Trump's top economic adviser resigns
Washington: Former Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn resigned on Tuesday from his post as chief economic adviser to President Donald Trump due to disagreement with the White House plan to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum.
"It has been an honor to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people, in particular the passage of historic tax reform. I am grateful to the President for giving me this opportunity and wish him and the Administration great success in the future," the 57-year-old Cohn said in a statement.
His resignation reportedly will take effect in the coming weeks.
"Gary has been my chief economic adviser and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again," said Trump in a statement released by the White House.
Cohn is the latest in a long list of Trump's close advisers to resign and the announcement comes just a few days after the departure of the president's faithful adviser and communications director, Hope Hicks.
The president announced last week that he would impose the tariffs despite the opposition of a large number of Republican lawmakers and Cohn.
The departure of Cohn, a Democrat who is a defender of free trade, could have a domino effect on the president's economic decisions and on the financial sector, given that last August the mere threat of his exit caused the investment markets to tumble.
Indeed, in after-hours trading, one exchange-traded fund measuring the broad US stock market - the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) - fell more than 1 percent after the news of Cohn's resignation broke.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
'Snakebites across country, do something': SC asks Centre to take states on board
New Delhi, Jan 27 (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday observed the issue of snakebites was prevalent "throughout the country" and asked the Centre to take all states on board to "do something" in making available snakebite treatment in medical facilities.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and S V N Bhatti was hearing a plea that said the country faced a significant public health crisis due to the scarcity of anti-venom, crucial in treating snakebites.
"You can take the states on board. The problem is throughout the country," the bench told the Centre's counsel.
It went on, "You can have a meeting with all the representatives of the states and try to do something. It is not an adversarial litigation."
The Centre's counsel said the government would place on record its steps taken on the issue.
The lawyers of some states said they would file their counter affidavit in the matter following which the bench granted them six weeks and posted the matter after that.
On December 13 last year, the apex court sought responses from the Centre and others on the plea filed by Shailendra Mani Tripathi, an advocate.
The plea sought directions to make available anti-venom and snakebite treatment at health centres, government hospitals and medical colleges to save lives of victims.
The plea, filed through advocate Chand Qureshi, argued India with the highest rate of snakebite deaths globally witnessed 58,000 fatalities approximately each year.
"Despite this much of high mortality rate there is scarcity of anti-venom (polyvenom)," it argued.
The plea said many rural areas in the country lacked adequate stocks of anti-venom, leading to delays in treatment for snakebite victims.
The plea therefore sought directions to conduct snakebite prevention health mission and public awareness campaigns to reduce mortality, particularly in rural areas.
It sought directions to establish snakebite treatment and care units along with specialised trained doctors as per standard medical norms in government district hospitals and medical colleges.
