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<br /> In the run up to the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, there was a huge controversy when <keyword id="1275069" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sanjay-Baru">Sanjay Baru</keyword>, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s media advisor, released a book <em><keyword id="2193106" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="The-Accidental-Prime-Minister">The Accidental Prime Minister</keyword>: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh</em>. In this book, he alleged that the PM did not exercise full control over the government and was remote-controlled by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.<br />
<br /> However, this was not a one-off case in Indian politics. There have many instances of ‘<keyword id="2443943" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Accidental-Chief-Ministers">accidental chief ministers</keyword>’ taking office in various states. The latest example is Bihar’s new <keyword id="5269" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chief-Minister">Chief Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6385519" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jitan-Ram-Manjhi">Jitan Ram Manjhi</keyword>. Following the dismal performance of his party, the Janata Dal (United), in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, <keyword id="6358190" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Nitish-Kumar">Nitish Kumar</keyword> played the tried and tested caste card and anointed Manjhi – who belongs to the Musahar caste (the most backward caste among the Dalits) – as the state’s chief minister. Manjhi is not known for his administrative skills and is widely regarded as Nitish’s ‘puppet.’ BJP’s <keyword id="6364740" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Sushil-Kumar-Modi">Sushil Kumar Modi</keyword>, Bihar’s former deputy chief minister, even dubbed Manjhi as "<keyword id="2443948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="dummy-chief-minister">dummy chief minister</keyword>."<br />
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<span>In Bihar itself, on July 25, 1997, the then Chief Minister Lalu Yadav was forced to quit after an arrest warrant was issued against him in connection with the <keyword id="6362256" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fodder-scam">fodder scam</keyword> case. In order to retain hold on power, he brazenly installed his wife <keyword id="6362315" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rabri-Devi">Rabri Devi</keyword>, who was not only a political novice but was also illiterate, as chief minister of Bihar.</span><br />
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	<span lang="EN-GB">Rabri Devi earned the dubious distinction of being the <keyword id="2443949" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="first-illiterate-chief-minister">first illiterate chief minister</keyword> of a state. Interestingly, in the press conference following her swearing-in ceremony, Lalu asked reporters not to pose tricky questions to her as she was new to politics and a “seedhi-saadi aurat.”<br />
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	 <span>In the neighbouring state of Jharkhand, Madhu Koda, an independent MLA, was propped up as chief minister by Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, <keyword id="6362712" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Jharkhand-Mukti-Morcha">Jharkhand Mukti Morcha</keyword> and the Congress. It was Lalu’s masterstroke to keep the BJP away from power. It was also for the first time that an independent MLA was made the chief minister of a state.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
He is known only for the large-scale corruption that marked his rule. Koda allegedly took huge bribes for illegally allotting iron ore and coal mining contracts as the chief minister of the state. According to estimates, Koda and his associates accumulated Rs 4,000 crore in the mining scam. He was also arrested and he is currently out on bail.<br />
<br /> In Maharashtra, <keyword id="6356262" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Prithviraj-Chavan">Prithviraj Chavan</keyword> was appointed the chief minister after Ashok Chavan had to step down from the chief minister's post after the allegations of his involvement in the Adarsh Housing Society scam. Prithviraj Chavan, who is not a significant political figure, has still not been able to have a firm grip either on the party or the government. He had no experience of the state politics of Maharashtra and was directly paratrooped as the state’s chief minister. Although he has been in politics for almost three decades, he was never a member of the state legislature.<br />
<br /> <keyword id="172066" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sadanand-Gowda">Sadanand Gowda</keyword>, who is the current railway minister, was the self-proclaimed ‘accidental chief minister' as he had himself once admitted that he was an accidental CM. He said he had never thought he would become chief minister one day. Gowda said his “politics of love” was the reason behind his accomplishment.<br />

