All posts tagged: optics

Araghchi snubs Vance on camera before talks even begin; USA’s desperate optics fail to impress Iran?

Araghchi snubs Vance on camera before talks even begin; USA’s desperate optics fail to impress Iran?

Published by Parlour News

Published on Jun 22, 2026 08:03 am IST A carefully choreographed U.S. “historic moment” has turned into a diplomatic embarrassment at Burgenstock. On June 21, Iranian negotiators led by Abbas Araghchi reportedly refused to take part in a planned handshake and group photo with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other officials in Switzerland. Inside the negotiating room, the tone was just as tough. Iranian state TV says the first 80 minutes of talks did not touch on Tehran’s nuclear programme at all, instead focusing on Lebanon and how to implement the existing memorandum of understanding. Watch the video for more details.   Home / Videos / Araghchi snubs Vance on camera before talks even begin; USA’s desperate optics fail to impress Iran? Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: Source link

Amidst Trump’s tariff war, India slashes peak tariffs from 150% to 70%, to ‘correct bad optics’

Amidst Trump’s tariff war, India slashes peak tariffs from 150% to 70%, to ‘correct bad optics’

Published by Parlour News

While India’s peak custom duty rate is now 70%, the import duties on the top 30 items exported by the U.S. to India — led by crude petroleum, coking coal, aeroplanes, and liquefied natural gas — are minimal, in the range of zero to 7.5%, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs chairman Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said. Photo: PIB The latest round of import tariff revisions announced in the Budget have done away with the peak rates of 150%, 125%, and 100% which applied to just five items, but had created “bad optics” about India’s tariff structure, top officials told The Hindu. Such high tariffs have led to criticism of the sort levelled by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has often clubbed India with China as a “tariff abuser”, While India’s peak custom duty rate is now 70%, the import duties on the top 30 items exported by the U.S. to India — led by crude petroleum, coking coal, aeroplanes, and liquefied natural gas — are minimal, in the range of zero to 7.5%, …

Daughter vs sister: Banaskantha battle of optics | Elections News

Published by Parlour News

Clad in a bright pink bandhani sari and a turban, Vav MLA Geniben Thakor mounts a mare on a hot summer day in Pataliya village of Danta taluka. Amid a cheering crowd, as the horse starts trotting to the campaign venue just 100 metres away, the 47-year-old Congress legislator takes a child in her arms. “In the entire district, there is only one Banas ni ben — Geniben. All communities consider me their sister. In return, I ensure security and promise to resolve your issues. You have to promise to not be lazy and go to vote (on May 7),” Thakor, who has been fielded by the Congress from the north Gujarat district, tells a crowd in Sembaliya village from where she kicked off her campaign in the Danta Assembly segment. She goes on to seek blessings in the form of votes from this village dominated by her community. Around 150 kms away in Khimanavas village, her BJP rival Rekha Chaudhary, 44, sips some tea, and walks into a wedding feast where Sarpanch Vardaji Rajput’s …

AAP-Congress Alliance Is Good Optics, But It Can Confuse Voters

Published by Webster

It’s been a week of good news for supporters of the I.N.D.I.A bloc after a series of setbacks in West Bengal, Punjab and Bihar. Last week, after sealing the deal with the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress finalised a seat-sharing pact with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in five states / Union Territories covering 46 seats. The Congress, whose governments were dislodged in Delhi and Punjab by the AAP, has accommodated Arvind Kejriwal’s party to put up a united front against the BJP juggernaut in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.  The hopes of an AAP-INC alliance materialising in Delhi were initially dashed after the two parties decided to contest separately in Punjab. However, to give credit to the leadership of the two parties, they finally found their way through tough seat-sharing talks.  Congress Willing To ‘Accommodate’ The Congress has displayed a bigger heart, which many analysts over the last few months have accused it of lacking. It has accepted a smaller number of seats in Delhi – three – despite having received …

Amid rumblings in INDIA bloc, Congress admits optics took a hit: ‘But alliance not imploding’ | Political Pulse News

Published by Parlour News

As the Opposition INDIA bloc lurches from one crisis to another, the Congress on Saturday admitted that the optics regarding the alliance had taken a hit because of the rumblings in the alliance even as it expressed confidence about placating West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson Mamata Banerjee and sealing seat-sharing arrangements with other allies in a couple of days. Pointing out that the Gandhis and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge respect Mamata, the party once again appealed to her to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that is resuming its journey from Jalpaiguri in north Bengal on Sunday after a two-day break. Kharge has also written to Banerjee, flagging the possibility of “some miscreants” fomenting trouble for the yatra and seeking appropriate directions from her side “to ensure smooth passage of the yatra through Bengal and ensure safety of the yatris, including Gandhi”. Interestingly, Kharge wrote, “I am aware that the Gandhi family and you share very cordial relations, and you would ensure that all security concerns would be addressed adequately.” …