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Victorious Trump returns to White House to meet Biden

Democrat Biden invited his sworn rival to meet in the Oval Office

Published by Faisal Ali Ghumman

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WASHINGTON (AFP): Donald Trump will make a triumphant return to the White House to meet President Joe Biden Wednesday, in the Republican’s first visit since departing amid a cloud of scandal nearly four years ago.

Trump’s meeting with Biden comes as he moves swiftly to name his top team, including the world’s richest man Elon Musk as head of a new group aimed at slashing government waste.

Democrat Biden invited his sworn rival to meet in the Oval Office – despite the fact that Trump, who has consistently refused to admit his 2020 election loss, never afforded Biden the same courtesy.

Biden, 81, is expected to urge a smooth transition of power in the encounter at 11:00 am (1600 GMT) – and push for continued support for Ukraine.

“He believes in the norms. He believes in our institutions,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday when asked why Biden was inviting Trump.

“The American people deserve this. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power.”

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Biden would go over top foreign policy issues when he meets Trump – including US support for Kyiv against Russia, which Trump has criticized.

“The president will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things, where they stand, and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking,” Sullivan told CBS on Sunday.

But the meeting may be a bitter pill to swallow for Biden, who branded Trump a threat to democracy and was vying for the presidency against him until a disastrous debate performance forced the Democrat out of the race in July.

House speaker Mike Johnson said Trump may also visit the US Capitol – the building a mob of his supporters stormed in 2021 to try to reverse his election loss – but these plans have not been finalized.

Trump’s party looks set to take both chambers of Congress and consolidate his extraordinary comeback.

Tradition restored

Biden’s Oval Office invitation restores a presidential transition tradition that Trump tore up when he lost the 2020 election, refusing to sit down with Biden or even attend the inauguration.

Then-president Barack Obama had welcomed Trump to the White House when the tycoon won the 2016 election.

But by the time Trump took his last Marine One flight from the White House lawn on January 20, 2021, he had also been repudiated by many in his own party for having encouraged the Capitol riot.

The period of disgrace soon evaporated, however, as Republicans returned to Trump’s side, recognizing his unique electoral power at the head of his right-wing movement.

Trump, 78, enters his second term with a near total grip on his party and the Democrats in disarray.

He has spent the week since the election at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida assembling his top team, as the world watches to see how closely he sticks to his pledges of isolationism, mass deportations and sweeping tariffs.

Trump named Space X, Tesla and X boss Musk, and another stalwart ally, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’)” – a tongue-in-cheek reference to an internet meme and cryptocurrency.

In a flurry of announcements, Trump also picked Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth as his incoming defense secretary. Hegseth has been an outspoken opponent of so-called “woke” ideology in the armed forces.

Trump further named South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem – an ally who famously wrote about shooting her dog because it did not respond to training – as head of the Department of Homeland Security.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio is tipped for secretary of state, US media reported, while Trump has also confirmed Congressman Mike Waltz, a former special forces officer, as his national security advisor.

Both have hawkish views on China but are not considered isolationists, despite Trump’s previous threats to retreat from or cut obligations to alliances like NATO.

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Business

Gold glitters in Pakistan

Price of gold per tola gains Rs1,400 to reach Rs271,900

Published by Faisal Ali Ghumman

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Karachi: Gold prices jumped in the local bullion markets in the country in line with their rise in international rates on Wednesday.

The price of yellow metal gained Rs1,400 to settle at Rs271,900 per tola. 10-gram gold was sold at Rs233,111 after an increase of Rs1,200, according to rates shared by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewelers Sarafa Association (APGJSA).

However, gold price declined by Rs7,000 to settle at Rs270,500 on Tuesday. Furthermore, the international rate of gold increased by $14 to settle at $2,607 per ounce.

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Sports

Pacer Shaheen Afridi regains ODI bowling crown

Advanced three places to surpass South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj

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Lahore: Pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has been declared number one in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Bowling Rankings. 

Afridi, who took eight wickets at an impressive average of 12.62 in Pakistan’s historic ODI series win over Australia, advanced three places to surpass South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, who dropped to third. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan held steady in second place.

“Afridi regains his place as the top bowler in 50-over cricket on the back of some excellent displays during Pakistan’s recent series triumph over Australia when he took eight wickets across three matches at an average of 12.62,” the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday.

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