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As the final five phases of polls draw closer, rift among <keyword id="20101713" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="INDIA-bloc-partners" source="keywords">INDIA bloc partners</keyword>, <keyword id="21533469" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress-Left-combine" source="keywords">Congress-Left combine</keyword> and the <keyword id="19942089" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="TMC" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="TMC" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="TMC">TMC</keyword>, which are fighting separately has intensified, triggering a fierce contest across half of the remaining 36 constituencies in West Bengal driven by local issues such as <keyword id="20074422" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sandeshkhali" source="keywords">Sandeshkhali</keyword> and the SSC scam. TMC's decision to contest independently in the state, rather than as part of the bloc, has led to a three-way contest, with the other contenders being the BJP and the Congress-Left alliance. Nevertheless, both TMC and Congress have asserted that they are part of the INDIA bloc at the national level and are authentic representatives of the opposition front in Bengal. Political analysts suggest that without a dominant national narrative like national security after the 2019 Pulwama attacks, local concerns such as corruption allegations, the cancellation of School Service Commission (SSC) jobs, incidents in Sandeshkhali and implementation of the <keyword id="19965573" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Citizenship-Amendment-Act" source="keywords">Citizenship Amendment Act</keyword> (CAA) are altering election dynamics. Maidul Islam, a political scientist at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, remarked, "Till a few months ago, it seemed the elections in Bengal will be a bipolar contest between the TMC and BJP. But with issues like corruption and Sandeshkhali gaining prominence, the Left-Congress alliance is fast gaining traction in several seats and turning the polls into a three-cornered contest in at least 18-20 LS segments." He said besides the two and three seats in Malda and Murshidabad districts, where TMC and Congress secured two each and the BJP one in 2019, there are 13 seats spread across South Bengal, where the TMC and the Left-Congress alliance are engaging in intense competition. "It's not that the Left-Congress will win many seats, but in segments where their vote share is above 10 per cent, there is a likelihood that they might influence the outcome, to the disadvantage of either the TMC or the BJP, if they manage to secure two per cent more votes," Islam added. According to sources in TMC and CPI(M), the electoral battleground extends beyond Malda and Murshidabad, encompassing Lok Sabha segments like Dum Dum, Srerampore, Arambagh, Hooghly, Howrah, Barrackpore, Bardhaman-Purba, Bardhaman-Durgapur, Bankura, Purulia, Tamluk, Kolkata North, and Jadavpur, all poised for a three-cornered fight. Notably, eight of these seats were won by TMC and the remaining by BJP in the 2019 parliamentary polls. "The shift in dynamics presents the Congress-Left alliance as a significant player, and its emergence complicates the electoral narrative, transcending the conventional TMC versus BJP dichotomy," political analyst Subhomoy Moitra said. While the Left Front is contesting 30 seats, the Congress has fielded candidates in 12 out of 42 seats. "We wanted an alliance with the Congress, but they were delaying the seat-sharing arrangements, so we decided to go alone. Now the Left-Congress alliance is helping the BJP by trying to eat into our votes," remarked TMC leader Santanu Sen. According to TMC leaders, the breakup of INDIA alliance in Bengal has both electoral advantages and disadvantages. "After the Left and Congress alliance fell apart in West Bengal in 2019, it had led to a four-cornered contest with BJP bagging the entire chunk of the anti-TMC votes in the state," they said. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP bagged 18 seats and its vote share rose from 17 to 40 per cent. Meanwhile, despite a 3 per cent rise in vote share, the TMC lost 12 seats, dropping from 34 to 22. The Left drew a blank with a vote share decline from 24 per cent to 6 per cent, and the Congress lost two seats, shrinking its vote share from 9.5 per cent to 5 per cent and bagging just two seats. "Local issues such as corruption and SSC scam are helping the Left-Congress in the state as there is anger among a section of people against the TMC and also against the BJP over the perception of a tacit understanding," a TMC leader said. Analysts observe that <keyword id="43868" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mamata-banerjee" source="Orion">Mamata Banerjee</keyword>'s intensified criticism of Left and Congress, accusing them of aiding BJP, and the ensuing sharp responses from CPI(M) and Congress, alleging a secret pact between TMC and BJP, as indicative of the growing significance of Left-Congress alliance. Data from various local elections and by-polls conducted after 2021 assembly elections indicate a shift in anti-TMC votes as there has been a resurgence of Left-Congress combine. Incidentally, the BJP had witnessed a decline in its vote share as compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha and 38 per cent in 2021 assembly polls. In 2023, violence scarred panchayat polls which covered nearly 70 per cent of the state's electorate, the TMC had bagged 51 per cent of votes whereas the BJP had bagged 22 per cent. The Left-Congress-ISF alliance had, however, bagged 23 per cent votes. The ISF this time, however, has decided to contest alone in 17 seats. Congress leader Suvankar Sarkar emphasized, "People are disenchanted with the TMC and the BJP, as they are both sides of the same coin. People are coming out in large numbers to support the Left-Congress candidates." CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty expressed confidence in the Left-Congress alliance's potential to deliver surprising results in the elections, claiming initial success in breaking bipolar politics in Bengal. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar downplayed the significance of the rift in opposition alliance and the three-cornered fight in various seats. "People know that BJP is only fighting TMC's misrule in Bengal. Those who want to vote against TMC, will vote for us only just like in the 2019 and 2021 polls," he said. Political scientist Biswanath Chakraborty suggested that TMC stands to gain the most from the three-cornered contest. In minority pockets, the Left-Congress alliance could dent TMC's vote base, potentially aiding BJP's prospects, he noted.