The Making And Unmaking Of Accidental Chief Ministers

Geneva, May 14 (AP) The World Health Organization's director-general has faced many challenges during the coronavirus pandemic: racial slurs, death threats, social media caricatures - he was once depicted as a ventriloquist's dummy in the hands of Chinese President Xi Jinping - and U.S. funding cuts.<p>Through it all, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has endeavored to rise above the troubles with a focus on one main task: Building international "solidarity" against an outbreak whose confirmed death toll is nearly 300,000 and that quelled economic activity in countries rich and poor. </p><p>Many health policy experts have praised his handling of the outbreak overall, despite criticism of the U.N. health agency by the Trump administration.</p><p>Next week, Tedros' track record and background will come under intensified scrutiny as WHO holds its biggest annual event - the World Health Assembly - in a "virtual" and abbreviated version that focuses on COVID-19.</p><p>Critics and some analysts cite his background as a government minister in Ethiopia, with its history of authoritarian regimes. </p><p>Not long after taking office in 2017, Tedros appointed Zimbabwe's then president, Robert Mugabe, who often traveled abroad to receive health care, as a WHO "goodwill ambassador," only to revoke the appointment after a wave of outrage erupted.</p><p>Most recently, Trump has faulted WHO for being too accepting and praising of China's handling of the early outbreak, wedging Tedros personally in the tense political standoff between the U.S. and China. He has shied away from criticizing the two powerful U.N. members, and has praised both President Donald Trump and Xi - even while leaving hints seemingly directed at Beijing and Washington.</p><p>"Don't use this virus as an opportunity to fight against each other or score political points. It's dangerous," he said recently, appealing to the world. </p><p>"It's the political problem that may fuel further this pandemic." Tedros, 55, knows about the punishing sides to both politics and pandemics: A malaria expert with a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Nottingham in Britain, he served as health minister and foreign minister in Ethiopia before his election in 2017 in one of WHO's most competitive races.</p><p>He's the first WHO chief from Africa, and the first who doesn't have a medical degree - seen as a hole in his resume by some critics.</p><p>Tedros was born in the city of Asmara, before it and the rest of Eritrea split from Ethiopia. Like many Ethiopians, he goes by his first name. A father of five, he has tweeted about riding bikes with his daughter. A few years ago, he tried out the saxophone, but give it up because of a heavy workload.</p><p>Years ago, Tedros was spotted as a rising star of health policy by Melinda Gates, whose charitable foundation has become WHO's No. 2 donor. He has been credited for helping expand Ethiopia's health care workforce as health minister from 2005 to 2012.</p><p>Tedros often uses wit, feigned ignorance and charm to disarm or sidestep critics. He has drawn on the star power of Lady Gaga and garnered support from European leaders, and called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez "mi hermano": my brother. He bills himself "Dr. Tedros," leaning on his doctorate, and actively tweets to a million followers.</p><p>No stranger to the personal anecdote, Tedros once said it was "pure luck" for him to aspire to the top WHO job, noting that when he was 7, his younger brother died from a childhood disease - and it could just as easily have been him.</p><p>Dr. Lia Tadesse, Ethiopia's current health minister, who worked with Tedros when he had her job, said he was known for showing calm, patience and a good ear.</p><p>"While he was a minister, he was known to really care for people who are considered at the lowest level of the strata, like the cleaner, the security guard and so on," she said by phone. "He takes time to listen to their problems, and really recognize their efforts." </p><p>Tedros has played down death threats against him, but has stood up to defend Africa. </p><p>He has blasted the government of Taiwan, which isn't a U.N. member state, for allegedly condoning "racial slurs" against him. Taiwan's current government has faced intense political pressure from rival China, and has been appealing for admission as an observer to the World Health Assembly on Monday and Tuesday.</p><p>Political sniping between the U.S. and China, and Tedros' own political baggage, can make it tough to cut through the noise during a global health emergency.</p>"If you criticize the WHO and Tedros, you're somehow seen as a supporter of the Trump administration and their clearly self-serving attacks to shift blame from their own failure," said Jeffrey Smith, director of Washington-based Vanguard Africa, a promoter of democracy. (AP) RS  RSRS

UN health agency chief unbowed amid attacks, Trump criticism

