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Germany is to vote in an early election on February 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalise the country’s stagnant economy. Mr Musk’s guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag – a sister publication of Politico owned by the Axel Springer Group – published in German over the weekend, was the second time this month that he has supported the Alternative for Germany, or AfD. “The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country,” he wrote in his translated commentary. He went on to say that the far-right party “can lead the country into a future where economic prosperity, cultural integrity and technological innovation are not just wishes, but reality”. The Tesla Motors chief executive also wrote that his investment in Germany gives him the right to comment on the country’s condition. The AfD is polling strongly, but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor because other parties refuse to work with the far-right party. Billionaire Mr Musk, an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, challenged in his opinion piece the party’s public image. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Mr Musk’s commentary has led to a debate in German media over the boundaries of free speech, with the paper’s own opinion editor announcing her resignation, pointedly on Mr Musk’s social media platform, X. Eva Marie Kogel wrote: “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print.” A critical article by the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard, accompanied Mr Musk’s opinion piece. “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong,” he wrote. Responding to a request for comment from the German Press Agency, dpa, the current editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Ulf Poschardt, and Mr Burgard – who is due to take over on January 1 – said in a joint statement that the discussion over Mr Musk’s piece was “very insightful. Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression.” “This will continue to determine the compass of the ‘world’ in the future. We will develop ‘Die Welt’ even more decisively as a forum for such debates,” they wrote to dpa.
Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic has a sweeping lead in Sunday’s election and could win the five-year presidency in the first round, according to an exit poll released immediately after the voting. The poll by the Ipsos polling agency and released by the state HRT television showed Milanovic winning over 50% of the votes, while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the conservative HDZ ruling party trailed far behind with 19%. Milanovic thanked voters in a post on social networks. The first official results are yet to be published. Pre-election polls predicted that the two would face off in the second round on Jan. 12, as none of all 8 presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Left-leaning Milanovic is an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. He is often compared to Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents. The most popular politician in Croatia, 58-year-old Milanović has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, he has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and continuous sparring between the two has lately marked Croatia’s political scene. Plenković, the prime minister, has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and NATO. He has labeled Milanović “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him and Milanović is quite simple: Milanović is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme military commander. Milanović has criticized the NATO and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, though it is a member of both NATO and the EU. Milanović has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a NATO-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war.” His main rival in the election, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East.” His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and featured prominently in pre-election debates. During the election campaign, Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanović as divisive. “Today is an extremely important day,” Primorac said after casting his ballot. "Croatia is going forward into the future. Croatia needs unity, Croatia needs its global positioning, and above all Croatia needs peaceful life.” Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudić, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.Gian Piero Gasperini admits Atalanta feel ‘a little disappointed’ to have , but that just shows how much they have grown. ‘There are many positives.’ La Dea were determined to show they could put up more of a fight than in Warsaw and they certainly did that. It was a battle royal in Bergamo, Atalanta paying largely for the two goals in three minutes from Vinicius Junior – with the aid of a ricochet off Ederson – and Jude Bellingham. A Charles De Ketelaere penalty had cancelled out the Kylian Mbappé opener, with Ademola Lookman leaving it open, but Mateo Retegui missed a sitter with the last kick of the game. “Both teams wanted to play football, there was no time-wasting or simulation, we both tried to win with our strengths. It was a great game of football,” “Naturally, there is a little disappointment, but we’re learning so much from these matches. We are just missing those tiny details, but we played with heart against great champions. We emerge defeat in the result, but not in the performance, and it will help us make another small step forward.” Real Madrid were made to work hard throughout the match, pressing them all over the pitch. “I think we improved from Warsaw, we felt the possibility of victory after the equaliser, as we created dangerous situations. I felt we could’ve been a bit more clinical in the first half, but these are all situations we can learn from. The performance was excellent, we gave our all and almost scored at the last minute. “There are many positives, it is motivation to keep improving. We were moving the ball around too slowly and Real Madrid closed up well, so we had to speed it up and pull them out of shape,” noted Gasperini. “We held the initiative well and could’ve been more dangerous in front of goal, but it was a real teachable experience for us, that is for sure. We’re sad to have lost after a long run of positive results and we know that we had the chance to equalise, that’s frustrating too. “It is no secret Real Madrid can score with a tiny bit of space, we were a bit unlucky on the second goal with that ricochet. That and the third goal sapped some energy from us, but we got it back and kept pushing. “If they won, it’s because they still have that little bit more, but our objective over time is to realise that we can play against anyone, whether it’s Real Madrid, Inter, Manchester City or Barcelona – we’re closer to their level now and can have our chance to get a result,” continued Gasperini. Atalanta are still doing well on 11 points, but now have Sturm Graz and a very difficult trip to Barcelona. At the final whistle, the crowd at the Gewiss Stadium gave their players a standing ovation. “It was an exceptional night, a festival of football and everyone ended the game feeling satisfied they had seen a great match. That is one of our main objectives,” concluded Gasperini.
Nioka Steakhouse is opening at 1 Honeysuckle Drive next week. Login or signup to continue reading Friday, December 13, owner Michael Hope, of Hope Estate, confirmed yesterday. The menu has been released, and it's an impressive one. Starters include olives and Guindilla peppers with grissini, chicken liver pate with Borettane onions and crusty bread, and duck and pistachio terrine. Small plates? Think bresaola with tomato, horseradish, beetroot, pistachio crumb, saffron mayo and pecorino romano; seared scallops with cauliflower cream, chorizo crumb, salmon roe and smoked extra virgin olive oil; prawn and white fish cappelletti with lobster bisque; and Sicilian-style grilled octopus with olives, potato, tomato and chilli, to name a few. Large plates include the braised Angus beef tortelloni with pancetta, carrot, sage and beef stock reduction; oven-baked spatchcock with charred baby capsicum, pumpkin puree, chimichurri and stock reduction; a 12-hour smoked beef brisket with colcannon potato, heirloom tomato, chorizo compote and red wine jus; a fillet of Aquna Murray cod with pasta fregola, tomato, lobster bisque and braised fennel; duo of duck breast and confit leg Sheppard's pie with celeriac, baby pear and black truffle jus gras; and a range of vegetarian and "from the garden" options. Hope Estate executive chef Anthony Fullerton has a keen interest in dry-aged beef and has been working with the Hope family to develop their Black Angus cattle. Michael Hope's son, Jonno, turned his attention to cattle farming in 2019 to utilise the spent grain from the family's brewery. The business soon branched out to the 530-hectare Nioka Farm, located at the foothills of the Barrington Tops in the Upper Hunter Valley. The cattle are grass-fed on the farm and then transported to the pastures adjacent to Hope Estate at Pokolbin, where they spend 120 days being fed spent grain from Hope Estate's brewery and distillery production. Prime cuts are then dry-aged in Hope's custom-made dry-ageing facility. The steakhouse was originally meant to open at Hope at Honeysuckle (Newcastle's former maritime centre) but has instead found a home at the former Hope Estate at The Landing. If visitors ask me where they should eat while they are in Newcastle, Nagisa Japanese Restaurant always gets a mention. The quality of the food, the extensive wine list, the friendly and professional service, the consistency ... it makes for a memorable dining experience. Last month the Yamba family hosted a celebratory 20 th anniversary lunch at Nagisa (which spilled over into their neighbouring Honeysuckle