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India Today
28-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
News Menu, May 28: Rahul Gandhi in legal crosshairs; Kashmir's tourism revival
Good morning. On May 28, 1883, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born in Bhagur, Maharashtra. A revolutionary, poet, and politician, Savarkar formulated the philosophy of Hindutva. His bold activism and writings fuelled India's freedom struggle, though his ideology remains a subject of see what else is waiting to make history with the news menu of India Potboiler: RJD's Family Feudadvertisement The Tej Pratap Yadav saga explodes as Anushka Yadav's brother, Akash, slams Lalu Prasad Yadav's family for Tej's six-year RJD expulsion. Asks: 'Has Taj committed a crime?' Slams his sister's character Roy, Tej's estranged wife, doubles down, alleging injustice. Will Tejashwi counter Akash's dare? When will Anushka speak out? India Today stirs the pot of this dynastic clash with a deep dive into its dramatis Pot: PM Modi's Multi-State SprintPrime Minister Narendra Modi launches a high-octane tour across five states, starting in Bengal and Sikkim, hitting Bihar on May 29, Kanpur (UP) on May 30, and Madhya Pradesh on May 31. Packed with roadshows, rallies, and crore-worth project launches, Modi amplifies Operation Sindoor's anti-terror stance. India Today tracks the feverish preparations for this Platter: India's Anti-Terror CrusadeadvertisementOperation Sindoor's global echo grows louder, with India's all-party delegations vowing, 'India will not tolerate nuclear blackmail,' and promising swift strikes on terror home, Congress and Trinamool Congress intensify calls for a Special Parliamentary Session to probe the Pahalgam terror attack and Pakistan-backed networks. TMC MPs meet today (11 AM) to chart next steps. Will the government bow to the opposition's demand?Monsoon Mix: India Soaked in ChaosThe IMD forecasts partly cloudy skies in Delhi with possible thundery developments today, escalating to light rain, thunderstorms, and lightning on May 29–30. Himachal Pradesh braces for thunderstorms and hailstorms until June 2, while Gujarat faces unseasonal rains with more expected. Mumbai's monsoon woes mount with dug-up roads and poor drainage, costing shopkeepers goods and damaging properties. Pune's orange alert signals heavy rainfall, waterlogging, and 16 villages cut off in rural areas. Turmoil in Kollam in Kerala. India Today wades through this stormy Lassi: Supreme Court ShowdownsMP Minister's Controversy: The Supreme Court hears a sedition and insult case against Madhya Pradesh Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for remarks against Colonel Sophia University Professor Case: The top court reviews Associate Professor Ali Khan Mehmubad's petition over a controversial Operation Sindoor post, questioning his language after granting Bonds Probe: Delhi High Court examines a plea for a CBI investigation into alleged corruption via electoral bond donations, wary of media-based & IRCTC Scams: Rouse Avenue Court reviews CBI charge sheets naming Lalu, Tejashwi, and Tej Pratap Yadav, among Gandhi Citizenship: Delhi High Court hears a petition seeking an investigation into Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's citizenship Nagar Deaths: Delhi High Court reviews CBI and MCD reports on the deaths of three students at a coaching Rana's Plea: Patiala House NIA Court hears Rana's request to speak with family, previously Sizzlers: Karnataka's Murder FuryIn Mangaluru, a brutal sword attack killing Imtiyaz and injuring Kalander ignites street protests. India Today tracks the escalating tension as locals demand Chennai, a joyride malfunction traps 30 people mid-air for over three hours India Today captures the south's topsy-turvy Kahwa: Tourism Revival PushJ&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah hosts a pivotal meeting in Gulmarg today (12 noon) to boost tourism, following Farooq Abdullah's Pahalgam golf outing and his call: 'Bholenath is calling you Come back to Kashmir.' India Today tracks this effort to revive the Valley's allure post-Pahalgam terror Dal: Chardham Yatra BoomsOver 25,000 devotees flock to Kedarnath in a single day, with Badrinath and Hemkund yatras thriving. India Today follows this spiritual surge in Uttarakhand's sacred Halwa: Firozpur's BraveheartTen-year-old Shravan Singh from Firozpur is honoured as the youngest Civil Warrior for supporting the Indian Army, a heartwarming story of Bite: Savarkar defined his ideology with the famous quote: 'The only geography of the Hindus is the holy land of India' (Hindutva: Who is a Hindu?) Revered by some, criticized by others for communal views, his legacy remains fiercely polarising.