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told Business Insider on Thursday that he is demanding a formal apology from The Wall Street Journal for <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-gop-on-economics-1447224376">an editorial that panned his free-trade policies</a>.<p>"In other words, they said, 'Donald Trump made a mistake in his speech.' And I didn't. It was said perfectly," the real-estate mogul said during an interview at his Trump Tower office.</p><p>"And when you read my transcript - that's the transcript of my speech," he said, handing out a typed copy of his debate remarks, "it's perfect. So now we've demanded an apology from The Wall Street Journal."</p><p>The <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-gop-on-economics-1447224376">editorial in question</a> pointed to Trump's strong opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership during this week's Fox Business Network debate, which was cosponsored&#xa0;by The Journal.</p><p>"Mr. Trump called it a 'terrible deal,' though it wasn't obvious that he has any idea what's in it," the editorial board opined.</p><p>The board continued: "His one specific criticism was its failure to deal with Chinese currency manipulation. But it took Rand Paul to point out that China isn't part of the deal and would be happy if the agreement collapsed so the US would have less economic influence in Asia."</p><p>This was a reference to a debate exchange in which&#xa0;Trump repeatedly blasted the Pacific Rim trade deal for not addressing Chinese currency manipulation. US Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), a presidential-candidate rival, memorably shot back that China is not part of the agreement.</p><p>But Trump insists that he knew what he was talking about. He pointed to his frequently stated argument that China would enter the trade&#xa0;pact&#xa0;through some kind of "back door," something he said during the debate before he blasted the country's currency-manipulation policies.</p><p>"I hope you can cover The Wall Street Journal," Trump told Business Insider. "The Wall Street Journal should call me and ask me if they had any questions. Because I've made 20 speeches on the TPP. They said I didn't know anything about the TPP."</p><p>Paul Gigot, editor of The Journal's editorial page, told Business Insider that his newspaper backs the piece.</p><p>"We stand by the editorial, which is accurate, though Mr. Trump is welcome to write a letter to the editor in response," Gigot said in a statement, pointing to <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/ending-chinas-currency-manipulation-1447115601">this week's Trump op-ed in The Journal</a>. "On Tuesday we published his op-ed on China's currency policies."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>But Trump's complaints about The Journal were hardly limited to his interview with Business Insider.</p><p>In a tweetstorm and two separate Fox News interviews earlier in the day, the leading Republican presidential candidate called for a resignation, demanded an apology, called staffers there "dummies," and more.</p><p>"There's so much misinformation," Trump said <a href="http://video.foxnews.com/v/4608901144001/trump-speaks-out-against-raising-minimum-wage/?playlist_id=938973798001#sp=show-clips">on "Fox and Friends."</a> "They aren't a respected paper too much anymore."</p><p>"I know that China's not in the deal. And if they look at my speeches, they'll see I talk about it all the time. This deal is going to be a great deal for China," he added&#xa0;<a href="http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4608943068001/trump-it-is-realistic-to-deport-all-illegal-immigrants/?playlist_id=937116503001#sp=show-clips">on the Fox Business Network</a>.</p><p>"I'm suggesting that The Wall Street Journal editorial board doesn't know what they're talking about, that they're third-rate," Trump continued. "They write so many bad editorials. Whoever the editorial-board top person is - and I think I actually know who the top person is - they ought to resign because they're incompetent."</p><p>Trump has repeatedly complained about The Journal in the past, including a tweet last month.</p><p>"Wall Street Journal loves to write badly about me. They better be careful or I will unleash big time on them. Look forward to it!" he wrote.</p><p>On the other hand, as recently as Wednesday, Trump praised the paper's editor-in-chief for <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/664578984693354498">his "elegant" moderating</a> during this week's Fox Business Network debate.</p><p>And here's Trump series of Thursday tweets stinging the newspaper:</p><p><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-canadian-prime-minister-has-gender-balanced-cabinet-2015-11">The new Canadian prime minister was asked why he has a gender-balanced cabinet, and he gave a great answer</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="d2a2FueDoGayAoPrn1r1BU3XM7Rad8bl" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

DONALD TRUMP: The 'dummies' at The Wall Street Journal owe me an apology

