The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seemed to face strong socio-political headwinds on Christmas Eve on Tuesday. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) alleged disruption of a Christmas carol taken out by Nallepilly Government Upper Primary School students appeared to imperil the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) expanding outreach to the Christian community in Kerala. It also did not help the BJP that the Palakkad district police were investigating Sangh Parivar workers suspected of vandalising a crib depicting the nativity of Jesus Christ assembled by students of GBUP School, Thattamangalam. For one, Yuhanon Meletius, Metropolitan bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church’s Thrissur Diocese, sparked a condemnatory public debate by noting in a social media post that cribs were revered in some places and vandalised in other regions. Notably, the Bishop’s post came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Christmas celebration hosted by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India (CBCI) in New Delhi. Soon, Baselios Marthoma Mathews III, the Catholicos of the East and Metropolitan of the Malankara Church, denounced the incidents as “disturbing”. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Congress, smarting from BJP candidate Suresh Gopi’s thumping victory in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, where Christians form a sizeable electoral bloc, seized on the incident to derail the BJP’s “Christmas outreach” to the minority community. CPI(M) and Congress workers protested in Palakkad, singing Christmas carols and dressing up as Santa Claus. At the same time, the BJP’s rank and file fanned out across Kerala, knocking on the doors of parishioners and Church leaders to convey Mr. Modi’s festival greetings. In his Christmas message, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the Sangh Parivar’s attack on Christmas celebrations had brought ignominy to Kerala. He called for social unity to isolate such “divisive and uncivilised forces”. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan spotlighted the “sharply contrasting aspects” of the BJP’s attempt to court the Christian community in Kerala. He equated BJP’s “overtures” “to Christians to a “wolf in the sheep’s clothing”. The BJP scrambled to hit the reset button, facing stiff public opposition. Union Minister of State George Kurian quickly denounced the incidents. BJP State president K. Surendran told The Hindu that the BJP expelled its Wayanad district secretary for anti-Christian remarks. “The Congress welcomed him to its fold,” he noted. VHP State secretary Viji Thampi said Bajrang Dal and VHP workers had gently pointed out to school authorities that sending schoolchildren to perform Christmas carols at nearby homes violated juvenile justice rules. “The police arrested them on trumped-up charges, he claimed. Published - December 24, 2024 09:25 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit
NDP won’t support Liberal $250 rebate plan unless eligibility expanded: Singh
(Reuters) - President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden drew sharp criticism from Republicans but also from fellow Democrats, who said the move sets a bad precedent and sows doubt in a U.S. justice system they have tried to defend against President-elect Donald Trump's attacks. Biden, a Democrat whose term ends on Jan. 20, signed an unconditional pardon for Hunter, 54, on Sunday and said he believed his son had been selectively prosecuted and targeted unfairly by the president's political opponents. On Monday, the White House said Biden also feared his political opponents would continue to persecute the younger Biden in the future. Biden previously pledged not to intervene in the two criminal convictions against his son. Many of his own allies said they sympathized with the president's urge to help out his troubled son but couldn't back the move. "As a father, I get it. But as someone who wants people to believe in public service again, it’s a setback," Ohio congressman Greg Landsman, a Democrat, wrote on X. Democrats are still reeling over Trump's defeat of Vice President Kamala Harris in November's election, which some blamed on Biden, 82, and his decision to remain in the race despite concerns over his age. Trump has spent the last few years lambasting the U.S. criminal justice system as a corrupt institution weaponized by Democrats as he faced a series of probes. His nominees, including Kash Patel at the FBI, have pledged to upend it and strip out employees if confirmed. Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime earlier this year when he was found guilty of falsifying documents to cover up a payment to silence a porn star ahead of the 2016 election. He is seeking a dismissal of the case after sentencing delays and legal concerns about punishing a sitting president. He also faced federal and state criminal charges for his role in seeking to overturn the 2020 election results and the Jan.6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The federal charges have been dropped and the case in the state of Georgia is unlikely to proceed. Democrats were often the most vocal main defenders of the fairness and credibility of those criminal cases. Many say they now fear that Biden's pardon muddies the political waters and threatens to make the party's previous defense seem hollow. "President Biden’s decision put personal interest ahead of duty and further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all," U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat. U.S. congressman Greg Stanton, an Arizona Democrat, said he respects Biden but the decision was a bad one. "This wasn’t a politically-motivated prosecution. Hunter committed felonies, and was convicted by a jury of his peers," Stanton said. Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who served under Democratic President Barack Obama, took to X to defend Biden's move, arguing no U.S. attorney would have charged the case given the underlying facts. "After a 5 year investigation the facts as discovered only made that clear. Had his name been Joe Smith the resolution would have been - fundamentally and more fairly - a declination. Pardon warranted," Holder said. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Heather Timmons and Alistair Bell)McHenry scores 29 as Western Kentucky defeats Kentucky Wesleyan 91-71
Emergency crews respond to Rochester shop fire, local businesses still openFor much of this month, praise for Argentina’s economic successes has become almost a cliché in newspapers throughout the world after President Javier Milei reached the milestone of one year in office surrounded by a sense of triumph. Milei has also projected this optimism, saying in a speech from the Casa Rosada on December 10 that the country can look forward to a “future of prosperity” that for many Argentines was still “unimaginable.” With President-elect Donald Trump entering the White House next month, Milei will have a strong ally in Washington. But how can that be converted into more wins at home? Much has changed a year on from Milei’s inaugural—and memorable—assertion that “ no hay plata! ” (there is no more money [for public spending]). As Milei made front-page news, catching the attention of the Financial Times and the Economist , he has also earned the praise of world leaders such as Trump and members of the president-elect’s inner circle, such as tech mogul Elon Musk . Meanwhile, financial markets have continued to celebrate as Argentina’s stocks have roared upward, providing the highest yearly returns of any other economy and doubling those of the second-best performing markets (as expressed through country exchange-traded funds). The government has doubtless made much progress in areas in which it was expected to struggle, restoring significant levels of confidence to an embattled economy that just a few days ago was officially announced to be out of a severe recession. As Argentina heads into a critical year for the government’s economic strategy, Milei will need to maintain voters’ buy-in and market confidence for his policies while pursuing further economic reforms. 2024: A triumphant first quarter of a four-year term As Guido Sandleris, former president of the Central Bank of Argentina (2018-2019), argued in our 2024 Atlas , before Milei’s inauguration the Argentine president had correctly identified the country’s “real problems”: inflation, high and inefficient public spending, political capture, and endemic corruption, among others. For Sandleris, the challenges for the Milei administration were clear: The country was on the verge of hyperinflation, the central bank had negative net foreign exchange reserves, the fiscal deficit was out of control, and utilities and prices were long outdated, forcefully frozen in place by the previous administration. Milei had also come into office with a limited political toolbox, holding a minority in congress that was not even impeachment-proof and relying on a small party structure. Considering this initial outlook, the results of the past year are noteworthy. The government instituted aggressive budget cuts, spending freezes, and a deregulation campaign. It also passed significant legislation (which revealed the government’s ability to negotiate with the opposition) and successfully implemented a tax amnesty scheme to attract undeclared banking deposits. In the wake of these policies, Argentina’s economy has gained a more solid footing and is on track for normalization. Inflation has come down to pre-2023 crisis levels, the economy is showing signs of recovery, consumer and investor confidence are on the rise, and government bonds have regained much of their value. Two figures illustrate this success: the drop in Argentina’s emerging markets bond index spreads, which is a key measure of sovereign risk, and the rise of projected investment as a share of gross domestic product, both of which we have analyzed . But perhaps the most notorious achievement has been its commitment to fiscal responsibility, a laudable effort in the context of Argentina’s chronic tendency to incur unsustainable public spending. Optimism is perhaps the best way to describe the current moment in Argentina, and recent opinion polls illustrate this. Milei has succeeded even in outperforming President Mauricio Macri, his most ideologically proximate predecessor, in his approval rating at the end of his first year in office across social sectors, according to Gallup . As Milei put it in an interview with the Financial Times in October, “I have a 50 percent approval rating after carrying out the biggest austerity program in our history. It’s a miracle, isn’t it?” How can Milei finish out a strong first half in 2025? Milei, who played goalie in soccer in his