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$30B-plus Louisiana operating budget receives House support

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Louisiana House on Tuesday backed a $30 billion-plus spending plan for next year that uses federal coronavirus aid to keep programs and services on an even keel despite the pandemic.

The package of budget bills — approved in a quick afternoon of House votes rather than the daylong debate of years past — heads to the Senate for debate with one week remaining in the regular legislative session. Senators don’t expect to complete their work before that deadline. Instead, the Legislature is expected to finish the budget in a special session that starts immediately after the regular session ends Monday.

Lawmakers voted unanimously for the operating budget for the 2021-21 financial year that begins July 1, along with separate measures to allocate dollars to legislative and judicial agencies. In addition, the House agreed to a proposal that would rebalance this year’s budget and close gaps that emerged because of the virus outbreak.

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The plans are largely in line with Gov. John Bel Edwards’ recommendations for spending available federal aid, using the state’s “rainy day” fund and avoiding steep slashing to agencies.

Modest cuts would fall on the health department, public college campuses and other departments. The TOPS college tuition program, the K-12 school financing formula, the social services agency and prisons would be spared reductions. Spending increases proposed before the pandemic for teacher pay, colleges and early learning programs have been removed because Louisiana can no longer afford them. Legislative agencies would get more money, as would the judicial branch.

The largest point of financial disagreement between the majority-Republican Legislature and the Democratic governor centers on an $1.8 billion slice of direct federal aid allocated to Louisiana by Congress to respond to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

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Nearly $1 billion would be used to rebalance this year’s budget and help craft next year’s spending plans. But Edwards and GOP lawmakers disagree about how to spend the remaining $811 million.

The governor intended to steer that money to local government agencies to help them with their COVID-19 response, though the Edwards administration has acknowledged those agencies likely won’t have enough expenses that meet the federal aid criteria.

Armed with that information, Republican lawmakers are proposing to use $200 million of the money for small business grants — and they’re suggesting a different method for divvying up the $611 million to local government than the program the Edwards administration created. The House is scheduled to take up that bill Thursday.

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The coronavirus blew a $1 billion hole in Louisiana’s income projections for next year, along with creating a shortfall in the budget year that ends June 30. The state’s tax collections are being hammered by widespread unemployment and shuttered businesses from the virus outbreak and a resulting steep dive in oil prices.

The budget bills would use nearly $1.2 billion in federal assistance approved by Congress to respond to the pandemic: $991 million from the direct federal payment and $190 million in increased federal Medicaid financing. The state also would tap the rainy day fund for $90 million, using about $45 million less than the full amount available.

The federal aid will fall away a year later, creating a significant budget gap if the economy — and the state’s tax collections — don’t rebound from the virus outbreak.

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The full package of budget bills, covering executive, legislative and judicial branch agencies, tops $35 billion. About $19 billion of that is state financing, while the rest comes from the federal government.

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AP coverage of the pandemic can be found at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak

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Follow Melinda Deslatte on Twitter at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte

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(Note: This is a Article Automatically Generated Through Syndication, Here is The Original Source

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Galgotias University Students Protest Against ‘Urban Maxwell’ Triggered Meme Fest!

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Galgotias University Students Protests Against 'Urban Maxwell' Triggered Meme Fest!

The internet is currently divided following a viral video that showed remarks by students from Galgotias University about Sam Pitroda, the Chair of the Indian Overseas Congress, regarding the ‘inheritance tax’.

As per Business Standard, this incident that has filled the entire nation with laughter took place in Greater Noida. Purposedly, the students of Galgotias University held a protest in Delhi. 

Galgotias University Students Rally With ‘Unclear’ Agenda Spark Meme Frenzy

When an AajTak reporter reached the protest site, he questioned the students engaged in the protests. The reporter asked the students the motive behind their protest and the message their placards conveyed. 

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Students seemed clueless about the questions asked. While responses from other students were even funny and laughable. 

Thus, the video showcasing students’ response has gone viral all over the social media platforms. The video has also garnered funny reactions from netizens online. 

Meme Fest All Over the Internet 

When the students were questioned, their relies on were just a comedy of errors.

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One student stated that his motive behind the protest was his desire for a developed India. However, he lacked the basic specifics. 

Another student acknowledged that he was clueless regarding the Congress manifesto. Several protestors even struggled to read what was printed on their placards. 

When a student was asked to read the slogan written on the placard, the student read ‘urban naxal’ as ‘urban maxwell.’

