US ends Syria development fund, says Trump; urges 'rich countries' to pay
Washington, Aug 19 : US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the US has ended the development fund for Syria, urging "rich countries" to pay instead.
In a tweet, Trump said "the US has ended the ridiculous $230 million yearly development payment to Syria."
"Saudi Arabia and other rich countries in the Middle East will start making payments instead of the US," he said. "I want to develop the US, our military and countries that help us!"
Earlier on Friday, the US State Department said that the fund, which was targeted to support the stabilization initiative in Syria, has been ordered to be redirected, ramping up speculation that it would be withdrawn from the country.
US former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced on February 13 that the US pledges $200 million in support of the anti-IS coalition efforts and recovery commitment in Syria, Xinhua reported.
However, Trump reportedly ordered in March a hold on the funds, demanding more information on how the money is being used, and urging other countries to step up to the plate and pay more.
He also said that his country will withdraw its troops in Syria "very soon," triggering speculation of the US possible retreat from Syria. Syria has always denounced the US military action in the country as uninvited aggression.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