youth, understands that it’s critical to finish out a strong first half to win a match, and restoring Argentina’s macroeconomic stability was never going to be accomplished overnight. The question now is whether the administration will be able to maintain support for its policies while deepening its reform agenda. Next year’s midterm elections in October, in which the government aims to strengthen its vulnerable position in congress, will play a large role in setting the agenda for Milei’s second year in office. Although the outlook is much brighter than it was a year ago, challenges still loom in 2025. The main objective will be to deliver growth, estimated at 5 percent by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), following two years of consecutive drops (1.6 percent in 2023 and an estimated 3.5 percent in 2024) while continuing to reduce inflation. And the latter is far from over: Banks estimate that prices will rise over 30 percent in 2025, while the government’s own more optimistic estimates in the 2025 budget proposal predict that prices will rise by 18 percent (annualized inflation in the United States this past November was 2.7 percent). Markets will also be watching the elections closely. If the economy fails to deliver much-needed growth and inflation remains stubborn, it could cause a sudden deterioration in market confidence. However, the opposition’s fragmentation, itself the result of the 2023 economic crisis and the disruptive victory of an outsider like Milei, may ease the administration’s path to make significant gains. Nevertheless, the government has taken steps to mitigate risks and open new opportunities to strengthen the country’s economic recovery in the new year—nowhere more prominently than on the world stage. Milei scored several major foreign policy wins, including the beginning of its Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development accession process . And the South American economic bloc Mercosur, of which Argentina is a member, signed a historic trade deal with the European Union earlier this month . Argentina’s stocks reacted positively to Trump’s election in November, a clear sign of the market’s belief that the next administration will yield net positive effects for Argentina. Milei has developed a close relationship with Trump. The Argentine president has openly stated that he thinks Trump will play a decisive role within the IMF’s board to push for a favorable renegotiation of Argentina’s outstanding program with the IMF. This could include the disbursement of new funds and a rollover of repayment deadlines, as Argentina owes the IMF over forty billion dollars at a time when its net international reserves stand at negative three billion dollars ). Indeed, US Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, has argued that the United States should use its influence at the IMF to help restructure Argentina’s debt, which he said would “create breathing room for Milei to enact much-needed reforms.” One of the major sticking points in Argentina’s negotiations with the IMF is the Fund’s belief that Argentina should end its outdated system of currency controls (the “ cepo ”). Ending the cepo would likely spur growth and drive investment but may also put pressure on the peso—and thus reaccelerate inflation—something that the government will likely avoid until after the midterm elections in October. At the same time, Argentina has reached a new moment in its relationship with China, a key trading partner, following months of tensions triggered by the president’s earlier critical rhetoric. Illustrating this case, in June, China renewed its currency swap with Argentina, saving the country from a sudden loss of much-needed foreign reserves. Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Milei then met for the first time on the margins of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in November. Domestically, important announcements such as the end of the recession and recent investments announced under the government’s investment promotion regime , including $2.5 billion from Rio Tinto for lithium mining and a multicompany investment of three billion dollars for a new oil pipeline , both of which happened just this month, indicates that rising investor confidence will begin to fuel the revitalization of Argentina’s historically low investment levels. This year was also significant for the country’s energy independence, and rapidly rising shale oil and gas production has saved the country billions in energy imports while boosting exports, a trend that will only deepen in coming years. Argentina has even started negotiations with Brazil, despite public tensions between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Milei, to explore the possibility of exporting Argentina’s booming natural gas production there. Milei’s economic policies have exceeded expectations in the administration’s first year. But given its precarious starting point, Argentina is still vulnerable to external economic shocks and sudden losses of investor confidence. As such, the administration should consider moving forward with a series of key steps that may drive growth beyond post-crisis recovery values and further cement the market’s confidence in the economy. Such measures could include accelerating the end of the cepo and allowing the peso to float freely (and thus making Argentina less vulnerable to the ongoing devaluation