restaurant, Âpé Yakitori Bar). There was a Taiko drum performance and a large sake barrel, and the many guests were served a selection of 20 canapes to represent each of the 20 years the restaurant has been open. To the Yamba family and Nagisa staff past and present, congratulations on two decades of dining excellence in Newcastle. I heard from Rob Fonti last week, letting me know his Belmont restaurant, Salina, is still open for business (despite being on the market). It also has a new summer menu. New dishes include the homemade chocolate gelato, Pina Colada gelato and mango granita; lamb loin fillet with spinach, roast capsicum, goat's cheese, pear and lentil salad, broccolini and walnut salsa; fish of the day fillet with prawn, asparagus, peas, feta and risoni salad and sun-dried tomato tapenade; and the buffalo mozzarella with prosciutto, peach, avocado, pomegranate and grilled ciabatta. You can drop by for a Prosecco and a pizza in the rear garden courtyard, too. Rob says there has been "a good amount of interest and a couple of close offers, but not enough to seal the deal". The restaurant is listed for sale through Raine and Horne Newcastle. Teppanyaki fun I stopped by Fukusui Japanese Teppanyaki Restaurant at Warners Bay last week for a birthday dinner, having previously dined there a decade or more ago, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The restaurant relies on word of mouth, and it's obviously working. It was sold out on a Tuesday night. The chef was in fine form at the grill, flicking scrambled egg here and there and spinning utensils at his hip like a Wild West cowboy, entertaining us with his facial expressions alone. Kids love it, and the food is very good. Try the plum-flavoured jelly sparkling wine in a can. It's an interesting experience. The Oceane Hotel is opening at 29 Honeysuckle Drive "soon", according to its social media pages. Details are hard to come by. Pork Ewe Deli at Mayfield is taking Christmas orders (platters, foie gras, caviar, smoked seafood, cheeses, meat) until December 16. Chef Mitch Beswick has clocked up a decade at Muse Restaurant. Jjindakk at shop 1/50 Beaumont Street in Hamilton has updated its menu with corn cheese, beef bulgogi nachos and a spicy cheese buldak. Have you tried Guzman y Gomez 's breakfast range? I tried the Brekkie Taco the other day (flour tortilla, scrambled eggs, bacon or chorizo, Jack cheese, pico de Gallo, jalapeno ketchup) and was pleasantly surprised. There's also a Brekkie Burrito, Big Brekkie Burrito or avo on toast. CorEat Newcastle has just launched a good-looking December Degustation menu, $75 per person. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. 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AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!It seems like taxes are unavoidable no matter what you are talking about, even if it is Social Security benefits, but the reality is that these taxes are relatively new. The federal government began taxing benefits in 1984 for those whose income exceeded a certain threshold. The measure was implemented after Congress completely overhauled the program to protect the Social Security trust fund from insolvency. When this new taxation policy started in 1984, only less than 10% of beneficiaries owed tax on their benefits, meaning only the wealthiest Americans had to pay, but since he thresholds have not been updated frequently to ensure they keep up with the cost of living, nowadays, according to data from the Social Security Administration (SSA), about 40% of beneficiaries now owe tax on their checks. Trump’s Social Security campaign promise During the election, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump vowed to eliminate the tax declaring firmly on his social media “Seniors should not pay tax on Social Security ” He later repeated the premise in interviews, cementing it as part of his campaign promises. His base, comprised by seniors, hope to see this new policy implemented, although it may be more complicated and less effective than they expect. The first thing everyone should know is that Social Security benefits are not taxed on their own at the federal level (or at the state level, only nine US states have taxes on Social Security benefits ). What is taxed is combined income. Combined income is defined as the sum of adjusted gross income (AGI) plus nontaxable interest plus one-half of Social Security benefit, so for those who have no savings other than benefits, their income is already not taxed. For those who have some savings, the threshold is somewhat high to pay taxes, although some people may have to pay the lowest amounts. The SSA gives the following data so that seniors can see whether or not their benefits are taxed: Do remember that, in any case, only 50% of your benefits would be taxed, as the tax is on your combined income. Unfortunately for seniors the elimination of this tax is not likely to happen any time soon, Social Security is dealing with a shortfall and eliminating the tax on benefits would make the problem worse. The harsh truth about eliminating the tax on Social Security benefits Trump has not been the only one to suggest eliminating this tax, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn. ) introduced a bill earlier this year that would exclude Social Security from taxable income beginning in 2025 and even that piece followed many others. Congress has not approved any of them because of the evident lack of funds that Social Security is dealing with. The Social Security Board of Trustees estimates the funding shortfall at $22.6 trillion through 2098, but without help from Congress the Social Security trust funds would be depleted by 2035, making only 83% of scheduled benefits payable. This would be worse should the tax on combined income be eliminated, as it helps fund the program. While Trump’s idea panders to his base very well, the reality is that it is not a solid plan meant to work, as Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) explained during an interview with CNBC in August. “He comes out and says he’s going to have a tax break but doesn’t say how he’s going to pay for that,” Larson explained. “In essence, his proposal would end up cutting the Social Security trust fund.”How to buy Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets ticketsUN human rights watchdog opens investigation into Venezuela presidential election
Buffalo is coming out of their bye week ready and willing to tackle the playoff push, with their eyes set on a higher target . The AFC East hasn't been clinched yet, but with six games to play, Buffalo already has a potential hat and t-shirt game on the docket for Sunday Night Football when they host the San Francisco 49ers . It's a straight forward process. If the Packers beat the Dolphins on Thanksgiving night in Green Bay, the Bills can clinch the division with a victory over San Francisco on the first weekend in December. That's it. That's all it takes. With the 49ers on deck, there are a pair of key injuries to monitor on the San Francisco side of things, notably to quarterback Brock Purdy and left tackle Trent Williams. QUAY WITH THE PLAY. SACK! #SFvsGB pic.twitter.com/PiZzeZQS78 Purdy, who is dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder, needs to be monitored closely throughout the week. Without him against the Packers, San Francisco's offense looked completely broken. Backup quarterback Brandon Allen completed only 59% of his passes for 199 yards for a touchdown and an interception. Green Bay got out to a commanding 17-0 lead and coasted to a 38-10 victory, with the 49ers turning the ball over five times (twice on downs, one interception, and two fumbles) in the second half. Purdy was spotted doing some light throwing on Monday. His status will need to be closely monitored over the course of the week. #49ers QB Brock Purdy did some light throwing today without issue, according to Kyle Shanahan. He'll rest tomorrow and then see how it feels as the week goes on. Williams missing from the left tackle spot added to the uphill battle for the 49ers. Without their star left tackle, the offensive line gave up 12 pressures and two sacks. The 49ers have also been trusting rookie guard Dominick Puni to man the right guard position, which did not end well for him on Sunday. Puni gave up four pressures, most on the team, and one of the two sacks. If the 49ers are still dealing with a banged up and inexperienced offensive line and a backup quarterback, going on the road for a cold-weather game in Buffalo, with the Bills coming off a bye week, then Von Miller , Greg Rousseau , and the rest of the defensive line should be pinning their ears back to wreak havoc in the trenches. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.Bipartisan effort needed to resolve Muan disaster
Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest. Germany is to vote in an early election on February 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalise the country’s stagnant economy. Mr Musk’s guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag – a sister publication of Politico owned by the Axel Springer Group – published in German over the weekend, was the second time this month that he has supported the Alternative for Germany, or AfD. “The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is the last spark of hope for this country,” he wrote in his translated commentary. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announces the decision to dissolve the Bundestag and schedule a new election for February 23 (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP) The Tesla Motors chief executive also wrote that his investment in Germany gives him the right to comment on the country’s condition. The AfD is polling strongly, but its candidate for the top job, Alice Weidel, has no realistic chance of becoming chancellor because other parties refuse to work with the far-right party. Billionaire Mr Musk, an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump, challenged in his opinion piece the party’s public image. “The portrayal of the AfD as right-wing extremist is clearly false, considering that Alice Weidel, the party’s leader, has a same-sex partner from Sri Lanka! Does that sound like Hitler to you? Please!” Technology billionaire Elon Musk is an ally of US President-elect Donald Trump (Brandon Bell/Pool/AP) Eva Marie Kogel wrote: “I always enjoyed leading the opinion section of WELT and WAMS. Today an article by Elon Musk appeared in Welt am Sonntag. I handed in my resignation yesterday after it went to print.” A critical article by the future editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Jan Philipp Burgard, accompanied Mr Musk’s opinion piece. “Musk’s diagnosis is correct, but his therapeutic approach, that only the AfD can save Germany, is fatally wrong,” he wrote. Responding to a request for comment from the German Press Agency, dpa, the current editor-in-chief of the Welt group, Ulf Poschardt, and Mr Burgard – who is due to take over on January 1 – said in a joint statement that the discussion over Mr Musk’s piece was “very insightful. Democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of expression.” “This will continue to determine the compass of the ‘world’ in the future. We will develop ‘Die Welt’ even more decisively as a forum for such debates,” they wrote to dpa.
The Bharatiya Janata Party under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, managed to draw the year to a close on a magnum opus knockout electoral victory. New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s leadership, managed to draw the year to a close on a magnum opus knockout electoral victory. A historic win in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections and a sweeping victory in by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh , Assam , Uttarakhand, Bihar , Gujarat and Chhattisgarh has once again proved that the political landscape in India remains firmly under the spell of PM Narendra Modi and his party, the BJP. As the last electoral battle of this year concluded on Saturday, the 'Modi factor' once again proved to be the defining force of the 2024 electoral verdicts, which continued to reshape the nation's political narrative. As a series of state and Lok Sabha elections conducted throughout the year, PM Modi's leadership kept dominating the nation’s political landscape, leading people to speculate whether anyone would be able to challenge his leadership and would be able to resist his growing impact on the large population in and outside the country. Starting with the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly election, the BJP went to electoral battle in eight states with the support of its allies as the NDA in 2024 and ended the year’s record by registering a thumping 6-2 victory. Apart from Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand , the BJP-led NDA managed to win the Assembly elections in six states with a comfortable margin including the states like Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha , Haryana and Maharashtra. From Andhra Pradesh to Haryana, from Maharashtra to Odisha, the influence of the Prime Minister has been felt across the geographical stretch of India. Even as the Congress , regional parties, and other opposition alliances attempted to challenge him, his party, BJP's performance consistently outpaced expectations, leaving political experts and analysts to eventually call the electoral results a clear testament to PM Modi’s power of spreading popularity. Modi-Factor Secured Record-Breaking 3rd Term in General Elections The 2024 Lok Sabha elections, held in April and May, were indefinitely the biggest political event this year. This year’s general election witnessed a clear continuation of the BJP's dominance under Prime Minister Modi at the national level after he led the party to a record third consecutive term at the Centre and subsequently took charge as the Prime Minister for the third time, a feat unparalleled in Indian political history in the post-independence era. The BJP-led NDA, aided by a combination of strong messaging on national security, development, and economic growth, secured a mandate in the Lok Sabha elections, winning 293 seats in the lower house of Parliament. PM Modi's campaign, marked by a focus on "New India," economic reforms, and national pride, resonated with a broad population of voters, from urban professionals to rural communities, and won the BJP 240 seats alone. Not only the BJP but if the political analysts are to be believed, PM Modi’s wave, despite a negative promotional agenda by the Opposition parties on the Constitution and the caste, helped the allies as well in outnumbering other political parties in their respective states. The BJP-ally the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won 16 seats, the Janata Dal (United) won 12 seats, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena won 7 seats and the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) won 