Asian Horizon Network

Indian-American voters appear to be moving back towards the Democratic Party ahead of the upcoming US midterm elections, suggesting that the gains Donald Trump made among the community during the 2024 presidential election may not have translated into lasting Republican support. A new survey by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, conducted in partnership with YouGov in October 2026, found that 62 per cent of Indian-American citizens intend to vote for Democratic candidates in their congressional districts. Only 19 per cent said they would support Republicans. Another 12 per cent remained undecided, while 5 per cent said they did not plan to vote and 2 per cent preferred other candidates. A similar trend was visible in Senate races, where Democrats received the support of 63 per cent of respondents against 21 per cent for Republicans.

The survey covered 1,000 Indian-Americans and was conducted between October 7 and October 27, 2026. Its findings indicate a considerable change in voting preferences within a community that had shown increased support for Trump during the 2024 presidential election. The latest figures show a 43-percentage-point advantage for Democrats, considerably wider than the margin recorded in the previous presidential contest. In 2024, Kamala Harris secured 62 per cent of the Indian-American vote, while Trump received 30 per cent. During the 2020 election, Joe Biden had led Trump by 68 per cent to 22 per cent among Indian-American voters. Democratic support had declined to 57 per cent by January 2026, while Republican support had increased to 25 per cent.

The researchers have cautioned against making direct comparisons between these figures, as earlier surveys measured preferences in presidential elections, whereas the latest study examines voting intentions for congressional contests. The survey also highlights significant changes among Indian-American men, particularly those aged 40 and above. Republican support within this group fell from 32 per cent in January to 16 per cent in October 2026. At the same time, Democratic support increased from 53 per cent to 68 per cent. Younger Indian-American men have also shown a preference for Democratic candidates, with 64 per cent supporting Democrats and 23 per cent favouring Republicans. This marks a shift from the 2024 presidential election, when 40 per cent of younger Indian-American men supported Trump and 53 per cent backed Harris.

Voting preferences among women have followed a somewhat different pattern. Democratic support among women aged 18 to 39 stood at 58 per cent, down 10 percentage points from January. Among women aged 40 and above, support for Democrats recovered from 50 per cent in January to 58 per cent in October.

Another interesting aspect of the survey is the motivation behind voters' political choices. Among Indian-Americans planning to vote for Democratic candidates, 65 per cent said their decision was primarily driven by support for the party or its candidates. The remaining 35 per cent said their preference was mainly influenced by opposition to Republicans. Republican supporters showed a different pattern, with 83 per cent saying they backed their preferred party, while 17 per cent cited opposition to Democrats as their main reason.

These findings suggest that opposition to the Republican Party is contributing to the Democrats' current advantage among Indian-American voters, rather than the shift being driven entirely by stronger party loyalty. Despite changing voting intentions, overall party identification among Indian-Americans has remained relatively stable since January 2026. Around 46 per cent of respondents identified as Democrats, 19 per cent as Republicans and 26 per cent as independents. Over a longer period, however, the community's political identification has changed. In 2020, 56 per cent identified with Democrats and 15 per cent with Republicans. By 2024, the Democratic figure had fallen to 47 per cent, while Republican identification had risen to 21 per cent.

The difference between party identification and voting intentions is particularly noteworthy. Although 46 per cent of respondents described themselves as Democrats, 62 per cent said they intended to vote for Democratic congressional candidates. This indicates that the party is attracting support beyond its traditional voter base, including people who do not necessarily identify with it.

The findings highlight the challenge of retaining the additional support Trump gained among Indian-American voters in 2024. While that election demonstrated a change in voting preferences within sections of the community, the latest survey suggests that the momentum has not continued at the same level. As the United States prepares for the 2026 midterm elections, Indian-American voters are once again emerging as an important constituency to watch. Their preferences could offer valuable insights into changing political attitudes among immigrant communities and the broader electoral landscape in the country.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from PTI.

Counting of votes for the Andhra Pradesh municipal elections began on Tuesday across 92 urban local bodies, setting the stage for a crucial political contest between the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP)-led NDA alliance and the opposition YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). A major development came from Pulivendula, the political stronghold of former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, where the Andhra Pradesh High Court gave the green signal for vote counting after dismissing petitions seeking fresh polling across all municipal wards.

The petitions were filed by YSRCP MP Y.S. Avinash Reddy and the party's chairperson candidate, Y.S. Pramila, who had challenged the polling process and sought a stay on counting until fresh elections were conducted. However, the court's decision allowed the election authorities to proceed with the counting exercise.

According to election officials, counting began at 8 am at designated centres across the state. The elections cover 13 municipal corporations and 79 municipalities and nagar panchayats. Polling was held on November 1, recording an overall voter turnout of 60.96 per cent. Repolling was subsequently conducted in 12 wards across seven urban local bodies in five districts following complaints of irregularities. The repoll recorded a turnout of 60.64 per cent.

The State Election Commission made arrangements at 138 counting centres and deployed around 47,817 personnel to oversee the process. A total of 520 candidates contested mayoral and chairperson positions, while more than 10,100 candidates were in the fray for corporator and councillor posts. Counting in parts of Prakasam and Bapatla districts was rescheduled from 8 am to 11.30 am due to heavy rainfall and strong winds associated with Cyclone Murasu. The decision was taken following requests from district administrations, which cited difficulties in transportation and the movement of counting personnel.

The municipal elections are being closely monitored as an important political test for the TDP-led NDA government under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The results will also be significant for the YSRCP as it seeks to rebuild its political position following its defeat in the 2024 Assembly elections. Pulivendula has emerged as one of the key centres of attention because of its association with Jagan Mohan Reddy and the YSRCP. The High Court's decision to allow counting is expected to bring clarity to the electoral process in the municipality, where the opposition had raised objections over polling arrangements.

The results across Andhra Pradesh are expected to provide an indication of the political mood at the grassroots level and the relative strength of the major parties in urban areas. The final outcome will determine control of several municipal bodies and provide both the ruling alliance and the opposition with an opportunity to assess their organisational strength ahead of future electoral contests.

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Cyclone Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast early Tuesday, November 3, triggering weather alerts across parts of southern India and disrupting air travel. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heavy rainfall warning for Tamil Nadu's Nilgiris district, while 11 flights operating to and from Chennai were cancelled amid adverse weather conditions. The cyclone made landfall between Nellore and Narsapur, near Ongole, during the early hours of Tuesday. It brought sustained winds of 100–110 kmph, with gusts reaching 120 kmph, according to the weather department.

Following its landfall, the weather system is expected to move north-northwestwards and gradually weaken. The IMD has forecast that it could weaken into a cyclonic storm before further deteriorating into a deep depression. The weather department has warned of heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places in the Nilgiris over the next 24 hours. Authorities have advised residents and tourists to remain cautious, particularly in areas vulnerable to waterlogging and landslides.

The rainfall warning is significant for popular hill destinations such as Ooty and Coonoor, where continuous downpours can affect road conditions, visibility and travel plans. Residents have been advised to follow local administration instructions and avoid unnecessary journeys during periods of intense rainfall. Air travel has also been affected by the developing weather situation. At least 11 flights connected to Chennai International Airport were cancelled on Monday, November 2. The affected services included flights operating on the Chennai–Vijayawada, Chennai–Rajahmundry, Chennai–Kadapa and Chennai–Tiruchirappalli routes, along with their return services.

Of the cancelled flights, five were departures from Chennai and six were incoming services. Passengers have been advised to check with their respective airlines for updated schedules and alternative arrangements before heading to the airport. Chennai also experienced significant rainfall ahead of the cyclone's landfall. The city recorded around 7.6 cm of rainfall by Monday, according to reported weather data. However, all 21 major subways in the city remained open to traffic.

The Greater Chennai Corporation continued monitoring waterlogging complaints and other rain-related issues, including fallen trees and damaged streetlights. Disaster response teams were also deployed at vulnerable locations as a precautionary measure. Although Cyclone Murasu has crossed the coastline, its associated weather conditions may continue to affect neighbouring areas. The IMD's rainfall warning for the Nilgiris and disruptions to flight operations underline the need for continued caution. Residents across affected districts have been urged to monitor official weather bulletins, while air passengers should confirm their flight status directly with airlines. Authorities are keeping a close watch on the situation as the cyclone gradually weakens.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from PT.

A profound ideological and commercial fault line has emerged across the artificial intelligence sector, pitting open-weights advocates and defense-aligned firms like Meta and Palantir against closed-model frontier labs including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Industry observers note that this division transcends conventional corporate rivalry, signaling an escalating battle over regulatory capture, national security integration, and the fundamental architecture of modern computation. While frontier research labs urge governments to implement restrictive oversight to mitigate existential risks, their opponents argue that such measures threaten to create monopolistic moats under the guise of technological safety.

At the technical core of the dispute lies a stark contrast between proprietary, safety-curated closed systems and freely accessible, open-source foundational models. OpenAI and its allies maintain that advanced artificial general intelligence requires centralized containment, continuous behavioral evaluation, and managed access via strict application programming interfaces. In contrast, Meta has democratized its Llama model family, granting global developers the capability to inspect, fine-tune, and deploy neural network weights locally without centralized intermediaries. Palantir has concurrently integrated these adaptable frameworks into sensitive defense networks, proving that decentralized models can serve national strategic interests.

This escalating schism has altered the operational priorities of major enterprise and state institutions evaluating critical software deployments. As legislative bodies across the Western hemisphere consider stringent licensing mandates, enterprise executives are increasingly wary of becoming locked into proprietary cloud infrastructures with opaque pricing models. According to industry analysis, open-source architectures provide corporate clients with unprecedented sovereign control over their sensitive proprietary databases. Consequently, the commercial debate has rapidly transformed into a contest between centralized digital platforms and distributed sovereign computing.

The strategic implications of this divide are particularly pronounced within the realms of national security and critical infrastructure. Proponents of closed models argue that unrestricted access to model weights drastically lowers the barrier to entry for malicious actors seeking to design biological agents or conduct autonomous cyber warfare. Conversely, national defense strategists aligned with the open-source philosophy contend that transparency and widespread peer review remain the most effective methods to identify systemic vulnerabilities. They emphasize that democratic societies must not concede the open-source software ecosystem to geopolitical adversaries who are actively building parallel technological frameworks.

In the policy arena, Washington has become the primary theater for intensive lobbying campaigns that reflect these irreconcilable technical visions. Representatives from leading closed-source organizations have repeatedly warned lawmakers against the perils of unconstrained artificial intelligence, urging the establishment of federal licensing regimes based on compute thresholds. Countering this offensive, open-source coalitions warn that such regulations disproportionately burden smaller startups while cementing the market power of well-capitalized incumbents. Policy analysts observe that this dynamic has created rare cross-industry alliances among decentralized developers, academic researchers, and established hardware manufacturers.

From an international perspective, the ideological rift carries profound consequences for digital sovereignty and global technological governance. While the European Union moves forward with comprehensive compliance frameworks under its Artificial Intelligence Act, emerging economies across Asia and the Global South are turning toward open weights to cultivate indigenous capabilities without perpetual reliance on American technology hubs. Analysts report that many sovereign governments consider accessible foundational models essential to building customized language systems aligned with local cultural and operational norms. By rejecting closed proprietary gateways, these nations seek to ensure their domestic technological resilience remains intact.

Despite the merits articulated by both camps, practical constraints and complex trade-offs continue to complicate the broader deployment landscape. Open-source deployments demand massive specialized computing infrastructure, sophisticated engineering talent, and persistent manual tuning to deliver enterprise-grade performance. Meanwhile, proprietary frontier labs face mounting scrutiny regarding algorithmic bias, unexpected service changes, and recurring copyright controversies surrounding their massive training corpora. These persistent challenges demonstrate that neither fully open nor entirely closed architectures represent a flawless panacea for complex industrial applications.

Looking ahead, technological momentum suggests that modern industry will inevitably adopt a resilient hybrid paradigm rather than settling on absolute uniformity. Large enterprises and government agencies are likely to deploy closed proprietary models for complex reasoning tasks while anchoring core sensitive operations onto auditable, open-weight foundations. Investment patterns indicate that capital will continue flowing toward companies that successfully balance high-level capabilities with operational transparency and rigorous cybersecurity standards. The institutions that navigate this structural shift effectively will shape the next generation of global computing infrastructure.

Ultimately, the confrontation between Meta and Palantir on one side and OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google on the other represents an existential inquiry into who will govern the future of advanced intelligence. As regulatory bodies prepare to formalize compliance standards, the outcome of this dispute will determine whether algorithmic progress remains concentrated among a few gatekeepers or distributed widely across the digital ecosystem. Observers emphasize that the stakes involve not merely market share, but the fundamental power dynamics of 21st-century technological statecraft.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.

As Americans head to the polls, Jonathan Freedland joins Atlantic humour columnist Alexandra Petri to look back at the standout moments of the midterm campaign. Their discussion covers memorable political advertisements, unexpected endorsements, campaign missteps and embarrassing blunders, as voters cast their ballots and the first indications of winners and losers begin to emerge.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.

Spain has declared three days of national mourning following a devastating collision involving two high-speed trains that claimed at least 69 lives and left more than 100 people injured. Emergency teams are continuing rescue and recovery operations in the town of Urda, where workers are carefully searching through the twisted wreckage while families anxiously await updates about missing relatives. The tragedy has sparked widespread grief and growing public outrage, particularly as it marks Spain's second deadly train collision in less than a year. In a discussion with Lucy Hough, The Guardian's Madrid correspondent, Sam Jones, shares insights into the latest developments and the public reaction to the disaster.

Disclaimer: This video is taken from The Guardian.

Adam Hamilton in Kansas, Dan Osborn in Nebraska and Joshua Turek in Iowa are seeking to turn traditionally Republican strongholds into competitive races in the upcoming midterm elections. Jonathan Freedland talks with Rachel Leingang about her reporting across the Midwest and the growing momentum behind progressive populism in the region.

Disclaimer: This podcast is taken from The Guardian.

The Emirati royal is gaining growing influence internationally, with some viewing him as a forward-thinking leader while others liken him to a James Bond antagonist. But who is Sheikh Tahnoon, and what lies behind his rising global profile?