The News Caravan

Tag: political

  • Elon Musk reopened Twitter for political ad business. But is it too late?

    Elon Musk reopened Twitter for political ad business. But is it too late?

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    The platform’s new ad verification process and disclosure mechanisms are rudimentary so far, relying on both potential advertisers and members of the public to fill out a form hosted by Google, unusual for a tech company that would typically be expected to build most of its own web features.

    Both Republican and Democratic digital operatives said they expect Twitter advertising will eventually pick up as campaigns seek to meet voters wherever they are, including on the Musk-owned platform. But the same concerns about Twitter’s “brand safety” driving the platform’s overall advertising decline remain. Twitter’s rollout of the new ad policy, including the use of Google Forms, is not exactly inspiring confidence.

    “It’s been several years since political advertisers have used Twitter, so it’s not just in our muscle memory or our toolbox in the way that some other things would be,” said Eric Wilson, a Republican digital strategist and director of the Center for Campaign Innovation, which studies campaign practices. “And then there is a lot of uncertainty about Twitter and who is using it.”

    Twitter stopped accepting political advertising in 2019, with then-CEO Jack Dorsey saying political message reach should be “earned, not bought.” Political ads accounted for only a small share of the company’s revenue prior to the ban, Twitter said at the time.

    The slow start to political advertising could partially reflect the timing. Overall political advertising is relatively low across all digital platforms in February of an off election year. Campaigns typically pick up spending on digital advertising ahead of competitive elections beginning in the fall ahead of the election year.

    But campaigns also have to consider some of the “brand safety” issues that have caused other advertisers to leave or reconsider their presence on the platform, said Mark Jablonowski, president of DSPolitical, a digital advertising firm that works with Democratic candidates and causes.

    The issue is not necessarily about Musk’s professed political beliefs, Jablonowski said, but reflects campaigns needing the ability to get their message across in an environment where content policies do not “amplify misinformation.”

    Twitter’s policies define political advertising as ads that advocate for or against a candidate or party, appeal for votes or financial support related to an election or are paid for by registered political groups. For now, the platform is also allowing only certain kinds of political ads — sponsored posts, for example, but not sponsored hashtags. The policies also say ads cannot include false or misleading content, although it’s not clear how that policy will be enforced. Since Musk bought Twitter, he has expanded the use of community notes, which allow users to comment on others tweets intending to correct misinformation, but has also eliminated the platform’s policy of misinformation related to Covid-19 and has faced criticism for allowing back users previously suspended for spreading misinformation.

    Advertisers can request verification to run political ads by submitting information via a Google Form. The company follows up with those who have submitted, with the process expected to take between two and four weeks, according to Twitter’s website. It is not clear how many campaigns have attempted to be verified so they can run ads.

    There is similarly a Google Form where users can request information on political ads running on Twitter. By contrast, Meta has a verification process within its website and a public ad library on its website, where all political ads are searchable.

    After POLITICO requested data on ad disclosures so far, Twitter responded on Feb. 27 saying “there are no existing political ads to disclose at this time.” The company did not respond to follow-up questions about whether campaigns or groups were going through its verification process to run ads.

    “It’s apparent that there’s a resource crunch at Twitter if they’re using a Google form for the verification process,” Jablonowski said. “It seems like they want the revenue from political advertising but don’t have the infrastructure to support it.”

    Polling from the Pew Research Center in 2021 found that less than 1 in 4 U.S. adults use Twitter, while nearly 70 percent use Facebook.

    Still, the minority of adults who use Twitter are highly interested in politics. Campaigns and groups are likely to try out the platform eventually, particularly as digital advertising remains generally cheap and other methods of running ads will become more saturated as elections approach.

    “Campaign advertising follows voters’ eyeballs,” Wilson said.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • Greek leader faces political backlash after rail crash

    Greek leader faces political backlash after rail crash

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    ATHENS — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was supposed to be preparing to call an early election — instead he’s dealing with protestors throwing Molotov cocktails at police as a wave of public rage convulses Greece following a train crash that killed 57 people.

    Last week’s train collision was caused when a freight train and a passenger train were allowed on the same rail line. The station-master accused of causing the crash was charged with negligent homicide and jailed Sunday pending a trial.

    The crash has raised deeper questions about the functioning of the Greek state, following reports that Athens hadn’t updated its rail network to meet EU requirements and that the state rail company was accused of mismanagement.