<p>Welcome back to <strong><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">10 Things in Politics</a>. <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/10-things-in-politics">Sign up here to receive this newsletter</a>. </strong>Plus, download Insider's app for news on the go - click <a href="https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id554260576">here for iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freerange360.mpp.businessinsider">here for Android</a>. Send tips to <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a>.</p><p><strong>Here's what we're talking about:</strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fauci-guidance-trick-or-treat-celebrate-halloween-covid-coronavirus-mask-2021-10"></a></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-democrats-strip-family-medical-leave-from-spending-package-2021-10">Democrats are said to be stripping paid family and medical leave from Biden's signature spending package</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-clark-trump-slow-coup-doj-2020-election-2021-10">How a disgraced Trump official got 'canceled' for backing the president's election conspiracies</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-us-general-china-hypersonic-weapon-test-near-sputnik-moment-2021-10">Top US general says China's hypersonic weapon test is close to a 'Sputnik moment'</a></li></ul><p><em style="color: #222222;">With Phil Rosen.</em></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>1. MORE DEM DRAMA: </strong>President Joe Biden's agenda is on the chopping block. In an effort to wrap up Democrats' massive spending plan, lawmakers are leaving some of the president's core campaign promises on the cutting-room floor. The latest victim <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-democrats-strip-family-medical-leave-from-spending-package-2021-10">appears to be Biden's paid-leave plan</a>, which multiple reports indicate is likely to be jettisoned from the bill because Sen. Joe Manchin opposes its inclusion. That would leave the US remaining the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/25/upshot/paid-leave-democrats.html">only wealthy nation in the world</a> without a federal paid-leave program.</p><p><strong>Here's where things stand:</strong></p><p><strong>Biden is expected to make the case himself later this morning: </strong><a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/27/top-dems-social-spending-deal-manchin-sinema-517332">He's delaying the start of a major foreign trip to address House Democrats directly</a> both on the massive spending plan and on a separate bipartisan infrastructure bill that has been held up by infighting over the social plan, Politico reports.</p><ul><li><strong>There are hard feelings just down the hall too: </strong>The Twitter habit of the White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, is well documented. It's why many took note last night when he retweeted a dour read on where things stand.</li></ul><p><a href="https://twitter.com/EricLevitz/status/1453489603739013123?s=20"><u style="color: #222222;"><div type="image" title="Ron Klain tweet" height="358" width="1186" msid="87336320" hostid="261"></div></u></a></p><p><strong>Progressives are fuming: </strong>Sen. Bernie Sanders told reporters "the very fabric of American democracy is in danger" if progressive policies were left out of the spending bill. Among the provisions Sanders emphasized were those that would lower prescription-drug prices; expand Medicare to cover vision, hearing and dental; address the climate crisis; and raise taxes on the rich.</p><ul><li><strong>Some centrist Democrats aren't happy either: </strong>Vulnerable House Democrats told The Washington Post that lowering prescription-drug prices, expanding Medicare coverage for areas like vision and dental, and starting a massive paid-leave program helped power the party's 2018 midterm wave. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-paid-leave-prescription-drugs/2021/10/27/826818de-3730-11ec-9a5d-93a89c74e76d_story.html">More on House Democrats' fears that their favored ideas would be left out</a>.</li></ul><p><strong>Here's what's on the chopping block: </strong>Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and some other lawmakers are said to be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/21/us/politics/drug-prices-democrats.html">opposed to a plan</a> to give Medicare more power to negotiate lower drug prices. Manchin's opposition to many of the bill's original climate-related proposals <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-manchin-clean-energy-biden-climate-crisis-plan-2021-10">has also sparked major changes</a>.</p><ul><li><strong>There are still questions about how to pay for it all: </strong>Democrats appeared to be coalescing around a plan to tax the US's roughly 700 billionaires. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-ditch-billionaire-tax-proposal-says-house-tax-writer-report-2021-10">But opposition from Manchin and a powerful House lawmaker appears to have doomed that too</a>.