5 seats. The opposition parties repeatedly failed to mount a significant challenge, despite several attempts to unite under a "grand alliance". Even regional powerhouses like Mamata Banerjee 's Trinamool Congress ( TMC ) in West Bengal and Arvind Kejriwal ’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were unable to pose a significant challenge at the national level before the Modi factor. It is pertinent to mention that, despite, several accomplishments in the kitty, including, the abrogation of Article 370, the construction of Ram Mandir , the much-talked-about government's foreign policies, and various government schemes, the BJP chose to push the narrative in the name of PM Modi, citing “MODI KI GUARANTEE”. Earlier, in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured a thumping majority, by securing 282 and 303 seats respectively. Modi-Factor In Assembly Elections This year, the country witnessed Assembly elections in as many as seven states and one Union Territory, including Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir respectively. The BJP-led NDA managed to win six out of eight of them: The statistics indicate that the momentum created by the Modi-factor continued to spill over into the state assembly elections and the Lok Sabha elections throughout the year. In states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Maharashtra, the BJP continued to perform exceptionally well, while in Odisha, the party took over the charge creating history. While in the other two states, the BJP allies formed the government in support of the party and formed the government. In Maharashtra, the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP alliance, Mahayuti, emerged victorious in the state assembly elections, securing a mandate that appeared unassailable despite the challenges posed by the MVA parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP(SP). The saffron party's win here was seen as a significant blow to the Congress and its allies, including Uddhav Thackeray’s party, which had been considered a formidable force in the state. Opposition Struggles to Find a Foothold Political analysts feel that a weak opposition against PM Modi, has been continuously making his job quite consistent and smooth. On the other hand, despite the sweeping victories for a few years, the opposition has failed to corner the BJP and Prime Minister Modi on various issues. The Congress and other parties have repeatedly pointed out issues such as unemployment, economic disparities, and growing religious polarisation as evidence that PM Modi's tenure has been far from flawless. The experts, however, feel that despite these criticisms and picking issues against the ruling party and the government, the opposition has struggled to present a credible alternative to PM Modi before the voters. The formation of various alliances - such as the "Mahagathbandhan" in Bihar or efforts to unite anti-BJP forces in Uttar Pradesh - or efforts to unite the entire political parties against the BJP on one platform under a new alliance called INDI Alliance - failed to match the BJP's organisational strength and PM Modi’s personal appeal. Not only stature, but the opposition parties have also been unable to match the BJP’s campaign machinery, which remains one of the most formidable in the world, making the party, the world’s largest political party. Additionally, the Opposition, appears, to lack the thought process in picking issues against PM Modi, which will work in their favour in cornering the prime minister. So far, the track record shows that the issues picked by the Opposition against PM Modi have felt flat on most of the occasions. Will There be Rival to the Modi Factor? The dominance of the Modi factor appears unlikely to wane in the near future. The BJP's electoral expertise is in full swing, and its national and state strategies continue to finely connect with the voters. Above all this, the continued absence of a united and credible opposition against PM Modi remains the most glaring challenge before them in a vast and competitive democratic process like India. In 2024, as the electoral battle settles for the year, one thing is clear Narendra Modi and the BJP remain the players in the spotlight in Indian politics. Whether this dominance will extend into the next decade or whether a new challenger will rise remains the key question for Indian politics. The experts assert that in the present scenario and based on the BJP and Opposition’s track records, it appears that the "Modi factor" will remain the unstoppable force in the electoral landscape in the coming years. This is the reason, despite the presence of influential leaders in the party, in various states, the BJP continues to take electoral conflict in the state assembly polls, in the name of the only trusted face in the party, Prime Minister Modi. Get Current Updates on India News , Entertainment News along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world. Published 07:59 