    Mitsotakis initially blamed the incident on “tragic human error” but was forced to backtrack after he was accused to trying to cover up the government’s role. The first political victim was Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis, who resigned soon after the accident. Mitsotakis put out a new message over the weekend saying: “We cannot, will not and must not hide behind human error.”

    “As prime minister, I owe everyone, but above all the relatives of the victims, a big SORRY. Both personal, and in the name of all those who have ruled the country for years,” Mitsotakis wrote on Facebook.

    His conservative New Democracy party is now weighing the political implications of the crash.

    Before Tuesday’s deadly event, it was widely expected that the government would hold a final Cabinet meeting where it would announce a rise in the minimum wage. Mitsotakis would then dissolve parliament, with the likeliest election date being April 9.

    But that’s now very uncertain. If the April 9 date slips away, alternatives range from a first round vote later in April, May or even July.

    “Anyone who hinted to the prime minister these days that we need to see what we do about the elections was kicked out of the meeting,” government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou told Skai local TV. “It is not yet time to get into that kind of discussion.”

    Instead of election plans, the government is dealing with a massive outpouring of public rage at the accident that has seen large protest rallies and clashes between demonstrators and police.

    “When a national tragedy like this is underway, it is difficult to assess the political consequences,” said Alexis Routzounis, a researcher at pollster Kapa Research. “Society will demand clear explanations, and a careful and discreet response from the political leadership is paramount. For now, the political system is responding with understanding.”

    Opposition parties have so far kept a low profile, but that is starting to change.

    “Mitsotakis is well aware that the debate on the causes of the tragedy will not be avoided by the resignation of his [transport] minister, but becomes even more urgent,” the main opposition Syriza party said.

    Before the crash, New Democracy was comfortably ahead of its rivals, according to POLITICO’s poll of polls.

    GREECE NATIONAL PARLIAMENT ELECTION POLL OF POLLS

    For more polling data from across Europe visit POLITICO Poll of Polls.

    That lead came despite a growing series of problems, including high inflation, skyrocketing food prices, financial wrongdoing by conservative MPs, a wiretapping scandal and reports of a secret offer by Saudi Arabia to pay for football stadiums for Greece and Egypt if they agreed to team up and host the 2030 World Cup.

    “The government has managed to weather previous crises, including devastating wildfires in 2021 and the recent surveillance scandal, while suffering only a minor impact to its ratings,” said Wolfango Piccoli, co-founder of risk analysis company Teneo.

    He added that the government is now scrambling to ensure it’s not hurt politically by the crash.

    “It is following a similar strategy in wake of the train crash, with Mitsotakis playing a central role in establishing the narrative and swiftly announcing action aimed at getting ahead of the story,” Piccoli said.

    Missed warnings

    People are especially outraged because the tragedy appears to have been avoidable.

    The rail line was supposed to use a modern electronic light signaling and safety system called ETCS that was purchased in the early 2000s, but never worked.

    Even the current outdated system was not fully operational, with key signal lights always stuck on red due to technical failure and station managers only warning one another of approaching trains via walkie-talkie.

    The rail employees’ union sent three legal warning notes in recent months to the transport minister and rail companies asking for speedy upgrades to railway infrastructure.

    “We will not wait for the accident to happen to see them shed crocodile tears,” said one sent on February 7.

    In mid-February, the European Commission referred Greece to court for the eight-year delay in signing and publishing the contract between the national authorities and the company that manages rail infrastructure.

    Last April, the head of the automated train control system resigned, complaining that trains were running at 200 kilometres per hour without the safety system.

    The government even voted to allow Hellenic Train a five-year delay in paying any compensation for an accident or a death, while EU rules call for a 15-day time limit. The company said on Sunday it would not use the exemption.

    On Monday, Mitsotakis met with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and she pledged that Brussels would help Greece “to modernize its railways and improve their safety.”

    All of that is grim news for a party aiming to win a second term in office.

     “Historically, when the state, instead of stability, causes insecurity, it is primarily the current government that is affected, but also all the governing parties, because the tragedy brings back memories of similar dramas of the past,” Routzounis said.



