NEW DELHI: As the nomination process for the Lok Sabha elections concluded in 10 states on Thursday, initiatives for new political alliances, including a rare tie-up between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in Odisha and the unity of the BJP’s rivals in Bihar, will face a severe test, while developments in Maharashtra suggest that attempts to merge the two NCP factions have come to nothing.While candidates in most states will be elected unopposed, both Bihar and Odisha will see fierce battles on March 16.The RJD’s decision to renominate outgoing MP and businessman AD Singh has forced a contest for one of the five seats in Bihar. He can even achieve this if all rivals of the BJP, including 5 AIMIM MLAs and the lone BSP MLA, unite with the RJD-Congress-Left.However, confidentiality agreement After allocating the necessary 41 votes to secure four seats, the camp will be left with 38 votes to fight for the fifth seat. The camp is optimistic about its prospects, arguing that competition will ultimately only expose divisions within the opposition and even force some to defect.Unity of all opposition parties would fetch 41 votes for Singh, but AIMIM is yet to clarify its position. The alliance put forward a joint proposal in last year’s polls but was snubbed by the RJD-led alliance.Odisha is another state where elections are likely to take place, with the political atmosphere further heating up for the BJP after the Congress decided to back the BJD’s choice of eminent doctor Datteswar Hota. The BJP later announced its support for former Union minister Dilip Ray, a well-connected hotelier, who is contesting as an independent candidate.The BJP has been sworn enemies for decades, but its meteoric rise in the state has brought the party and the Congress together. Both parties could bring together 32 provincial councilors to ensure Hotan wins with the support of 30 councilors.However, incidents of dissatisfaction within the two parties have made the situation even more confusing. The BJP has a history of defeating its opponents in the hotly contested RS seat and its decision to back Rai was driven by its instinct to exploit their internal divisions to engineer surprises. With all three MVA parties backing Sharad Pawar’s renomination, the only one among the seven seats they can win, claims by his supporters about an “imminent merger” between the two NCP factions should be given pause.Signing a reversal from his public “I’ve had enough” stance, a senior Sena UBT official said they were told the chances of the two factions coming together was slim as the group headed by Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar had never been enthusiastic about Sharad Pawar’s desire for a second term in the RS.Ajit Pawar’s son Parth Pawar will be elected unopposed and will contest against his great uncle as an NDA member.In the elections to 37 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP-led NDA continues to expand its social alliance by reaching out to different sections of society, as evidenced by the nominees from Maharashtra. The BJP has backed Dalit Ramdas Athawale, Maya Chintaman Inwat tribal women, Maratha state general secretaries Vinod Tawde and Ramrao Wadkute, and OBC candidates from the Dhangar community. Its ally Shiv Sena has also chosen a Dalit woman, Jyoti Waghmare.
Markwayne Mullin faces ‘racist’ accusations over Trump’s Obama video; California governor calls new DHS chief ‘unstable’
oklahoma state senator Markwayne Mullin will replace Kristi Noem As the new Secretary of Homeland Security, President Donald Trump announced today in a Truth social post. He noted that the change will take effect on March 31.
Mullin’s statement puts the spotlight on his beliefs and stance. he aligns with trump immigration issues. He holds conservative views and advocates strict border security and law enforcement. In January, he publicly supported Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has sounded the alarm on Mullin, pointing out his stance on racial issues.
“Markwayne Mullin can’t remember if we were at war this week. His state has one of the highest crime rates in the country, with a murder rate 40 percent higher than California,” Newsom wrote in his X profile. “He really tried to fight union workers in the hearings and tell them ‘shut up,'” he added, adding “I don’t want reality” during a Senate hearing on race. This mercurial, unstable man is now in charge of Homeland Security. “
Mullin also recently came under fire for defending a racist video of former President Barack Obama that was posted from President Donald Trump’s Truth Society profile.
Why is Mullin getting blamed for Trump’s Obama video?
