Around 67 per cent of the nearly 900 million eligible people exercised their right to vote in India’s massive elections. They will elect 542 MPs from a total of 8,049 candidates.
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Live Blog: Indian Election Updates
Nearly a billion will have cast their ballots in India’s mega elections, the Statesman is live blogging the results.
Updated: May 23, 2019
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Tehran vows to reduce commitments to 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The United States enacted a new round of sanctions on Monday, targeting Iran’s supreme leader and some senior officials, further escalating tensions between the two sides. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday, saying he is “imposing hard-hitting sanctions on the supreme leader of Iran and the office of the supreme leader of Iran and many others”. Trump accused Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of being ultimately “responsible for the hostile conduct” of the country. In response, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that the fresh sanctions prove that Washington is lying about seeking to hold talks with Teheran. “At the same time as you call for negotiations you seek to sanction the foreign minister? It’s o
By China Daily
June 27, 2019
How Nepal’s communications minister went from being a fierce reporter to a hardline politician against free press. For Gokul Baskota, the last twelve months have been particularly busy. Since taking the helm of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, which had been without a leader for several months before his appointment last June, Baskota has eagerly placed himself at the centre of a nonstop media storm, defending every controversial bill the government has tabled or passed—from the Medical Education Bill to the
By The Kathmandu Post
June 25, 2019
Talks have stalled since a botched summit in Vietnam. Positive signals sent back and forth between the US and North Korea are feeding hopes for a swift resumption of nuclear negotiations that have been at a standstill since the last summit between the two countries ended without results in late February. Within the past two weeks, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un each disclosed that they had received letters from each other, with both expressing satisfaction and hinting that the letters might be a sign of positive developments in the nuclear talks. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was ready to hold working-level discussions with Pyongyang on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. “We’re ready to go, we’re literally prepared to go at a moment’s notice if the North Koreans indicate that they’re prepared for those discussions,
By The Korea Herald
June 25, 2019
As ASEAN’s leaders attend the bloc’s annual two-day summit in Bangkok, many unasked and unanswered questions remain about the group’s viability going forward. Since its conception 52-years ago, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has maintained a policy of political non-interference. All statements released together as a group must be unanimously approved less it hinder domestic considerations. During the last 52 years, many countries within the bloc have transitioned from despotic, totalitarian rule to semi-democratic and fully democratic states. Gone are the Marcos, Suhartos and Sarits of yesteryear, replaced by a new guard with clearer mandates and blossoming economies. But as ASEAN members have transitioned and politically matured, so to has the world around the region. Gone are the black and white days of the cold war, replaced by a burgeoning China, a still powerful United States and
By Cod Satrusayang
June 24, 2019
Hong Kong gears up for more protests over extradition Bill as hundreds gather. Protesters began streaming in towards the Hong Kong government headquarters early Friday (June 21) morning, joining others who had camped there overnight after the administration ignored a deadline the previous day to withdraw a controversial extradition Bill. They have vowed to escalate matters on Friday and cut off access to the roads surrounding the government central offices in Tamar, Admiralty until their list of demands are met. These include a complete withdrawal of the proposed law – plans for which have been indefinitely suspended – for the June 12 protests not to be categorised as a riot, for everyone arrested
By The Straits Times
June 21, 2019
A international tribunal accused four men of downing the airliner this week. Blaming Russia for the shooting down of flight MH17 has always been the “script” of an international political plot to attack the country, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Expressing scepticism over the objectivity of the investigation into the tragedy, the Prime Minister said there had not been any solid evidence that Russia was behind it. “We (Malaysia) are very unhappy. From the very beginning, it was a political issue on how to accuse Russia of the wrongdoing. “Even before they (investigators) examined the case, they have already claimed it (the shooting down of MH17) was done by Russia. And now, they say they have proof. “It is very difficult for us to accept that,” Dr Mahathir told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Department’s Hari Raya event here. On July 17, 2014, the Malaysia Airlines
By The Star
June 21, 2019