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No more a free circus, but a tamasha worth crores
Congress and left-wing organizations are currently staging protests in Delhi against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Despite a Supreme Court dismissal of their petition for his removal, Rahul Gandhi continues to lead these protests. Gandhi's actions have been criticized as immature and lacking political understanding during these demonstrations. His tactics appear to be aimed at gaining publicity, which has affected his public standing negatively.
Opposition leaders and journalists allege police abuses as fresh protests break out in India
Indian opposition politicians and journalists alleged that police had been heavy-handed in cracking down in protests that swept New Delhi over the weekend in response to a nationwide voter roll revision that critics say disproportionately affects Muslim and other minority voters. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called for a fresh march to the nation's Supreme Court Monday.
Zelenskyy blindsided after Trump announces 'energy ceasefire' in Ukraine war | First Thing
Ukrainian president says the deal is 'news to me' and that Russia is still attacking energy infrastructure. Plus, investigation into continuing mystery of Havana syndromeDon't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said it was "news to me" after Donald Trump announced a partial ceasefire deal in the Ukraine war. The US president had posted to social media to say: "Effective immediately, there is an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine. Both parties have agreed."There was no sign that the Kremlin was observing Trump's ceasefire. According to Zelenskyy, Russian drones took to the sky "throughout the day" on Sunday and there were several airstrikes, including on energy infrastructure. He said Russia hit a power station in Kharkiv – the latest of more than 200 strikes during the past week against electricity generation and transmission facilities in Ukraine.How has the prospect of a deal been welcomed? Despite the unconventional nature of the announcement, the ceasefire appeared to garner support from Ukraine's key western allies. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said Paris supported a "real energy ceasefire" and the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, said a sustained energy ceasefire was "the best route to get energy and fuel back into world markets".Will Trump's deal with Putin bring down gas prices? The agreement to temporarily lift sanctions on US imports of Russian diesel will have little "meaningful" effect on motorists and businesses in the US and overseas, energy and foreign policy analysts have predicted. Continue reading...
'Singhasan khali karo': Shashi Tharoor's poetic post as Congress ups ante against CEC
Shashi Thaoor called it the poem of the day, which coincides with the pre-planned Rahul Gandhi's march to the Supreme Court against the Chief Election Commionser Gyanesh Kumar, who has been at the opposition's crosshairs over his functioning linked to the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR). "This government will go," Tharoor also said in a previous post.
The president of pretence: Why Trump's latest ceasefire 'trick' failed its first test
With petrol prices biting ahead of the midterm elections, the US president made a shock claim that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to halt strikes on energy targets. As usual, it's another trick that's unlikely to work.
SC permits Congress delegation to file petition within premises as Rahul leads INDIA bloc march
The Congress MP called for the "Challo Dilli" protest march, which was planned from Connaught Place to the Supreme Court against the functioning of the poll body. The protest will continue despite the CJI not giving his assent to a meeting with the opposition MPs on the issue. He also emphasised that any citizen or elected representative could approach the court and seek legal relief.
How Jantar Mantar became Delhi's designated protest site and what changes now
Jantar Mantar is no longer Delhi's designated protest site. Three new venues identified for demonstrations. But how did an 18th-century observatory become the capital's most recognisable protest address? From farmers' rallies at Boat Club to Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement and the wrestlers' protests, here's how Delhi's protest grounds evolved over the decades and what changes now.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claim deadly attacks on Saudi airport
Riyadh's airport was hit twice over the weekend with deadly strikes that killed at least a dozen people, including one American, officials say. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed the attacks. Holly Williams reports.
Saudi Arabia further suspends flights after latest deadly Houthi attack on airport
Energy minister says 'fear has no place in the Saudi lexicon' as paramilitary group again breaches stretched defencesWhy are the Houthis attacking Saudi airports and how are the missiles getting through?Saudi Arabia was forced to extend the suspension of all flights to and from its main international airport in Riyadh on Monday after a further round of Houthi missile attacks caused more damage and left one dead.The Gulf nation said it was taking the step after Houthi missiles killed 13 people on Saturday and left more than 300 injured. Saudi state TV broadcast CCTV footage that showed passengers deluged in smoke and falling masonry as they queued at the airport terminal to board a plane just as the Houthi missile struck. Continue reading...
Spanish-language radio show overflows with frustrated voters in Pa. battleground
Una sola cosa. Just one thing. That’s all Victor Martinez wanted from listeners of his Spanish-language radio station — tell him one positive thing about President Donald Trump.The calls started rolling in. Someone mentioned the $5,000 payout that Trump promised if Republicans keep control of Congress, which Martinez thought was so hilarious that he played a laugh track.Then, a trucker shared a silver lining from high diesel prices — he was expecting to take an unplanned vacation because he could no longer afford to fill up his rig.Martinez has been hosting his show for nearly a decade in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, where Latinos have gone from a fifth to nearly a quarter of the population over the same time period. He added an hour of politics to his morning talk show at the end of Trump’s first term, and listeners flooded his phone with their worries about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, their unhappiness with inflation and their concern over Joe Biden’s age. Now, at the halfway mark of Trump’s second term, Martinez said people are just as frustrated as they were then.They’re angry about higher prices for fuel and groceries, and Republicans could face the consequences in the midterm elections."It's the economy, stupid. That's what it is. I mean, things have gotten so bad," Martinez said. "People didn't think Biden did a good job. Everything was expensive and now it's worse."Latinos make up a key part of a winning coalition Martinez broadcasts from a fourth floor studio with hardwood floors and a view of an old church in downtown Allentown. He operates the show’s control board like an orchestra conductor and sits in front of a poster with campaign signs for Democrats and Republicans. The studio is located in Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, where freshman incumbent Ryan Mackenzie faces Democratic challenger Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter and union official, in one of the most closely watched races in the country. Latinos are about a quarter of the district’s population, and they were a key part of Trump’s winning coalition two years ago. Both candidates have organized Latino outreach efforts.Brooks calls his "Bombero Bob" — Spanish for firefighter — and recently stopped by a Mexican restaurant and a barber shop with a Dominican flag hanging inside. Mackenzie’s campaign has promoted support from Latino voters and officials, and the congressman opened a district office in downtown Allentown with Spanish-speaking staff. Martinez is a longtime critic of the president, and this year is backing Brooks. But he said his political roots are in the Republican Party. He supported candidates like Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, and he opposed Biden’s decision to seek reelection because he was too old. Martinez said he uses his show to keep people engaged with politics when some have despaired about the prospect of things getting better ."I got a call yesterday from a guy that said that he was just not going to vote," Martinez said. "I understand that feeling of frustration, but not doing nothing is not the answer."Economic stress looms over the campaignRepublicans know Martinez’s show is an avenue to reach voters, and they’re buying advertising time on it. Jackie Rivera, vice chair of Lehigh County Republicans, said the party wants to hold on to the support from Latino voters that Trump won over two years ago, and that means connecting with them on issues like "faith and family." Although Trump often brags about the economy under his leadership, she said her party wasn’t making the same mistake as Democrats did before."We're not pretending everything is great right now," she said. "You have to be honest with them so that they can believe in you and actually trust in what you're stating to them."Matt Tuerk, Allentown's Democratic mayor, said this year's election has the "same vibes" as two years ago, when Biden was trying to convince people that the economy was strong. "People on the street were like, 'Yeah, but my monthly childcare bill is higher and then my monthly mortgage, the price of groceries is ridiculously high,'" he said. "That's the same story that you hear right now. There's been no improvement."Gas and grocery prices contribute to living 'day by day'Claudia Parrales-DeLeon, a Democratic listener from Allentown, said Martinez's show helps people feel connected as they pay more for gas and groceries and face Trump's immigration crackdown."I don't know if it makes people less afraid, as much as it makes people more informed," she said.She recalled listening one day when a particular caller’s story brought tears to her eyes. "This one gentleman who shared how he just lost his job, he can't find work, doesn't even know where he's going to get his next meal for him and his children,” she said. Alberto Pena isn't a regular listener to Martinez, but his concerns are similar. For nearly two decades, Pena and his wife have run a Dominican restaurant in Allentown, where the aroma of crispy pastelillos and savory rice fill the dining room.He voted for Trump hoping he'd turn things around after high inflation under Biden. But they’re still "living day by day," and he’s leaning toward Brooks this year. "This is not what we expected," he said. "The economy is completely on the ground.”
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Launching today