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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

  • SKIMS ‘Autonomy’: Political Class Concerned, Flag Consequences

    SKIMS ‘Autonomy’: Political Class Concerned, Flag Consequences

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    SRINAGAR: The move to strip the valley’s premier tertiary care health institute Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS) of its autonomous status, has garnered criticism from the political parties with NC, CPI(M) calling for its rollback.

    The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Chief Spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq on Tuesday said that SKIMS has had a step motherly treatment under the current set up and the present dispensation has gone a step further by snatching its financial and operational autonomy.

    Tanvir said, “SKIMS has gone beyond delivering the state of art health care in producing skilled manpower including doctors, paramedics and technicians. The institution was kept out of government control to ensure efficiency and fast deliverance of facilities,” adding, “Undermining the autonomy of SKIMS by bringing it under the administrative control of the health department also runs opposite to the government’s minimum government and maximum governance slogan.”

    The institution has been involved in imparting quality education and training to aspirants and should not be treated at par with government medical colleges, Tanvir Sadiq added.

    Demanding immediate roll back of the decision, Tanvir said that government should stop toying with the institutional integrity and autonomy of the premier institute.

    “Over the years, SKIMS has provided patient care much better than other facilities in the region. Stripping what little autonomy this top-tier institution had will have an adverse impact on both the patient care and research” CPI (M) leader M Y Tarigami said in a Tweet.

    Tarigami said the move will also affect its decision-making process and inter-departmental coordination.

    “The government should stop toying with the institutional integrity and autonomy of the premier institute,” he added.

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    ( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

  • DeSantis appoints political backers to new Disney oversight board

    DeSantis appoints political backers to new Disney oversight board

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    Disney has already said publicly it is not planning a legal challenge to the DeSantis-championed legislation, which also stripped the company of its ability to operate its own airport or nuclear power plant — authority it has never used.

    It’s the end of a nearly yearlong political fight after DeSantis called a special session in April 2022 to do away with the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the name of the special district that gave Disney self-governing status, after the entertainment giant issued a statement opposing legislation that banned the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms up until third grade. The bill was prominently referred to as “Don’t Say Gay.”

    The most prominent name DeSantis appointed Monday to the board of the district, which the new law renames the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, is Bridget Ziegler, a conservative education activist who was a major backer of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. She is also a DeSantis-endorsed Sarasota County School Board member and co-founder of “Mom’s for Liberty,” a group that helps train and recruit conservatives to run for school boards.

    Her husband, Christian, was recently elected chair of the Republican Party of Florida.

    DeSantis picked Tampa attorney Martin Garcia to serve as the board’s new chairman. Garcia runs the investment firm Pinehill Capital Partners, which gave a DeSantis’ aligned political committee $50,000.

    DeSantis also appointed Brian Aungst Jr., a prominent Pinellas County Republican attorney who DeSantis previously appointed to the 6th circuit judicial nominating commission; Mike Sasso, a Winter Park attorney who DeSantis has appointed to a handful of boards over the years; and Ron Peri, an Orlando-area businessman who runs The Gathering, a ministry focused on “discipleship and outreach to men.”

    State Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat who has been a leading critic of the changes, blasted the new board.

    “It’s absolutely wild to see a self-proclaimed capitalist like DeSantis celebrate the government takeover of a private board which is exactly what the governor did today,” she said.

    She specifically noted that Garcia’s company gave $50,000 to DeSantis and his name appeared on records tied to the administration’s search for local state attorneys who espouse progressive political beliefs. The search ultimately led to the suspension of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren.

    “It’s important to note that the bulk of today’s appointees are extreme and political donors,” Eskamani added.

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • ED, CBI have become instruments of political vendetta: Congress 

    ED, CBI have become instruments of political vendetta: Congress 

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    New Delhi: In an oblique reference to the arrest of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia by the CBI in connection with the excise policy scam, the Congress on Monday termed the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax Department “harassment tools” of the BJP-led Central government.

    “@INCIndia has always held the belief that institutions like the ED, CBI and Income Tax Department have become instruments of political vendetta and harassment under ‘Modi Sarkar’. These institutions have lost all professionalism. Opposition leaders are selectively targeted to destroy their reputation,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, without mentioning anything about the arrest of the deputy of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

    The Congress’ reaction has come 24 hours after Sisodia was arrested by the CBI following a day-long questioning on Sunday, even as the leaders of the party’s Delhi unit welcomed the move. In fact, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had come up with a clarification after initially supporting Sisodia.