Mullin’s actions in protesting the video in Trump’s profile sparked many people’s anger against him. In February, Mullin tried to grab a sign from Al Green, who was protesting the video, that read “Black people are not apes.”
That’s because videos in Trump’s profile depicted Democrats as different animals and the Obamas as apes, sparking outrage over racist connotations.
“The real House of Representatives would condemn Markie McWayne Mullin for this. You can disagree with someone, but you can’t touch someone else. Rep. Al Green’s mark is reasonable and a check on fugitive racism. Mullin’s actions aided and abetted this behavior,” one person wrote on X.
In another instance, Mullin said “Democrats only fuel racism” because they can’t refute Trump’s record.
Another person mentioned the Al Green incident, wrote on
‘Dear Indians who targeted me, you are breaking the law’: Whistleblower claims to receive spam calls after Texas ‘exposes’ H-1B ‘takeover’
A social media spat over immigrants in Texas intensified after influencer and self-proclaimed whistleblower Marc Palasciano accused Indians of harassing him with spam calls and warned he might seek federal action against them.Palasciano wrote in a post onThe warning comes after he shared a video claiming he had received a large number of harassing phone calls in recent days. In the video, he claims the calls began shortly after he began talking about an “Indian takeover” in Frisco, Texas, and criticizing the use of H-1B visas.He posted a video showing his call logs: “Let me show you how some Indians are breaking the law right now. Look at my spam calls. This is from Tuesday. This is from yesterday. Yesterday I got 30 spam calls. This is from today, from 8:40 to 9:48 am. This is no coincidence, it was right before I started exposing H1B and Indians after the takeover in Frisco. What they were doing was actually illegal for people to register spam calls to, and most importantly, it was targeted harassment.”He added that he planned to file a complaint with regulators.“There’s a process where you can file a complaint with the FCC and they’ll look into it for you and probably they’ll find the person who did this to you. So, I’m going to file one of those and we’ll see what happens,” he said.Palasciano also said the calls didn’t affect him personally because of the call screening feature: “But it just goes to show that Indians are willing to violate U.S. laws if you speak out against their practices with H1B visas and the Indian takeover in Frisco. It is not illegal to use the First Amendment to speak out. What they did was illegal. “The controversy stems from controversy surrounding a recent meeting of the Frisco City Council. Palasciano earlier posted a photo of Boy Scouts attending a council meeting and claimed it showed an “Indian takeover.”Many social media users pointed out that the Scouts’ attendance at the meeting is part of a long-standing local tradition.At the beginning of Frisco’s council meetings, local Boy Scouts or Cub Scouts are often invited to administer the Pledge of Allegiance. These youth groups are part of the Boy Scouts of America and regularly participate in civic ceremonies throughout Texas.
Supreme Court: Courts must use an iron fist against disobedient parties
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has criticized litigants, especially government authorities, for not complying with court orders and filing appeals or review pleas when facing contempt proceedings, saying courts should deal harshly with them otherwise public confidence in the judiciary will be eroded.A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan also held that the defense of administrative impediment or even impossibility of executing the order cannot be invoked in contempt proceedings if the contemnor fails to inform the court within the stipulated time limit of the difficulty in executing its order. “Delay in filing appeals should have been the exception. But in recent years, the exception has actually turned into the rule. Orders passed by the courts have been chronically not complied with, and when contempt petitions are filed, delay in appeal is preferred and the delays are lengthy,” it said.SC: Litigants who disobey may face contempt of courtIt said: “We are unequivocally opposed to these practices. We believe that through this modus operandi, disobedient litigants are acting blatantly, which further reduces the authority and majesty of the courts and the rule of law and interferes with the administration of justice. In some cases, the same conduct is likely to border on criminal contempt of court.”The Supreme Court said the High Courts should deal with these “unscrupulous litigants with an iron fist, especially when they happen to be ‘State’ or similar bodies within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution”, adding, “Unless the High Courts and this Court deal with these issues with determination, we face a clear risk that the unshakable faith of ordinary litigants in this country in the judiciary at all levels will be eroded.” It is the solemn responsibility of all of us in the courts at all levels to ensure that the public’s faith never wavers.“Justice will be merciful but courts should make strong exceptions for dishonest litigants and examine whether the “liberal” jurisprudence around contempt of court needs a serious re-examination, the judges said. It also clarifies that contempt proceedings are not limited to parties who approach the court for non-implementation of orders but third parties/non-parties who are part of the chain of decision-making process will also be liable for contempt of court.“In simple terms, therefore, a party once obtaining or coming to know of an order of this court, if it continues to commit willful non-performance or willful non-compliance or any similar objection/violation of the order concerned, will face the full wrath of contempt of court, which is no longer reintegrable,” it said.The court passed a contempt order against Chhattisgarh government officials for failing to comply with the order regulating services of employees and gave them a last chance to implement the order within 15 days.
Why did Trump fire Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary? Possible cause explanation
Donald Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5, sparking new controversy surrounding her tenure. Trump announced that Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin will succeed Noem at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Trump announced on Truth Social that Mullin will take over as Secretary of Homeland Security on March 31.
He further said that Noem will serve in the newly created “Envoy to the Americas Shield” role related to the new regional security plan that his administration intends to present in Florida this weekend.
Possible reasons for Kristi Noem’s firing
Scandals have mounted during Noem’s tenure, eroding support inside and outside the government. The Department of Homeland Security has been under heavy criticism in the months since two U.S. citizens were shot to death by federal agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis earlier this year. The incident sparked protests and calls for an investigation into the agency’s methods.
One of the immediate triggers for Noem’s firing was the controversy in Congress over funding for the department. Earlier this week, senators also asked Noem about her leadership of the department over the past 12 months.
Who is Markwayne Mullin? Trump selects Homeland Security secretary after firing Kristi Noem
President of the United States Donald Trump Nominate Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin to be the next director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Kristi Noem from the post. The White House said Mullin is expected to take over the post on March 31, one of the biggest cabinet changes of Trump’s term.Mullin is currently a Republican senator representing Oklahoma. He enters the Senate in 2023 after winning a special election to complete former Sen. Jim Inhofe’s term. Prior to that, Mullin spent ten years in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2023.Mullin was born July 26, 1977 in Tulsa. He grew up in Westerville, a small town in eastern Oklahoma. He was a member of the Cherokee Nation and became one of the few Native Americans to serve in the U.S. Senate. His election in 2022 would make him the first Native American senator in nearly two decades and only the second Cherokee Nation citizen to serve in the House.Mullin began his career as a businessman before entering politics. At age 20, he took over the family’s plumbing company after his father became ill. Over time, he expanded the family business into several companies related to construction and property services. In 2021, he sold his plumbing business to a larger home services company, significantly increasing his personal wealth.Mullin also briefly worked as a professional mixed martial arts fighter. Between 2006 and 2007, he participated in three professional matches and won them all, creating an unbeaten record.In Congress, Mullin generally supported conservative policies, including strict restrictions on abortion and opposed former President Joe Biden’s proposed student loan forgiveness plan. Many of his views are consistent with those of the MAGA base. Trump fired Noem amid controversy surrounding her leadership and recent congressional scrutiny and later announced Mullin’s appointment to the DHS job. The president said Mullin will succeed her at the Department of Homeland Security, while Noem will take on a new executive role related to regional security initiatives.If confirmed and sworn in, Mullin would lead federal agencies responsible for border security, immigration enforcement, disaster relief and domestic security operations across the United States.