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It seemed that the protest was made to touch a range of issues in the nation, such as women’s empowerment, urban naxalism, NaMo’s stand on mangalsutra and wealth redistribution, inheritance tax and many more. However, clarity remains elusive. 

Videos circulating on social media garnered mixed reactions. Some laughed while others their criticism and showed disappointment at the students’ lack of awareness.

Responses received from students even triggered a meme fest all over the internet. Take a look!

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Also Read: Christopher Bouie Jr Video: Minor Arrested For Sanford, Florida Shooting Leaving 10 Injured

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India News

AstraZeneca’s Covishield To Cause Rare Yet Serious Side Effects

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AstraZeneca's Covishield To Cause Rare Yet Serious Side Effects

A huge update for those who were a part of COVID vaccination programs! Rare side effects of the vaccination have surfaced, questioned by numerous health experts.

The Economic Times reported that AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, has legally acknowledged that its product, Covishield, can cause certain rare side effects.

AstraZeneca developed Covishield, which was produced by the Serum Institute of India. In India, Covishield was one of the primary vaccines provided to citizens.

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AstraZeneca’s Statements

AstraZeneca is currently facing a lawsuit in a UK court. The lawsuit was filed after claims surfaced on the internet that AstraZeneca’s vaccine caused deaths. To date, 51 deaths have been reported, hence 51 cases have been filed against the company.

AstraZeneca finally admitted in one of the court papers that, “Covishield can, in very rare cases, cause TTS.” TTS stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, a medical expert, told ANI,

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“TTS is thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, which is basically a clot in the blood vessels of the brain or elsewhere, along with a low platelet count. It is known to occur in very rare instances following certain types of vaccines and also from other causes. According to the WHO, adenovirus vector vaccines, in particular, have rarely been associated with this condition.”

TTS: About, Diagnosis, Treatment

TTS, or Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, is a serious yet rare health condition characterized by low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) along with the formation of blood clots (thrombosis).

Various symptoms associated with TTS include neurological deficits, shortness of breath, leg swelling, abdominal pain, and severe headaches.

TTS can be diagnosed if blood tests are conducted to assess the levels of platelets in the blood. Moreover, to detect blood clots, imaging studies are required, reported the Times of India.

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TTS can be treated with a multidisciplinary approach. It includes supportive care, anticoagulation therapy to prevent blood clotting, and hospitalization.

To manage and stabilize platelet levels in the body, plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) can also be performed.

Patients with TTS are prone to severe complications like death and organ damage. Hence, close monitoring of patients by healthcare providers is a must.

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Also Read: Online doctor consultations in India increase by 4 times after the Covid-19 pandemic: Report

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Report: Gangster Goldy Brar Is Alive, Confirms US Police

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Report: Sidhu Moosewala Murder Case Prime Suspect, Goldy Brar Is Alive 

The prime suspect in the murder case of a famous Punjabi singer, Goldy Brar, is alive, reported TOI.

Goldy is the infamous Canadian gangster who was earlier rumored to be dead in an alleged incident that took place at Fairmont and Holt Avenue last Tuesday.

In the incident, one of the two individuals reportedly got gunshot wound and succumbed to injuries at the hospital. You can read our story about California shooting incident in which Goldy Brar allegedly got shot here.

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As per the US police, reports of Goldy’s disappearance were circulating all over the internet on Tuesday. However, the U.S. authorities clarified the rumors of Brar’s disappearance in a California shooting incident are untrue. 

The claims were refuted by the Fresno police department and labeled them as fake. William J. Dooley, the Lieutenant, debunked online speculations and announced that the victim of the California shooting was not Goldy Brar. 

William J. Dooley stated,

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“If you are inquiring because of the online chatter claiming that the shooting victim is ‘Goldy Brar’, we can confirm that this is absolutely not true.”

Who is Goldy Brar?

Goldy Brar, hailing from Muktsar Sahib, Punjab, is a close ally of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. It is anticipated that he is the mastermind behind the assassination of Sidhu Moose Wala, the Punjabi pop icon. 

According to The Economic Times, in January 2024, Satinderjit Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, was designated as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the anti-terror law, UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act). 

Orders by the government-linked Goldy Brar to a listed terrorist organization under the UAPA, Babbar Khalsa International. 

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Goldy Brar has never ceased to vanish from police’s eyes since he murdered Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. His father also was a Police Officer himself.

After completing his graduation and getting a BS degree, he has been operating from Canada remotely. 

Last year Goldy’s statement, targetting Bollywood superstar Salman Khan next made huge media headlines.

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