jilibet 646
jilibet 646
Meta faces April trial in FTC case seeking to unwind Instagram mergerLast week, a video of a racist rant against an Indian American family at Los Angeles airport went viral. Since the visibility of Indians has only risen in recent years — with a string of high-profile CEOs and political figures in the US, and even a former PM in the UK — many online interactions on global forums like X have also taken the form of insults, mockery, and expressions of hatred. The dearth of Olympic medals occasioned insults about Indian physical inferiority. Indian democracy is smeared as an oppressive, near-theocratic tyranny. Once associated with swamis and spirituality, the country, in the online arena, has a reputation for littered streets and public defecation. AI-generated caricatures proliferate. Tellingly, western companies have programmed no ‘guardrails’ to limit AI’s use against Indians. (Ironically, diasporic Indians sustain, and sometimes run, the tech companies that developed these image generators in the first place.) Maybe this contempt was always there, and it’s only surfacing now, as more and more people have seized the freedom to offend others. Insulting Indians is not just cost-free but lucrative. Outrage increases engagement, and engagement increases monetisation. Stinging the pride of thousands of online Indians translates into cash payouts for the one posting. The world’s contempt for Indians really shouldn’t come as a surprise to Indians themselves. If hating Indians were an Olympic sport, the gold medal would never leave home. Almost all Indian ideologies, political or religious, draw strength from contempt for other Indians. They offer small groups of Indians a way to proclaim themselves different and, hence, better than all the other Indians. This is now uncoupled from traditional senses of ‘high’ and ‘low’ caste, since even ‘low’ ancestral status can serve the purpose of conferring moral supremacy over oppressive savarnas. The ideology often called ‘Hindutva’ seeks to dissolve these caste distinctions and replace them with a pan-Hindu identity (with the aim, of course, of creating a pan-Hindu voter bloc). By asserting that identity’s rootedness in India, this perspective’s adherents imply, and sometimes insist openly, that Hinduism and its kindred religions are more authentically Indian than non-Dharmic faiths, which themselves condemn millions of Indians for idol-worship and polytheism. The encounter with global anti-Indian racism offers a corrective for all these fantasies of distinction. In the narrowed blue eyes of a foreign racist, a Brahmin and a Dalit receive equal measures of abuse. Which Indian wears a skull cap, a tilak, or a turban is quite irrelevant in the online arena; brown skin is a sufficient identifier. None of the haters can tell a Reddy from a Rajput or a Jatt from a Jain. Thousands of online racists want all Indians to speak English, or better yet, go back to their own country. Is Indian success in business and the professions really just the result of upper-caste privilege? Some of America’s progressive Leftists certainly think so. In recent years, they have published articles and proposed legislation targeting diasporic Indians on the basis of caste. White nationalists think Indian success is illegitimate, too, since they assume that all diasporic Indians favour one another in a vast, scheming network; their notion of Indians approaches, ever more closely, their notion of Jews. This reaction was perhaps inevitable as the Indian diaspora became more visible in other countries. Whether surging or simply surfacing, anti-Indian animus might be a good thing for India itself. A little disillusionment might be healthy from a civilizational perspective. India’s America-facing middle and upper classes might temper their fawning adoration of America’s cultural exports and social mores. Above all, divisive rhetoric — exacerbating regional, religious, and caste-based divisions in pursuit of power — may come to seem counterproductive. It already is, of course, but a habit of arguing internally has left Indians with a weakened sense of external threat awareness. The country’s geographic encirclement has been completed with the political transformation of Bangladesh, but even this new reality cannot get Indians to drop their quarrels for a moment. They seem as incorrigibly argumentative as ancient Greek city-states — or, alas, the many little kingdoms of India’s own history, so easy for outsiders to pick off. Responding to contempt with contempt is a vain tit-for-tat. Yet Indians should not tune out the insults, either. In the best-case scenario, external criticism about filth and disorder can foster more than just a collective identity. It can foster collective self-examination and reform. That is how to distil real nectar from virtual vitriol. A neo-Gandhian vision of pan-Indian unity and uplift would result. The trigger for this updated, organic nationalism would not be one Indian giving inspiring speeches, as it was a hundred years ago, but thousands of foreigners hurling abuse. After all, nothing unites people like a common enemy. In the early 20th century, that was the British Empire. In the early 21st, it is the world.
