for non-citizen gang members and dismantle human trafficking networks.
The campaign has also pledged to prohibit American companies from replacing US citizens with cheaper foreign workers and require new immigrants to be able to support themselves financially.
Reiterating its commitment to a 'America First Foreign Policy', the campaign also promises to stop endless wars and bring troops home, get allies to pay their fair share, maintain and expand US' unrivaled military strength, wipe out global terrorists who threaten to harm Americans and build a great cybersecurity and missile defence systems.
On the first day of the convention, Trump's son Donald J Trump Jr would be the star speaker along with former India-American US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, and many others.
The speakers are expected to highlight the achievements of the Trump administration in the three-and-a-half years and launch a blistering attack on Democratic rivals Biden and Kamala Harris.
Led by Trump, the Republican leaders are expected to continue to accuse Biden of being taken by the radical left.
Economy, law and order and freedom is on the ballot, Pence said setting the tone of the speakers over the next four days.
Other speakers include Senator Tim Scott, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, congressmen Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan, RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
