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Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
JD(U) MP: ‘It took me 10 days to get papers for EC drive… It's a year since LS polls, what was EC doing till now?'
THE JD(U) MP from Banka in Bihar, Giridhari Yadav, is known to speak his mind. On Wednesday, he broke ranks with his party and its ally BJP to criticise the Election Commission's (EC) ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar just ahead of the Assembly elections, referring to it as a 'Tughlaqi farman (ill-conceived diktat)'. In an interview with The Indian Express, Yadav speaks on the issues with the SIR and its potential outcome. Excerpts: My first point is there is very little time given by the EC for such a humongous exercise. This is a time for farming in Bihar, people are busy with agricultural work. But you are making them run around for documents. This is also a time when parts of the state face floods. Villages get washed away. These people struggle to get their lives together. It is a bad time to do such an exercise. The EC is saying there is online provision (for filling the forms). But many of the people in Bihar are unlettered. They migrate out of the state to earn a living and are forced to live like animals. How will they do this online? It has taken me 10 days to get my own documents in order. My son is in the United States. The EC should have given at least six months to complete this exercise. People are complaining about the bureaucratic hurdles they are facing and what a pain it is to get documents. At many places officials are asking for bribes, the people in my constituency have told me. I don't know. But I do know that people are facing problems. Any government or constitutional authority is there to make life easier for people, not to complicate it further. It has been a year since the Lok Sabha polls. What was the EC doing till now? Throughout the year, names have been added to the voter list and now you are saying you will conduct an intensive revision. This exercise could have been taken up right after the Lok Sabha polls. All this creates doubt. All I am saying is more time should have been given. The EC should listen to all stakeholders. Before carrying out such a massive exercise, all political parties should have been consulted. This is my personal view. I am not expressing the party's views. As a representative of the people, it is my duty to express the problems being faced by the people. Only today I raised a question in the House over the paucity of trains in Bihar. In 11 years of (NDA) rule, the Ministry of Railways has not added a single train on the Patna-Mumbai and Patna-Delhi routes. Hasn't Bihar's population increased in this period? People are forced to travel in miserable conditions on trains because there aren't enough trains.
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Is ‘KPop Demon Hunters 2' happening? Here's what we know about the sequel
Animated hit ' KPop Demon Hunters ' has taken the world by storm since its release on 20 June 2025. It has been viewed more than 56 million times and dominates the top 10 charts in 93 countries. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The film follows the trio, Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Meera (voiced by May Hong), and Zoey (voiced by Ji-young Yoo), who are members of the fictional K-pop girl group HUNTR/X. Secretly, they also fight demons while keeping up their glamorous pop idol image. The movie's exciting mix of K-pop energy, supernatural action, and heartfelt storytelling has earned it a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and a Billboard-charting soundtrack, making it one of the biggest animated hits of the year. Sequel speculation: What's next for HUNTR/X? Although the makers haven't officially confirmed a sequel yet, co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans have shown strong interest in continuing the story. Kang told Variety, 'We've set up so much for potential backstory. There are a lot of questions left unanswered… This was Rumi's story, and we have backstories for Zoey and Mira that we couldn't explore in just 85 minutes.' The cast is just as eager to come back. Ji-young Yoo said she'd be 'honestly a little bummed' if a sequel didn't happen, while Arden Cho added she'd be 'heartbroken.' How the first film ended — Spoilers ahead The ending saw Rumi's half-demon identity exposed during a live performance, leading to a tense showdown with the demon king Gwi-Ma (voiced by Lee Byung-hun). In a powerful moment of redemption, Jinu (voiced by Ahn Hyo-seop), a demon who turned into their ally, sacrifices himself to save Rumi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He transfers his soul into her, helping HUNTR/X restore the Honmoon barrier. The film closes with Rumi embracing who she is and the group coming back together, but Jinu's fate is still uncertain, leaving the door wide open for a sequel. Cultural impact and musical legacy The film's soundtrack debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, later climbing to No. 3, making it the highest-charting animated soundtrack since 'Encanto.' The breakout song 'Golden' is even being pushed for awards, and HUNTR/X has become a global pop culture phenomenon, rivaling real-life K-pop groups in streaming numbers.
AFP
04-07-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Old Gaza blast picture falsely linked to Iran-Israel war
"Israel's situation," reads Hindi-language text overlaid to a picture of a giant blast, shared June 24, 2025 on Facebook. Its caption includes a hashtag that says, "iran attack on israel". Image Screenshot of the false post taken June 30, 2025, with a red X sign added by AFP The most intense confrontation between the Middle East adversaries erupted on June 13, when Israel launched a bombing campaign in Iran that killed top military commanders and scientists linked to its nuclear programme (archived link). Tehran responded with ballistic missile attacks on Israeli cities. The United States subsequently joined its ally Israel's military campaign against Iran, bombing three key facilities used for Tehran's atomic program. A ceasefire announced on June 24 ended the war. Similar posts on Facebook and X also shared the picture but a reverse image search on Google traced it to EPA Images (). "Smoke rises from Tuffah neighbourhood after Israeli air strikes in the east of Gaza City, 29 July 2014," reads the photo's caption. Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and photo from EPA Images with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP found similar pictures were also published by AFP and The Washington Post (archived link). At the time, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, with the stated goal of stopping Palestinian rocket fire and destroying tunnels used by militants to infiltrate Israel. The seven-week conflict killed 2,251 Palestinians and 74 Israelis, including 68 soldiers. Image Screenshot of the AFP photo showing the same explosion AFP has debunked more misinformation related to the Iran-Israel war here.