IRIS Dena sinking: BJP says illogical to blame India for US attack on Iranian frigate
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said blaming India for the US attack on Iranian naval vessel IRIS Dena is illogical and misleading, as Congress lashed out at the government over the attack on a warship returning after participating in an Indian naval exercise.The Bharatiya Janata Party pointed out that the attack occurred about 250 nautical miles from the Indian coastline, far beyond the country’s territorial waters and maritime jurisdiction. Holding India responsible for incidents involving the United States and Iran in international waters is not only factually incorrect but also diplomatically untenable, the report said.Amit Malviya of the Bharatiya Janata Party said: “Under international maritime law, a country’s responsibility does not extend to all incidents that occur in the wider maritime area simply because of geographical proximity. India has maritime proximity to many countries along the Indian Ocean coast, but proximity cannot be confused with control or responsibility.”Incidents in international waters, especially involving third countries, do not fall within India’s legal or operational ambit, he said.“Attempts to drag India into this incident ignore the basic principles of maritime jurisdiction and appear to be based more on speculation and political narrative than facts. India neither controls activities in international waters nor is it a party to actions taken there by other sovereign states. In short, geography does not equal responsibility,” he said.BJP sources expressed dismay at the criticism from the Congress. “Those who call themselves the ‘natural ruling party’ cannot be expected to be so ignorant of the basics of international law,” said a senior party official.
As Middle East war escalates, Trump demands input on Iran’s next leader
U.S. President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that he would have a say in picking Iran’s next supreme leader, as U.S.-Israeli actions triggered by the war that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reverberated across the Middle East and beyond.
Earlier, Israel issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for the entire southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of Iran-backed Hezbollah, causing residents to flee the area in panic and hundreds of thousands of people.
The warning comes after a new wave of Israeli attacks on Iran, which has once again launched a fierce attack on Gulf states.
The war has attracted global powers, disrupted the shipping industry and disrupted energy markets. The impact was felt as far away as the coast of Sri Lanka, where a U.S. submarine torpedoed an Iranian warship, and in Azerbaijan, which threatened retaliation after a drone hit an airport.
Trump on Thursday rejected the possibility of Khamenei’s son Moitaba Khamenei succeeding his slain father as supreme leader, calling the young man a “lightweight.”
“I have to be a part of this appointment, just like I was with Delcy,” Trump told Axios in an interview with Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who he said was working with Venezuela under threat of violence after the United States ousted its boss Nicolás Maduro.
The report quoted Trump as saying: “A Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone who can bring harmony and peace to Iran.” He threatened that if a better alternative is not found, more wars will break out in the future.
The comments suggest that, despite Trump’s repeated exhortations to Iranians to rise up and take back their country, he is willing to work with those within the Islamic Republic rather than overthrow the government entirely.
– Beirut warning –
Lebanon was drawn into the widening conflict on Monday after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel in revenge for the killing of Khamenei.
Israel responded with airstrikes and sent ground troops to some Lebanese border villages. It asked residents of a large swath of southern Lebanon to leave because of the possibility of military action there.
“Save your lives and evacuate your homes immediately,” an Israeli military spokesman said in a message to residents of Dahiyeh, a suburb south of Beirut, on Thursday.
Such warnings often herald large-scale attacks, with massive traffic jams on suburban outskirts and shots fired into the air urging locals to leave as quickly as possible.
On Beirut’s beaches, hundreds of families scurried away with nowhere to go, many of them milling around in fear and anger.
“We fled the suburbs, we were humiliated,” one man, who declined to give his name, told AFP.
“We will sleep on the road tonight and only God knows what will happen to us.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked French President Emmanuel Macron to intercede with Israel to prevent the bombing of southern Beirut.
Macron said after the conversation: “At this moment of great danger, I call on the Israeli Prime Minister not to expand the war to Lebanon.”
Earlier in the day, Israel said its forces attacked “several command centers of the Hezbollah terrorist group” south of Beirut.
Lebanese authorities said at least 102 people have been killed, 638 injured and at least 90,000 displaced since Monday.
– From Sri Lanka to Azerbaijan –
On Iran’s border, neighboring Azerbaijan warned that drone attacks on airports “will not go unanswered,” raising concerns about another country joining the war.
Iran denied being behind the attack and blamed Israel, but that did not stop Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev from accusing Tehran of “terrorism”.