    Singhvi tweeted: “It is but obvious that my tweet at 3.36 p.m. on February 26 on Manish Sisodia was in the context of my appearance for him as senior counsel in many cases and not on behalf of the Congress party, though space constraints made me inadvertently omit the mentioning of this fact.”

    On Sunday, Singhvi, who is a senior lawyer, tweeted: “God be with Manish ji. Distressing to see such repeated, flagrant, egregious and shameless misuse of arrest power. #Sisodia Cnot be flight risk, suborning evidence or witnesses or non cooperation after almost a year of investigation & interrogation. How & why arrest after so long?”

    According to a source, the reason for the late reaction was the silence of the Aam Aadmi Party when Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were summoned by the ED.

    However, many Opposition leaders, including Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, have condemned Sisodia’s arrest.

    “The arrest of @msisodia by CBI is another example of how @BJP4India misuses the Union government’s agencies to intimidate the opposition. It’s a blatant abuse of power and an attack on democracy. Such repression undermines the very foundation of our nation and should be resisted,” he tweeted.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Manish Sisodia’s arrest provokes political slugfest

    Manish Sisodia’s arrest provokes political slugfest

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    The arrest of Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia by the Central Bureau of Investigation has sharply drawn both Bharatiya Janata Party and Aap Party into a serious political battle.

    It may have been a routine arrest of Sisodia ostensibly for the alleged involvement in the Delhi liquor policy scam, but arrest of a top leader like Manish Sisodia and deputy chief minister has given sufficient fodder to the AAP to blacken the BJP and Modi, as also the BJP to drum up the fact that they have “zero” tolerance for corruption and that “no one is above the law”.

    Now it may not have any impact on the 2024 general elections but it does give a political talking point to both the parties.

    The AAP standing solidly behind Sisodia has said that the real target is Arvind Kejriwal and AAP party, as there was no other leader like Kejriwal who puts a scare into the BJP. In other words, it is Kejriwal and not Gandhi who can take on Modi come 2024.

    . The BJP’s intention to arrest Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain before that is attempt by the BJP to finish off the AAP party and its leaders, claim AAP members. The motivation, they say is clearly political.

    Countering the charge of political vendetta the BJP says the issue is entirely one of corruption as it stems out of the sudden withdrawal of the liquor policy once flagged by the Lt. Governor was suddenly withdrawn.

    But the AAP retorts that people who whisk away billions and trillions are not touched by the central government and roam around freely because they are their “friends” of the BJP.  Not even a notice is sent to them.

    The AAP asks if Manish Sisodia made thousands of crores “where is the money trail?”.

    There had been raids at Manish Sisodia’s office and home too and nothing incriminating had been found, the AAP claims.

    The CBI decided to arrest Sisodia after grilling for more than eight hours primarily on the grounds that he did not answer questions and was evasive.

    The BJP on its part says that Manish Sisodia has a lot to answer primarily as to why liquor policy was suddenly withdrawn once there was talk of corruption.

    The bone of contention is that the said liquor policy was allegedly meant to benefit the liquor lobby and had substantially enhanced the commission to around 12 percent from about 2 percent.

    The CBI would try to find out how certain contentious provisions had come into the final draft of the withdrawn liquor policy.

    The BJP asks why manufacturers of liquor were allowed in the retail business in the withdrawn policy.

    The AAP party feels that the arrest of Manish Sisodia was vendetta for the loss BJP faced in Delhi Municipal Corporation after years.

    The AAP party has decided to show a bold face in face of the arrest and said that Sisodia had become the victim of “dirty politics”. 

    The BJP alleging that AAP was encouraging liquor culture in the capital has also asked why many blacklisted companies were taken back. 

    Even though the BJP claims that the enforcement agencies are apolitical and purely go by the facts of the case, no one in the opposition is likely to accept their claim.

    The AAP has clearly said that arrests of their members were just a misuse of enforcement/investigative agencies by the central government.

    The BJP is definitely trying  to take as much advantage as possible by pointing that it is shameful that a  Minister of Education was getting arrested for excise policy

    The BJP is going to drum the fact that BJP has zero tolerance for corruption and that Satyendra Jain is still in jail not being able get bail from the courts.

