emergencyfood

Thirty members of the Indian parliament, including Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, were detained by police following a protest against suspected voter fraud in recent state elections. Rahul Gandhi's Indian National Congress party had found fake and duplicate voters in the electoral rolls, and accused the election commission of colluding with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission rejected his claims, following which digital rolls were briefly unavailable from the EC website.

The protest also focused on a 'special revision' of voter rolls in the state of Bihar, where elections are scheduled later this year. The requirements for inclusion were criticised as being unreasonably complicated, and likely to disproportionately affect the poor, illiterate, and migrant labourers.

India has one of the highest rates of (desktop) Linux usages in the world - hovering around 10% according to StatCounter. Why is this? One reason is concerns over software controlled by foreign countries - particularly the US and China. But another is cost.

The first major boost for Linux and other free software in India came in 2006, when VS Achuthanandan - who passed away today - was elected Chief Minister of the state of Kerala. His government came up with a policy to shift all government computers to free software, starting with schools and colleges.

When the financial benefits became apparent, other states and the Union government followed suit.

Glazers will say it's to keep the posers out.

In a landmark case on the separation of powers between India's Union (Federal) and State governments, the Supreme Court ruled that state Governors - who are appointed by the Union Government - must assent to a bill if it is placed before them a second time by the State Legislature. The SC also ruled that the ten bills that had been pending with Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi for months could be deemed to have received his assent.

The Governor's assent was historically seen as a mere formality in the passage of a bill. But over the last few years, state governments not led by the BJP - which leads India's Union Government - have complained that Governors reject or delay assent for bills passed by them. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, whose government brought this case to the Supreme Court, hailed the verdict as a victory for federalism and all state governments.

The National People's Power alliance of Sri Lanka's new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has won a majority of seats in the Sri Lankan Parliament, and is on course to a two-thirds majority with about 62% of the vote (up from 4% in 2020). Led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People's Liberation Front), they campaigned on a platform of punishing corruption, renegotiating austerity policies imposed by the IMF, and uniting the country's various ethnic groups. They have also become the first Sinhala-majority party to win a district (Jaffna) in the Tamil-majority north, also making gains in the Muslim-majority east and Malaiyaha-dominated centre. The traditional poles of Sri Lankan politics - the centre-left, Sinhala nationalist SLFP / SJB and the centre-right, socially liberal UNP / NDF, as well as Tamil nationalist parties that often supported the UNP, lost seats.

Elections to the territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the state of Haryana gave mixed results for political parties. A coalition led by the J&K National Conference won 49 (JKNC 42, Congress 6, Communist 1) of 90 elected seats in the territory. This puts JKNC leader Omar Abdullah in a comfortable position to form the next government, even with the addition of five members nominated by the federal government. The BJP, which leads India's federal government and controversially removed J&K's special status, won 29 seats.

In Haryana, the BJP overcame anti-incumbancy and farmer protests to win 48 out of a total 90 seats, thanks to a strong local campaign and a popular leader in Nayab Singh Saini. The opposition Congress improved its vote and seat-share, but failed to dislodge the BJP. Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat - who had accused Wrestling Federation President and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh of sexual assualt - was elected from Julana constituency representing the Congress Party.

While the JKNC and the BJP have cause to celebrate, these results weaken the Congress, challenging its demand for the leading position within the opposition. In the upcoming Maharashtra and Jharkhand state elections, it may have to concede seats - or even coalition leadership - to its allies.

Context: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Sri_Lankan_presidential_election

I'll just post this here and get some popcorn.

Across the world, the biggest smartphone manufacturers are Apple (28%), Samsung (24%), Xiaomi (12%), Oppo (6%) and Vivo (5%). However, there are geographic patterns in popularity, with Apple dominating North America and East Asia, while Samsung leads in South America, Europe, Africa and West Asia in addition to its home turf of South Korea. Xiaomi is the most popular phone brand across South Asia, Spain, Venezuela, Ukraine, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan and Palestine, while Tecno is popular in West and Central Africa. Oppo, Vivo and Huawei lead in Indonesia, Bhutan and Togo respectively.

Across the world, the biggest smartphone manufacturers are Apple (28%), Samsung (24%), Xiaomi (12%), Oppo (6%) and Vivo (5%). However, there are geographic patterns in popularity, with Apple dominating North America and East Asia, while Samsung leads in South America, Europe, Africa and West Asia in addition to its home turf of South Korea. Xiaomi is the most popular phone brand across South Asia, Spain, Venezuela, Ukraine, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan and Palestine, while Tecno is popular in West and Central Africa. Oppo, Vivo and Huawei lead in Indonesia, Bhutan and Togo respectively.

Across the world, the biggest smartphone manufacturers are Apple (28%), Samsung (24%), Xiaomi (12%), Oppo (6%) and Vivo (5%). However, there are geographic patterns in popularity, with Apple dominating North America and East Asia, while Samsung leads in South America, Europe, Africa and West Asia in addition to its home turf of South Korea. Xiaomi is the most popular phone brand across South Asia, Spain, Venezuela, Ukraine, Madagascar, Kyrgyzstan and Palestine, while Tecno is popular in West and Central Africa. Oppo, Vivo and Huawei lead in Indonesia, Bhutan and Togo respectively.