West Bengal Elections: Rift among INDIA bloc partners triggers three-cornered intense contests

The annual premium amount for 31 life insurance policies of <keyword id="55334" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="arpita-mukherjee" source="Orion">Arpita Mukherjee</keyword>, perceived to the closest confidant of former minister <keyword id="6360499" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="partha-chatterjee" source="Orion">Partha Chatterjee</keyword> in the multi-crore <keyword id="1471058" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="west-bengal-school-service-commission" source="Orion">West Bengal School Service Commission</keyword> (WBSSC) scam, is to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, according to the <keyword id="6357808" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="enforcement-directorate" source="Orion">Enforcement Directorate</keyword> (ED). The figure was quoted by the probe agency in its first charge sheet that was submitted to a special ED court on Monday. It is also mentioned that Chatterjee himself was the nominee for most of these life insurance policies. What is more interesting is that such a huge premium was paid from the different bank accounts of the former state education minister, as per records of bank statements recovered by the central agency sleuths. In these policies, Chatterjee was mentioned as <keyword id="6364914" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="mukherjee" source="Orion">Mukherjee</keyword>'s uncle. "This entire sequence of insurance policies and their payment process are proof enough to nullify the argument raised by some sections that Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were mere acquaintances. These life insurance policies are solid proof of how intimate the two were," said an ED official. Apart from these lpolicies, some other land property jointly owned by Chatterjee and Mukherjee will also come handy for the central agency sleuths to establish the intimate relationship between the duo, the official noted. In the charge sheet, the ED hasnamed a total eight persons -- Chatterjee, Mukherjee and six directors of shell companies floated with the purpose of diverting scam proceeds to different channels. The probe agency has mentioned assets worth Rs 103.10 crore held by Chatterjee and Mukherjee. ED officials said that the assets include cash amounting to Rs 49.80 crore and gold worth Rs 5.08 crore seized from the two residences of Mukherjee in Kolkata in July. The remaining amount is in the form of other immoveable assets like bank deposits, property in the form of land and residences and investment in a number of companies. It has also named Chatterjee and Mukherjee as the prime accused in the scam. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/directorate-of-revenue-intelligence-seizes-e-cigarettes-worth-48-crore-from-mundra-port/articleshow/94316683.cms">Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seizes e-cigarettes worth ₹48 crore from Mundra port</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/all-about-super-earths-their-dwarf-stars-and-how-theyre-more-habitable-than-our-earth/articleshow/94317934.cms">All about Super-Earths, their dwarf stars and how they're more habitable than our earth</a>

Arpita Mukherjee has 31 life insurance policies with ₹1.5 cr annual premium: ED

<ul><li>BJP’s <keyword id="1692903" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharati-Ghosh">Bharati Ghosh</keyword> is contesting from West Bengal's Debra Assembly constituency.</li><li>Ghosh, a former IPS officer with 23 years in service, has 19 criminal charges against her.</li><li>She is contesting against Trinamool Congress candidate Humayun Kabir, who is also a former IPS officer.</li></ul>Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state vice president, Bharati Ghosh who is contesting from West Bengal's Debra Assembly constituency, has an impressive bank balance with declared assets worth ₹19 crore making her the wealthiest politician contesting from West Bengal (WB). But, she also has a lofty list of <a href="https://adrindia.org/content/west-bengal-assembly-elections-2021-phase-ii-analysis-criminal-background-financial">criminal charges</a> against her that amount to 19 in total (53 serious Indian Penal Code [IPC] charges and 56 other IPC charges) and no conviction. Of these, she has 12 charges under IPC Section 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 5 charges under IPC Section-307 (related to attempt to murder), 4 charges under IPC Section-354 (related to assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 2 charges under IPC Section-468 (related to forgery for the purpose of cheating), among many others. One of the 19 female candidates from WB out of 171, Ghosh is a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who was in service from January 1994 to Dec 2017. A decorated police officer, Ghosh was the police chief for over six years in West Midnapore. During this time she was instrumental in capturing Maoist leaders like Koteswar Rao and containing Maoism in general. However, she retired <a href="https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/india-news-wb-bjp-candidate-bharati-ghosh-moves-sc-seeking-stay-of-arrest-warrant-against-her/376583">two days after</a> she was transferred by Mamata Banerjee to a comparatively less alluring post as the commandant of a battalion of the State Armed Police in Barrackpore on December 26, 2017. She has also worked in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police and had a brief stint at the United Nations under various capacities and had <a href="https://www.ibtimes.co.in/who-bharati-ghosh-harvard-educated-un-peacekeeper-went-being-mamata-banerjees-cop-daughter-759233">won</a> six medals during her time there. Her impressive educational background includes a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Jadavpur University, bachelor’s in law from Burdwan University, and has studied at Harvard University and the London School of Economics. Ghosh eventually fell out of her close association with Mamata Banerjee and joined the BJP in 2019. Ghosh contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Ghatal constituency the same year. At the time, there was a rather infamous <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/bharati-ghosh-in-row-caught-saying-will-drag-tmc-men-out-beat-them-up-like-dogs-5710743/">incident</a> that occurred when in response to Ghosh's bold statement that she will bring goons from Uttar Pradesh to "drag TMC men out, beat them up like dogs,” she was accosted by an angry TMC mob a few weeks later that led her to scale the walls of a temple and seek <a href="https://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/bricks-for-bharati-1502755203.html">refuge</a> at the Keshpur police station. She apparently made this statement on hearing TMC workers in Anandapur village (in Medinipur) were hindering people from voting in the Lok Sabha elections. In a separate incident, two days before polling began in Ghatal, her car was stopped and the police seized ₹1,13,815 in cash that according to Trinamool was perhaps going to be used to incentivise the people to vote for her. Ghosh, however, lost that election to Trinamool Congress candidate Deepak Adhikari (alias Dev) by a margin of 107,973 votes. Earlier this month, Ghosh moved the Supreme Court to seek a stay of an arrest warrant against her and to quash the FIRs against her in connection with the 2019 Lok Sabha poll violence case for alleged voluntary causing hurt, wrongful restraint and attempt to murder. The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/elections/west-bengal-assembly/arrest-warrant-against-bharati-ghosh-to-be-kept-in-abeyance-sc/article34025625.ece">granted</a> the stay till the conclusion of the West Bengal Assembly Elections. She maintains that these are all "false" cases being used as a tool to prevent her from pursuing her political career. In <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bengal-saw-693-cases-of-violence-during-2019-lok-sabha-polls/articleshow/81321892.cms">total</a>, there were 693 poll violence incidents and 11 deaths, in the state, during the 2019 general elections. This year, Ghosh is contesting against Trinamool Congress candidate Humayun Kabir, who is also a former IPS officer. However, unlike Ghosh, he does not have any active legal cases against him. The former police commissioner of Chandernagore, Kabir, joined TMC in February, this year. Kabir was the one who ordered the <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/humayun-kabir-ex-ips-officer-who-ordered-arrest-of-bjp-men-over-slogans-joins-trinamool-2366633">arrest</a> of three BJP members who were trying to incite disquiet by raising the slogan "Goli Maaro..." during a rally held by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, in January 2021. Miffed BJP members accused Kabir of being partisan to the Trinamool Congress because his wife, Anindita Das, is also a member of the party. However, Kabir resigned from his post a few days after the incident and joined the Trinamool Congress in February 2021. Ghosh may have had an impressive career trajectory but it is yet to be seen whether the burden of the criminal charges against her will dampen her political aspirations. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/6-out-10-highest-income-candidates-in-west-bengals-phase-2-election-are-fighting-from-one-of-indias-most-backward-districts/slidelist/81701447.cms">6 out 10 highest income candidates in West Bengal’s phase 2 election are fighting from one of India's most backward districts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/checkout-the-list-of-bjp-tmc-and-congress-candidate-names-in-first-phase-west-bengal-election/articleshow/81704142.cms">The entire list and exciting facts about the 30 assembly constituencies going to polls in West Bengal on March 27</a>