    In this mutual blame game by political parties it will be difficult for the general public to know where the truth lies and who is accountable.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • ‘It’s political language’, says Udit Raj on Congress slogan ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’

    ‘It’s political language’, says Udit Raj on Congress slogan ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’

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    Raipur: Congress leader Udit Raj on Saturday defended the “Modi teri kabar khudegi” (Modi, your grave would be dug) slogan by his fellow party leaders at the Delhi airport and called it “political language”.

    The Congress said it was a “rajnaitik kabar (political grave)” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi they were referring to.

    Notably, Congress leaders allegedly raised “Modi teri kabar khudegi” slogan after party leader Pawan Khera was stopped from boarding a flight to Chhattisgarh’s Raipur at the Delhi airport on Thursday.

    “It’s a political language. When PM Modi speaks of ‘Congress-Mukt Bharat’, does he mean he wants to kill Congress or deregister it?…If the country has to be healthy, it’s essential that ‘rajnaitik kabar’ of PM Narendra Modi be dug…,” he said on Congress’ slogan ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’.

    Earlier on Friday, coming down heavily on Congress for raising the slogan ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’, PM Modi said that the country and people are saying “Modi Tera Kamal Khilega” (Modi, your lotus will bloom).

    Retorting to the Congress’ remarks, the Prime Minister said that the country will give a “befitting reply” to the people with offensive thinking and language.

    “I can see BJP all around in Meghalaya. Be it hills or plains, village or town, I can see the lotus blooming. Those who have been rejected by the country, who the country is no more ready to accept, are now chanting ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’. But the country is saying ‘Modi tera kamal khilega’,” PM Modi said while addressing an election rally here on Friday.

    PM Modi went on saying, “The people of the country will give a befitting reply to the people having such offensive thinking and language. The people of Meghalaya and Nagaland will also give a reply.”

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • BJP, Grand Alliance to demonstrate political strength in Bihar today

    BJP, Grand Alliance to demonstrate political strength in Bihar today

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    New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and the Grand Alliance are all set to demonstrate their political strength in Bihar on Saturday.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah is arriving in Bihar today on a day-long visit.

    During his visit, Shah will address a public meeting in Lauria under Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha Constituency in Bihar to strengthen the party activities.

    On the other hand, the Grand Alliance is preparing to answer Union Home Minister Amit Shah through a mega rally in Purnia where Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Congress State President Akhilesh Prasad Singh, and other leaders of Grand Alliance are likely to be present.

    Shah will address a public rally in the Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat. He will then chair the Core Committee meeting of Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat. State BJP President Sanjay Jaiswal, Union Minister for State Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, senior BJP leaders of Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha, local MP, MLAs, and district BJP president to be present in the meeting.

    Home Minister Amit Shah will then go to Lauria Nandangarh, where Prince Siddhartha (Mahatma Buddha) shed his royal robes and went out searching for knowledge.

    After that Union Home Minister will head towards the capital Patna to address a Kisan Mazdoor Samagam at Bapu Sabhagar in honour of Swami Sahjanand Saraswati, who was one of the top farmer leaders in the country.

    While talking to ANI, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai who is at Lauria for Shah’s program said, “There is tremendous enthusiasm among people for today’s public meeting of Home Minister Amit Shah ji. A large number of people want to listen to the Home Minister. The welfare work that is being done in the entire country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the people of Valmiki Nagar are enthusiastic about it and want to listen to Home Minister Amit Shah.”

    On the Grand Alliance Rally in Purnia on the same day when Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting Bihar for Public Meeting, Rai said, “It is not right to compare BJP’s public meeting with Grand Alliance’s rally. The public meeting of the BJP will be held with the resolution of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka Prayas. The rally of the Grand Alliance is a rally of appeasement. Grand Alliance is holding a rally in Purnia today to give the message of appeasement politics. There is no comparison between that rally and this BJP public meeting. BJP’s program is just a program for one Lok Sabha seat.”

    “There is no answer to the name and work of PM Modi. The result of his work is visible in every house, and every village in the Country. The public meeting of Valmiki Nagar will be massive. The Home Minister will speak about development. He will talk about peace and security while the Grand Alliance rally is a rally of appeasement,” Rai added.