</li></ul><p><strong><div type="image" title="Jeff Clark and Jeff Rosen" height="4368" width="6552" msid="87336324" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><strong>2. How Jeffrey Clark got "canceled" after Trump's slow-coup attempt: </strong>The Trump taint is sticking to Jeffrey Bossert Clark. It's the byproduct of his service in the waning days of the tumultuous Republican administration when he tried to take over the Justice Department as part of President Donald Trump's last-ditch effort to overturn the 2020 election results. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-clark-trump-slow-coup-doj-2020-election-2021-10">Read more about what Clark is doing 10 months later, including how he has been shunned by his old law firm and had his name scrubbed from a new one</a>.</p><p><strong>3. CDC adds mood disorders to list of eligible conditions for a booster shot: </strong>Healthcare experts told The Post that the addition of depression and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders to a long list of mostly physical conditions wasn't surprising given long-settled research. Currently, eligibility for a booster in the US is limited to older Americans, those who work in high-risk settings, or those with underlying health conditions. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-mental-health-mood-disorders-high-risk-for-covid-2021-10">The change means millions more people could be able to receive a booster shot</a>.</p><p><strong>Confused about boosters?: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-chart-who-needs-a-booster-shot-based-on-risk-2021-10">This chart can tell you whether you actually need one</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cdc-chart-who-needs-a-booster-shot-based-on-risk-2021-10"><strong><div type="image" title="graph showing number of people needed to be vaccinated with a booster in order to prevent one hospitalization over 6 months (showing much fewer needed among adults over 65)" height="675" width="1209" msid="87336326" hostid="261"></div></strong></a></p><p><strong>4. Top US general says China's hypersonic weapon test is close to a "Sputnik moment": </strong>Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the reported recent test a "very significant event," though Beijing has denied any such test happened. Milley's comments follow those of other senior US military officials sounding the alarm about China's growing military might and emerging strike capabilities. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-us-general-china-hypersonic-weapon-test-near-sputnik-moment-2021-10">More on how the US military is keeping close tabs on China</a>.</p><p><strong>5. Biden heading on a major international trip with few ambassadors in place: </strong>Biden lags considerably behind Trump in how many of his ambassador selections have been confirmed by the Senate up to this point, The Post reports. So far, the Senate has confirmed just four nominees to be a US ambassador to a foreign government. Republican senators, led by Ted Cruz of Texas, have held up what is usually a routine process over other policy disagreements. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-ambassadors-cruz/2021/10/27/c196b770-359d-11ec-9a5d-93a89c74e76d_story.html">More on the blockade and what Democrats say it's doing to America's standing abroad</a>.</p><p><strong>6. Iran is returning to nuclear talks: </strong>Ali Bagheri, the Iranian deputy foreign minister, said Tehran was involved in a "very serious and constructive dialogue" with the European Union. Iran suspended the indirect talks with the US, which began in April in Vienna, following Ebrahim Raisi's victory in the country's presidential election in June. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-says-returning-nuclear-deal-talks-after-stalling-for-months-2021-10">More on the news</a>.</p><p><strong>7. State Department issues first "X gender" passport: </strong>A State Department spokesman said the move was a step toward inclusion for nonbinary, intersex, and gender-nonconforming people. Secretary of State Antony Blinken first announced the new policy in June; it also means people can self-select "M" or "F" on passports without the need for medical certification. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/state-department-issues-first-x-gender-passport-nonbinary-intersex-lgbtq-2021-10">More on the milestone</a>.</p><p><strong>8. There's a new federal inquiry into Facebook: </strong>The Federal Trade Commission is looking into the social network's internal research examining the harms its products can have, The Wall Street Journal reports. Facebook has repeatedly argued the information released by the whistleblower Frances Haugen has been misinterpreted. One issue the FTC is likely to explore is whether Facebook should've warned users about the risks it knew about or suspected. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-ftc-privacy-kids-11635289993?mod=hp_lead_pos6">Everything else you need to know about the latest layer of scrutiny on Facebook</a>.</p><p><strong>9.</strong> <strong>Assistant director didn't check the gun he handed to Alec Baldwin</strong><strong>: </strong>The assistant director on the New Mexico set of Baldwin's film "Rust" told authorities he didn't check to make sure all the rounds in the barrel of the revolver used in last week's deadly shooting were dummy rounds, according to a newly filed court document. Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza told reporters the gun was a .45 Long Colt revolver from which Baldwin fired a bullet. <a href="https://www.insider.com/assistant-director-rust-didnt-check-all-rounds-prop-gun-police-2021-10">Here's what else we're learning about the case</a>.</p><p><strong><div type="image" title="Olivia Rodrigo" height="2662" width="3993" msid="87336328" hostid="261"></div></strong></p><p><strong>10. Olivia Rodrigo said Biden gave her Aviator sunglasses when she visited the White House:</strong> On a guest appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the "Good 4 U" singer said Biden also gave her M&amp;Ms. She also received a shoehorn, which Rodrigo said was "strange." <a href="http://insider.com/joe-biden-gave-olivia-rodrigo-aviator-sunglasses-candy-shoehorn-2021-10">See the rest of the teen star's comments</a>.</p><p><em><strong>Today's trivia question: </strong>In light of Halloween, which future president made his first appearance on "Saturday Night Live" wearing a mask of himself during a cold-open sketch about another candidate's Halloween party? Email your answer and a suggested question to me at <a href="mailto:bgriffiths@insider.com">bgriffiths@insider.com</a>.</em></p><ul><li><strong><em>Yesterday's answer: </em></strong><em>Woodrow Wilson was the first sitting president to attend the World Series. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/upshot/the-president-attends-the-world-series.html">He brought his newly announced fiancée, Edith Bolling Galt, to Game 2 of the 1915 fall classic</a>.</em></li></ul>

10 Things in Politics: Dems slash Biden's agenda in search for a deal

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday unveiled a new settlement named "Trump Heights" in the disputed Golan Heights region.</strong></li><li><strong>Netanyahu called the event "historic" and said the community was named in honor of "a very great friend of the State of Israel."&#xa0;</strong></li><li><strong>But according to <a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5507855,00.html">Ynet News</a>, Trump Heights replaces the name of an existing village called Beruchim, home to about 10 people.</strong></li><li><strong>Critics <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-plans-no-budget-trump-heights-inauguration-slammed-as-a-pr-stunt/">dismissed</a> the move as a PR stunt with no actual planning, and its creation is not legally binding.&#xa0;</strong></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday unveiled a new settlement named "Trump Heights" in the disputed Golan Heights region.</p><p>The name, a nod to the US President, follows Trump's formal <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netanyahu-white-house-trump-recognizes-golan-heights-israel-2019-3">recognition for Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights</a>. The Golan Heights, a mostly hilly region which borders Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and Israel considers it a part of its state, though much of the international community considers it to be occupied territory.&#xa0;</p><p>In a ceremony on Sunday, Netanyahu unveiled the community's sign complete with interlaced Israeli and US flags, and <a href="http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Spokesman/Pages/spoke_start160619.aspx">said</a> the move honored "a very great friend of the State of Israel."</p><p>"We are proud that we have this opportunity to establish the community and also honor a great friend," Netanyahu told the press. "This is a historic day for us."&#xa0;</p><p><strong><em>Read more: </em></strong><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netanyahu-white-house-trump-recognizes-golan-heights-israel-2019-3">Netanyahu joins Trump at the White House as the president officially recognizes the Golan Heights as part of Israel</a></em></p><p>US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman tweeted on Sunday that this was the first time Israel has dedicated a village to a sitting president since Harry Truman in 1949. He also extended birthday wishes to Trump.&#xa0;</p><p>Trump on Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1140443450321657866">called</a> the naming a "great honor."</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5507855,00.html">Ynet News</a>, Trump Heights replaces the name of an existing village called Beruchim, home to about 10 people. The settlement borders a larger community called Qela, which protested the name change over concern that their community would become part of "Trump Heights."</p><p>Critics <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-plans-no-budget-trump-heights-inauguration-slammed-as-a-pr-stunt/">dismissed</a> the move as a PR stunt meant to stroke the ego of the US president. Member of Knesset Zvi Hauser noted that the establishment of the community is in concept only.&#xa0;</p><p>"Those who read the fine print of this 'historic' decision understand that it is a dummy decision," he <a href="https://twitter.com/ZviHauser/status/1139192249386975232">wrote</a> on Twitter. "<span>There is no budgeting, no planning, no location and no real binding decision."