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Indian politics roiled as disclosure of “electoral bonds” reveals campaign donors

Indian politics roiled as disclosure of “electoral bonds” reveals campaign donors

NEW DELHI — Mahendra Kumar Jalan was an Indian millionaire with a diversified portfolio of food processing plants, dairy farms and commercial real estate. As he faced scrutiny from the Indian government’s financial crimes investigators in 2019, he began to put money in something else. Jalan’s companies confidentially donated millions to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, newly released records show. Jalan eventually gifted a total of $42 million to the BJP while he was under federal investigation. Jalan’s case was one of many subplots that have burst into public view and roiled Indian politics and business after the Indian Supreme Court forced a state-owned bank to disclose the buyers and recipients of “electoral bonds,” an arrangement introduced in 2017 that allowed companies to give unlimited campaign contributions under a cloak of confidentiality. The resulting data dump has provided a rare glimpse into the machinery of Indian politics, revealing how $2 billion have been secretly funneled by Indian companies into political parties since 2018, with roughly half going toward the ruling BJP. And …

The beautiful UK seaside town so posh fish and chips shops were banned | UK | News

A beautiful seaside town which was recently revealed as the UK’s ‘nimby capital’ is so posh that it once banned fish and chip shops. The North Essex town of Frinton-on-Sea is known for its strict council, which has kept the coastal area largely unchanged over the past few decades. Less than three hours by train from London on the Essex coast, it is worlds away from the hustle and bustle of other seaside towns in the region, like nearby Clacton-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea, which are sometimes named some of the worst coastal hotspots in Britain. The Telegraph unofficially crowned Frinton the ‘nimby’ capital of the year in 2023 – and it’s not hard to see why. The town was known for banning fish and chip shops until 1992, fearing it might ‘lower the tone’ of the area. ‘Nimby’ stands for ‘not in my back yard’ – with the term describing someone who is opposed to development in their local area. The council also resisted attempts to open a pub in Frinton for many years, finally giving in in …

Horoscope today: Your daily guide for Friday, March 29, 2024

Horoscope today: Your daily guide for Friday, March 29, 2024

Aries 0904 470 1141 (65p per minute)* Taurus 0904 470 1142 (65p per minute)* Gemini 0904 470 1143 (65p per minute)* Cancer 0904 470 1144 (65p per minute)* Leo 0904 470 1145 (65p per minute)* Virgo 0904 470 1146 (65p per minute)* Libra 0904 470 1147 (65p per minute)* Scorpio 0904 470 1148 (65p per minute)* Sagittarius 0904 470 1149 (65p per minute)* Capricorn 0904 470 1150 (65p per minute)* Aquarius 0904 470 1151 (65p per minute)* Pisces 0904 470 1152 (65p per minute)* *Astro line horoscopes are updated every Friday. Calls cost 65p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge and will last approximately five minutes. You must be over 18 and have the bill payer’s permission. Service provided by Spoke. Customer service: 0333 202 3390 Source link

In Brazil, Macron and Lula show unity on global issues, despite divergences on Ukraine

In Brazil, Macron and Lula show unity on global issues, despite divergences on Ukraine

France’s President Emmanuel Macron arrives at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on March 28, 2024. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday, March 28, displayed their unity on major global issues, while skirting differences on the war in Ukraine. Macron wrapped up his three-day tour of the Latin American giant with a solemn, but warm, trip to the presidential palace in the modernist capital Brasilia. Read more Subscribers only Macron visits Brazil, showcasing much-improved relations with Lula The French leader paid tribute to “the spirit of resistance” of Lula’s government for “restoring democracy” after a crowd of extreme-right supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seats of power in the city in January 2023. Lula hailed a relationship between the two countries as one that created “a bridge between the global South and the developed world.” While the two men firmly reset the frosty ties of the Bolsonaro years, they retain deep differences over the war in Ukraine, a subject which only …

Mob in Mexico Beats Suspected Kidnapper to Death

Mob in Mexico Beats Suspected Kidnapper to Death

TAXCO, Mexico —  A mob in the Mexican tourist city of Taxco beat a woman to death Thursday because she was suspected of kidnapping and killing a young girl, rampaging just hours before the city’s famous Holy Week procession. On the eve of Good Friday, men walk through the colonial streets of Taxco wearing hoods, whipping themselves or carrying heavy bundles of thorns in penitence. That and other Holy Week processions date back centuries in the old silver-mining town. The mob formed after an 8-year-old girl disappeared Wednesday. Her body was found on a road on the outskirts of the city early Thursday. Security camera footage appeared to show a woman and a man loading a bundle, which may have been the girl’s body, into a taxi. The mob surrounded the woman’s house Thursday, threatening to drag her out. Police took the woman into the bed of a police pickup truck, but then stood by — apparently intimidated by the crowd — as members of the mob dragged her out of the truck and down …

Crawley calls for refinement to ‘Bazball’ after India defeat

Crawley calls for refinement to ‘Bazball’ after India defeat

England need to remain positive and make some adjustments to their aggressive style of play in test cricket following their 4-1 series defeat in India this month, opener Zak Crawley said. India won the series despite losing the first test, with their dominance in the series subjecting the visitors’ much-hyped “Bazball” approach to significant scrutiny. Former England captains including Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton urged the team to temper their strategy laid out for the side by skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum. Asked about England’s approach, Crawley, who scored 407 runs in the series, told reporters: “It just needs a bit of refinement. We always talk about absorbing pressure and putting pressure back on. “The last couple of years we’ve done the putting back on pretty well, and we’ve spoken about maybe picking those moments to absorb at the right times as well. We can certainly refine that. That’s not to say we’re going to get more negative. “We will still try to play the way we have and try to …

Peru’s interim President Dina Boluarte is facing a luxury watch scandal

Peru’s interim President Dina Boluarte is facing a luxury watch scandal

LETTER FROM CUZCO German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser shakes hands with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte (right), who is wearing a $19,000 Rolex watch, in Lima on February 27, 2024. PERU PRESIDENCY / VIA REUTERS Dina Boluarte has a thick skin. Neither the 50 deaths during the protest movement in favor of new elections, between December 2022 and March 2023; nor the opening of an investigation on January 9, 2023, for genocide, aggravated homicide and serious injury; nor the more than 80% unfavorable opinion rating since she took office on December 7, 2022, after the impeachment of Pedro Castillo (left), have, so far, gotten the better of Peru’s interim president. Read more (2023) Subscribers only Families of victims of police and military repression in Peru demand justice But since March 14 revelations by the independent online media outlet La Encerrona about her wearing luxury watches of mysterious origin, Boluarte – propelled to the presidency by her predecessor’s failed coup d’état – could see her position put in jeopardy. She is suspected of having worn an entire …

One of the world’s ‘scariest bridges’ is in the UK | Travel News | Travel

One of the world’s ‘scariest bridges’ is in the UK | Travel News | Travel

The world is home to countless bridges, many of which are rickety or suspended above vast expanses that might leave those scared of heights with shaking knees. However, there is one bridge in the UK that has been listed among the “scariest” globally with some tourists rumoured to turn back before even stepping foot upon it. Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge is located in Northern Ireland and, as the name suggests, is a rope bridge that connects two bridges separated by the mighty Atlantic Ocean. Suspended almost 100ft (approximately 30m) above sea level, the rope bridge was first erected by salmon fishermen over 250 years ago. Now, it is owned and cared for by the National Trust, who have conserved the bridge over the years. The bridge is open to the public to cross by foot, leading them to Carrick-a-Rede Island which is home to a single fisherman’s cottage. The bridge made it to a list of top 18 “scariest bridges in the world” by Travel + Leisure, which noted: “Many visitors who walk across simply can’t …

China decries U.S. hegemony, wants Asia ‘jointly’ responsible for its own security

China decries U.S. hegemony, wants Asia ‘jointly’ responsible for its own security

You’re reading an excerpt from the Today’s WorldView newsletter. Sign up to get the rest free, including news from around the globe and interesting ideas and opinions to know, sent to your inbox every weekday. At a regional security forum in the southern Chinese island of Hainan, Beijing laid out its vision for Asian peace and prosperity. But many onlookers interpreted the remarks made by Zhao Leji, the third highest-ranking official in the ruling Communist Party, as another tacit rebuke of the U.S. role in the region and an articulation of China’s hardening desire for a regional order free of U.S. involvement. “Hegemonic and bullying acts are deeply harmful,” Zhao, a top leader of the Politburo and head of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, said while delivering a keynote speech at the annual Boao Forum. He did not mention the United States by name but was clearly gesturing to Washington’s open competition with China, tensions over strategic flash points in Asia and the ongoing trade wars pursued by successive U.S. administrations. “We must oppose trade protectionism and …

Russia Votes to Kill UN Panel That Monitors Sanctions on North Korea

Russia Votes to Kill UN Panel That Monitors Sanctions on North Korea

Russia on Thursday vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts that oversees the enforcement of long-standing United Nations sanctions against North Korea. The move comes amid U.S.-led accusations that North Korea has transferred weapons to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine. We talk with Gregg Brazinsky, a professor of history and international affairs at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. More trouble for Israel as the news service Retuers has investigated numerous examples of Israeli soldiers posting photos and videos of themselves toying with lingerie found in Palestinian homes. And traditional Easter chocolate eggs have transformed into sports-themed characters in some Paris chocolate shops, as chocolatiers concoct pieces with a nod to the nearing Olympic Games. Source link