    On being asked if the Grand Alliance is holding a rally in Bihar on the same day to give a political message to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha said, “You have to first find out whose rally was first decided. Our rally was already fixed. The Home Minister is going to participate in a small rally, ours is a mega rally. This is a big difference. Amit Shah ji is the Home Minister of the country, he is free to go anywhere, but he is coming to Bihar. He has to answer two questions and one is special. After the Prime Minister spoke about the special state status of Bihar we will expect the Home Minister to speak on this issue and Bihar should get its right.”

    “My second question is that the Home Minister is the Home Minister of the country so he should make efforts so that his statement increases the social harmony of the country and not decrease it. I am sure that he will accept my request,” the RJD MP added.

    Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Janta Dal chief spokesperson Madhaw Anand, while speaking to ANI about the Grand Alliance rally at Purnia, said, “The rally is to divert the attention of the people from the infighting going on between RJD and JDU. Through this rally, there will be neither progress of the public nor any welfare of the people. Just the fight going on inside RJD and JDU for CM’s chair will intensify in the coming days.”

    “Through this rally, both RJD and JDU are trying to test their strength internally. It will be interesting to see how long Nitish Kumar can retain his chair and how long Tejashwi Yadav can distance himself from the magic chair,” Anand added.

    Notably, this would be Amit Shah’s fourth trip to Bihar since the BJP and Janata Dal (U) ended their partnership and the JD(U) formed the Grand Alliance in the state last year in the month of August.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Seen in East Palestine: Buttigieg, Giuliani and a total political circus

    Seen in East Palestine: Buttigieg, Giuliani and a total political circus

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    And people living in East Palestine said they were unsure about many things — whether the water was safe to drink, whether to remain in their homes, how to explain their headaches and bloody noses. And what to think about the VIPs making appearances in their hometown.

    “They come for an hour or so, and they leave,” said Nora Wright, an assistant director for area nursing facilities, describing the “publicity stunts” by visiting politicians. “They don’t find out how we feel.”

    “I don’t trust the government,” said Joe Botinovch, a self-employed flower shop owner who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 but is shopping for a different candidate now and likes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He, too, hasn’t enjoyed the sudden burst of attention from former presidents and presidential candidates.

    “The only presidents I want to see are dead presidents in my wallet,” he said. “They’re using East Palestine like China and Russia and the U.S. are using Ukraine. It’s a proxy war.”

    Buttigieg, who offered a public mea culpa for not speaking up about the derailment sooner, said he could tell how frustrated people here are.

    “You can sense, when you talk to local leaders and local residents, that they’re getting pretty sick of the politics,” President Joe Biden’s Transportation secretary said in response to a question from POLITICO during a half-hour news conference near the accident site.

    The politics showed no signs of leaving, though.

    The Feb. 3 derailment by the 150-car Norfolk Southern train triggered a flaming wreck, spewed plumes of black smoke and left lingering worries about the safety of the town’s air, water and soil, along with fierce GOP criticism of how Buttigieg’s Department of Transportation has responded to the disaster. The Biden administration, in turn, has pointed to actions by the Trump-era DOT that weakened safety standards for trains carrying hazardous chemicals — although Buttigieg has expressed hope that Republicans will now embrace tougher regulations.

    The unusually persistent glare of national attention has brought a trail of big-name and less-than-famous visitors to East Palestine.

    Hannity’s producer, for example, was asking residents whether Buttigieg’s visit had made a difference — though none of them had witnessed it.

    Giuliani, who was gathering social media content and audio for his Common Sense podcast, gaggled with local reporters, tooled around town with a crew of hangers-on and met with East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway. (A Giuliani groupie handed a local two $100 Sparkle grocery gift cards.)

    Conaway, a registered Republican, also met with Buttigieg. He said he and the DOT leader bonded over their shared experience as Midwestern mayors, and had a “productive meeting.”

    Outside a Rite Aid, a TikTok and YouTube user from Columbus who gave his name only as Xkitzo was broadcasting live from the parking lot, with his phone ensconced on a tripod.

    The environmental activist Erin Brockovich arrives for a town hall Friday.

    None of this has ended the tide of rumors and conspiracy theories surrounding the derailment, Conaway said in an interview.

    “There’s continuing misinformation,” the mayor said, calling the municipal water safe to drink. He also dismissed the persistent, unfounded rumor that a controlled burn of the train’s toxic cargo of vinyl chloride — one that produced a large plume and forced residents to evacuate — was unnecessary and reckless. (One local TV report on the incident produced a headline that went viral: “We basically nuked a town with chemicals.”)