No Labels National MeetingUS to send $1.25 billion in weapons to Ukraine, pushing to get aid out before Biden leaves office WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the United States is expected to announce it will send another $1.25 billion in military assistance to Ukraine. It's part of a push by the Biden administration to get as much aid to Kyiv as possible before leaving office on Jan. 20. Officials say the large package of aid includes a significant amount of munitions, including for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems and the HAWK air defense system. It also will provide Stinger missiles and 155 mm- and 105 mm artillery rounds. The officials say they expect the announcement will be made on Monday. They spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says a ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies, as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, a deputy national security adviser, said Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. Warren Upton, the oldest living survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, dies at 105 HONOLULU (AP) — The oldest living survivor of the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the last remaining survivor of the USS Utah has died. He was 105. Warren Upton died Wednesday at a hospital in Los Gatos, California. Kathleen Farley, the California state chair of the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors, says he suffered a bout of pneumonia. The Utah was moored at Pearl Harbor when Japanese planes began bombing the Hawaii naval base in the early hours of Dec. 7, 1941. The attack propelled the U.S. into World War II. Israeli troops forcibly remove staff and patients from northern Gaza hospital, officials say DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza's Health Ministry says Israeli troops have stormed one of the last hospitals operating in the territory's north and forced many of the staff and patients outside. Then they had to remove their clothes in winter weather. Friday's incident was the latest assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital. Staff say it has been hit multiple times in the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against Hamas fighters in the surrounding neighborhoods. Israel's military says Hamas uses the hospital as a base. It did not provide evidence, and hospital officials have denied it. Azerbaijani and U.S. officials suggest plane that crashed may have been hit by weapons fire U.S. and Azerbaijani officials have said weapons fire may have brought down an Azerbaijani airliner that crashed on Wednesday, killing 38 people. The statements from Rashad Nabiyev and White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Friday raised pressure on Russia. Officials in Moscow have said a drone attack was underway in the region that the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was destined for but have not addressed statements from aviation experts who blamed the crash on Russian air defenses responding to a Ukrainian attack. The plane was flying from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to Chechnya on Wednesday when it crashed, killing 38 people and leaving all 29 survivors injured. Court rules Georgia lawmakers can subpoena Fani Willis for information related to her Trump case ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has ruled that the Georgia state Senate can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. It's part of a inquiry into whether Willis has engaged in misconduct during her prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump. But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shukura Ingram is giving Willis the chance to contest whether lawmakers’ demands are overly broad before Willis responds. A Republican-led committee was formed earlier this year and sent subpoenas to Willis in August seeking to compel her to testify during its September meeting and to produce scores of documents. Willis argued that the committee didn’t have the power to subpoena her. US homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said that federally required tallies taken across the country in January found that more than 770,000 people were counted as homeless. That increase comes on top of a 12% increase in 2023, which HUD blamed on soaring rents and the end of pandemic assistance. Among the most concerning trends was a nearly 40% rise in family homelessness. What Snoop wants: Arizona Bowl gives NIL opportunities to players for Colorado State, Miami (Ohio) TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — When Snoop Dogg agreed to become the sponsor of the Arizona Bowl, he had a demand: It must have a NIL component. Other bowls have provided NIL chances for single players the past few years, but the Arizona Bowl is believed to be the first to offer NIL compensation to every player on both Colorado State and Miami (Ohio). The players participated in youth clinics before Saturday's game and will be compensated for their time. Alex Ovechkin is on track to break Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is chasing the NHL career goals record of 894 held by Wayne Gretzky. Ovechkin entered the season 42 goals short of breaking a record that long seemed unapproachable. He is set to play again Saturday at the Toronto Maple Leafs after missing more than a month with a broken left fibula. Ovechkin was on pace to get to 895 sometime in February before getting injured. At 868, he his 27 goals away from passing Gretzky.Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan have officially ended their romance . The duo, who were first rumored to be dating in late 2023, reportedly had an on-again-off-again romance. Rumors about the couple and Carpenter’s music led to fans questioning the actor’s motives. In fact, they believe “Please Please Please,” Carpenter’s smash hit is all about Keoghan. Is there any truth to that, though? Is ‘Please Please Please’ about Barry Keoghan? Sabrina Carpenter’s song, “Please Please Please,” took the world by storm earlier this year. Not only is the tune catchy, but the words appear to resonate strongly with Capenter’s fanbase. While we can enjoy the song for what it is, we are also curious about its origin story. Fans largely assume it’s about Keoghan because the actor appeared in the music video. While that’s a solid clue, the lyrics also align with the couple’s relationship. In the song, Carpenter begs her love interest not to embarrass her in front of her friends, many of whom question his motives. In one verse, Carpenter points out that the man she’s signing to is an actor. She also talks about her man’s culture, which could point to Keoghan’s Irish heritage. Carpenter was born in Pennsylvania. While there is plenty of reason to believe the song is about Keoghan, Carpenter has never confirmed it. At the same time, she’s never denied it, either. In fact, Carpenter herself has fed some of the rumors back before ending her romance with the Irish actor. In June 2024, Carpenter commented on one of Keoghan’s Instagram uploads referencing the song. She simply said, “I heard that you’re an actor.” Why did Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter break up? Whether “Please Please Please” is about Keoghan or not, the story foretells their eventual downfall. The former flames have officially split, and it doesn’t seem like it happened amicably. While initial reports suggested the couple’s schedules were no longer aligned, leaving them with no time to work on their relationships, rumors are swirling that the breakup was much nastier and far more one-sided. An insider spoke with Entertainment Tonight and suggested the romance didn’t end amicably or mutually. The alleged insider told the publication that Carpenter ended the romance but that she isn’t “sad” about it. They did not speak on Barry Keoghan’s feelings , nor did they reveal why she decided to call it quits. Not everyone is willing to stay quiet about potential reasons behind the split. Influencer Livvy Dunne seems to suggest that Keoghan cheated on Carpenter. Recently, Dunne commented on a TikTok, alleging that someone had “homewrecked” Carpenter’s relationship. While Dunne didn’t name any names, fans think another influencer might be involved. Keoghan has deactivated his social media accounts amid the breakup frenzy. Carpenter is staying surprisingly quiet about the situation.
