Latest news with #Summary
Hans India
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
EC gives point-by-point rebuttal to Rahul's claims on Maharashtra poll percentage and electoral rolls
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday came out with a point-by-point rebuttal to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's 'baseless' and 'unwarranted' claims over Maharashtra Assembly elections and the alleged discrepancy in voters list. The EC's rebuttal comes a day after Rahul Gandhi, while being on foreign soil, stated that the poll body was compromised and cited an example of the Maharashtra elections to buttress his claims. He questioned the EC's 'reasoning' of 65 lakh votes being cast in the last two hours of polling and termed it 'physically impossible.' The EC on Tuesday shared facts and data pertaining to Maharashtra elections, to deflate and debunk Congress MP's claims. About 58 lakh voters polled per hour The EC informed that during the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, a total of 6,40,87,588 electors reached the polling station from 7 am to 6 pm and cast their votes. About 58 lakh votes were polled per hour, on average. Further, rejecting his claims of 65 lakh votes in the last two hours as an 'impossible task', it said, 'Going by these average trends, nearly 116 Lakh voters could have voted in last two hours. Therefore, casting of 65 lakhs votes by electors in two hours is much below the average hourly voting trends,' it said. INC candidates/agents didn't raise any alarm The EC further informed that the polling progressed in every polling booth, in front of the polling agents, formally appointed by candidates/political parties. 'Congress's nominated candidates or their authorised agents didn't raise any substantiated allegations with regards to any kind of abnormal voting at the time of scrutiny before the Returning Officer (RO) and the Election Observers on the next day,' it said. Electoral rolls as per established norms Dismissing Congress's charges on electoral rolls, the poll body said that the voters list in the country, including Maharashtra, was prepared as per the Representation of People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. 'As per law, either just before the elections and/or once every year, Special Summary Revision of the Electoral Rolls is conducted and a final copy of the Electoral Rolls is handed over to all the national/state political parties, including Indian National Congress (INC),' it added. Only 89 appeals against 9 crore voters The EC states that after finalisation of Electoral Rolls during Maharashtra elections, as against 9,77,90,752 electors, only a total of 89 appeals were filed before the 1st appellate authority (DM), and only 1 appeal was filed before the 2nd appellate authority (CEO). 'It therefore makes it clear that there was no grievance of the INC or any other political parties before the conduct of the Maharashtra Assembly Elections in 2024,' it said. EC officials explained that Congress ignored facts The Election Commission also said that it had brought out all these facts in its reply to the INC on December 24, 2024, which is available on ECI's website. It appears that all these facts are being completely ignored while raising such issues again and again. 'During the revision of Electoral Rolls, for 1,00,427 polling booths, along with 97,325 Booth Level Officers appointed by the EROs, 1,03,727 Booth Level Agents were also appointed by all political parties, including 27,099 by the INC. Therefore, these unsubstantiated allegations raised against the Electoral Rolls of Maharashtra are an affront to the rule of law,' the EC said in a statement. Besides refuting the charges, the poll body also slammed the Congress party for spreading misinformation and called it an affront and insult to the rule of law. 'Any misinformation being spread, by anyone, is not only a sign of disrespect towards law, but also brings disrepute to the thousands of representatives appointed by their own political party and demotivates lakhs of election staff who work untiringly and transparently during elections,' it said. Taking strong exception to Rahul's 'EC compromised' remarks, it said that such remarks are aimed at defaming the poll body, which is completely absurd.
