POLITICS

We have PM Modi, precious workers, BJP will win massive mandate in MP polls, says CM Chouhan

The Bharatiya Janata Party has Prime Minister Narendra Modi and precious party functionaries, something the opposition Congress is deprived of, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday. Ahead of Assembly polls slated for the end the year, Chouhan asked BJP MLAs to prepare a blueprint of the development works done by them to ensure victory. His statement came on a day when MP Congress chief Kamal Nath prayed at the renowned Kamakhya Temple in Assam. “Hamare paas Narendra Modi aur dev durlabh (very precious) karyakarta hai. Unke (Congress) ke pass kya hai? The Congress cannot match us. I have several arrows in my quiver,” he said at the state executive meeting which was attended by more than…

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It’s the safe haven surrounded by jihadist radicals, Russian mercenaries and madcap dictators. Can it cling on?

In a region beset with violent strife, Islamist insurgency, Russia’s Wagner mercenaries and unstable military regimes, the Sahel state of Niger has become a focus of Western interest as a security and economic partner. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has visited recently, and the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, is due to follow. The country’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, has met Emmanuel Macron in Paris, and was one of the few notable non-Commonwealth African heads of state in London for King Charles’s coronation. Mr Bazoum spoke to The Independent about the issues facing his country, including the threat of Wagner, a jihadist surge being fuelled by the climate crisis, the need to attract foreign investment to help drive education and employment, and efforts to foster relations with the West…

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Decision to ban Rs 2,000 notes excellent sign: Chandra Babu Naidu

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP supremo, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday welcomed the RBI decision to scrap Rs 2000 notes. “The decision to ban the Rs 2000 notes is certainly an excellent sign. I submitted a report on digital currency long ago and the scrapping of these notes will certainly check corruption. Politicians are trying to win polls by distributing money to the voters and Rs 2,000 notes are playing a major role in this. Now, this can be checked to a great extent,” Chandrababu Naidu said while addressing a huge gathering at Anakapalle as part of his ongoing ‘Idemi Kharma Mana Rashtraniki’ program. He was on the final and third day of his tour to North Andhra…

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Kidnapped Australian Dr Ken Elliott released by al-Qaida in Africa after seven-year fight for freedom

Elliott and his wife, Jocelyn, were in their 80s when they were kidnapped by extremists in Burkina Faso. The Perth couple had lived in the country since 1972 and had built a medical clinic in the northern town of Djibo. The al-Qaida-linked Emirate of the Sahara released Jocelyn Elliott a few weeks later. The Australian prime minister at the time, Malcolm Turnbull, said it was a “difficult diplomatic situation”. Foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said on Friday morning that Elliott was “safe and well” and had “been reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their children”. She was very pleased with the result, she said. In a statement, the Elliott family expressed their relief and thanked the government and “all who…

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Centre issues ordinance to overturn Supreme Court order on control of services in Delhi

The Centre on Friday issued an ordinance to once again take control of the services department of the the Delhi government. This comes days after the Supreme Court had given the control of services to the Delhi government. Transfer and posting of officials have been a key area of friction between the Centre and the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government. The AAP government had scored a major victory when the apex court ruled in its favour on the control of the service department. After getting control of services, Arvind Kejriwal said he would establish a new model of governance in Delhi. Following the Supreme Court order, the AAP government removed several officers in various departments. It had also gone to the…

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Iran executes three men who smuggled letter out of prison pleading for help

Iran has executed three men linked to mass protests against the regime on charges of “waging war against God” after they smuggled a letter out of prison urging residents to help free them. In a statement, the Iranian judiciary said it had executed Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi, without giving details of the method. The charge of “war against God” is levelled at those who act against the government in Iran and typically carries the death sentence. Iran has used it heavily to quell mass protests against the leadership. The trio had been accused of killing a police officer and two paramilitary members during a mass uprising against the regime last year which left hundreds dead. Earlier this week, the three…

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RBI on 2000 Rupee note: RBI to withdraw Rs 2,000 notes from circulation; notes will continue to be legal tender

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced to withdraw the Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes from circulation. However, the Rs 2,000 notes will continue to be legal tender. The central bank has asked people to deposit the Rs 2,000 banknotes into their accounts and/or exchange them into banknotes of other denominations at any bank branch. Exchange facility for Rs 2,000 bank notes up to Rs 20,000 at a time would be available from May 23, said an RBI statement. The RBI has asked banks to provide deposit and/or exchange facility for Rs 2,000 notes until September 30, 2023. Additionally, the RBI’s 19 Regional Offices (ROs) with Issue Departments will also serve as exchange points until the end of September.…

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Zelensky accuses some Arab leaders of ‘turning a blind eye’ to Russian invasion of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky has accused some Arab leaders of “turning a blind eye” to Russia’s invasion of his country. The Ukrainian president on Friday attended an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia seeking support in the region for his war effort. Appearing to invoke the Arab world’s own history of occupation, he said the leaders in the hall would understand that Ukraine “will never submit to any foreigners or colonisers. That’s why we fight.” But the president added: “Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here among you who turn a blind eye to those [prisoner of war] cages and illegal annexations. “I’m here so that everyone can take an honest look, no matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must still be independence.” Syria,…

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Pakistani city tense as police say will search Imran Khan’s house

The operation in Lahore could trigger more violence in the nuclear-armed country grappling with political and economic instability. Police officers patrol around Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore Tension prevails in the Pakistani city of Lahore where the police plan to search the house of former Prime Minister Imran Khan to look for suspects who attacked government and military installations last week. Amir Mir, the information minister of Punjab province, told on Friday that warrants to search Khan’s house in provincial capital Lahore’s Zaman Park area have been issued to the police. “In an hour or so, the commissioner [of police] in Lahore will meet him and after that, depending on what Imran Khan says, the police will act,” he said. “If…

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‘Who isn’t condemning?’: Imran Khan on attacks on Pakistan army

The ex-prime minister’s muted criticism of vandalism and arson at military installations comes after more than a dozen leaders quit his party. Khan is escorted by security officials as he arrives to appear in a court in capital Islamabad. Islamabad, Pakistan – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says everyone in Pakistan has condemned the attacks on military installations during the deadly protests over his arrest last week. “Who isn’t condemning the attack on the Lahore Corps Commander House? Tell me one person in Pakistan who is not doing that,” he said during a news conference at his residence in the eastern city of Lahore on Thursday. On May 9, Khan was dramatically arrested over corruption charges while making a court appearance in…

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