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Useless Fact

Two-thirds of the world`s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.  

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Today In History
2001 — UN and Kofi Annan Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
The centennial Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to the United Nations and the organization's secretary-general, Kofi Annan. How much do you know about the Nobel Prize? AP/Wide World Photos
2000 — Attack on USS Cole in Aden, Yemen
While preparing to refuel in the Yemeni port of Aden, the USS Cole, a U.S. naval destroyer, was attacked by suicide bombers associated with al-Qaeda; 17 sailors were killed and 39 wounded. U.S. Department of Defense
1999 — Wilt Chamberlain, Basketball Great, Dies at 63
American basketball player Wilt Chamberlain, who was considered one of the greatest offensive players in the history of the game, died at age 63. basketball quiz AP
1998 — Attack on Matthew Shepard Spurs Hate Crime Laws
American college student Matthew Shepard was beaten by two men, left to die in the cold, and died several days later in Fort Collins, Colorado. Shepard's homosexuality was believed to have motivated the attack, which contributed to expanded federal hate crime legislation.
1968 — Equatorial Guinea Gains Independence from Spain
Equatorial Guinea gained its independence from Spain
1915 — Execution of Nurse Edith Cavell in WWI
During World War I, English nurse Edith Cavellwas executed for assisting Allied soldiers in escaping from German-occupied Belgium
1901 — TR Renames the Executive Mansion to the White House
President Theodore Roosevelt officially changed the name of the president's residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. from Executive Mansion to the White House. Take a tour of the White House
1898 — Virden Coal Mine Riot of 1898
A landmark in labour union history, a coal-mine riot took place in Virden, Illinois, when strikebreakers were brought in
1896 — Eugenio Montale Awarded Nobel Prize for Literature
Eugenio Montale, an Italian poet, prose writer, editor, and translator, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1975. He was born in Genoa.
1866 — Birth of Ramsay MacDonald, First Labour Prime Minister
Ramsay Mac Donald, the first Labour Party prime minister of the United Kingdom—in the Labour governments of 1924 and 1929–31 and in the national coalition government of 1931–35—was born
1810 — First Oktoberfest Celebrates Bavarian Royal Wedding
The first Oktoberfest was celebrated in Munich, in the form of a horse race held in honour of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria (who later became King Louis I) to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. Learn key facts about Oktoberfest Joe Viesti/The Viesti Collection
1492 — New World sighted
The New World was "discovered" this day in 1492 when land (most likely San Salvador) was sighted in the Caribbean from the Pinta, one of the three ships that participated in Christopher Columbus's historic voyage

This is today, boiled down to the essentials. The full stash lives at logicalchaos.ca. Go get lost in it.