Author: Oscar Freeman

India’s right-wing ruling party has scored a resounding victory in regional elections, wresting control of key states in a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to bid for a third term in national elections in May. In the elections concluded on Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) snatched Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh states from the opposition Indian National Congress party and registered a record fifth term in central Madhya Pradesh. The defeat of the secular Congress party in the three states – which send 62 members to the national parliament – is a bellwether that dashes its hopes of…

LONDON — It’s not every day a member of the British royal family takes the government to court. But not every member is like Prince Harry. The Duke of Sussex — a polarizing figure in the U.K. who fell out spectacularly with fellow royals and relocated to the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020 — is continuing his beef with the U.K.’s interior ministry and the shadowy committee that decides on royal security. POLITICO has your back with a bluffer’s guide to the action at the Royal Courts of Justice. Why is Harry royally unhappy? It’s all about who…

A new joint bulletin from the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice to local, state and federal law enforcement warns that groups like al Qaeda and ISIS will likely use the Israel-Hamas war “to increase calls for violence in the U.S. during the holiday season compared to prior years.” It says the most likely “primary targets” could include churches, synagogues and members of the Jewish community. With the Israeli military bearing down on southern Gaza and Hanukkah only days away, the new intelligence report reviewed by CBS News warns of increased threats from foreign terrorist groups. It mirrors FBI Director Christopher Wray’s…

SAN FRANCISCO – The Biden administration has vowed to continue negotiating an ambitious Asia trade deal, but election-year pressures and resistance to tough commitments from some countries make a deal unlikely, trade experts and business groups say. The Biden administration had emphasized finishing key chapters of its Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) initiative trade “pillar” in time for this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, aiming to offer the region an alternative to China’s growing trade clout. That effort failed after some countries, including Vietnam and Indonesia, declined to commit to strong labor and environmental standards with binding enforcement provisions. The…

Congress is considering the merits of a package of expiring and expired business tax changes that some lawmakers want to pair with larger tax subsidies for families with kids. If made permanent, the ostensibly $100 billion in tax cuts could reduce revenue by more than $1.5 trillion over the budget window. Keeping taxes low on new investment is an essential goal for American workers and production, but Congress should not tie necessary economic reforms to budget gimmicks and unrelated middle‐​class tax subsidies. The Tax Extender Illusion Almost every year, Congress attempts and often succeeds at extending a handful of expiring tax provisions. These so‐​called…

Many Republican politicians have backed Donald Trump and very few have actively opposed him because they see him as useful in helping them retain power. After the attack on the Capitol that could have cost congressmen, including Republicans, their lives, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) declared, “Count me out.” But he was soon back in. As Graham put it, “There is no way we can achieve our goals without Trump.” It was pretty clear by the end of the Senate impeachment proceedings in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack that Republicans were giving Trump a free pass because they saw it as in their…

The brutal pogrom of October 7 has been transformative. It has been a painful wakeup call for millions of Israelis, including our political, military, and intelligence leadership. It has been an existential slap in the face for a great many on the Left who thought they were on the right side of history in supporting what they believed to be the peaceful nation-building aspirations of Palestinians in Gaza, only to realize that they were giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Or that they were supporting the wrong “team” – to use US President Joe Biden’s expression. Finally, and perhaps…

Something unprecedented is happening this weekend in Paris, brought about by the war between Israel and Hamas and its spill-over in Europe. For the first time ever, a major demonstration being attended by representatives of the major political parties includes the far right – but not the far left. On Sunday afternoon thousands of people heeded a call from the Speakers of the two houses of parliament to show their support for French “Republican” values and their rejection of antisemitism – this in the face of a steep rise in antisemitic actions since 7 October. Among the first to announce…

The anti-terror squad Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88) of the National Police (Polri), on Friday, succeeded in arresting 27 people, allegedly members of the Anshor Daulah terrorist group, in three provinces. Head of the Public Information Bureau at Polri’s Public Relations Division Brigadier General Ahmad Ramadhan told the media that the 27 terror suspects were apprehended by the special team in the provinces of Jakarta, West Java, and Central Sulawesi. “All of the 27 suspects are members of the Anshor Daulah terrorist group,” he highlighted. In detail, the arrested suspects go by the initials as S, MG, S, AH, FA,…

Opposition candidate Mohamed Muiz won the Maldives presidential runoff on Saturday, securing more than 53% of the vote, local media reported. The election had turned into a virtual referendum on which regional power — India or China — will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation. Mihaaru News reported that incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had received 46% of the vote and that Muiz had won by more than 18,000 votes. Official results were expected Sunday. “With today’s result we have got the opportunity to build the country’s future. The strength to ensure the freedom of Maldives,”…