IST, November 24th 2024NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A scruffy little fugitive is on the lam again in New Orleans, gaining fame as he outwits a tenacious band of citizens armed with night-vision binoculars, nets and a tranquilizer rifle. Scrim, a 17-pound mutt that's mostly terrier, has become a folk hero, inspiring tattoos, t-shirts and even a ballad as he eludes capture from the posse of volunteers. And like any antihero, Scrim has a backstory: Rescued from semi-feral life at a trailer park and adopted from a shelter, the dog broke loose in April and scurried around the city until he was cornered in October and brought to a new home. Weeks later, he'd had enough. Scrim leaped out of a second-story window, a desperate act recorded in a now-viral video. Since then, despite a stream of daily sightings, he's roamed free. The dog’s fans include Myra and Steve Foster, who wrote “Ode to Scrim” to the tune of Ricky Nelson’s 1961 hit, “I’m a Travelin’ Man.” Leading the recapture effort is Michelle Cheramie, a 55-year-old former information technology professional. She lost everything — home, car, possessions — in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath, found her calling rescuing pets. “I was like, ‘This is what I should be doing,’” Cheramie said. “I was born to rescue.” She launched Zeus’ Rescues, a nonprofit shelter that now averages 600 cat and dog adoptions a year and offers free pet food to anyone who needs it. She helped Scrim find the home he first escaped from. It was Cheramie's window Scrim leaped from in November. She's resumed her relentless mission since then, posting flyers on telephone poles and logging social media updates on his reported whereabouts. She's invested thousands of dollars on wildlife cameras, thermal sensors and other gear. She took a course offered by the San Diego Zoo on the finer points of tranquilizing animals. And she's developed a network of volunteers — the kind of neighbors who are willing to grid-search a city at 3 a.m. People like writer David W. Brown, who manages a crowd-sourced Google Map of all known Scrim sightings. He says the search has galvanized residents from all walks of life to come together. As they search for Scrim, they hand out supplies to people in need. "Being a member of the community is seeing problems and doing what you can to make life a little better for the people around here and the animals around you," Brown said. And neighbors like Tammy Murray, who had to close her furniture store and lost her father to Parkinson's Disease. This search, she says, got her mojo back. “Literally, for months, I’ve done nothing but hunt this dog,” said Murray, 53. “I feel like Wile E. Coyote on a daily basis with him.” Murray drives the Zeus' Rescues' van towards reported Scrim sightings. She also handles a tactical net launcher, which looks like an oversized flashlight and once misfired, shattering the van's window as Scrim sped away. After realizing Scrim had come to recognize the sound of the van's diesel engine, Murray switched to a Vespa scooter, for stealth. Near-misses have been tantalizing. The search party spotted Scrim napping beneath an elevated house, and wrapped construction netting around the perimeter, but an over-eager volunteer broke ranks and dashed forward, leaving an opening Scrim slipped through. Scrim's repeated escapades have prompted near-daily local media coverage and a devoted online following. Cheramie can relate. “We’re all running from something or to something. He's doing that too,” she said. Cheramie's team dreams of placing the pooch in a safe and loving environment. But a social media chorus growing under the hashtag #FreeScrim has other ideas — they say the runaway should be allowed a life of self-determination. The animal rescue volunteers consider that misguided. “The streets of New Orleans are not the place for a dog to be free,” Cheramie said. “It’s too dangerous.” Scrim was a mess when Cheramie briefly recaptured him in October, with matted fur, missing teeth and a tattered ear. His trembling body was scraped and bruised, and punctured by multiple projectiles. A vet removed one, but decided against operating to take out a possible bullet. The dog initially appeared content indoors, sitting in Cheramie's lap or napping beside her bed. Then while she was out one day, Scrim chewed through a mesh screen, dropped 13 feet to the ground and squeezed through a gap in the fence, trotting away. Murray said Cheramie's four cats probably spooked him. “I wholeheartedly believe the gangster-ass cats were messing with him,” Murray said. Cheramie thinks they may have gotten territorial. Devastated but undeterred, the pair is reassessing where Scrim might fit best — maybe a secure animal sanctuary with big outdoor spaces where other dogs can keep him company. Somewhere, Murray says, “where he can just breathe and be." Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96Giants Trolled by Fans for Losing No. 1 NFL Draft Pick with Shocking Win vs. Colts