With elections looming in Japan and the U.S., what impact will these events have on global equity markets? We explore an effective hedging approach.

A ballot measure to expand the state's eligibility for so-called education savings account is contentious and confusing.

Voting for the Jharkhand assembly elections phase 1 is being held today with 43 of the state's 81 seats up for grabs.

All eyes will be on the Congress and INDIA bloc as 31 constituencies vote in Assembly bypolls across 10 states, apart from Lok Sabha bypolls in Kerala's Wayanad

Ahead of the voting in the first phase of Assembly elections in Jharkhand on Wednesday, the Returning Officer for Ranchi Assembly constituency, Utkarsh Kumar said that the mock poll will begin at 5.30 am after which polling will commence.

All eyes will be on the Congress and INDIA bloc as 31 constituencies vote in Assembly bypolls across 10 states, apart from Lok Sabha bypolls in Kerala's Wayanad

Voting for the Jharkhand assembly elections phase 1 is being held today with 43 of the state's 81 seats up for grabs.

Celebrations sparkled up the Times Square in New York City yesterday as the Indian community and several US citizens gathered to observe the Hindu festival of lights.

WASHINGTON — According to the Somaliland National Electoral Commission, more than 1 million registered and eligible voters head to the polls Wednesday to elect their president for the next five years. Three candidates, including incumbent President Muse Bihi Abdi, seek to consolidate the region’s fragile democracy, boost economic growth and gain international recognition that the Somali enclave has struggled to secure for 33 years. Abdi, of the ruling Peace, Unity and Development Party, also known simply as Kulmiye, seeks a second term in Wednesday’s polls. He is running against Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as "Irro,” of the Waddani party and Faisal Ali Warabe of the Justice and Development Party, or UCID. Promises In an interview with VOA Somali, each of the three candidates promised to strengthen democracy, boost economic growth and seek international recognition for the breakaway region. Abdi, 76, who was elected head of the region in 2017, has pledged there will be progress on a controversial maritime deal that Ethiopia signed with Somaliland earlier this year. “On our side, we [Somaliland] are free, we are ready to implement the MOU [Memorandum of Understanding], and we are waiting from the Ethiopian side so that we can go ahead with it,” Abdi said. “Ethiopia needs access to sea, and we need recognition, and this MOU is about these needs.” This is the fourth presidential election since the region on the northwestern tip of Somalia broke away from the rest of the country, following the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. The territory declared independence that year but has never achieved international recognition. Despite this, Somaliland has a functioning government and institutions, a political system that has allowed democratic transfers of power between rival parties, its own currency, passport and armed forces. According to Freedom House's 2024 flagship annual report, which assesses the condition of political rights and civil liberties around the world, Somaliland experienced an erosion of political rights in the past several years. The report said, “Journalists and public figures face pressure from authorities. Minority clans are subject to political and economic marginalization, and violence against women remains a serious problem.” Talks between Somaliland, which is seeking full statehood, and Mogadishu, which fiercely opposes the move, have been held on and off between 2012 and 2020 but failed to bear fruit. Irro, of the Waddani party, who also served as speaker of the House of Representatives of Somaliland’s lower chamber of parliament for more than 11 years, said he would resume talks with Somalia. “It was not our choice to talk to Somalia because our goal has always been getting recognition, but the international community urged us to talk. If I am elected, I will resume the talks if the Somaliland interest lies there, and [at] the same time we will review the previous failed talks,” said Irro. Warabe, of the Justice and Development Party, said that if elected, he would seek recognition through the establishment of a national unity government in Somaliland. “The return of Bihi [Abdi], who has been for seven years in power, and his party, which has been in power since 2010, is not [an] option for Somaliland voters,” Warabe said. “If I am elected, I will lead Somaliland to recognition and [a] more prosperous road.” Regional tension Somaliland’s Wednesday vote comes at a time when tensions remain high between Somalia and Ethiopia over the controversial Memorandum of Understanding that Ethiopia signed with Somaliland. The deal would grant Ethiopia a 50-year lease of access to 20 kilometers of the Red Sea coastline in exchange for the potential recognition of Somaliland's independence, which Somalia views as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The deal signed on January 1 in Addis Ababa by Abdi and Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sparked anger in Mogadishu, which considers Somaliland as part of its national territory. The opposition to the deal plunged the two neighboring countries into a deadlocked situation. In April, Somalia expelled Ethiopian Ambassador Muktar Mohamed Ware, alleging "internal interference" by Ethiopia. Somalia also ordered the closure of Ethiopia's consulates in Somaliland and Puntland, although they remained open. Last month, Somalia expelled Mogadishu-based Ethiopian diplomat Ali Mohamed Adan, who was a counselor at Ethiopia's embassy in Mogadishu. In July and August 2024, two rounds of talks between Ethiopia and Somalia, mediated by Turkey, failed to solve the dispute, with Somalia demanding Ethiopia withdraw from the deal and Ethiopia insisting that it does not infringe on Somalia’s sovereignty. On Saturday, Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur repeated the Somali government position against Ethiopian troop involvement in a new African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia starting in January. “I can say that Ethiopia is the only government we know of so far that will not participate in the new AU mission because it has violated our sovereignty and national unity," Nur said Saturday in a government-run television interview. Somaliland’s last presidential elections were held in 2017. The current presidential election was originally set to take place in 2022 but was postponed until 2023 and then again pushed back to November 2024, following a controversial extension of Abdi’s mandate by the parliament’s upper house. The Somaliland National Election Commission, or NEC, said at the time that the delays were due to “time, technical and financial constraints.” Opposition parties vehemently denounced the delays. The president is directly elected for a maximum of two five-year terms and appoints the Cabinet. Sahra Eidle Nur and Harun Maruf contributed to this report.

Somaliland, the self-declared state in the Horn of Africa, is set to hold its fourth presidential…

The post Somaliland Heads to Polls Amid Hope and Concerns appeared first on Horseed Media.

[Ghanaian Times] The Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Ms Kathleen Addy, has cautioned Ghanaians against hate speech as it could cause conflict in the lead-up to the General Election.

In September Fiji will have its first democratic election since the Qarase government was deposed in a bloodless coup in December 2006 by military forces.

Not a second goes by without pundits and the media scrutinizing the U.S. election polls and tracking the candidates' performances. But polls aren't votes. What if the polls are all wrong?

[VOA] Washington -- According to the Somaliland National Electoral Commission, more than 1 million registered and eligible voters head to the polls Wednesday to elect their president for the next five years.

Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit. -George Carlin Every four years, presidential opinion polling reliably causes regime media to misplace...

1. Bypolls LIVE: Voting begins for Wayanad LS seat and 31 Assembly seats in 10 States; Priyanka Gandhi makes debut  The Hindu
2. Priyanka Gandhi's Debut, Bypolls In 31 Assembly Seats: All You Need To Know  NDTV
3. Watch: Rahul Gandhi tries Kerala's longest zipline in bid to promote tourism after landslides  The Times of India
4. Let's ensure resounding victory together: Rahul to Wayanad voters  The Hindu
5. Hope people of Wayanad give me chance to represent them, says Priyanka Gandhi  Telegraph India

People are really stressed about the U.S. presidential election. A psychiatrist offers several self-help methods to reduce feelings of despair

The AIADMK spent the highest share in spreading the party’s propaganda (99.5%) and relied only on media and advertisements

Apr 12, 2024

The share of Russians who would like to leave Russia for permanent residence in another country has reached a record low, according to the results of a national poll conducted by Russia’s Levada Center on March 21-27, 2024.  Of the countries Russians were eager to relocate to, the U.S. topped the list (11%), followed by Germany (8%) and Italy and Turkey (6% each). China ranked 10-11 along with Canada.That seven out of the top 11 countries Russians would like to relocate to are members of the collective West, with 46% interested in moving to these countries, also shows the limits of the Kremlin’s efforts to instill anti-Western sentiments in the Russian public.

केरल में वायनाड सीट पर आज उपचुनाव है। यहां से पहली बार चुनावी मैदान में प्रियंका गांधी वाड्रा अपनी किस्मत आजमा रही हैं। ऐसे में हर किसी की नजर इस सीट पर है। यहां से पहले राहुल गांधी चुनाव जीते थे।

Assam Bypolls: असम में पांच विधानसभा सीटों के लिए उपचुनाव हो रहे हैं।   9.1 लाख मतदाताओं में से करीब 13% ने पहले दो घंटों में मतदान कर लिया है। चुनाव आयोग के अनुसार, सुबह 9 बजे तक 9,09,057 पात्र मतदाताओं में

The news is hideous and diseased — every new poll inspires a frenzy of speculation, and gets promoted heavily on the networks, depending on whether the results meet their biases or not. Unfortunately, that provides an incentive to the Poll Industry to do more polls and to found more polling companies, further undermining their credibility. […]

The rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital here in August, is dominating BJP's line of campaiging for the forthcoming bypolls for six Assembly constituencies in West Bengal.

