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Trump denies plans to replace Tillerson as Secretary of State
Washington, Dec 2 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has said he has no plan to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, though he acknowledged disagreements with the latter on certain subjects.
“The media has been speculating that I fired Rex Tillerson or that he would be leaving soon — FAKE NEWS! He’s not leaving and while we disagree on certain subjects, (I call the final shots) we work well together and America is highly respected again!” Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday, Efe news reported.
That was the President’s first public response after The New York Times quoted anonymous sources saying that Trump wanted to replace Tillerson with CIA director Mike Pompeo.
Tillerson also made his first statement on Friday in that regard and said the news is “laughable,” but avoided any mention of whether he has discussed the matter with the president.
“It’s laughable. It’s laughable,” he responded earlier to a question about how he’s handling the matter and what he’ll do about news that the White House seeks his resignation.
The news was repeated later by numerous US media including CNN and The Washington Post, also quoting anonymous sources.
Tillerson gave his terse reply about the matter at the State Department while welcoming Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.
On Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly told Tillerson it wasn’t true that Trump plans his ouster within the coming weeks or months.
Questioned insistently about the matter during her daily press conference, Nauert defended Tillerson by saying he’s “committed to doing this job”.
She added, however, that the top diplomat “does serve at the pleasure of the president”.
Asked if Tillerson would fight to keep his job despite all the rumors going around, the spokeswoman said she’d rather not get involved in such speculation.
She acknowledged that Trump and Tillerson “have certainly had areas of disagreement” that are well-known, and gave as an example their opposite positions on climate change.
At a parallel press conference, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders avoided giving a “yes” or “no” answer to the question of whether Trump has confidence in Tillerson.
“When the president loses confidence in somebody they will no longer be here,” was all Sanders would say.
As for Tillerson’s future, Sanders said that he and the president “are continuing to work together to close out what we’ve seen has been an incredible year.”
–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.