Bharati Ghosh, BJP's West Bengal contestant from Debra, has a robust bank balance along with a rather long rap sheet

Government-run boarding schools were founded to 'civilize' Native Americans. Hundreds of dead children remain buried in the schoolyard graves.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President of the European Commission, <keyword id="1576144" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ursula-von-der-Leyen">Ursula von der Leyen</keyword>, responds to an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-private-data-facebook-google-apple-europe-eu-2021-1">open letter</a> from Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner about regulating large tech companies. </li><li>She writes that the political power of tech giants needs to be limited, and lays out steps the European Union is already taking to protect consumers. </li><li>Ursula von der Leyen is the president of the European Commission. </li><li>This is an <keyword id="6356002" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="opinion">opinion</keyword> column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author. </li></ul>Dear Mr Döpfner, Many thanks for your kind <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-private-data-facebook-google-apple-europe-eu-2021-1">open letter</a>. By chance, on the same day your letter was published online, I spoke at the virtual World Economic Forum in Davos, on the very topic you raised - namely the darker side of digitalization. The growing power of the largest <keyword id="6357247" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Internet">internet</keyword> platforms - and their incredible economic and even political influence - also leaves me increasingly concerned. I share your opinion that we cannot only talk about the great promise of the digital world - we must also talk about the problems it is creating for our economies, our societies, and our democracy. This recently hit home when I watched on television as the angry mob stormed the US Capitol. I found those images deeply unsettling. This is what happens when actions follow words. This is what happens when messages spread by online platforms and <keyword id="6354632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media">social media</keyword> become a threat to democracy. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-tech-private-data-facebook-google-apple-europe-eu-2021-1">It's time for Europe to take private data from the hands of powerful tech monopolies and give it back to the people</a>We should see those images from the United States as a warning. Despite all the basic trust in our <keyword id="28249" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="europe">Europe</keyword>an democracy, we in Europe are not immune to such a turn of events. It is easy to say that democratic values are part of our DNA. And this is, of course, true. However, it is essential for us to protect our democracy each and every day and to preserve our institutions from the influence of hate speech, disinformation, fake news, and incitement to violence.<h2>We need to limit the political power of internet giants </h2>The business model of online platforms not only has an impact on free and fair competition - it also has an impact on our democracies, our security, and the quality of our information. This is why we need to limit, by democratic means, the huge and, as of now, largely unchecked political power of the internet giants. In a world where polarizing opinions are the most likely to be heard, it is a short step from outlandish conspiracy theories to the death of a police officer. This was sadly exposed by the storming of the Capitol.Let me first make one thing clear to avoid any misunderstandings in our discussion. We in Europe prize innovation. We are enthusiastic about the wonders of modern technology. And we are curious about new things. German publishers are no different in this regard. They also tirelessly strive to adapt their publications to new, digital formats and test out what and what does not interest their readers. Moreover, every day now the pandemic is showing us how much digital applications - from home schooling to the home office - can help us. That is why we in Europe have decided to focus on digitalization alongside climate protection in the post-Corona crisis recovery. 20% of the money from our NextGenerationEU recovery programme will be spent on digital projects - whether to support the vibrant start-up scene in Lisbon or Sofia, to strengthen links between universities and research institutions, or to build a European cloud. Nevertheless, with all openness to the innovations of the digital world, Europe must never forget whom these applications are ultimately intended to serve - our citizens. For us, neither the market nor the state, but rather the people, are at the center of our European approach. That is why in December the Commission launched the Digital Services Act and the Digital Market Act. That is our new framework for the digital market and for our society. To put it very simply, we want to ensure that going forward what is unlawful in the analogue world is also unlawful online - just as you demanded in your letter. We also want the platforms to provide transparency regarding how their algorithms work. Decisions with extensive consequences for our democracy must not be made by computer programs over which no human has control.We also want clear requirements for internet firms to accept responsibility for the way in which they distribute, promote, and remove content - as well as identifying and mitigating the systemic risk that they can pose. Another thing is important to me: however tempting it may have been for Twitter to switch off former President Donald Trump's account, such serious interference with freedom of expression should not be based on company rules alone. There must be a legal framework for such far-reaching decisions. And that legal framework should be decided by parliaments and politicians, not managers in Silicon Valley. You are calling for measures to prevent large gatekeeper platforms from storing personally specific and sensitive data, and from using that data for commercial purposes. And it is true that whenever we visit a website and are asked to create a profile or when we conveniently register with a large platform, we have no idea what happens to our data. That is why Harvard Professor Shoshana Zuboff talks of "surveillance capitalism" in her seminal work, which you quote. And in the documentary "The Social Dilemma" we see how large platforms are interested in us, the users, as the product. The more they learn about us, the more valuable we are to them. That allows them to inundate us with targeted advertising and, in turn, to increase their revenue.<h2>How we intend to protect our consumers and their data</h2>Here are three examples of what we intend to do in order to protect our consumers and their data even better in the future. First, under our Digital Services Act, the large internet platforms - in other words those with more than 45 million users in the <keyword id="6355123" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="eu">EU</keyword> - have specific obligations. For example, in the future they will have to give their users the option of preventing recommendations of further content that are based on profiling, i.e. the systematic analysis of their data by computer programs. Second, we are reinforcing the provisions of our General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although it only went into effect in 2018, the GDPR has already become a model for large parts of the world. This disproves your assertion that Europe almost always reacts too late. On the contrary, we were the ones who set standards early with the GDPR.In the future, we want to use our Digital Markets Act to prohibit large internet platforms from automatically combining their users' personal data collected from their main platform into a single profile with additional data from other services. This is how we intend to ward off the transparent consumer you so strongly warn against in your letter, and rightly so. It will also ensure that competition remains fair.Third, in consultation with our Member States, we will also propose a secure European identity this year and thereby provide our citizens with an alternative way of navigating the internet without reservations - whether that be to pay taxes, enroll in university, or rent an electric car. We are not only taking into account the concerns of our citizens with these initiatives. We are also complying with the obligations arising from European fundamental rights - in Europe the internet has long since ceased to be the Wild West. Articles Seven and Eight of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights safeguard the right to privacy and family life as well as the right to protection of personal data. These basic rights do not just exist on paper. As you have seen, they also guide us when legislating.And they have teeth in the courts. For example, you need only recall the two Schrems judgments, in which European Court of Justice declared instruments for transferring personal data to third countries unlawful. The result is that digital companies must guarantee EU standards are applied when they transfer personal data outside the EU. Failing this, forwarding of the data is prohibited. <h2>Potential cooperation with Washington</h2>You are no doubt relieved, as I am, that President Joe Biden's election means Europe once again has a friend in the White House. Indeed the first signals we hear from the new administration are promising, including possible cooperation on digital matters.As a first step, I could envisage a joint Trade and Technology Council in which we agree on standards and norms. Together with the United States we could also create a digital rulebook which would have global effects. This could deal with matters ranging from data protection and privacy to the security of technical infrastructure. It would be a rulebook based on our values: human rights and pluralism, inclusion, and the protection of privacy. Even a project which until recently we believed we might have to implement without our American friends - the introduction of a digital tax - suddenly seems once more to be something we could address jointly. You refer in your letter to the relentless rise of the large tech companies and their market value, which is soaring in this period of crisis. You contrast this with the estimated loss of 255 million jobs worldwide between January 2020 and January 2021. I am also concerned about how this crisis is increasing inequalities. Restaurant operators and business owners who closed down temporarily in order to ensure that we are all better protected against the virus now fear for their existence as a result of the lockdown. At the same time, many large internet groups are doing tremendous amounts of business - including some that are not yet even properly taxed in Europe. That is unfair, and we can no longer expect people to stand for it. Please do not misunderstand me. Our internal market, with access to 450 million consumers, exists to do business, and we invite companies from around the world to benefit from this unique opportunity. In return we expect that they contribute to financing all the things that make our single market so strong - schools and universities, research and infrastructure, reliable public institutions, and a health service which, day after day in this crisis, is demonstrating its resilience.We would therefore like to step up discussions about a tax of this kind within the framework of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and hope to achieve agreement with the US there, too. But we remain determined to find a solution, if necessary on our own in Europe, in the course of this year. Dear Mr Döpfner, as you can see, we are already hard at work, using the many levers at Europe's disposal, because Europe is there to serve its citizens. That applies in both the analogue world and online. Without restrictions. Best regards, Ursula von der Leyen

President of the European Commission: Here's what the EU is doing to limit the power of tech giants

Sundance 2022 returns to Park City with an expanded lineup that includes Netflix's Kanye West documentary

The <keyword id="40807" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Election-Commission">Election Commission</keyword> is confident of holding the five <keyword id="6372725" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="assembly-polls">assembly polls</keyword> due early next year, including in <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword> and <keyword id="6354953" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="punjab">Punjab</keyword>, on time as the poll panel has gained a lot of experience from the electoral exercise in Bihar, West Bengal and four other assemblies amid the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra has asserted. The terms of the legislative assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand are coming to an end in March 2022, while the term of the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly is scheduled to end in May. "That is the foremost duty of the Election Commission that we should hold the <keyword id="6355644" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="elections">elections</keyword> and submit the list of the winning candidates (to the governor) before the term of the assembly expires," Chandra told In an interview. He was asked whether the poll panel will be able to hold the assembly polls due in five states on time due to Covid-19 as recently it has deferred some Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls due to the second wave of Covid-19. Some Rajya Sabha bypolls and biennial legislative council elections were also deferred due to the second wave of the pandemic. "As you are aware that the second wave of COVID-19 is also receding and the numbers (of infections) are quite less. We have done elections in Bihar during the pandemic, we have done elections in four states and one UT. We have experience... We have learned various experiences on how to hold polls during the pandemic also," he said. "I am very much sure that with the receding pandemic now, and I wish the pandemic is over soon, we will absolutely be in a position to hold elections next year which are scheduled in five states on time, as per the schedule," Chandra said. While Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur have BJP-led governments, Punjab has a Congress government. Uttar Pradesh, the country's most populous state, has approximately 14.66 crore voters, while Punjab has over 2 crore electors, according to January 1, 2021 data of the Election Commission. Uttarakhand has 78.15 lakh voters while Manipur has 19.58 lakh and Goa has 11.45 lakh electors. The five states together have an estimated 17.84 crore voters. Ahead of the Bihar polls held last year, the EC had taken various steps to ensure a "Covid-free" election such as allowing people above 80 years of age and those suffering from COVID-19 to use postal ballot and reducing the number of voters per polling station from 1500 to 1000 to ensure distancing norms. The number of polling stations had increased by nearly 80,000 in the four states and one Union Territory due to the distancing norms as a lesser number of voters were allowed per polling station. The same principles were adopted in elections to West Bengal, <keyword id="6354915" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="assam">Assam</keyword>, <keyword id="20154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword>, <keyword id="28504" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala">Kerala</keyword> and Puducherry. However, after it found that Covid safety norms were being flouted in West Bengal during campaigning, the Election Commission had banned roadshows and vehicle rallies in the state and capped the maximum permissible number of people at public meetings at 500. The decision was taken when the last few phases of polls in West Bengal were still to be held. The EC had said at that time that it was noting "with anguish" that many political parties and candidates were still not adhering to the prescribed safety norms during the public gatherings. The Commission had also banned victory processions during and after counting of votes. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-photos-alternatives-are-hardly-any-good/articleshow/83138238.cms">Google Photos alternatives are hardly any good – here’s what made the Google service so good</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/economy/news/indias-gdp-has-contracted-five-times-since-1947-but-never-as-bad-as-7-3/articleshow/83135455.cms">India’s GDP has contracted five times since 1947, but never as bad as 7.3%</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/xiaomis-latest-wired-charging-tech-can-fully-charge-a-phone-in-just-8-minutes-and-wirelessly-in-15-minutes/articleshow/83136172.cms">Xiaomi’s latest wired charging tech can fully charge a phone in just 8 minutes and wirelessly in 15 minutes</a>

India's election commission is confident of holding five state polls in 2022 on time, even as the pandemic continues to spread

India has emerged as the world’s fastest growing economy. However, Asia’s third largest economy just ranked 97th among 118 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) released by the <keyword id="108578" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="International-Food-Policy-Research-Institute">International Food Policy Research Institute</keyword> (<keyword id="6557928" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ifpri">IFPRI</keyword>). This puts the country behind even <keyword id="6354759" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bangladesh">Bangladesh</keyword>, <keyword id="41896" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Iran">Iran</keyword>, <keyword id="6355112" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Iraq">Iraq</keyword>, and <keyword id="6354767" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nigeria">Nigeria</keyword> in the hunger map. 
 
India’s policy addressing hunger and malnutrition in all age groups has a feast of questions and a famine of answers. India’s hunger, being worse than any sub-Saharan country, needs crisis management and a long term vision. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Excise-duty-in-cigarette-hiked-Tobacco-farmers-in-india-are-struggling-to-make-ends-meet/articleshow/56872791.cms">ALSO READ: Excise duty in cigarette hiked. Tobacco farmers in India are struggling to make ends meet</a> 
 Be it <keyword id="4227644" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="manohar-das">Manohar Das</keyword> of <keyword id="4227647" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tewri">Tewri</keyword> village in <keyword id="6360371" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jharkhand">Jharkhand</keyword>, who works in hundred days of wage-employment or <keyword id="4227646" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="shib-baksha">Shib Baksha</keyword> of <keyword id="4227645" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="amlasol">Amlasol</keyword> village in <keyword id="61773" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="West-Midnapore">West Midnapore</keyword> district of <keyword id="6357783" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="West-Bengal">West Bengal</keyword>, who works as contract labour at nearby village, the thin line that connects them is the ignorance about ‘<keyword id="2209492" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi-Sarkar">Modi Sarkar</keyword>’. The only thing they understand by the government is getting staples at Rs 2/kg and free goodies. However, staples alone can’t fulfill nutritional needs, as a result they end up with stunted growth and other diseases. Not everyone is as lucky as them. Their neighbours, unable to procure <keyword id="49514" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="bpl">BPL</keyword> (below poverty level) identity cards and Ration Cards aren’t entitled to these basic facilities and have to starve most of the days. Only feast they can think of is ant eggs roast during the scorching summer months. 
 
 
 
India’s overall GDP growth is expected to end at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Excise-duty-in-cigarette-hiked-Tobacco-farmers-in-india-are-struggling-to-make-ends-meet/articleshow/56872791.cms">7.1% this financial year</a>, as compared to 4.6% two years back. While food still counts as the basic requirement of human existence, India is a country that not only produces enough, but ironically, there is never enough for its ever growing population to eat. Funnily, while millions go hungry, for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Excise-duty-in-cigarette-hiked-Tobacco-farmers-in-india-are-struggling-to-make-ends-meet/articleshow/56872791.cms">India storage of surplus food</a> has always been a problem. 
 
 
 
India’s hunger-management disaster 
While development in many sectors is acknowledged, what is lesser known is that India has also made considerable progress on many social fronts, such as fertility decline, expansion of schooling and bridging the gender gap in education, especially at the primary and lower secondary levels. However, there is one <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Excise-duty-in-cigarette-hiked-Tobacco-farmers-in-india-are-struggling-to-make-ends-meet/articleshow/56872791.cms">area of human development</a>, where India has been a disaster: tackling hunger and malnutrition. 
 
Child malnutrition rates in India are extraordinarily high- among the highest in the world, with nearly one-half of all children under 3 years of age being either underweight or stunted. Indeed, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Excise-duty-in-cigarette-hiked-Tobacco-farmers-in-india-are-struggling-to-make-ends-meet/articleshow/56872791.cms">child malnutrition rates </a>are higher in India than in many countries of sub-Saharan <keyword id="12925" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Africa">Africa</keyword>, even though income levels are significantly higher and levels of infant and child mortality are lower in India. 
 
 
 
Pediatric malnutrition Prevalence of child malnutrition in India has remained stubbornly high even after nearly a half-century of respectable agricultural productivity growth and two decades of post-reform economic growth and prosperity in the country. Adding more support to the view that child malnutrition is weakly correlated with income is the finding that among children of mothers with 10 or more years of schooling as well as mothers from the top income quintile, around one-quarter are underweight. Even in a relatively prosperous and dynamic state like <keyword id="6354766" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat">Gujarat</keyword>, child malnutrition rates have been stagnant over the past decade. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/heres-how-indepay-is-making-rural-india-cashless/articleshow/57232771.cms">ALSO READ: HOW INDEPAY IS MAKING RURAL INDIA CASHLESS</a> 
 The <keyword id="121300" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Family-Health-Survey">National Family Health Survey</keyword> (NFHS) found that a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/heres-how-indepay-is-making-rural-india-cashless/articleshow/57232771.cms">significant number of adults</a> in India suffer from malnutrition. Almost 58 per cent of pregnant women aged 15-49 were found to be anaemic. The Global Food Security Index also revealed that Indians lack adequate quantities of iron, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/heres-how-indepay-is-making-rural-india-cashless/articleshow/57232771.cms">Vitamin A and protein in their diets</a>. 
 
 
 
“Half of the children who die before five years of age have malnutrion as a cause in their pathogenesis. If we look at proportion of weight at birth, 23 per cent of children weigh less than 2.5 kg, which is below normal. This low birth weight has its reason in the womb, which is where they are malnourished already before being born. Low birth weight increases over time and so by the time they are three-years-old, half the children are malnourished. Because of poor sanitation we have widespread <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/heres-how-indepay-is-making-rural-india-cashless/articleshow/57232771.cms">faecal oral contamination</a>. Water and food sources have high degrees of contamination and it results in diarrhoea and other gastro intestinal illnesses, which increases the child mortality rate,” said renowned public health specialist and activist Dr <keyword id="43944" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Binayak-Sen">Binayak Sen</keyword>. 
 
 
 
State of famine 
In 1943, three million people died in the infamous <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/author_articles_all.cms?query=%22Suchayan%20Mandal%22&amp;author=Suchayan-Mandal-479239841">Bengal famine</a>. There was no shortage of grain in <keyword id="6356978" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengal">Bengal</keyword> at that time, yet people had nothing to eat. Interpreting the Famine of 1943,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/author_articles_all.cms?query=%22Suchayan%20Mandal%22&amp;author=Suchayan-Mandal-479239841"> Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen </a>suggested that the reason for it was the breakdown of the social arrangement in distributing food. To put the matter in a world context, every three seconds somewhere around the world, a child dies of causes related to avoidable malnutrition. "In those three seconds, the world armaments industry spends 120,000 USD in order to keep the system responsible safely in place,” Binayak Sen told <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword>. 
 
 
 
Ignorant policies that do the most harm Skyrocketing prices of daily food items spell more woe for the people, who are already paying "too much" to survive. International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (<keyword id="1367836" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IFAD">IFAD</keyword>) Rural Poverty Report-2011 states, “While international food prices have declined since mid-2008, they are still substantially higher than prior to the price surge, and they are likely to remain at 2010 levels or higher for the next decade.” The report has suggested that about 100 million of world’s rural and urban people have to remain hungry. 
 “It will remain high, the era of cheap food is over," said <keyword id="669006" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Richard-Mahapatra">Richard Mahapatra</keyword>, managing editor of Down to <keyword id="6359982" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="earth">Earth</keyword>. "This is because productivity of agriculture is low and thus impacts production. This is the supply side issue. Also the rainfed areas that contribute a signifcant amount of foodgrain is not getting the policy focus. Even though the new second Green <keyword id="24385" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="revolution">Revolution</keyword> is aimed at that, it seems to be flawed. Now, the demand side. Demand is increasing but we don't have robust distribution mechanism. So, it creates further price rise. Also, there is huge diversion of agricultural lands to other uses. Combined with low productivity, less lands and absence of distribution mechanism, we are set for high price rise.” 
 Due to the PDS (<keyword id="89442" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Public-distribution-system">Public Distribution System</keyword>) and the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/author_articles_all.cms?query=%22Suchayan%20Mandal%22&amp;author=Suchayan-Mandal-479239841">public wage programmes</a> starvation deaths have definitely come down, he contended. Often we call cheap food grain programmes as populist. They are indeed popular as poor find them useful and their starvation is avoided with this entitlement. 
 
 
 
Adult malnutrition 
“Roughly 33-35 per cent of the entire Indian population have a BMI below 18.5, which is indicative of calorie malnutrition. They aren't getting enough food to eat. More than one-third of India is on a chronic basis not getting proper food to eat. Low BMI is also restricting people’s immunity,” said Binayak Sen. 
 “Without addressing nutritional status, there can be no adequate development. Food Security Act does nothing for betterment of nutritional status of the poeple as such. <keyword id="250148" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-Bill">The Bill</keyword> is like 'something is better than nothing'. Five kilos of wheat per person per month make two chapattis per day. With two chapatis the nutritional question isn’t answered. This terrible nutritional deficit is yielding polarization in society,” he added. 
 
Urban malnutrition 
In villages, people stay in close bond with each other, who can be approached for help in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/author_articles_all.cms?query=%22Suchayan%20Mandal%22&amp;author=Suchayan-Mandal-479239841">times of crisis</a>. Migrating people in cities start living in slums and ghettos, where they have to live with people unknown and untrustworthy. Moreover, people fight here to make ends meet, which actually leads to self-centric attitude. 
 
Red corridor hunger 
“People who are in chronic situation and stable famine are able to withstand only because of their access to natural resources like land, water and forest," opined Binayak Sen. "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/author_articles_all.cms?query=%22Suchayan%20Mandal%22&amp;author=Suchayan-Mandal-479239841">Access to this resources was unrestricted</a>. Designating the common properties as commodities that can be owned by corporates is restricting poeple’s right to access and in a way right to live. Any form of resistance is labelled as insurgency. First they try civil ways and then take recourse in military measures. People have to confront. Application of eminent domain needs to be questioned. Under 5th schedule, govt has to ensure people’s access to natural resources but there is not a single instances of government intervening.” 
 
“They have mapped it as red corridor but poeple’s deprivation hasn't been mapped yet," said Sen. 
 
"We need to relook at the arm forces and UAPA laws. Whole discourse in election has become restricted to attitudes to development. Development is about accessing resources. Nobody is saying there are vital issues involved. What is going to happen to the poeple whose right has been denied? State will not be thwarted in its course. There needs to be a contestaion in the level of people. They need to raise the issue.” 
 
Business Insider’s Take 
Agriculture contributes around 16 per cent to<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/author_articles_all.cms?query=%22Suchayan%20Mandal%22&amp;author=Suchayan-Mandal-479239841"> India’s GDP</a>; it is coming down over the years. But still 60 per cent people depend on this. What does this mean? Is it that it is reliable as a source of livelihood or people don't have any other source thus depend on agriculture? In both the cases, shifting people out of agriculture is going to be a tough challenge. Industries or the service sectors have their own limitation and can't absorb such a huge number of people. Strategically, this will be a blunder as we kill out food self-sufficiency.

BI Investigation: India’s food nightmare is killing millions of
children across the country every day

<keyword id="20154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tamil-nadu">Tamil Nadu</keyword> <keyword id="14666" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> President L. <keyword id="211390" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Murugan">Murugan</keyword> is ahead of his DMK rival N.Kayalvizhi in the Dharapuram constituency, as per the Election Commission of India data. Similarly BJP's M.Bhojarajan (Udhagamandalam), Nainar Nagenthran (Tirunelveli) and Vinoj P. Selvam (Harbour) are in the lead. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu Vice President K. Annamalai, a former <keyword id="78965" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Police-Service">Indian Police Service</keyword> (IPS) officer is trailing behind his DMK rival R. Elango in the Aravakuruchi constituency. Other notable faces of the BJP in the state who are trailing are H.Raja in Karaikudi, Vanathi Srinivasan in Coimbatore (South) and Kushboo Sundar in Thousand Lights seat. The BJP contested in 20 seats in the Assembly election held on April 6 and is leading in four perhaps due to its Vetri Vel Yatra and other actions, say political commentators. The Vetri Vel Yatra was taken by state BJP chief L. Murugan demanding action against the YouTube channel Karuppar Koottam for its obscene video about Tamil God Murugan and the prayer Kanda Shasti Kavacham sung in his praise. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/check-out-leading-candidates-list-in-west-bengal-election-results-2021/articleshow/82353323.cms">West Bengal election results 2021: Trinamool Congress takes a comfortable lead against BJP as per EC trends</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/bjp-candidate-annamalai-from-result-in-tamilnadu-state-election-2021/articleshow/82353177.cms">Tamil Nadu assembly elections 2021: BJP candidate Annamalai hopes to reap the fruits of his hard work at Aravakurichi</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/elections/news/assam-assembly-election-result-2021-nda-vs-upa-vote-share-and-final-seat-tally/articleshow/82350921.cms">Assam Assembly election 2021: UPA seems to double its seat tally but that's not good enough to BJP's Himanta Biswa Sarma</a>

BJP is now leading on four of the twenty seats it contested in Tamil Nadu

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ahead of the 2003 invasion, <keyword id="6355112" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Iraq">Iraq</keyword>'s military still appeared to be a sizable adversary.</li><li>So US military planners sought to divide Iraqi forces with an attack from the south and a feint from the north.</li><li>That northern force of spe<keyword id="44293" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="CIA">cia</keyword>l operators and CIA paramilitaries relied on Iraqi <keyword id="259206" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kurds">Kurds</keyword> to accomplish their mission.</li></ul>In early 2002, the US decided to invade Iraq and topple Saddam Hussein and his brutal regime.Sketchy claims of weapons of mass destruction notwithstanding, the Iraqi military was a potent adversary and one of the largest armies in the world. The US-led Coalition opted to invade from the south and head north toward Bagdad.As the defender, the Iraqis had the advantage, so US planners sought to divide Iraqi forces with a feint from the north, which meant working with the semi-autonomous Kurds.<div type="image" title="Map of Kurdish populations in Iraq Turkey Iran" height="847" width="800" msid="83542605" hostid="261"></div>Long defiant of Saddam's regime, the Iraqi Kurds were a good choice for a partner force. But the US first had to persuade them - a task made harder by the US's previous broken promises, especially during the Gulf War in 1991.To persuade, train, and lead those <keyword id="2375690" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kurdish-fighters">Kurdish fighters</keyword>, the US sent in a joint special-operations and intelligence-community force composed of Green Berets and CIA paramilitary officers.Later reinforced by a few <keyword id="621779" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Delta-Force">Delta Force</keyword> operators, British Special Boat Service (SBS) commandos, and some conventional units, Task Force Viking never exceeded 400 commandos, but it led roughly 50,000 <keyword id="957024" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kurdish">Kurdish</keyword> Peshmerga fighters against some 150,000 Iraqi troops from armored, infantry, and elite Republican Guard divisions.Their contribution to the swift, 30-day defeat of Saddam, was pivotal.<h2>Earning trust</h2><div type="image" title="US soldier Kurdish peshmerga Iraq" height="1338" width="2000" msid="83542607" hostid="261"></div>In early 2002, the first CIA officers infiltrated Kurdistan and alerted the Kurds of the US government's intention to insert commandos.That summer, a larger CIA paramilitary team, led by Sam Faddis, inserted and started working with the Kurds. They didn't know it at the time, but some of these CIA officers would stay on the ground for close to a year.As March 19, 2003 - d-day for the invasion - approached, Green Berets from the 10th Special Forces Group joined the CIA officers. Green Berets primarily specialize in training and leading local troops through unconventional-warfare and foreign-internal-defense operations.The mission for these Special Forces and CIA paramilitary teams was to link up with friendly Kurds, conduct strategic reconnaissance and sabotage operations, and prepare the operational environment for follow-on special-operations and conventional forces.The Americans had to assess, recruit, and train the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters they would lead against Iraqi forces.<div type="image" title="Army Green Berets Kurdish Peshmerga mortar" height="599" width="799" msid="83542609" hostid="261"></div>But the special-operations and CIA teams had a secondary mission: locate and assess the danger posed by Ansar al-Islam, a Sunni Islamic terrorist group associated with (but not part of) Al Qaeda, that was located in the region.Ansar al-Islam terrorists were located in the far north of Iraq, close to the Iranian border, and posed a potential danger to the US-Kurdish flank.US commandos and intelligence officers developed a rapport with the Kurds and began training them.Everything seemed to be going well until Turkey, a NATO ally, jeopardized the operation by not only forbidding US ground forces from using its territory to invade Iraq - the Army's 4th Infantry Division was supposed to sweep in from the north - but also by banning US military flights from using Turkish airspace.Turkey's decision increased the infiltration distance for the follow-on special-operations teams from 250 to 1,000 miles. Those teams now had to make either a 3.5-hour low-level flight from Romania or fly in from the south, close to Iraq's formidable anti-aircraft umbrella.<h2>Behind enemy lines</h2><div type="image" title="Task Force Viking Iraq insertion route map" height="800" width="1158" msid="83542611" hostid="261"></div>In the day before the invasion began, dozens of US-trained Kurdish teams infiltrated Iraqi lines and conducted strategic reconnaissance and sabotage operations.As the invasion began, the US commandos led their Kurdish partners into the fray. Using the already proven combination of special-operations and close air support, Task Force Viking pounded the Iraqis.The British SBS frogmen, however, faced difficulties when their small force - which worked with the Kurds but focused on harassing Iraqi forces - was compromised by vastly superior Iraqi forces, and they had to fight their way out."To tell you the truth, we didn't expect the Iraqis to put up such a fight. We didn't believe they had it in them," a former British SBS operator told Insider. "So it was quite a shock for us to face such resistance.""In our tactical retreat, we lost some vehicles ... and some people used this as an excuse to belittle us, but that's utter rubbish. They weren't there" to see "60-odd guys against tens of thousands," the former SBS operator said.<div type="image" title="US special operations soldier in Kirkuk Iraq" height="1301" width="2000" msid="83542613" hostid="261"></div>Meanwhile, behind the Kurdish lines, Green Berets and Peshmerga fighters attacked Ansar al-Islam's mountain stronghold, capturing it after a fierce fight.A Delta Force assault squadron also played a role in the feint, coming in from the west. The Delta operators were independent of Task Force Viking, but they had similar goals."The initial days were crazy. We had a lot of freedom and did a lot of old-school commando stuff, much like in the Gulf War, roaming the desert, making feints, and striking where the Iraqis didn't expect us from," a retired Delta Force operator told Insider.In true commando style, the Delta operators were there to "develop the situation" and harass the Iraqis in any possible. They ambushed military convoys and hit suspected sites of weapons of mass destruction, every time coming up with a dry hole."Although there was some scrutiny from the top, we had good leadership on the ground, like 'Panther,' who covered for us and let us fly, as good officers and NCOs [non-commissioned officers] should," the retired Delta operator said, using the nickname for Lt. Col. <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/242398/pete-blaber" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pete Blaber</a>.<div type="image" title="Army Green Berets CIA paramilitary officers Kurdish Peshmerga Iraq" height="768" width="1024" msid="83542615" hostid="261"></div>"It's funny, when the operational needs are great, as were during the invasion, the headshed usually cares less about imposing rules and restrictions and more about actually winning," the retired operator added, using military slang for headquarters.The CIA paramilitary officers, Green Berets, and Delta Force operators showcased the strategic utility that special-operations forces can have, even in a conventional conflict.Task Force Viking captured the important cities of Mosul, Tikrit, and Kirkuk and secured the nearby oilfields. Equally important, it tied down several Iraqi divisions that could have been deployed to the south to counter the main invasion.In a reflection of the fierceness of the campaign in the north, the Green Berets of Task Force Viking earned seven Silver Stars and 52 Bronze Stars for Valor - the third- and fourth-highest awards for bravery under fire, respectively - in just a few days of fighting.

How special-ops units used 'old-school commando stuff' behind enemy lines to keep Saddam's forces distracted

We got an inside look at what it's like on the first day for new cadets at the <a href="https://www.usma.edu/SitePages/Home.aspx">United States Military Academy at West Point</a>. Over 1,200 cadet candidates arrived on campus on a sweltering July morning for "<a href="https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/07/03/west-point-welcomes-1230-new-cadets-reception-day.html">Reception Day</a>." After an emotional farewell with their families, the new cadets took the first steps of a rigorous six-weeks-long basic training regimen. Following is a transcript of the video. Narrator: On a scorching Monday in July, over 1,200 cadet candidates arrived at the US Military Academy for reception day. Also known as R-Day, it marks the beginning of their time at West Point. Col. Deborah J. McDonald: All day long, the new cadets will do a transformation from their civilian status and at the end of the day, take their oath to serve our nation in the Army. Graham Flanagan: Why did you decide to come to West Point? Cadet Candidate: Both my brothers went here and it's a great school and I wanted to join the Army afterward so there's no better school to do that. Cadet Candidate: All my uncles, they served in the Army and they're telling me that, all about this school and how great it is and all the leaders that came from it so I just wanted to follow in their footsteps. {The Academy was established in 1802.} McDonald: West Point is located about 50 miles north of New York City. It's in the Hudson Highlands. It's called West Point because it's located on the western point of the Hudson River where it bends. George Washington recognized this as a strategic point of interest because the British had to tack as they came through the Hudson River. It's the longest continuously garrisoned military installation in the United States. Narrator: After a short orientation, the cadet candidates have 60 seconds to say goodbye to their families. For the next six weeks, contact with family members, if any, is extremely limited. Once they leave Eisenhower Hall, the cadet candidates are now called new cadets. McDonald: In 2018 to be accepted at West Point, you must be a United States citizen in good physical condition, pass a medical exam to be able to be commissioned in the Army, and have a high academic achievement. Narrator: Tuition at West Point is free, but the cadets commit to years of service after graduation.McDonald: After their four years at West Point they've committed to five years active duty in the Army with three years in the reserve component. Narrator: The new cadets are issued physical training, or PT uniforms, along with a bag that holds everything they're allowed to carry for the next six weeks. Their next stop, the barber shop. Only the male new cadets are required to cut their hair. The female new cadets get to keep their locks.Gen. Mark A. Milley: Hi, how are you? Thinking about West Point? Narrator: West Point started admitting women in 1976. Today more than 20% of the cadets are female.McDonald: Over 24% of the class of 2022 are women. So we've seen a huge surge not only in the interest in women applicants, but also the retention of women cadets.Narrator: The new cadets are assigned to companies where they learn the basics of taking orders and marching in formation. McDonald: We have upperclassmen from the junior and senior classes that are here leading the new cadets. So, this is a leadership laboratory, not only for our new cadets but also for our upper class as they work on their leadership skills.Narrator: Everything the new cadets learn on R-Day culminates in the Oath Ceremony. Family members gather for one last look at the class of 2022 before basic training begins. McDonald: One of the most common traits that I see of West Point applicants is they want to be part of a team that's bigger than themselves.Narrator: Those who complete the rigorous six weeks of basic training will be formally accepted into the corps of cadets. Cadet candidate: It's gonna be a long six weeks, I can tell you that. I'll get through just take it day by day but I know it's gonna be long, it's gonna be hard, but I'm prepared for it. Cadet candidate: I feel like it's gonna suck but in the end it's all worth it. Cadet candidate: All of us know what to expect really, we just go in there you know, get yelled at a little bit, get on the bus, get yelled at some more.Cadet candidate: I think it's gonna be fun you know, everybody always talks about it's gonna be a miserable time but I think if you embrace the suck, it's gonna be, it's gonna be okay, you're gonna get through it.

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