The campaign for the bypolls in three Assembly constituencies in Karnataka will end on Monday.

Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday, seeking the latter's intervention on issues pertaining to upcoming by-elections for 6 assembly constituencies in West Bengal.

By-elections in five Assembly constituencies—Dholai, Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, and Sidli have been necessitated due to the elections of five legislators to Lok Sabha in the general elections this year.

On the last day of campaigning for bypolls in Madhya Pradesh's Budhni and Vijaypur Assembly seats, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday that the state government is committed to the welfare of the poor, women, youth, and farmers.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is set to visit poll-bound Maharashtra on Tuesday where he will address three public meetings and campaign for Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, including several other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates.

With less than a week to go for campaigning to end in poll-bound Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address three public meetings on Tuesday and campaign for MahaYuti candidates in the state.

Former Chief Minister and BJP Central Parliamentary Board Member B.S. Yediyurappa urged the people to teach CM Siddaramaiah a befitting lesson by securing victory for the NDA candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the high profile Channapatna Assembly constituency.

Karnataka government's alleged Muslim reservation proposal sparks controversy ahead of bypolls, but Chief Minister's Office denies the reports entirely.

The poll battle in Mumbai's 36 Assembly constituencies has become more intense with the entry of eight major parties including the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, Shiv Sena, NCP, NCP(SP), Samajwadi Party and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

West Bengal Bypolls: রাত পোহালেই বুধবার পশ্চিমবঙ্গের ৬ বিধানসভা কেন্দ্রে উপনির্বাচন। নৈহাটি, হাড়োয়া, মেদিনীপুর, তালড্যাংরা, সিতাই ও মাদারিহাটে রয়েছে বিধানসভা উপনির্বাচন। মোট ১০৮ কোম্পানি কেন্দ্রীয় বাহিনী (Central Force) মোতায়েন করা হয়েছে নিরাপত্তার দায়িত্বে। আরজি কর কাণ্ডের (RG Kar case) পর এটাই

West Bengal Bypolls 2024: অন্ধকার নামতেই বাইক বাহিনীর তাণ্ডব! আজ বুধবার বাঁকুড়ার তালডাংরা সহ ছয় কেন্দ্রে উপনির্বাচন। ভোট হবে নৈহাটি, হাড়োয়া, মেদিনীপুর, তালড্যাংরা, সিতাই ও মাদারিহাটে। কিন্তু প্রত্যেক কেন্দ্রেই কার্যত অশান্তির ঘটনা। কোথাও বাইক বাহিনীর তাণ্ডব তো কোথাও ISF সমর্থকের বাড়িতে

The Congress on Tuesday released its manifesto for the Jharkhand assembly elections promising 250 units of free electricity, caste-based census and filling up of all vacant government posts within a year. The manifesto, unveiled by party manifesto committee chairman

Samajwadi Party has announced its candidates for all nine seats for the November 13 Uttar Pradesh Assembly bypolls.

The newly suspended leaders include -- Shamkant Saner, Rajendra Thakur, Aba Bagul, Manish Anand, Suresh Kumar Jethliya, Kalyan Borade, and Chandrapaul Chauksey.

Amit Shah holds discussion with alliance leaders Eknath Shinde, Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar

NCP-SP supremo Sharad Pawar campaigned for Jitendra Awhad in the Mumbra constituency

The Central Election Committee of the party announced this selection of candidates for various constituencies across the State, focusing on a mix of experienced leaders and new faces

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) has announced a total of 76 candidates so far and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP 49. It’s a direct fight between the two parties in Anushakti Nagar (Mumbai), Parali, Mohol, Majalgaon, Phaltan and Parner

The ruling alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, has yet to announce candidates for 53 seats and the Opposition MVA for 29 seats; the Assembly has 288 seats; candidate selection for a few seats creates ripples in NCP (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT)

BJP has fielded Kalidas Kolambkar from the Wadala seat in Mumbai

The seizure was made by flying squad number 6, operating in Ulhasnagar Assembly constituency, between Kalyan and Murbad at 2 a.m.

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar tours Baramati villages, addresses key issues ahead of elections and assures continuation of popular schemes

Election Commission’s SST seizes ₹24 crore worth of diamonds, gold, and silver near toll booth in Maharashtra

Congress CMs and Karnataka Deputy CM respond to PM Modi and Home Minister Shah’s remarks, highlighting welfare guarantees and job creation