Kiwiblog
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Kiwiblog
A nonsense issue
The Herald reports: Senior Minister Erica Stanford sent official briefings to her personal email account – an action discouraged by Parliament's Cabinet Manual. Stanford says she forwarded the emails so she could print them at home or at her electorate office, often while being away from Wellington for work. Her electorate office printer was only connected to the Parliamentary server last month, she said. Parliament's Cabinet Manual – a rulebook for Government ministers – says 'as far as possible' ministers should not use their personal email accounts or phone numbers for ministerial business. Forwarding yourself an e-mail so you can print it out at home, is not using a personal account for ministerial business. That would be if you were e-mailing other people about ministerial business – not e-mailing yourself. The purpose of the rule is to make sure ministerial correspondence is captured by government systems. It is not to make it hard for a Minister to print out a document. Sometimes people who knew a Minister before they became an MP may e-mail them on their personal e-mail address. If it relates to official business, then best practice would be to cc any reply to your official address so it is captured by the DIA system. This is much ado about nothing.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Duelling income tax cuts: What you need to know about the election's first key promises
Canada's 2025 federal election campaign is underway — and the two leading parties have already begun to woo middle-class voters with tax cuts amid tariff and cost of living concerns. Liberal leader Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre both kicked off their campaigns by unveiling plans to cut to the lowest income tax bracket. Here's what you need to know about the proposals and who they benefit. What Carney proposed Carney promised a 'middle-class tax cut' by shaving one percentage point off the lowest income tax bracket. According to 2025 tax rates, that means the portion of taxable income that is $57,375 or less would be taxed by 14 per cent instead of 15 per cent. The Liberals said this plan will directly benefit more than 22 million families, with two-income families saving up to $825 a year. 'My new government will focus on helping hard-working Canadians keep more of their paychecks to spend where it matters most: on homes, groceries and their families,' Carney said in a press release. 'Every Canadian should be able to afford necessities, feel secure and get ahead financially — and this tax cut will help them do that.' According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer's tax calculator, this cut would cost $5.9 billion. The Liberals haven't revealed how they intend to pay for the plan as yet, although Carney's platform has mentioned 'reining in wasteful and ineffective government spending.' What Poilievre proposed Poilievre pledged Monday that he would cut 2.25 percentage points off the lowest income tax bracket, pushing it down from 15 to 12.75 per cent. The Conservatives said this plan would allow the average Canadian to save $900 and a dual-income family to save $1,800 each year. They estimated the tax cut would cost the government $7 billion in each of the first two years, and $14 billion a year after that, proposing that the tax cut be fully implemented by fiscal year 2027-28. Poilievre said his party would provide more details later but stated that this plan would be funded through cuts to government spending including bureaucracy, consultants, 'handouts to insiders' and foreign aid. 'We will also bring in a dollar-for-dollar law that will require ministers to find one dollar of new savings for every dollar of new spending,' he said. 'That will drive down the cost and drive up the efficiency, so that we can get value for money.' How the tax cuts would work Canada has a progressive taxation system, which means that different tax rates are applied to different brackets of income earned. The first bracket, targeted by the measures proposed by Carney and Poilievre, covers income up to $57,375, which is now taxed at a rate of 15 per cent. The second tax bracket covers income from $57,375 to $114,750, which is taxed at 20.5 per cent — and so on, up to the top bracket, which covers income above $253,414 and is taxed at 33 per cent. Canada also has a non-refundable tax credit called the Basic Personal Amount (BPA) that filers can claim. In 2025, the BPA is $16,129 for taxpayers with a net income of $177,882 or less, which means the first $16,129 of income is essentially tax free. As an example, a filer who has taxable income of $80,000 would pay no effective tax on the first $16,129 of income, pay 15 per cent tax on income between $16,129 and $57,375, and pay 20.5 per cent on the remaining $22,625. Cutting the rate of the lowest tax bracket would means any income earned between the BPA of $16,129 and the top of the first bracket $57,375 — a total of $41,246 — would be taxed at the reduced rate. Who will be helped by these tax cuts? Rebekah Young, head of inclusion and resilience economics at Bank of Nova Scotia, said the tax cuts directly benefit a majority of tax filers. '20 million tax filers (have incomes that) fall under that lowest income tax bracket, and that's about 64 per cent of all tax filers,' she said. While the tax cuts come to the lowest bracket, those who earn the full amount of the first bracket and above stand to benefit the most in terms of dollar amount. Preetika Joshi, an accounting professor at McGill University, said that nevertheless the relative impact would be greater on those earning less, because their savings would represent a larger fraction of their overall income. 'So, even though the dollar amount (in savings) will be the same, how it would benefit the middle class versus high income, would vary,' Joshi said. Does a tax cut make sense? Joshi said both tax cut plans no doubt appealed to each party's taxpayer base — but questioned whether the parties needed to help higher-income Canadians, too. '(A tax cut) is a significant price if you're going to be helping every single Canadian who may or may not need the help,' Joshi cautioned. 'The real question comes down to the policy objective: Is this meant to help everybody?' Brian Lewis, a public policy economist at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, noted that the policies would not help very-low-income earners at all. In 2022, roughly 5.5 million Canadian income tax filers reported incomes of $15,000 or less, close to the BPA for that year ($14,398). They would have paid little or no tax, and thus would see no direct benefit from the tax cut. How tax cut promises stack up to Canada's soaring cost of living Four ways the next federal government can cut spending Political bribes are all cost and little, if any, benefit He suggested enhancing other existing credits, such as the Canada Workers Benefit or the GST/HST credit as an alternative way of supporting low income earners, if desired. Young also sounded a cautious note on the costs, noting that while Canada isn't in a full-blown trade war just yet, it will need the 'fiscal firepower' to offer targeted supports to protect the economy in the future as well. 'As we see these commitments rolling out, we will be watching very carefully to see what the net cost is, how will they be funded — or will they lead to larger deficits?' Young said. 'It's a legitimate question, because, especially with this uncertainty on the horizon, it may mean we are forced as a country to spend (more).' • Email: slouis@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Telegraph
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
I'm the victim of a witch hunt – and I'm innocent
Let me be abundantly clear on one thing to begin – there is no credible evidence against me. None has been provided. Reform has removed me from the party before any investigation has started. These allegations aren't even directed at me – they have deliberately conflated the complaints to insinuate that I am guilty. I will not tolerate these falsehoods, and discussions have already taken place with my legal team. Is it a surprise that these allegations were made public the day after I made reasonable criticisms of Nigel Farage and the Reform leadership? It is a witch hunt, plain for all to see. I have been entirely frozen out of the Reform machine over the last few months, in a deliberate and calculated way. I have tried and tried to restore communication. I have failed, categorically. Despite repeated requests for regular meetings, policy debate and even just the most basic level of communication, I am ridiculed and insulted. There were five MPs – we could have fitted in a black cab. Getting together for a weekly meeting is not beyond the wit of man. Yes, I am not your usual politician. I am fortunate to be wealthy in my own right, and donate my entire net MP salary to local charities. I am not in this for money. I am in this to change the way our country is governed. Do I need to spend my weekends trudging around Great Yarmouth talking about bins? No. But I love it. Being Great Yarmouth's MP is the biggest honour of my professional life. I have been betrayed many times in my life, but never so ferociously by individuals I once called friends. Nobody even bothered to call me to ask me what really happened. If they did, I would have told them that the individual involved only raised issues after the disciplinary process had started, following a serious offence. Anybody involved in the running of a business will know how these complaints can be weaponised by bitter individuals. Parliamentary HR were involved at every step of the way, and were fully supportive of the steps taken. This is not about that. It is about me, and a complete inability for the Reform leadership to even accept the most mild constructive criticism. The allegations against me from the chairman relate to an incident in December, but he only reported them to the police the day after my reasonable questioning was published. Take from that what you will. I don't feel sorry for myself. I feel sorry for the millions of decent British men and women who put their faith in Reform. They deserve better than this vicious charade. Will members be pleased to know that their fees have been spent on hiring expensive lawyers to investigate their own MPs with zero credible evidence? Everything has been put at risk. Everything. The future of the Right in Britain is now in peril. How can Reform claim to be a party awaiting government when they can't even follow basic process? They even botched the release of their statement, failing to say I've been suspended. Then clarifying, then removing the whip. It's impressive incompetence. Reform has been rising in the polls for months. But this spectre of infighting will leave the party looking unserious and turn voters off. Infighting failed the Tories – and it's failing Reform. I want Reform to be professional, to be fair, to be serious. We must offer a credible alternative to the uniparty that has so failed so spectacularly. The leadership's behaviour this week has undermined that cause, not only in the eyes of the electorate, but also in those of serious individuals across business and industry that any party of government needs to win over. On multiple occasions, I have invited Nigel Farage for dinner over the last few months. Every single one has been refused or ignored. My one and only summons from Nigel to Reform HQ I was unable to be met at such short notice – no further invitation was extended after that. Again, I offer a public invitation to Nigel. Let's have dinner and resolve this in the matter that our members, supporters and country would expect. Any time, any place. Removing me from the party before any investigation has even started is a cowardly act that undermines our entire cause. Reform, and Britain, deserves better.
The Independent
08-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Parliamentary tours cancelled as man remains metres up Elizabeth Tower
Emergency services have been at the Palace of Westminster for more than four hours after a man scaled Elizabeth Tower holding a Palestine flag. Video footage shows a barefoot man stood on a ledge several metres up the tower, which houses Big Ben, in an apparent act of protest. Parliamentary tours on Saturday have been cancelled as a result of the incident, a Parliamentary spokesperson said. At least nine emergency service vehicles lined Bridge Street in central London and crowds looked on from beyond the police cordon. Pictures appear to show the man with blood coming from his foot. No further details about any injuries have been revealed, as negotiators were seen speaking to the man. A Parliamentary spokesperson said: 'We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate this morning, which is being handled by the Metropolitan Police, assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service. 'Parliament takes security extremely seriously, however we do not comment on the specifics of our security measures or mitigations. 'As a result of this incident, tours of the Parliamentary Estate today have unfortunately had to be cancelled.' The whole of Westminster Bridge was closed later in the morning as crews continued to deal with the incident. There is heavy traffic in the surrounding area due to road closures, and London bus routes 3, 11, 148, C10 and 159 are on diversion. It is understood one exit of Westminster Tube station is closed, but there is no disruption to Tube services and passengers can use other exits. A Met Police spokesperson said: 'At 7.24am on Saturday March 8 officers were alerted to a man climbing up the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament. 'Officers are at the scene working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion. They are being assisted by the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service.' At around 10am on Saturday, three emergency personnel were lifted several metres up on a fire brigade aerial ladder platform with one person using a megaphone to speak to the man on the ledge. Photographs show the man sat on the ledge with the flag and a keffiyeh wrapped around the decorative stonework on the tower. The man was still on the ledge when the platform was lowered at around 11.45am. A spokesman for London Fire Brigade (LFB) said: 'Firefighters are responding alongside the Metropolitan Police Service to reports of a person scaling the Palace of Westminster.' Crews from Lambeth, Chelsea, Soho and Islington fire stations have been deployed, LFB added. As the clock struck 2pm, a small team of negotiators were trying to talk the protester down from Big Ben. With his flag waving in the breeze, he was still clinging to his perch about 15 metres from the ground as the negotiators spoke to him from the top of a fire engine ladder. Shouts of 'Free Palestine' and 'You Are A Hero' could be heard from a small group of supporters who were pinned behind the police cordon at Victoria Embankment. Uniformed officers were guarding the taped cordon, which included the Houses of Parliament and Parliament Square.