</span></p><p>Nadav Eyal, Chief International Correspondent for Reshet News, <a href="https://twitter.com/NadavEyalDesk/status/1140200015815741440">noted</a> that the interim Israeli government can't legally follow through with the development of a new community while <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-elections-will-netanyahu-win-again-2019-5">new elections have been called</a>.&#xa0;</p><p>&#xa0;</p><div></div><div></div><div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-allows-hate-speech-harassment-steven-crowder-carlos-maza-2019-6">YouTube is in dangerous territory after not removing a video that ridiculed a Vox producer for being gay</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Israel unveils a new settlement called 'Trump Heights', which isn't actually new and doesn't even really exist

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Spencer Platt/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Wilbur Ross.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Wilbur Ross, President Donald Trump's commerce secretary, has financial ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin's son-in-law.</strong></li><li><strong>The revelation was included in a massive trove of leaked documents, dubbed the "Paradise Papers," that were obtained by the International Consortium of Journalists.</strong></li><li><strong>Ross failed to disclose his business ties to a member of Putin's inner circle during his confirmation hearings earlier this year.</strong></li></ul><p><br />Newly leaked documents show that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, President Donald Trump's point man on trade and manufacturing policy, has a stake in a company that does business with a gas producer partly owned by the son-in-law of Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p><p>According to records obtained by the International Consortium of Journalists, Ross is an investor in Navigator Holdings, a shipping giant that counts Russian gas and petrochemical producer Sibur among its major customers. Putin's son-in-law Kirill Shamalov once owned more than 20 percent of the company, but now holds a much smaller stake.</p><p>ICIJ disclosed the Ross holding as part of reporting on 13.4 million records of offshore entities in tax havens leaked to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. The newspaper then shared the records with ICIJ and a network of more than 380 journalists in 67 countries. The New York Times is its U.S. partner in this inquiry.</p><p>The Times earlier reported on the Ross holding.</p><p>Commerce Department spokesman James Rockas said Ross "never met" Shamalov and has generally supported the Trump administration's sanctions against Russia, according to the ICIJ report. Rockas added that Ross has withdrawn from matters related to transoceanic shipping vessels and has met the "highest ethical standards."</p><h2>'Fake transparency'</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Mike Segar</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump and Wilbur Ross.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The document dump indicates that Ross was not entirely forthcoming about his financial dealings during his confirmation process in January. </p><p>On January 15, Ross submitted a letter to the Department of Commerce detailing the steps he was taking to avoid possible conflicts of interest. As part of that, Ross said he would sever ties with over 80 companies he was linked to and which could have posed a dilemma if he joined the Trump administration.</p><p>However, as <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/leaked-documents-show-commerce-secretary-concealed-ties-putin-cronies-n817711" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NBC News reported</a> on Sunday, although Ross divested most of his holdings, he was not entirely transparent about the financial interests he continued to maintain.   </p><p>In the letter, per NBC <keyword id="6355005" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="News">News</keyword>, Ross created two separate lists: one which included the interests he planned to divest, and another which included those he planned to keep. Four out of the nine entities included on the second list were companies based in the Cayman Islands which were represented by Appleby, the Bermuda-based law firm where most of the "Paradise Papers" were originally housed. </p><p>The four Cayman Island companies are linked to two other financial entities: WLR Recovery Fund IV DSS AIV L.P., and WLR Recovery Fund V DSS AIV L.P. Both entities were listed in Ross' financial disclosure form prior to his confirmation, but he did not say that he would retain his interests in them. Those two entities, in turn, control nearly a 33% stake in Navigator Holdings. </p><p>Kathleen Clark, an expert on government ethics at Washington University in St. Louis, told NBC News that the way Ross listed the companies was purposely vague. "I would say this gives the appearance of transparency. It's sort of fake transparency in a sense," she said. </p><p>The details are likely to add to the questions about ties between Russia and the Trump administration, connections that for months have shadowed the White House and are a focus of an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. Yet it wasn't immediately clear how many partners Ross might have or what the profit-sharing agreement might be.