of the Brazilian real). The government should take steps to reassure markets of its ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility and healing its credit rating. These measures could include the negotiation of a new and sustainable IMF program, the passing of the long-delayed 2025 budget, and the continued elimination of special protections that for decades successive governments have awarded to uncompetitive segments of the economy. The first year of Milei’s administration will be remembered as a surprisingly strong start to an ambitious reform agenda. For that agenda to be fully realized, Milei will need to continue to pursue bold reforms while maintaining public support and market confidence in 2025. Ignacio Albe is a program assistant with the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. Jason Marczak is vice president and senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. Further reading
It was the fourth time this season they had conceded four or more and the performance showed why they have the Premier League’s worst defence. When O’Neil and the players went over to acknowledge the visiting supporters there were boos for a run of two wins in 14 league matches. “Whatever the fans think of me, there is definitely no-none working harder than me and I will continue to do so until someone tells me not to,” said O’Neil, who is under increasing pressure with his side second bottom of the table. “I go over there to see them because I appreciate every one of the Wolves fans. They have given me unbelievable support since I arrived at the football club,” he said. “We managed to produce some unbelievable stuff last season with a team that was heavily tipped by most of the nation for relegation. We managed to enjoy it together. “Now it is tough. I was happy to go over there and look them right in the face and take any criticism they want to throw at me. “I accept responsibility for my part in that. Whatever criticism they want to throw at me will not change how I feel about them. “Everyone at this football club needs to do more. We will get back to be ready to fight again on Monday (another crucial game against West Ham, whose manager Julen Lopetegui’s tenure is hanging by a thread). “I will work with everything I have. I will back myself to get the most out of the group. I understand the drive for change (but) you never know how much of a percentage of supporters it is.” Veteran Ashley Young ended Everton’s 370-minute wait for a goal with a 10th-minute free-kick, his first league goal for more than two years, and on-loan Lyon midfielder Orel Mangala blasted home his first for the club to establish a 2-0 half-time lead. Two Craig Dawson own goals secured Everton’s biggest home league win since April 2019, but manager Sean Dyche insisted their issues up front were far from sorted. He said: “It’s our fifth clean sheet in the last eight so the consistency has been there in one degree, we just haven’t been scoring goals. That’s been the hardest thing to find consistently and we haven’t solved it yet. “Goals change everything, they change opinions. That’s what football is like.” The victory was hugely important in a month in which, having been hammered 4-0 at Manchester United, they face top-six sides Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest and undoubtedly eased some of the pressure on Dyche and his players. “I’ve told them how proud I am of them,” he added. “The challenges come thick and fast on and off the pitch and they just keep going. “It’s only a step and there are many more to go but it’s a good step and a positive step. “It’s a temporary moment in time because the next one is a big one (Saturday’s Merseyside derby).”Chandigarh: Punjab and Haryana high court has slammed Haryana Agro Industries Corporation for a seven-year delay in releasing the retirement benefits of a deceased employee to his family, calling the act a violation of statutory, constitutional, and fundamental rights. A fine of Rs 1 lakh goes with this, to be paid by the state-govt-linked company initially and recovered from the officer responsible after fixing accountability. In this case that sparks a debate over workers’ rights and govt accountability, the bench led by justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri also directed the corporation to pay 6% annual interest on the delayed payments and release more than Rs 1.6 lakh that the company had withheld wrongfully. The bench observed: “Grant of pension and retiral benefits is not charity but a duty. The corporation’s actions infringe the right to livelihood and life under Article 21 of the Constitution and reflect insensitivity toward its employees and their families.” The ruling comes in response to a plea by Manjit Kaur and her children, who sought redress after the corporation withheld the retirement dues of Surinder Singh Chawla, Manjit’s late husband. Chawla, a mechanic, retired on Apr 30, 2011, but received no benefits due to an unresolved charge sheet alleging a loss of Rs 67,380. Yes, a subsequent inquiry supported the allegations, but the competent authority escalated the penalty, proposing a recovery of Rs 1,60,781 with interest and stoppage of two annual increments. The HC had stayed this recovery previously during Chawla’s lifetime. However, following his death in 2014, the corporation withheld all retirement benefits, releasing them only seven years later while deducting the disputed amount. The court criticised the corporation for failing to release the undisputed portion of the benefits, stating that such conduct deprived the petitioners of their rightful dues. Chawla’s family had sought directions to quash a letter dated July 24, 2017, by which the corporation had withheld his retiral benefits. From these benefits that the petitioners received seven years after Chawla’s death, the company had deducted Rs 1.6 lakh, and when it should have at least released the remaining amount, it withheld the entire sum without justification. We also published the following articles recently Companies boost childcare benefits for employees Indian companies are significantly increasing childcare support, with 90% now offering structured daycare benefits, a five-fold jump since 2017. Driven by the Maternity Benefit Act and a focus on employee well-being, companies are providing creche facilities, subsidies, and extended benefits like near-home daycare. After 35-yr career at big corporates, ex-honcho leads life as retired cop, held for fraud, extortion A 74-year-old man, Anil Katyal, posing as a retired IPS officer, has been apprehended in Ghaziabad. Katyal, with an impressive corporate background, fabricated an elaborate alternate life, even socializing with police officials. He recently attempted to leverage his fake identity to influence a fraud case and even lobbied for an Indian billionaire's release from Dubai custody. US unemployment benefit applications drop to near seven-month low US jobless claims dipped to a near seven-month low of 213,000, defying expectations. However, the total number of Americans receiving benefits rose to a three-year high of 1.91 million, raising concerns about sustained employment challenges. While the Fed recently cut interest rates, positive economic indicators and potential policy shifts suggest a more cautious approach to future rate reductions.A Glen Burnie man was charged with a felony Sunday after authorities reviewed a TikTok video “clearly” showing him burning the words “TRUMP” and “USA” onto the road outside his home, according to the Maryland Judiciary. An investigator with the Anne Arundel County Fire Marshal Division wrote in charging documents that Craig Philip McQuin used an illegal flamethrower to spell out the two words. Maryland law considers flamethrowers “destructive devices,” akin to a bomb, and bans their possession and use in the state. A summons for McQuin, 35, to appear before a judge was issued Sunday, though a date was not specified in the court record. As of Monday morning, it had not yet been served. Attempts to contact McQuin using a phone number listed in public records were unsuccessful. Fire investigators responded Nov. 15 to a vandalism complaint in the Creekside Village community. According to charging documents, the burn marks were in the middle of the road, making the affected area “noticeably darker.” Authorities described the marks as between 15 and 20 feet in length and approximately 5 feet in width, according to charging documents. A police officer at the scene learned the incident had been captured on video and uploaded the online video after speaking with the community’s homeowner association, investigators said. After identifying McQuin as the property owner, fire officials watched the TikTok published on his wife’s account. Unlike her other social media pages, McQuin’s wife’s TikTok account does not focus on politics, but is largely dedicated to two pigs she cares for. One photo carousel, however, shows a wooden structure being built outside the White House. “Things are about to get spooky...Hang them all!” she posted on Halloween. As of Monday, the flamethrower video could no longer be seen on the wife’s TikTok page. It also did not appear on a Truth Social account with the same username. Truth Social was launched in 2022 by President Donald Trump after Facebook and Twitter banned him in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. When Twitter, which now operates as X, was bought by Elon Musk, Trump’s account was reinstated. Facebook similarly ended its ban last year. Authorities wrote in charging documents that the flamethrower McQuin used can be purchased in every state except for Maryland. According to the manufacturer’s website, though the device used in Glen Burnie was a “long range torch,” capable of pushing fire 25 feet, flamethrowers are “outright prohibited” in Maryland. McQuin was charged with a felony for possession of a destructive device, court records show, and also two misdemeanors: second-degree malicious burning, and malicious destruction of property valued at $1,000 or higher. According to charging documents, road repairs ost $5,500. The maximum penalty for the felony is 25 years in prison, according to state sentencing guidelines . The alleged vandalism was investigated 10 days after the 2024 election, in which Trump became the second politician in American history to be elected to two nonconsecutive presidential terms. Though 63% of Maryland voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in the November election, approximately 55% of Anne Arundel County voters backed her, according to the state Board of Elections. More than 41% of county voters voted for Trump, a nearly identical figure to 2020, when Trump, then the incumbent, lost to Joe Biden. Have a news tip? Contact Luke Parker at lparker@baltsun.com , 410-725-6214, or on X @lparkernews .