Archives for 2022

Voting for the assembly polls in five states began early on Thursday morning. The voting in all the five states that include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Goa, and Uttarakhand are currently underway. Track all the live updates from the crucial vote counting.

LIVE UPDATES:

12:35 pm: Manipur CM Biren Singh wins from Heingang constituency.

12:05 pm: BJP inches towards majority mark, currently leading on 29 seats, Cong, NPP on 10 each.

11:55 am: BJP’s Biren Singh leading, NPP gaining leads on 11 seats while Congress is trailing.

11:13 am: BJP is leading with 23 seats while NPP gained leads on 12 seats, Congress on 11 seats.

10:52 am: BJP is leading on 23 seats, Congress on 12 seats, NPP 10, JDU 6. 

10:30 am: BJP’s N Biren Singh leading on Heingang seat, Congress’ Okram Ibobo Singh leading in Thoubal.

10:05 am: BJP is leading on 26 seats, Congress on 13 seats, NPP 7, JDU 5. 

9:50 am: BJP leads on 19 seats, Congress on 9 while NPP gains 7 seats and JDU, 5. 

9:35 am: Trends show BJP leading on 13 seats and Congress on 8 seats while JDU is leading on 4 seats so far. 

9:15 am: Early trends show BJP leading on 5 seats while Congress leading on 4 seats. JDU NPP yet to gain leads on any seat.

Voting for the assembly polls in five states began early on Thursday morning. The voting in all the five states that include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Goa, and Uttarakhand are currently underway. Track all the live updates from the crucial vote counting.

LIVE UPDATES:

12:25 pm: Former Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh loses from his constituency.

11:30 am: “This is a victory of the ‘Aam Aadmi’ (common man),” Manish Sisodia on AAP’s sweep in Punjab

10:50 am: “This shows AAP is the natural and national replacement of the Congress,” said Raghav Chadha, who ran the Punjab campaign for his party

10:35 am: Early Celebrations Start Outside AAP’s Chief Ministerial Candidate Bhagwat Mann’s Residence.

10:25 am: Bhagwant Mann leading in Dhuri, Amarinder, Channi still trailing in their respective constituencies.

10:23 am: AAP looks clear to win Punjab. Leading on 88 of 117 seats. Congress leads on 12, BJP on 5.

9:50 am: Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Siddhu trails in his constituency.

9:45 am: AAP CM Candidate Bhagwant Mann leading as his party gains lead on 81 seats. Congress leading on 16, BJP on 4.

9:35 am: Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi trailing on both of his constituencies – Bhadaur, Chamkaur Sahib.

9:35 am: Former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh trails in his Patiala constituency. 

9:10 am: In the early trends the AAP party was leading on the majority of the seats in Punja. It was leading on 24 seats with Congress leading on 11. Akali Dal and BJP were leading on 6 and 4 seats respectively.

Harish Rawat (L), Pushkar Singh Dhami (C), Ajay Kothiyal (R).

Voting for the assembly polls in five states began early on Thursday morning. The voting in all the five states that include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Goa, and Uttarakhand are currently underway. Track all the live updates from the crucial vote counting.

LIVE UPDATES:

11:10 am: BJP’s Pushkar Singh and Congress’ Harish Rawat are trailing in their respective constituencies.

10:45 am: BJP leading on 45 seats, Congress on20 seats, BSP 2, AAP gains 1 seat. 

10:30 am: BJP is leading on 43 seats, Congress on 23, BSP 2 and AAP 0. 

10:07 am: BJP is leading on 45 seats, Congress on 22, BSP 1 and AAP 0. 

9:55 am: BJP is leading on 45 seats, Congress on 20, BSP on 1, while AAP has not gained any seat so far. 

9:40 am: BJP gains 41 leads, Congress 18 while AAP, BSP lead 1 seat each. 

9:30 am: BJP leading on 35 seats, Congress leading on 20. BSP, AAP leading on 1 seat.  

9:10 am: Early trends show BJP leading on 25 seats, Congress leading on 20. AAP leading on 1 seat so far.

Voting for the assembly polls in five states began early on Thursday morning. The voting in all the five states that include Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Assam, Goa, and Uttarakhand are currently underway. Track all the live updates from the crucial vote counting.

LIVE UPDATES:

12:05 pm: AAP gains lead on 3 seats, BJP leads 18. Cong, TMC 11, 4 respectively.

11:30 am: The BJP is leading in 18 seats while the Congress is leading in 13 in Goa elections, show live trends.

11:05 am: After trailing in the initial hours of counting, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in now leading his constituency, Sanquelim.

10:15 am: Goa CM Pramod Sawant loses lead, now trailing in Sanquelim constituency.

10:00 am: BJP breaches halfway mark in leads. Gains lead on 20 seats, Congress leading 12, TMC on 4.

9:45 am: BJP gains lead on 20 seats, Congress on 9. TMC, AAP leading on two seats each.

8:50 am: Congress gained the lead on the first seat in Goa. 

New Delhi: The Chief Election Commissioner of India, Sushil Chandra on Thursday said that the Election Commission is ready to hold elections simultaneously across the country ahead of the 5 states Assembly polls, the counting of which is underway.

He stated that “One Nation, One Election is a good suggestion but this needs a change in the Constitution. The Election Commission is fully geared up and is capable of holding all the elections simultaneously. We are ready to hold elections only once in 5 years.

New Delhi: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday hailed the Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) decision to remove run-out at non-striker’s end from unfair play laws even as veteran England pacer Stuart Broad termed the move as “unfair”.

Custodian of cricket laws, the MCC has decided to move the law relating to run-outs at non-striker’s end from its “unfair play” section.

It relates to run-outs at non-striker’s end when batters back up too far and have often triggered heated debates on spirit of the game.

Several players like India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have advocated for it as a fair mode of dismissal.

Tendulkar said he was always averse to the term used for this dismissal as “Mankaded”.

“New rules have been introduced in cricket by MCC committee and I am quite supportive of couple of them. The first one being Mankading dismissal. I was always uncomfortable with that particular dismissal being called Mankaded,” Tendulkar said in a video message.

“I am really happy that it’s been changed to run out. It always should have been run out according to me. So this is one good news for all of us. I was not comfortable with it all, but that won’t be the case anymore.”

However, Broad termed as “unfair” the MCC’s decision to legitimise ‘Mankading’, a run out dismissal at the non-striker’s end, saying it requires “zero skill”.

“So the Mankad is no longer unfair & is now a legitimate dismissal. Hasn’t it always been a legitimate dismissal & whether it is unfair is subjective? I think it is unfair & wouldn’t consider it, as IMO, dismissing a batter is about skill & the Mankad requires zero skill,” Broad tweeted.

The other change in cricket rules which Tendulkar liked was related to a new batter taking the strike in case of a catch dismissal.

“And the second one where the batter is dismissed, being caught, the new batter has to come and face the ball. The new batter takes the strike.

“It’s absolutely fair because if a bowler has been successful in picking a wicket it’s only fair that a bowler gets a chance to bowl to a new batter. This new rule is a good one and well done on that,” he said.

Beside, the MCC also said that using saliva to shine the ball would be treated as an unfair practice.

Saliva application was barred by the ICC in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and MCC said its research found that applying saliva had no impact on the ball’s movement.

The amendments will not come into force until October

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

London: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged British MPs to designate Russia as a “terrorist state” after President Vladimir Putin ordered a special military operation against his nation and called for tougher sanctions on Moscow to “make sure our skies are safe”.

The 44-year-old Ukrainian leader, who made a “historic” address to the House of Commons via videolink on Tuesday, received a standing ovation by members of Parliament.

“We are looking for your help, for the help of Western counties. We are thankful for this help and I am grateful to you, Boris, said Zelenskyy, addressing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country (Russia) and please recognise this country as a terrorist state. Please make sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe. Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is stipulated by the greatness of your country. Glory to Ukraine and glory to the United Kingdom, he said.

While the West has imposed crippling sanctions on Russia, it has not yet cut off the supply of Russian oil to Western countries. Though Zelenskyy has sought a no-fly zone over Ukraine, the US and its allies seem unlikely to accept this to protect Ukrainians from Russian air power.

In an emotional address, Zelenskyy invoked Britain’s war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s words, promising to fight Russian troops in the air, sea and on the streets.

“We will not give up and we will not lose, we will fight until the end, at sea, in the air… we will continue fighting for our land. Whatever the cost…we will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets,” he said.

In his address, Zelensky gave a day-by-day account of the attack by Russia, which began a fortnight ago.

He described how it was a war Ukraine “didn’t start and we didn’t want”, but his country now had to fight.

“We do not want to lose what we have, what is ours… just the same way as you once didn’t want to lose your country when the Nazis started to fight your country and you had to fight for Britain,” he added.

And quoting Shakespeare, he said the question for Ukraine is “to be, or not to be… it’s definitely yes, to be”.

He concluded his speech by saying: “Do what you can, do what you must, because greatness obliges greatness, of your state and your people.

It marked the first time a foreign leader has directly addressed MPs in the Commons after Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had confirmed his request.

Prime Minister Johnson said President Zelensky had “moved the hearts of everybody” watching, and pledged to “press on with tightening the economic vice” around Russian President Putin.

Labour leader Keir Starmer also praised “the bravery [and] the resolve” of the president and his people, adding: “He has shown his strength and we must show him – and the Ukrainian people – our commitment and support.”

Zelensky’s address followed Johnson’s meetings with the leaders of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to discuss the crisis in the region and the need to boost security efforts in central Europe.

Zelenskyy, a former comedian and actor turned politician, has been centre stage as Russian President Putin’s forces began an armed conflict with Ukraine on February 24. Last week, he received a standing ovation when he spoke to the European Parliament, also via video link.

He has been in regular phone contact with Johnson, who launched a week of diplomacy to create a coalition against Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

He hosted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at Downing Street on Monday and later spoke with US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to maintain pressure on Russia to isolate Putin diplomatically and economically.

It came as a plan to fast-track UK sanctions against allies of Vladimir Putin got through the House of Commons at rapid speed, backed by all parties on Monday. The UK government says its Economic Crime Bill will stop wealthy Russians from using the City of London for money laundering much quicker.

During the debate, condensed into a single day to try to get the measures into place as quickly as possible, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “The UK must send a strong signal that it will not be a home for corruption.”

The bill, which now goes to the House of Lords and is expected to become law later this month, contains several measures to tackle oligarchs and companies associated with Putin.

On February 24, Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.

Panaji: Twenty MLAs in the 40-member Goa House resigned and switched sides during the last five years of the outgoing Assembly.

Two prominent MLAs – Manohar Parrikar and Francis D’Souza – died during the period.

Parrikar was serving as the chief minister when he died in 2019, following which BJP’s Pramod Sawant took over the top post in the coastal state.

Elections for the new Assembly were held on February 14 this year and the results will be declared on Thursday.

After the Assembly polls in 2017, the BJP formed government with the support of some regional outfits and independents.

Shortly after the polls, Vishwajit Rane was the first legislator to resign. He quit the Congress and joined the BJP. He later successfully contested the by-election from his traditional Valpoi Assembly constituency.

In 2018, two more MLAs Dayanand Sopte (Mandrem) and Subhash Shirodkar (Shiroda) resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP.

Later, Parrikar and Francis D’Souza died in 2019 and the Assembly constituencies of the two leaders fell vacant.

The by-elections were subsequently held for four constituencies Shiroda, Mandrem, Panaji and Mapusa. While the Congress won in Panaji, BJP candidates emerged victorious in the three other seats.

In July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs switched over en-mass to the BJP.

During the fag end of the outgoing Assembly, Congress MLA Luizinho Faleiro resigned to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC), while Jayesh Salgaonkar (Goa Forward Party), Rohan Khaunte (Independent), Govind Gaude (Independent), Ravi Naik (Congress) quit and joined the BJP.

Besides, BJP MLAs Michael Lobo, Deepak Pauskar, Filipe Neri Rodrigues, Alina Saldanha, Pravin Zantye, Wilfred D’Sa, Isidore Fernandes and Carlose Almeida also resigned.

Saldanha joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Lobo and Almeida entered the Congress, while Zantye joined the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

This time, Pauskar, Fernandes and D’Sa contested as independents and Rodrigues on the NCP’s ticket.

Goa Forward Party MLA Vinod Palyekar also resigned to contest as an independent, while Congress’s Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco joined the TMC, which he later quit to contest as an independent candidate.

Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar also resigned to join the Congress.

After the 2017 Assembly polls, the Congress had emerged as the single largest party with 17 seats. But, it failed to form government and over the last five years, its strength in the 40-member House reduced to two.

Washington: The United States administration has said that it consulted its European allies before banning the import of Russian oil and gas while stressing that it recognizes not all of its partners were in a position to follow suit.

By an executive order signed on Tuesday, Biden banned the import of Russian crude oil and certain petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and coal.

This step is aimed at depriving Russia of billions of dollars in revenues from US drivers and consumers annually. Last year, the US imported nearly 7,00,000 barrels of crude oil and refined petroleum products from Russia daily.

“In taking this action, we consulted with European allies closely, but we do not expect them and did not ask them to join us.

“The United States is able to take this step because of our strong domestic energy production and infrastructure and we recognize that not all of our allies and partners are currently in a position to join us,” said a senior official in the Joe Biden administration.

The executive order also banned new US investment in Russia’s energy sector, to ensure that American companies and investors are not underwriting Vladimir Putin’s efforts to expand energy production inside Russia, the White House said.

It mentioned that Americans will also be prohibited from financing or enabling foreign companies that are investing to produce energy in Russia.

The official underscored that the ban is immediate.

“We block any new purchases of Russian energy. We do allow, though, for wind downs of deliveries for existing purchases that were already contracted for. No new contracts will be allowed. For existing contracts, we are allowing a 45-day wind-down period,” the official explained.

“In terms of domestic impact, the reality is Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and brutal war has led to higher energy prices and raised costs for Americans at home — about 75 cents at the gas pump — since he began to amass troops at the Ukrainian border in early November,” the official said.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities.