Author:

Who is Dhananjay? JNUSU first Dalit president from Left after nearly three decades

The United Left panel on Sunday effected a clean sweep in the JNUSU election, defeating its nearest rival the RSS-affiliated ABVP.

Karnataka Class 5, 8, 9 and SSLC exams to begin from today

In response to the High Court’s order, the Karnataka State Examination and Assessment Board has rescheduled exams for Classes 5, 8, and 9 starting March 25.

Lok Sabha polls 2024: Chirag Paswan’s LJP to release candidates list ‘immediately’ after Holi

NDA ally Chirag Paswan on Sunday said his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) will declare its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls “immediately after Holi”.

Vote counting under way in Senegal’s delayed presidential election

Vote counting is under way in Senegal after a delayed presidential election that many hope will bring change after a turbulent political period that has triggered violent anti-government protests and boosted support for the opposition. More than seven million of the country’s over 17 million people were registered to vote in Sunday’s election. Nineteen contenders are vying to replace President Macky Sall, stepping down after a second term marred by unrest over the prosecution of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and concerns that Sall wanted to extend his mandate past the constitutional limit. The incumbent was not on the ballot for the first time in Senegal’s history. His ruling coalition has picked former prime minister Amadou Ba, 62, as its candidate. Sonko, in jail until recently, was disqualified from the race because of a defamation conviction. He is backing the co-creator of his now-dissolved PASTEF party, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was also detained almost a year ago on charges including defamation and contempt of court. An amnesty law passed this month allowed their release days before the vote. He and his colleague Diomaye have campaigned together under the banner “Diomaye is Sonko”. Besides Ba and Faye, Dakar’s former Mayor Khalifa Sall, veteran politician Idrissa Seck, former Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, a close ally of President Sall Aly Ngouille Ndiaye and entrepreneur and political newcomer Anta Babacar Ngom — the sole woman among the candidates — are all a part of the presidential race. (Al Jazeera) To avoid a run-off election, one candidate must secure more than 50 percent of the vote. While official results are expected next week, in previous elections candidates have announced their predictions on the same evening as the vote. Reporting from Dakar, Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque said it was an “unusual” election. “There is both anticipation like you would have in any election; there is an element of fear and unknown because this is the first election in the last 12 years where President Macky Sall is not in the running … and there is an element of excitement, especially among those young, first-time voters. “This is an election like no other and it’s very important, especially for young people.” ‘Voting for change’ Lines formed outside polling stations around Dakar on Sunday. Roads were quiet as the nation’s elite police force was deployed across the city in armoured vehicles, checking voters’ cards. “I am so happy to be able to exercise my right to vote as a Senegalese citizen,” voter Thiaba Camara Sy, from the organisation Demain Senegal (Tomorrow Senegal), told Al Jazeera at a polling station in Dakar. “This is something that we have won because the risk was high of the election being delayed until who knows when, so I’ve been queuing for two hours but I’m happy.” In the ocean-facing neighbourhood of Dakar’s Ngor, fisherman Alioune Samba, 66, said he was voting for the change everyone wants. “Food, water, school; everything is expensive with the low income we have in Senegal,” the father of three told Reuters news agency. People wait to cast their votes outside a polling station during the presidential elections, in Dakar, Senegal [Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP] Khodia Ndiayes, a 52-year-old cook, told the Associated Press news agency she picked Faye on the ballot because she wanted Sonko to win. “I’m proud to have voted,” she said. “We need a new president because life is expensive, the economy is bad and we need better schools.” Al Jazeera’s Haque said it appeared that a lot of people have come out to vote. “It’s interesting who those people are: a lot of young men but also women, key in this election because women make up a substantial part of the electorate in Senegal,” he said. Faye versus Ba After casting his vote, Ba called for peace and said he wished for the Senegalese people to find out who their next president is soon and to calmly resume their daily lives. He said he was “very, very, very confident” of his chances of winning. Most of Sonko’s supporters are expected to vote for Faye, analysts say. “The population is choosing between continuation and rupture,” Faye said after voting, urging contenders to accept the result. In these elections, “the two political camps stand on opposite sides of the political spectrum”, Mucahid Durmaz, a senior political risk analyst for West Africa at Verisk Maplecroft, told Al Jazeera. He noted that while outgoing President Sall and his ruling coalition candidate Ba favour economic liberalisation policies, opposition figure Sonko and his chosen candidate Faye plan to introduce a new currency and renegotiate contracts with oil and gas operators in the country. “The issue here is that despite the economic boom that the country has witnessed over the years under President Sall, it’s not really facilitated a wider socioeconomic development for the country’s youthful population,” Durmaz said. Economic issues Unemployment is another key issue in the election. Frustration at the lack of job opportunities has spurred support for Sonko and his backed candidate Faye, particularly among the youth. The share of young Senegalese not in employment, education or training stood at 35 percent in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic further squeezed the job market. Besides unemployment, the rising cost of living spurred by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the appreciation of the United States dollar have undermined support for current ruling Senegalese authorities. The launch of oil and gas production later in 2024 has also raised questions about whether the natural resource wealth will benefit the wider population and create jobs. The Sonko-backed opposition coalition has promised to renegotiate energy contracts to maximise revenues, while Ba is running on the slogan “Prosperity Shared”. ‘Calm’ voting process While the elections come amid frustrations over a fragile economy, according to election observers, the voting process has been relatively peaceful. Hundreds of election observers from civil society, the African Union, the regional group the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union were on the ground monitoring the

Simon Harris to be Ireland’s youngest PM after clinching party leadership

Harris will be voted in as Ireland’s youngest-ever prime minister when parliament next sits on April 9. Simon Harris is set to become Ireland’s youngest prime minister after he was appointed as the new leader of the governing Fine Gael party. The 37-year-old said it was the “absolute honour of my life” to be appointed party leader on Sunday, replacing Leo Varadkar, who resigned unexpectedly on Wednesday, saying the party would be better governed under another leader. Harris will be voted in as the Republic of Ireland’s youngest-ever prime minister – known as the taoiseach – when the country’s parliament or Oireachtas next sits on April 9 due to support from Fine Gael’s coalition partners. “I think he’s done a really good job in securing the leadership in as comprehensive a way as he has,” Fine Gael deputy leader Simon Coveney said. Harris told the centre-right party’s members that he would repay their faith with “hard work, with blood, sweat and tears, day in and day out with responsibility, with humility and with civility”. Setting out his priorities, Harris insisted that Fine Gael “stands for law and order” and told members he wanted to “take our flag back” from nationalists, to loud cheers. He also said that he would pursue a “more planned and sustainable” immigration policy, following increased tension over the issue, and that he would “fight against the dangers of populism”. On the international front, he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and condemned Russia’s “horrific illegal invasion of Ukraine”. He will have no more than a year to save the coalition from defeat at parliamentary elections. In the last three years, polls have put Sinn Fein, a left-wing party that backs unification with Northern Ireland, a British province, as the preferred choice to lead the next government. However, two more polls on Sunday confirmed a recent trend of support for Sinn Fein dropping off highs of 12-18 months ago. A Business Post/Red C poll conducted before Varadkar’s departure as taoiseach put Sinn Fein’s lead over Fine Gael at six percentage points, while an Irish Independent/Ireland Thinks survey showed a five-point edge. Harris, formerly a minister for education, research and science, is best known for taking responsibility for Ireland’s COVID-19 response. He said recently that he became involved in politics as an “opinionated, moody teenager” bothered by the lack of educational supports for his autistic brother. Although he has spent most of his adult life in parliament, Harris has cast himself as an “accidental politician”. His online presence led one opponent in the Oireachtas to dub Harris the “TikTok taoiseach”. While the economy grew strongly under Varadkar, successive governments, of which Harris has been part, have struggled to tackle a decade-long housing crisis and, more recently, the pressure from record numbers of asylum seekers and refugees. Inheriting a three-party coalition government working off an agreed policy programme will not give the incoming leader much room for major new policy initiatives. Before Harris, Varadkar was the country’s youngest-ever leader when first elected at age 38, as well as Ireland’s first openly gay prime minister. His mother is Irish and his father is Indian, which also made Varadkar Ireland’s first biracial taoiseach. Varadkar, 45, has had two spells as taoiseach — between 2017 and 2020, and again since December 2022 as part of a job-share with Micheal Martin, head of coalition partner Fianna Fail. Adblock test (Why?)

Chad main opposition figures barred as leaders cleared for election

The central African country’s presidential election is set to take place in May. Authorities in Chad have cleared 10 candidates for this year’s long-awaited presidential election, barring two fierce opponents of the military government from standing. Chad’s Constitutional Council announced on Sunday that outspoken opposition figures Nassour Ibrahim Neguy Koursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh would be barred. It said their applications had been rejected because they included “irregularities”. The council said that the nominations of interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby and the country’s recently-appointed Prime Minister Succes Masra had been accepted. The central African nation is scheduled to hold the first round of a presidential election on May 6 and the second round on June 22, with provisional results on July 7. The elections are part of a transition back to democracy from rule by Chad’s military government, which is one of several currently in power in West and Central Africa. There have been eight coups in the region since 2020, sparking concerns of a democratic backslide. It is the first time in Chad’s history that a president and a prime minister will face each other in a presidential poll. Deby initially promised an 18-month transition to elections after he seized power in 2021, when his long-ruling father was killed in clashes with rebels. But his government later adopted resolutions that postponed elections until 2024 and allowed him to run for president, triggering protests that were violently quelled by security forces. In December, Chadians voted in favour of a new constitution that critics said could help cement Deby’s grip on power as it allowed him to run for the presidency. Deby confirmed his intention to run earlier this month. Masra, previously a staunch opponent of Chad’s military rulers, had fled the country after dozens were killed when security forces cracked down on demonstrations in the capital N’Djamena in October 2022. He returned in November after a reconciliation agreement was signed that guaranteed him the ability to participate in political activities. Several opposition parties have since distanced themselves from Masra. Call for boycott Wakit Tamma, another of the main opposition platforms in Chad, on Saturday called for a boycott of the presidential vote, denouncing it as a “masquerade” aimed at upholding a “dynastic dictatorship”. The barring of the opposition candidates comes less than a month after General Deby’s main rival Yaya Dillo Djerou was shot dead in an army assault on his PSF party headquarters. In early March, Human Rights Watch called for an independent investigation into the murder of Dillo, arguing that the army assault “raises serious concerns about the environment for elections scheduled for May”. Prime Minister Masra subsequently promised that his government would hold an international inquiry to determine responsibility for the death of the military government’s main opponent. [embedded content] Adblock test (Why?)

Boston activists seeking $15B in reparations, call on ‘White churches’ to commit to extending wealth

The Boston Task Force on Reparations called on “White churches” to step up and pay the Black community back for racial inequities that root back to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, according to reports. The Boston Globe reported that Black and White clergy members met in Roxbury for a press conference intended to be held outside, though it was instead held in the basement of the Resurrection Lutheran Church on Saturday because of rain. The commission was established through a 2022 Boston City Council ordinance and made up of 10 members, including two from the youth community. In February, the Boston activists called for the city to “fully commit to writing checks” and for a $15 billion payout since the city’s wealth was built on slavery. BOSTON ACTIVISTS CALL FOR $15 BILLION IN REPARATIONS, SAYS THE CITY MUST ‘FULLY COMMIT TO WRITING CHECKS’ “We call sincerely and with a heart filled with faith and Christian love for our White churches to join us and not be silent around this issue of racism and slavery and commit to reparations,” Rev. Kevin Peterson said.  Peterson is a minister and is trying to rename Faneuil Hall because of its ties to the slave trade in the 18th century. “We point to them in Christian love to publicly atone for the sins of slavery and we ask them to publicly commit to a process of reparations where they will extend their great wealth — tens of millions of dollars among some of those churches — into the Black community,” said Peterson. CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY ARGUES CASH PAYMENTS TO DESCENDANTS OF SLAVES ‘RECOGNIZE THE HARM DONE’ FROM SLAVERY Sixteen religious leaders signed the letter and sent it to several churches in the Boston area, seeking support for reparations. Specifically, in a letter obtained by the Globe, the group calls on churches to provide cash payments while also helping to create affordable housing and back new financial institutions “in Black Boston.” The letter was reportedly sent to Arlington Street Church, Trinity Church and Old South Church in Back Bay, King’s Chapel in downtown Boston. All four churches were established in the 17th and 18th centuries, Peterson told the publication. During Saturday’s press conference, Rev. John E. Gibbons of Arlington Street Church told reporters multiple churches are researching their history and discussing reparations. DESCENDANTS OF ENSLAVED WHO BUILT MISSOURI UNIVERSITY WANT OVER $70 BILLION FOR UNPAID SLAVE LABOR “That is not enough,” Gibbons said. “Somehow we need to move with some urgency toward action and so part of what we’re doing is to prod and encourage white churches to go beyond what they have done thus far.” King’s Chapel senior minister Rev. Joy Fallon said the congregation at the church is establishing a memorial to people who were enslaved while also working to establish a fund to support social justice and reconciliation. The Globe reported last year that the church paid for research which identified 219 people who were owned by ministers and members of the congregation. Fallon, as well as representatives from Trinity Church and Old South Church did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital about the reparations. In February, the commission held a news conference, where Peterson demanded full monetary compensation for wages and lost lives through slavery and anti-Black institutional oppression. During the conference, Peterson reportedly advocated for the $15 billion to come in three distinct types of payments. SAN FRANCISCO’S PROPOSED REPARATIONS PLAN COULD COST CITY $100 BILLION: REPORT One form of payment would be $5 billion of cash payments to Boston’s Black residents, another would be $5 billion to invest in new financial institutions, and the remaining $5 billion would go toward addressing the racial disparities in education and anti-crime measures. The amount is more than three times the annual budget in Boston, which was set at $4.28 billion for fiscal year 2024. Before the press conference last month, Peterson released a statement claiming the “debt must be paid in dollars.” On Saturday, Danielle Williams, the director of a social justice group called Prophetic Resistance Boston, reportedly said her great-great-grandmother was taken into slavery in Africa and shipped to North Carolina. Williams also spoke about the holy tradition of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. “Black people, the descendants of slavery, have been washing the feet of our oppressors for well over 400 years,” Williams reportedly said. “Now it’s time for you to wash our feet. The descendants of slavery, we want our reparations. We want it now.” Fox News Digital’s Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.

New Jersey’s first lady Tammy Murphy suspends Senate campaign for Bob Menendez’s seat

Tammy Murphy, the wife of New Jersey governor Phil Murphy, suspended her bid for U.S. Senate on Sunday, after running a campaign that critics claimed was nepotistic.   The first lady of the Garden State had been vying to win the Democratic primary for the upcoming U.S. Senate election, in light of Sen. Bob Menendez’s federal corruption charges. On Thursday, Menendez indicated that he would not run as a Democrat and entertained the idea of running as an independent. Murphy’s main contender in the race was Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., who has been in office since 2019. In a video posted on X, she explained the “enormous challenges” that face the state of New Jersey.  “After many busy, invigorating, and yes, challenging months. I am suspending my Senate campaign today,” Murphy said. ANDY KIM GAINS MOMENTUM OVER NJ FIRST LADY IN DEMOCRATIC SENATE CONVENTION TO REPLACE BOB MENENDEZ The New Jersey Democrat claimed that her main reason for leaving the race involved her desire to not “wag[e] a very divisive and negative campaign.” “With Donald Trump on the ballot and so much at stake for our nation, I will not in good conscience waste resources tearing down a fellow Democrat instead of talking about process and politics,” Murphy said. “My campaign has been about solutions for families and a vision for the next generation.” The first lady also criticized former President Donald Trump in her speech, calling him a “dangerous threat” and encouraging Democrats to unify the country.   FORMER NJ GOV. MCGREEVEY ANNOUNCES MAYORAL RUN IN JERSEY CITY “As we face grave, dangerous threats on the national level, thanks to Donald Trump and far-right extremists, it’s time to unify, not divide,” she added. “I will now focus entirely on reelecting President Biden and ensuring Democratic victories up and down the ballot all across New Jersey.” “I look forward to partnering with you to ensure our communities are affordable, our rights and freedoms protected, and our futures safe and secure.” Murphy’s critics have given her flack for running a campaign that appeared nepotistic, considering her husband’s position as New Jersey governor. Days after the first-time candidate announced her Senate bid, she was endorsed by four New Jersey congressmen.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to the Kim and Murphy campaigns for comment. Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

Fani Willis says she’s the only DA in US with enough ‘courage’ to prosecute Trump

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told reporters this week she is the only DA in the country with enough “courage” to prosecute former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case.  During an Easter event in College Park Saturday for families in need, Willis, 52, spoke to the media for the first time since a judge ruled she could remain on the case.   “There’s one district attorney in the state – and really around the country – that has had the courage to do this, and she continues to do it,” Willis told FOX 5 Atlanta. “The case landed in Fulton County, not by anything that I did, but by the actions of others, and when a case lands in my jurisdiction, I’m going to prosecute it, and that’s the end of that.”  Defense attorneys have accused Willis of mishandling the case, alleging that she hired special prosecutor Nathan Wade to profit from the Trump prosecution through their romantic relationship.   Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has said there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove those claims but rebuked Willis for what he called a “tremendous lapse in judgment.” Judge McAfee has allowed attorneys for Trump’s codefendants to appeal his ruling that she could stay on the case after the withdrawal of special prosecutor Wade.  INFLUENTIAL POLLSTER SAYS NY AG SEIZING TRUMP’S PROPERTY WOULD ‘ELECT’ HIM In remarks to Atlanta News First, Willis implored the media to focus on “the charges, the facts, and the law and leave all the drama behind.”  “I’m 52 years old. It really ain’t that interesting if I’m in a relationship or not. If just ain’t. It’s not cool to anybody, and it ain’t that sensational of a story,” Willis said.  Willis also told CNN that the prosecution against Trump hasn’t been delayed by proceedings over her romantic relationship.  “I don’t feel like we have been slowed down at all,” Willis said. “I think there are efforts to slow down the train, but the train is coming.” She also said she didn’t believe her reputation needed to be reclaimed and that she hadn’t done anything embarrassing. “I’m not embarrassed by anything I’ve done,” Willis said. “I guess my greatest crime is that I had a relationship with a man, but that’s not something I find embarrassing in any way.” ABC HOST CAN’T BELIEVE RUBIO WOULD SERVE AS TRUMP’S VP IF ASKED: ‘REALLY?’ On Twitter, Trump attorney Steve Sadow accused Willis of ignoring Judge McAffee’s warning “in his disqualification order about talking about the case in a public forum.”  “Does this surprise anyone?” Sadow tweeted.  In a follow-up tweet, Sadow wrote: “Does political ambition, opportunism, and pretentiousness equal courage? NO!”  Anthony Michael Kreis, a Georgia State University law professor who’s been following the case, criticized her comments in a post on X. “If I were Fani Willis, I would simply not talk to the media at all at this point just out of an abundance of caution,” Kreis said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the DA’s office for comment.  Trump faces four felony indictments — including separate federal and state cases for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that he lost to President Joe Biden — but has fought to delay and dismiss the cases, arguing that political opponents are wrongly targeting him. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is presiding over the criminal trial of Trump’s alleged hush-money payments to an adult film star. New York Attorney General Letitia James brought a case against Trump in October, alleging that he inflated his assets and committed fraud. And Special Counsel Jack Smith charged last summer that Trump plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 

All Senate Dems vote against barring taxpayer funds to fly illegal migrants to US towns

Every Democratic lawmaker in the Senate voted against an amendment that would bar taxpayer funds from being used to fly illegal aliens to U.S. towns and cities, according to the Republican senator behind the amendment.  “Tonight every single Senate Democrat voted against my amendment that would stop Biden Admin from using taxpayer dollars to charter flights for hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from their countries directly to American towns to be resettled,” Republican Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty tweeted early Saturday morning.  “Indefensible,” he added. Hagerty announced earlier last week that he was set to file an amendment to the appropriations bill that would “prohibit federal funds from being used to secretly fly illegal aliens from other nations directly into states across the country,” according to his office’s press release.  7.2M ILLEGALS ENTERED THE US UNDER BIDEN ADMIN, AN AMOUNT GREATER THAN POPULATION OF 36 STATES The amendment was in response to recent news stories reporting the Biden administration flew an estimated 320,000 illegal immigrants from their home nations to the U.S. in 2023.  “Let me cut through the procedural language here. I’m bringing forward a vote on a very simple question: Do you support American taxpayer dollars being used to fly illegal aliens into the United States from places like Venezuela and Haiti, into America to be settled in towns and cities near you? If so, then vote against me. Vote ‘no’ to preserve the practice of using taxpayer dollars to charter planes that move and import thousands of illegal aliens into your states,” Hagerty said Friday on the floor of the Senate.  HOUSE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR BIDEN TO ‘IMMEDIATELY TERMINATE’ PROGRAM THAT FLEW 320K MIGRANTS INTO US CITIES Lawmakers voted the measure down, 51-47. All Democrats voted against the amendment, but no Republicans did. The amendment was included in the Senate’s late-night vote Friday to avoid a government shutdown. The House passed the $1.2 trillion government funding bill earlier Friday, before making its way to the Senate, where lawmakers were in a standoff on whether to vote on amendments to the bill.  “​​Let me explain what’s happening right now,” Hagerty said on X ahead of the vote on the bill and his amendment. “Democrat Senators are afraid to take a position on Biden’s failed policies by voting on amendments to the appropriations bill. They’d rather shut down the government than take a position on President Biden’s failures.” BORDER PATROL UNION BOSS SAYS BIDEN ‘SLAPPED EVERY AMERICAN IN THE FACE’ DURING STATE OF THE UNION The Senate ultimately cleared the spending bill after the midnight deadline to avert a government shutdown, following votes on a handful of Republican-backed amendments and proposals. The Senate voted 74-24 to fund the government through September, sending the bill to President Biden’s desk, which he signed Saturday.  None of the Republican-backed amendments passed. If any amendments had passed, the bill would have returned to the House, which just began a two-week recess, for review.  Hagerty’s tweet detailing how each Democrat voted against his amendment has racked up more than 30 million views as of Sunday, with critics of the Democratic lawmakers’ votes yielding condemnation online.  “This is insane!” tech billionaire Elon Musk tweeted.  “We’re witnessing in real time the planned and controlled destruction of this country,” former University of Kentucky swimmer and activist Riley Gaines tweeted in response.  Hagerty responded to Musk’s tweet, arguing Democrats “are trying to hide” his legislation.  “That’s why Chuck Schumer scheduled this vote in the middle of the night (on Friday). He did the same 2 weeks ago on my vote to stop illegals from being counted in the census. They are trying to hide it,” he posted on X Sunday morning.  At least 7.2 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration, which is greater than the population of 36 individual states, Fox News Digital reported earlier this year.  A report published by the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonpartisan think tank, found the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has allowed “secret flights” to transport illegal aliens from Latin America to communities across the U.S. Roughly 320,000 migrants were flown to 43 different American airports from January through December 2023, according to the report.