</p><h2>'A company with crony connections'</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Adam Berry/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Vladimir Putin</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p> </p><p>Sibur contributed 8 percent to Navigator's revenue last year, according to reports filed with securities regulators. Russia's energy sector is largely controlled by individuals with ties to state actors, including Putin.</p><p>But experts have long questioned Sibur's authenticity. </p><p>Former State Department official Daniel Fried <a href="https://www.occrp.org/en/paradisepapers/general-offshore-trove-exposes-trump-russia-links-and-piggy-banks-of-the-wealthiest-1-percent" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project</a> that Sibur "a company with crony connections." </p><p>"<span>Why would any officer of the US government have any relationship with a Putin crony?" he added.</span></p><p>Indeed, Sibur has several murky ties to Putin in addition to his son-in-law.</p><p>A big shareholder in the company is Gennady Timchenko, who was targeted by the US and other Western nations for sanctions after Russia's invasion of the Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2014. A few months later, the US barred banks from providing long-term financing to a gas company belonging to another large Sibur shareholder, Leonid Mikhelson. Mikhelson has also been sanctioned by the Treasury Department for propping up Putin's rule.</p><p>Sibur itself was not targeted by the U.S. sanctions, but the Bank of America and the Royal Bank of Scotland reportedly backed away from doing business with the company.</p><p>The Russian gas producer last year contributed $23 million to Navigator's revenue, an increase of more than 40 percent in two years.</p><p><span>Richard Painter, the chief ethics lawyer in the second Bush administration, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/world/wilbur-ross-russia.html?action=Click&amp;contentCollection=BreakingNews&amp;contentID=66047359&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;_r=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told The New York Times</a> that he would be "very concerned that someone in the US government was making money from dealing with the Russians."</span></p><p><span>Painter added that while Ross' financial interest in Navigator does not violate any laws, it poses several ethical concerns, particularly if Ross could benefit from his connections to Sibur. </span></p><h2><span>'Your interest is aligned to mine'</span></h2><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. President Donald Trump and his Commerce Secretary nominee Wilbur Ross (L) meet with representatives of Harley-Davidson at the White House in Washington, U.S. February 2, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>And Navigator appears to be happy with Ross' role as the US' chief trade policy czar. According to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-01-26/wilbur-ross-and-the-cabinet-of-billionaires">Bloomberg Businessweek</a>, Ross told Navigator chief executive David J. Butters last November after he was nominated, "Your interest is aligned to mine."</span></p><p><span>"The US economy will grow, and Navigator will be a beneficiary," Butters recalled Ross saying. </span></p><p>Much of the new trove of files includes bank statements, emails and loan agreements from Appleby, a law firm that helps set up offshore dummy companies and trusts. Appleby told the ICIJ that there is "no evidence" that it has done anything wrong.</p><p> </p><p>Sunday's revelations follow last year's release of records from a Panama-based firm involved in setting up offshore accounts. That disclosure triggered investigations in several countries, the resignation of the prime minister of Iceland and ouster of the leader of Pakistan. The Panama Papers also revealed that close associates of Russia's leader Putin had been using the dummy accounts abroad to store their wealth, including a close Putin friend who had $2 billion of offshore assets.</p><p>There are legitimate reasons for setting up offshore accounts, but lax regulation and anonymity in some jurisdictions make it easy to launder money, evade taxes and avoid regulatory scrutiny. Critics of the widening gap between the super-wealthy and the rest have seized upon the use of tax havens as revealed in the Panama Papers as evidence of a crisis, and governments have promised to crack down. </p><p class="tagline"></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korean-defector-escapes-6000-miles-trek-on-crutches-2017-9">A North Korean defector trekked 6,000 miles on crutches to flee - now he helps others escape</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

You Searched For "dummy chief minister" and got 6 results

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