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Trump-Putin Tango

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The Trump Putin Tango

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s the issue that’s gripping America

By Kenneth Tiven in Washington

US President-elect Donald Trump has zero experience in his adult life with management by consensus, which underpins most democratic societies. He is more at home as the Oligarch, the Owner, the Bestower. In this respect, he has not attempted to minimize his respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin as an authoritarian leader. Trump claimed Putin was a better leader than President Barack Obama, and I am sure he believes that. During the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union engaged in a great deal of spying on each other. The U-2 spy plane the Russians shot down was a victory for them. The technical expertise involved in American navy submarines parking over undersea cables near Vladivostok in southern Siberia recording all naval communications between the pacific command and Moscow was unknown to the Russians. Similarly, undersea spying revealed how Russia quieted its Juliette class diesel submarines, a discovery that led to catching an American spying for Russia, James Walker.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]That the internet makes electronic spying a more obvious choice for effort is not a surprise. The surprise is that Trump believes he can cast enough doubt about the conclusion of the intelligence agencies to make the matter go away. That it has happened is believed conclusively proven by the intelligence agencies, who are not about to give away how they know it. Trump can believe if he wants that it made no difference in the election. But he is missing an essential point: all intelligence is information, but not all information is intelligence. If it hasn’t been analyzed, processed or exploited in some form, information is not intelligence. That’s the function of intelligence organisations — to task, collect, process, exploit and disseminate information that then becomes useful due to its timeliness, accuracy and relevancy to whatever operation it is in regards to (and is because of this process now deemed classified information). This is before considering if the information was hacked. The election is over and Trump is now about to be the leader of the free world. His behavior in this matter suggests to many people and leaders around the globe that he is ill-suited to deal with authoritarian leadership in nations that want to see the US slip into second-rate status in the global community.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Vlad Connection

Professional political leadership in the US and Russia makes it their business to know a great deal about each other and their people. Imagine the surprise in the Kremlin in the summer of 2015 when the Trump phenomenon began to play in the ultra-long American presidential process. One should not underplay the skill and depth of research in both capital cities when it comes to knowing things. Facts are more important than ideology. We should assume that within a day or two of asking about Trump,  Vladimir Putin would have a list of every visit Trump ever made to Russia or a former Soviet satellite nation and with whom he has business dealings. Incidentally, Trump is married to a Slovenian woman, Melania. Google might have supplied some facts they did not know about his financial problems and debts, his business having become largely as a licensor of his “rich and terrific” name for buildings.

Although many revelations and some revulsion with Trump’s tweets seemed to not make an impression on a block of American voters, the reaction at the Kremlin was probably different. This is not an ordinary American politician, Putin must have thought. And research supported the notion that he was that special kind of capitalist–not just arrogant but claiming to be rich when in truth he was carrying as much as a billion dollars in debt and not paying US taxes. Vladimir Putin, as with Trump, sees opportunity where most would see conflict. How much does he owe “us”, Putin might have asked, meaning Russian oligarchs always eager to launder money offshore.

We know in his own words and in his ghost-written books that Donald Trump has spent his adult life bullying his way to notoriety in New York City real estate circles as a man of taste, wisdom and business success. In a stream of self-delivered superlatives, he has generally managed to blame his bankruptcies on others or circumstances beyond his control. His long involvement with politicians in New York City had been agnostic. He’d demand tax abatements and zoning favours from whoever was in office. After the election of Barack Obama, Trump took an unexpected interest in the issue of Obama’s birth in Hawaii. In short order, he made himself head birther (in American politics, a birther is a believer that Obama was not born in that country, and therefore, ineligible for presidency). President Obama ridiculed him at a Washington dinner in 2013.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]But the failure of his over-reaching efforts in gambling casinos made it harder to do real estate deals. Few American banks would loan to him. Most of his borrowings, reported by Forbes magazine and others, have been with European banks and Russian oligarchs awash in dollars. What better way to avenge the Obama slights than to claim that job? Building on the animosities that underpinned the birther and Tea Party movements, Trump expanded his target to include immigrants, especially Mexicans. He bullied and ridiculed the other 16 Republican candidates to win the primaries with less than 50 percent of the vote. In the presidential race, he didn’t get 50 percent either. But in the seemingly arcane nature of 240-year-old US election rules, he still won the presidency.

The writer has been a journalist in American media for more than 50 years, including stints at The Washington Post, TV network news with NBC, ABC and CNN and was involved in the start up of Aaj Tak and continues to work with several Indian news channels[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.

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Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump: Voting begins in United States

The Voting for the 2024 US presidential election has begun in the eastern time zone in America. Following months of intense campaigning by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her Republican challenger Donald Trump, Americans will vote to choose their next president.

Reportedly, the first ballots were cast in the minutes after midnight (US time) in a tiny New Hampshire township along the US-Canada border. Over 82 million Americans have opted for early voting to cast their ballots for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Several pollsters have predicted a neck-and-neck contest, which brings the focus on the swing states to decide the fate of the presidential election.

Notably, in the United States, most states have a very clear preference for either the Republican or Democratic candidate. With this, only seven key swing states namely Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina will decide the result. Winning the majority of these aforesaid swing states is often essential for candidates aiming to secure the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

In this election, Pennsylvania has emerged as the biggest prize between the two candidates. With the most electoral votes (19) than any other battleground state, Pennsylvania could possibly determine whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris clinches the White House.

On the last day of campaigning, Republican nominee Trump and Democratic nominee Harris criss-crossed key battleground states and delivered closing remarks. Former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a return to power, held rallies in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan while Vice President Kamala Harris addressed supporters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.

Earlier in 2016, Donald Trump managed to make inroads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the three Great Lakes states that make up the blue wall or a Democratic stronghold. Nonetheless, in the 2020 US Election, US President Joe Biden wrested the states back to the Democratic camp.

Notably, to win the presidency, a candidate needs a majority of electoral votes of 270 out of 538.

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Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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