The Star
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Four things to watch in Thai political crisis after Prime Minister's suspension
BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (pic) faces an uncertain future and could become the third leader from the Shinawatra clan member to lose power over the past 19 years. The Constitutional Court has suspended her over an ethics probe that could disqualify her as prime minister. The move comes as her government faces coalition infighting, US trade talks, a border dispute with Cambodia and a sluggish economy that has lagged behind most of its South-Est Asian peers. At the heart of the crisis is Paetongtarn's leaked phone call with Cambodian strongman Hun Sen, which has fueled public outrage and could bring down the government before the court rules. Here are four things to watch ahead of the ruling as the crisis unfolds: Coalition collapse Paetongtarn has been left with a wobbly coalition after the exit of Bhumjaithai Party, which was her biggest ally with 69 lawmakers in the 495-member House of Representatives. The other nine parties in the coalition have pledged to stay with Paetongtarn's ruling Pheu Thai Party - for now. If any more parties decide to leave after the court's decision, the coalition - now holding about 255 seats - could quickly collapse. Five of the remaining parties each have at least nine lawmakers, enough to shift the balance and push the government into a minority. "Political pressure will mount on coalition partners to distance themselves from what appears to be a sinking ship,' said Napon Jatusripitak, acting coordinator of the Thailand Studies Program at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. "This pressure will only intensify as street protests grow over the coming weeks.' A coalition collapse would strip the government of its mandate. Even if it remains in office, it would likely face legislative gridlock, unable to pass new laws. Dissolution of Parliament A political stalemate is especially concerning as the National Assembly prepares to debate key economic bills, including the next fiscal budget for the year that begins in October. If the government fails to pass the budget, the prime minister typically dissolves the parliament to trigger a new election. An election must be held within 45 to 60 days of a royal endorsement to dissolve parliament. But forming a new government could take months due to coalition talks ahead of a prime ministerial vote. While suspended, Paetongtarn cannot exercise her authority to dissolve parliament. That power now lies with acting leader Suriya Jungrungreangkit, who is expected to hand over the role to Phumtham Wechayachai after the swearing-in ceremony on Thursday (July 3). The opposition People's Party has been calling for this scenario, saying it is the only way to stop the crisis from spinning out of control and precipitating military intervention. Escalating protests More than 20,000 people rallied in Bangkok in late June to demand Paetongtarn's resignation - the largest such turnout in years. The 12-hour protest was largely peaceful and orderly. Many of the organisers were longtime critics of the Shinawatra family. Some protest leaders were also involved in demonstrations that paved the way for military coups in 2006, which toppled Paetongtarn's father Thaksin Shinawatra, and in 2014, ending Yingluck Shinawatra's government. Last month's protesters echoed earlier movements against past Shinawatra governments, such as cardboard signs saying "traitor,' the colour yellow and the use of the Thai national flag. Although the protest leaders officially deny inviting a military coup, some of them have suggested that they would find it acceptable if it happens on its own course. Tension With Cambodia Paetongtarn said her contentious phone call with Hun Sen was meant to ease tensions between Thailand and Cambodia as both sides imposed tit-for-tat trade and travel restrictions, following an exchange of gunfire on May 28 near the disputed Chong Bok region that left one Cambodian soldier dead. The situation worsened after Cambodia petitioned the International Court of Justice to rule on four territorial disputes, including Chong Bok. Cambodia has pushed for third-party involvement, but Thailand prefers bilateral talks and does not recognise the ICJ's mandatory jurisdiction. The conflict has also spilled online. Hun Sen posted the phone recording that put Paetongtarn under fire on Facebook, while his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, regularly criticised Thai border policies on social media. Last week, Hun Sen threatened to "expose' Thaksin, with whom he had enjoyed close personal relations for decades, and went on to call for a leadership change in Thailand, saying he doubted Paetongtarn's ability to resolve the escalating conflict. Seen as a political wild card, Hun Sen has escalated tensions between two of the region's most prominent dynasties - the Huns and the Shinawatras - and stoked speculation of what he may have in store next. - Bloomberg
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
'Very strategic ally': White House confirms US-India trade deal 'very close'; press sec calls Trump-Modi relationship ‘very good'
The White House on Monday reaffirmed the strength of India-US ties, describing India as a "very strategic ally" and hinting that a much-anticipated trade deal between the two nations could be finalised soon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now During a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded to questions from reporters about the status of trade negotiations and US President Donald Trump's recent comments indicating that a deal with India was near completion. "Yes, the President said that last week, and it remains true. I just spoke to our Secretary of Commerce about it. He was in the Oval Office with the President. They are finalising these agreements, and you'll hear from the President and his trade team very soon when it comes to India," Leavitt said. Leavitt also responded to a question from news agency ANI about how views China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region and its impact on ties with India. 'India remains a very strategic ally in the Asia Pacific and the President has a very good relationship with , and he will continue to have that,' she said. Her comments come amid renewed focus on Indo-Pacific partnerships, as the US continues to counter China's economic and military assertiveness in the region. While she did not offer a specific timeline for the trade deal, Leavitt's remarks suggest that behind-the-scenes preparations are in the final stages.
