Politics

Louisiana lawmakers pass congressional map favouring Republicans

Louisiana lawmakers have passed a new m of congressional districts designed to help Republicans pick up a seat in the United States House of Representatives.

But to do so, the m eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts, both of which are represented by Democrats.

‘Vicious race to the bottom’

Republican Governor Jeff Landry is expected to sign the new m into law, even as threats of more litigation emerged Friday.

A half-hour Senate floor debate revolved around Democrats contending that the proposed m is racially gerrymandered to squeeze more Black voters, who tend to be registered Democrats, into a single district.

Democratic state Senator Royce Duplessis pointed out that some fellow Southern states, such as South Carolina, had refused to redraw their ms in the middle of an election year.

He warned that Louisiana is participating in a vicious, vicious race to the bottom by participating in the redistricting push.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Senator Jay Morris, repeatedly insisted that party affiliation, not race, drove the new district boundaries.

I purposely put more Democrats into District 2 to make the remaining districts better performing for Republicans, Morris said at one point.

Morris said he instructed the m demogrhers to avoid including any data on race or including those statistics in information shared with lawmakers before the vote.

Democratic state Senator Sam Jenkins told Morris, I think it’s a racially gerrymandered district that’s going to get us into a lot of trouble here.

Agree to disagree, Morris told Jenkins.

More litigation expected in Louisiana

Louisiana is currently using a m ordered by a lower court in 2024 to comply with the Voting Rights Act. It includes a second district with a majority-Black population.

That m, however, was challenged in court, and the Supreme Court responded on ril 30 by striking it down as an illegal racial gerrymander.

Landry has postponed the state’s closed US House primary slated for May 16 to allow for the new congressional m to be implemented.

He later signed a law making the US primary open and shifted the date to November 3 to allow time for Republican lawmakers to draw and pass a new m. All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will be on the ballot for voters in their district.

The proposed m redraws a district currently represented by Democratic Representative Cleo Fields, clustering it around predominantly white communities in the Baton Rouge area and southern Louisiana.

It also adds part of Baton Rouge to a heavily Democratic, majority-Black district based in New Orleans, represented by Democratic Representative Troy Carter.

More lawsuits are expected over the new m.

Democrats say the proposed m could draw a legal challenge over racial gerrymandering, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Louisiana suggested Friday that it could sue, calling the m a racial gerrymander hiding behind the thin veneer of partisanship.

This fight is just beginning, the ACLU branch added.

Meanwhile, the victorious plaintiffs in the US Supreme Court’s decision criticised the legislature’s m for leaving a majority-Black district in place.

Nationwide battle over district lines

In the weeks following the Supreme Court’s decision, other Republican-controlled Southern states have seized upon the weakened federal Voting Rights Act to redraw their own congressional districts.

So far, Republicans are winning the nationwide redistricting contest, passing more partisan ms to gain House seats than Democrats.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean they will win in the narrowly divided US House in November.

Republicans think they could gain as many as 15 seats from their redistricting efforts so far, while Democrats think they could gain six seats from new districts in California and Utah.

Meanwhile, a court decision in Wisconsin on Friday could give Democrats a new avenue to pick up seats in 2028.

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court said it would hear an peal of a case filed by a bipartisancoalition of business executivesthat seeks to redraw the state’s Republican-friendly congressional districts. Republicans hold six of the state’s eight House seats, but only two are considered competitive.

A three-judge panel dismissed the case in ril. Those who filed the lawsuit weren’t seeking a ruling in time for the 2026 election. Instead, they asked the state Supreme Court to send the case back to the lower court for a trial on their claims, which would likely not take place until 2027.

Politics

Institutional deliveries in India up from 88.6% in 2019-2020 to 90.6% in 2023-24: Survey

New Delhi, Institutional deliveries in India have increased from 88.6 per cent in 2019-2021 to 90.6 per cent in 2023-24, moving closer towards universal coverage, according to the National Family Health Survey -6 released on Friday.

Institutional deliveries in India up from 88.6% in 2019-2020 to 90.6% in 2023-24: Survey

Institutional deliveries refer to the process of giving birth in a licensed healthcare facility under the supervision of professionals. This practice drastically reduces maternal and neonatal mortality by providing access to emergency obstetric care, hygienic conditions and specialised medical equipment.

According to NFHS-6 data for 2023-24, 95.9 per cent of pregnant women received antenatal care , while those receiving ANC in the first trimester increased from 70 per cent to 76.2 per cent.

Mothers receiving at least four ANC visits also increased from 58.5 per cent to 65.2 per cent, reflecting stronger continuity of maternal healthcare services.

The NFHS-6 was conducted during 2023-24 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the International Institute for Population Sciences , Mumbai, as the nodal agency.

Covering nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, the survey provides vital evidence on population, health, nutrition and family welfare indicators, and supports evidence-based planning and programme implementation up to the district level.

Institutional deliveries increased from 88.6 per cent in 2019-2021 to 90.6 per cent in 2023-24, moving India closer towards universal coverage, the data showed.

It also showed that caesarean deliveries increased from 21.5 per cent to 27.2 per cent.

While C-section deliveries at private facilities increased from 47.4 per cent in NFHS-5 to 54.1 per cent, those at public health facilities increased from 14.3 per cent to 16.9 per cent.

Births attended by health personnel increased from 89.4 per cent to 91.3 per cent. Postnatal care for newborns by doctor, nurse, lady health visitor , auxiliary nurse midwife , midwife and other health personnel within two days of delivery improved from 79.1 per cent to 85.3 per cent, the data showed.

Maternal nutrition indicators also showed notable improvement.

Mothers consuming iron folic acid supplements for 100 days or more during pregnancy increased from 44.1 per cent to 54.9 per cent, while those consuming supplements for 180 days or more rose from 26.0 per cent to 37.8 per cent.

“These gains reflect strengthened public health infrastructure and improved access to maternal and child healthcare services across the country, driven by focused implementation of initiatives such as Janani Suraksha Yojana , Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram , Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan , Facility-Based New-born Care, Home-Based New-born Care, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana ,” the health ministry said.

These programmes have enhanced antenatal and postnatal care coverage, ensured quality care during pregnancy and childbirth, and promoted safe motherhood and child health practices, it said.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

Politics

Firefighters work to free riders stuck atop a rollercoaster in Texas

NewsFeed

Firefighters worked to free riders stranded 30.4 metres in the air after a rollercoaster malfunctioned and their car became stuck at Pleasure Pier amusement park in Galveston, Texas. No injuries were immediately reported.

Published On 29 May 2026

Politics

Pharmacies in England to prescribe more medication from autumn

Politics

3 dead, 4 missing as boat capsizes in Ganga, in Bihar

At least three people died and four others went missing after a boat carrying 14 passengers csized in the river Ganga in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Thursday morning, police said.

Three deaths have been confirmed so far and four persons are still missing, say authorities. (Representative/PTI)

The incident took place around 5.45 am and the rescue teams said seven passengers were rescued, while search operations for the missing people continued till late in the evening.

Three deaths have been confirmed so far and four persons are still missing, Mohiuddin Nagar circle officer Brijesh Kumar Dwivedi said, adding that the deceased included a woman.

According the district administration, the 14 passengers, all residents of Masoomganj Bind Toli under Barh police station in Patna district, were crossing the Ganga to Sultanpur Diara in Mohiuddin Nagar for agricultural work and were returning to Umanath Ghat with vegetables from parwal fields when the accident occurred.

Patna district magistrate SM Thiyagarajan said the boat carrying 14 people csized due to strong winds and added that teams from Samastipur and Patna district administrations are jointly carrying out rescue operations.

Through the joint efforts of local divers, NDRF and SDRF teams, three bodies have been recovered so far. Search and rescue operations are underway to locate and recover the bodies of the remaining four missing individuals, Barh SDPO-1 Ram Krishna said. He informed that the boat was a small dinghy whose motor had reportedly malfunctioned and stopped working properly, after which it overturned amid strong winds.

Politics

US to designate two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations

The United States has announced its intention to designate two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations, continuing a push under President Donald Trump to blur the distinction between criminal and terrorist activity.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the designations would target the Primeiro Comando da Cital (PCC) and theComando Vermelho, the two largest criminal networks in Brazil.

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The Foreign Terrorist Organization label will be effective starting June 5.

In the meantime, Rubio explained that they had already been assigned to the category of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, a similar category that draws its authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Both designations block the groups’ access to US assets, though the foreign terrorist label is considered to be more restrictive.

Rubio said the measures were necessary to ensure the safety of US citizens.

The Trump Administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and our national security interests by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narco-terrorists, Rubio said in a statement.

Since returning to the White House for a second term, Trump has sought terrorist designations for multiple Latin American criminal networks.

The efforts have been criticised as a pretext to expand US military influence across the Western Hemisphere, as part of Trump’s Donroe Doctrine, his spin on the 19th-century expansionist policy known as the Monroe Doctrine.

But the decision to designate two Brazilian criminal groups is likely to send shockwaves in the South American country’s politics, where a heated presidential election is under way.

Media reports have indicated that left-wing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has repeatedly tried to dissuade the Trump administration from plying the terrorist designation.

The fear is that such a designation could be used to penalise any group that comes in contact with the so-called terrorist group, including financial institutions and victims facing extortion.

Lula has also expressed concern about the growing threat of foreign interference in Latin America, particularly after a January 3 military operation in which the US abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Lula is running for a fourth non-consecutive term as president in October’s presidential race. While Lula is a critic of Trump, his main opponent, right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, has close ties with the US administration.

Thursday’s announcement comes after Trump met with Bolsonaro this week at the White House. The senator told reporters afterwards that he had actively petitioned Trump to designate the PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist groups.

Trump has previously intervened in Brazilian politics on the Bolsonaro family’s behalf.

Last year, he raised tariffs against Brazil to nearly 50 percent in an act of solidarity with Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Like Trump, Jair Bolsonaro was indicted for attempting to subvert democracy after his 2022 election defeat. Despite Trump’s calls for the case against the elder Bolsonaro to end, the former president was ultimately sentenced to 27 years in prison.

The ex-president’s younger son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, is currently facing trial for obstruction for seeking Trump’s intervention on his father’s behalf.

The question of public safety is likely to loom large in the race between Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula, whom polls show to be neck and neck.

Recent clashes between law enforcement and criminal groups like the Comando Vermelho are also expected to weigh heavily on the presidential election.

Last October, for instance, a police raid in Rio de Janeiro left more than 120 people dead. Another operation in March killed eight people.

Critics of the police raids have argued that decades of militarised confrontation have fuelled violence and rights abuses.

Armed confrontation with young drug traffickers from the outskirts is ineffective and fails to deal with the complexity of money laundering and its links to financial crime, Luis Flavio Sori, a sociologist and public safety expert at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, told The Associated Press news agency.

To address public security concerns, Lula launched a $2bn initiative in March to attack the financial underpinnings of criminal networks like the PCC and the Comando Vermelho.

The money is also slated for use in disrupting arms trafficking, improving the prison system and investing in homicide investigations.

In the aftermath of Thursday’s terrorist designations, Celso Amorim, Lula’s adviser on foreign affairs, warned that the US should not use the label to infringe upon Brazilian sovereignty.

Organized crime is an evil that must be fought. International cooperation is welcome, especially in matters of money laundering and arms trade, Amorim said.

But, he added, any pretext for intervention would be unacceptable.