    “There were only two options,” Conway told POLITICO of the train’s payload. “It was either it blew up or we blew it up.”

    Mistrust was not hard to find, though.

    Wright, the assistant nursing director and a mother of six grown children, said she doesn’t feel safe in her childhood home, which is within a mile of the derailment site, so she is letting the bank take it.

    “If you walk into my house right now, you can smell it,” she said, describing the sulfur-like odor that lingers from the controlled burn. Her chest hurts. She has a sore throat. “I try to not spend too much time here.”

    Wright also won’t drink the water here, even though Environmental Protection Agency leader Michael Regan and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine drank from the taps earlier this week to instill public confidence in the quality of EPA testing.

    Neither will Courtney Miller, a mother of two, who lives with the train tracks in her backyard. She rose to viral fame after throwing a rock into a stream behind her house, turning up an oily glisten, and appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox.

    On Thursday, she posed with Giuliani and recorded content for his podcast as he visited her home, decorated with “God, Guns, and Trump” and “Fuck Biden — Not My President” banners.

    Signs posted through East Palestine’s downtown also capture the divided mood.

    “Closed until further notice,” said a construction-paper sign on the door of a knickknack boutique called Mama’s Attic. It added that after the derailment, “my family is trying to pick up the pieces.”

    “We are East Palestine,” reads another sign in town. “Get ready for the greatest comeback in American history.”

    Buttigieg, who published a 224-page book called “Trust” three years ago, offered some explanations Thursday for why it’s so absent here.

    One reason, he said, is the “national ideological layer” that some people have added to the derailment’s aftermath. “And there’s no question that there have been enormous amounts of both information and misinformation injected into this situation, none of which is to the benefit of the community.”

    East Palestine is solidly Trump country — in 2020, the former president won 72 percent of the vote in surrounding Columbiana County. The only thing more ubiquitous here than Trump signs are the workers in bright yellow vests who dot the village.

    But on this too, not everyone agrees.

    Amy Britain, a Democrat and a retired physical therapy assistant, pulled through the Rite Aid parking lot to pick up some donated bottled water. She was happy about Buttigieg’s visit but rolled her eyes at Trump’s, and at the national coverage implying that the former president is the only politician welcome in the village where she grew up.

    “We’re a microcosm of what’s going on in the entire country,” she said.



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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • UN chief asks for political track to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict

    UN chief asks for political track to resolve Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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    United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on regional and international players to help restore a political track to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    “Our ultimate goals remain unchanged: end the occupation, realise a two-state solution. But we must face today’s reality. The truth is that … time is working against us,” Guterres told the 2023 opening session of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on Wednesday.

    “The longer we go without meaningful political negotiations, the further these goals slip from reach. Regional and international partners must collectively work — with greater urgency and determination — to help Palestinians and Israelis restore a credible political horizon,” he said.

    The outlines of the solution are clear, and are laid out in UN resolutions, international law, and bilateral agreements, said Guterres, adding that what is needed is the political will and courage to make the difficult choices for peace, Xinhua news agency reported.

    The current situation in the occupied Palestinian territory is at its most combustible in years. Deadly cycles of violence keep accelerating. Tensions are sky-high. And the peace process remains stalled. The situation in Jerusalem is becoming more fragile amid provocations and acts of violence in and around the holy sites. It radiates instability across the region and beyond, he warned.

    The position of the UN is clear: The status of Jerusalem cannot be altered by unilateral actions. Jerusalem’s demographic and historical character must be preserved — and the status quo at the holy sites must be upheld, in line with the special role of Jordan, he said.

    2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians since the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began systematically tracking fatalities in 2005. Two months into the new year, violence rages on without reprieve. Across the occupied West Bank and Gaza, hopelessness is spreading, feeding anger and despair, he added.

    Each new settlement is another roadblock on the path to peace. All settlement activity is illegal under international law and must stop. At the same time, incitement to violence is a dead end. Nothing justifies terrorism. It must be rejected by all, said Guterres.

    “Our immediate priority must be to prevent further escalation, reduce tensions and restore calm,” he added.

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    #chief #asks #political #track #resolve #IsraeliPalestinian #conflict

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )