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Trump to push agenda at 31st Asean Summit
Manila, Nov 13 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Monday attended the opening ceremony of the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit here, where he is set to discuss security issues with his fellow leaders.
Trump posed in the customary group photo and later took part in the traditional Asean leaders handshake, with the Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte standing next to him and with whom he is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting later on Monday, reports Efe news.
The US President is also scheduled to meet with Australian Prime Ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the day.
The Asean summit, which is set to conclude on Tuesday, and which is coupled with the East Asia Summit, includes bilateral and multilateral meets between the US, China, South Korea, Japan, India, the European Union, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the UN.
Trump will take the opportunity to address “North Korea’s growing threat”, as he said on Sunday at the end of his state visit to Vietnam, the penultimate stop of his fourth international trip and the first in Asia, that will end in the Philippines and has also taken him to Japan, South Korea and China.
Trump is also expected to coordinate with his regional partners in the fight against the Islamic State terror group, present in the southern Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.
His most eagerly-awaited bilateral meeting is the one he will hold with Duterte, the architect of the relentless and controversial “war on drugs” that has left more than 6,000 people dead throughout the Philippines in the last 16 months, almost 4,000 of them died at the hands of the police, according to official figures.
Several organisations have urged Trump to censure Duterte’s controversial war on drugs, but in May the US president praised its effectiveness to eliminate drug trafficking during a telephone conversation between both leaders.
The Philippines, Asean’s rotating chair for 2017, set the theme of “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World”, putting security and regional integrity high on the agenda, reports Xinhua news agency.
At the closing ceremony of the Asean summit and related summits on Tuesday, Duterte will hand over the chairmanship of Asean to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, the incoming chair for 2018.
Established in 1967, Asean, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
The Asean Community, with the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community as three pillars, was established at the end of 2015.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.