Australia deployed two military aircraft to the war zone, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he could not rule out the involvement of its armed forces.
The war also embroiled NATO member Turkey after a NATO air defense system destroyed a missile launched from Iran into Turkish airspace.
A Turkish official said the missile appeared to be targeting a British base in Cyprus, but Türkiye summoned the Iranian ambassador over the incident.
AFP images showed blackened vehicles and destroyed buildings, some with thick smoke billowing from them, after a new wave of attacks hit the Iranian capital.
“We are going through a very important page in history and I am not afraid,” a 30-year-old Tehran resident told AFP.
“Hope is the only thing we have right now.”
An Iranian state-run foundation said the death toll from U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran had risen to 1,230, but AFP could not independently verify the figure.
The country is effectively isolated from the rest of the world, with an internet operating capacity of around 1%, according to Netblocks monitoring data.
Meanwhile, AFP reporters in Jerusalem heard explosions after receiving warnings of an Iranian missile attack.
-“We will not surrender”-
The conflict has not spared wealthy Gulf monarchies, which are often seen as safe havens in the restive region, as Iran has launched a barrage of attacks on cities and energy infrastructure.
Thirteen people have been killed in countries surrounding the Gulf since the war began, seven of them civilians, including an 11-year-old girl in Kuwait.
Qatar said on Thursday it was intercepting an incoming missile attack, which an AFP reporter said was the strongest explosion yet, echoing over Doha and sending thick black smoke billowing on the horizon.
Debris from an intercepted drone also injured six people in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi, officials said.
In Bahrain, an Iranian missile attack sparked a fire at the main state-owned oil refinery, but the fire was later brought under control, the Gulf States Communications Center said.
Meanwhile, some Western diplomats in the Saudi capital Riyadh said they were told to shelter in place on Thursday, while a witness said the city’s diplomatic district had been closed.
burs-smw/jsa
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
‘7,000 Indians flown home in 3 days; more flights over 48 hours
NEW DELHI: Nearly 7,000 Indians stranded in Dubai since February 28 have been flown back home in the past three days, with more flights scheduled from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Fujairah in the next 48 hours. Indian Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal and Indian Consul General in Dubai Satish Sivan held a meeting with representatives of Indian and Emirates airlines on Thursday “to review efforts to address the concerns of Indians stranded in the UAE.”“Standard Indian nationals can rebook or book these flights directly with the airlines or through local agents… Airlines are working towards resuming limited non-scheduled flight operations. The travel of nearly 7,000 stranded Indians, especially those on transit and short-term visits, have been facilitated and returned to India in the past three days. The focus of airlines is to gradually increase these non-scheduled flights from different airports in the UAE in line with airspace security and operating permissions from the UAE,” the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi said on Thursday.
Trump ‘furious’ after Kristi Noem claims he approved $220M ad campaign for DHS: report
What started as a routine Senate hearing quickly turned into a political conundrum for the White House. President Donald Trump reportedly furious after closed-door meeting with Homeland Security secretaries Kristi Noem Under oath, it was suggested he had signed up for a massive $220 million advertising campaign in which her face was prominently displayed. According to National Review, Trump is not thrilled about being thrust into the spotlight for an expensive publicity campaign.“The president gave you early approval to spend $220 million on a nationwide television ad featuring you?” Republican Sen. John Kennedy asked Noem during Tuesday’s hearing.“Yes, sir, we have gone through the legal process—” Noem said.“Did the president know you were going to do this?” Kennedy interjected.Norm answered in the affirmative again many times. “I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth. It’s just hard for me to believe, because I know the president, that you said, ‘President, here are some ads that I cut out and I’m going to spend $220 million to run them,’ and he would agree to that,” Kennedy said. He added, “I don’t think Russ Voight of the Office of Management and Budget” would agree with that.That frustration prompted the president to privately express his willingness to succeed her, National Review reported. One name starting to emerge this week as a potential replacement for him is Oklahoma’s junior U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin.The White House did not respond to National Review’s inquiries late Wednesday. Punchbowl News reported Thursday morning that Trump is asking congressional Republicans whether Noem should be fired.It’s unclear whether Trump, known for publicly floating personnel changes in private conversations with allies, will proceed with his ouster. In addition to demoting former national security adviser Michael Walz to U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Trump has so far resisted any high-profile Cabinet reshuffles in his second term, insisting in early February that he had no plans to remove Noem from office after her handling of a deadly shooting in Minneapolis involving federal officers earlier this year.“I haven’t spoken to the president,” Mullin said during a brief interview in a U.S. Capitol hallway Wednesday if he heard the president was frustrated by Noem’s Senate Judiciary testimony and if he knew he was being considered as a potential successor.The Oklahoma Republican insisted he had not spoken to the White House at all this week. “I haven’t talked to him about the hearing at all, I can’t help you, I’m sorry,” he added before walking onto the Senate floor to vote.For Noem and the department she oversees, the secretary of state’s testimony before Congress is closely watched. The Department of Homeland Security is in a partial shutdown, with congressional Democrats refusing to fund the department over concerns about the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.The administration sent border czar Tom Homan to negotiate with local Democratic officials to try to ease tensions surrounding immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota. After gaining local cooperation, Homan was able to withdraw federal immigration officials from the state.Noem’s political vulnerabilities came into focus this week, as Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees raised pointed questions about how the agency monitors contract allocations, officer training, FEMA reimbursements, special government employees and more.Noem faced a series of questions about Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski at two hearings this week. Lewandowski is a close ally of Noem and served as a special government employee as her top aide at the Department of Homeland Security. She denied that Levandowski played a role in approving the contract, a claim that DHS officials privately refuted.After news reports suggested Noem and Lewandowski were romantically involved, multiple House Democrats asked Noem directly during a House Judiciary hearing on Wednesday whether she had ever had sex with him, an allegation she called “complete garbage.”In hearings this week, lawmakers pressed Noem on the contract approval process for the $220 million advertising campaign. The $77 million contract was awarded to People Who Think LLC, owned by Jay Connaughton, who previously worked with Lewandowski on Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s gubernatorial campaign, ProPublica reported. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., questioned Noem about a $143 million no-bid contract awarded to Safe America Media, an entity that was formed just days before the contract was awarded. The group then subcontracted a small portion of the $143 million to a strategy firm owned by Ben Yoho, the husband of former Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.“Strategic Group has never had a contract with the Department of Homeland Security,” the political firm wrote in a statement posted on social media after the hearing. “We entered into a subcontract with Safe America for limited production services. Safe America was paid a total of $226,137.17 to shoot five films, produce 45 video commercials and produce six radio commercials. If you want to question our integrity, show us actual evidence – we did.“Asked to comment for this story, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson reiterated that the “relevant, highly targeted international advertising campaign” was “running across eight countries” and “reached more than 46 million people” and played an important role in helping secure the southern border.“The domestic advertising campaign was the most successful in American history. The results speak for themselves: 2.2 million illegal immigrants have been self-deported. ICE arrests and deportations cost American taxpayers an average of $18,000. Even accounting for advertising costs (CBP’s $2,600 exit bonus), self-deportations are 70 percent cheaper than ICE-enforced deportations. The advertising campaign saved U.S. taxpayers more than $39 billion. “Among Noem’s critics during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday was retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who blasted the Homeland Security secretary’s management of the agency.“Why am I disappointed in Secretary Noem? Because we are not going after enough of the people who are causing this damage at the expense of the number of people Stephen Miller wants out of the White House,” he shouted at one point during the hearing. “We just want quantity. We want 1,000 a day, 6,000 a day, 9,000 a day, because quantities matter, right? No, they don’t. Quality matters, not quantity, quality.”“What we are seeing is a disaster under your leadership,” he added.