Reuters
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Pentagon's Hegseth to visit Panama Canal after Trump threatens to take it back
Summary Hegseth is first U.S. defence secretary to visit in decades Panama wrestles with U.S. concerns about Chinese investment U.S. handed waterway to Panama in 1999 PANAMA CITY, April 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to get a close-up look at the Panama Canal on Tuesday, as he kicks off a rare visit to a Central American nation still unsettled by President Donald Trump's threats to take back the canal. Hegseth, the first U.S. defense secretary to visit in decades, arrives at a particularly delicate moment as Panama wrestles with deep U.S. concerns about Chinese commercial investments around the canal. He is also visiting following reports that the Trump administration has requested options from the U.S. military to ensure access to the canal, which the United States built more than a century ago and handed over to Panama in 1999. Given Trump's tough rhetoric about retaking the canal, the stakes are high for Hegseth's visit. Panama will be watching for signs of the direction he wants to take the U.S.-Panama security relationship, and for the canal itself, along which the United States once had a network of military bases. "On the whole, this hasn't been a winning issue for the United States in terms of public diplomacy in Panama," said Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Still, current and former U.S. officials and experts say the United States has found a willing partner in tackling Chinese influence in Panama's president, Jose Raul Mulino. In February, Mulino announced Panama's formal move to exit China's Belt and Road Initiative and he has aided Trump's crackdown on migrants. He has accepted deportation flights of non-Panamanians and worked to stem migration from South America by those crossing through his country's dangerous Darien jungle. Hegseth made no public remarks as he arrived in Panama late on Monday. But he has enthusiastically backed Trump's southern-focused security agenda, by means such as dispatching U.S. troops to the U.S. border with Mexico and offering military aircraft for deportation flights. Trump has falsely claimed that China is operating the canal and that Chinese soldiers are present. But experts acknowledge U.S. security concerns, particularly regarding espionage, with an expansive Chinese commercial presence in Panama that also includes plans by Chinese firms to build a bridge over the canal. Last month, Trump celebrated a deal led by U.S. firm BlackRock to buy most of the $22.8-billion ports business of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison, including its ports on either end of the Panama Canal. Trump said the purchase was an example of how the United States was "reclaiming" the canal. But China has criticized it, with the market regulator saying it will carry out an antitrust review of the deal. Current and former U.S. officials say the Panama Canal would be critical for the passage of U.S. warships during any future conflict in Asia, since Navy vessels would transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific to support the war effort. Even without blocking the canal, China could have an enormous advantage by being able to surveil vessels passing through it. Still, John Feeley, who was U.S. ambassador to Panama from 2015 to 2018, disputed the Trump administration's assertion that China's presence in Panama was a violation of the U.S.-Panama treaty. "What's not legitimate about the way Trump has gone about this is the bullying tactic that he's used, which is to claim that there has been a violation of the neutrality treaty. There hasn't been," Feeley said. Mulino has defended Panama's administration of the canal, saying it has been handled responsibly for world trade, including that of the United States, and that it "is, and will continue to be, Panamanian." More than 40% of U.S. container traffic, valued at roughly $270 billion a year, transits the Panama Canal, accounting for more than two-thirds of vessels passing each day through the world's second-busiest interoceanic waterway.
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Diesel disconnect highlights market angst, not market reality
Summary LONDON, March 20 - Diesel prices in the Atlantic basin have become increasingly disconnected from tightening supply and demand conditions, reflecting deepening concerns over the outlook for global economic activity. But when facts on the ground don't match prices, something has to give. The price of diesel, a refined fuel used in manufacturing, construction and heavy transport, is often seen as a gauge for industrial activity. And, currently, that gauge is pointing toward a bullish outlook. here. First, inventories remain tight in both the United States and Europe. U.S. diesel inventories dropped sharply last week to 115 million barrels and are 6% below their five-year average and 13% below the 10-year average, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Similarly, diesel stocks independently held in Europe's Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining hub have declined by 12% since the start of February. While they remain 6% above their five-year average, they are 8.5% below their 10-year average. At the same time, diesel imports into Europe have sharply slowed so far this year compared with 2024, according to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler. And supplies have tightened further due to a sharp drop in Russian diesel exports driven by refinery maintenance as well as recent attacks by Ukraine on Russian refineries and energy infrastructure. While supply has contracted, demand appears robust. In the United States, average four-week product supplied of distillates, a gauge for consumption of diesel and heating oil, reached 4 million barrels per day last week, up 8% from last year and near its five-year average, the EIA data showed. And in Europe, industrial production across the euro area recovered by 0.8% in January from the previous month, according to initial data, opens new tab from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. This will boost demand for diesel even before factoring in the potential spike in defence and infrastructure investment that could be coming down the pipe. DIESEL DISCONNECT Everything about this supply-demand picture points toward rising diesel prices, yet the profit margin refiners make from converting crude oil into diesel has fallen well below the seasonal levels seen in recent years. Benchmark U.S. diesel refining margins are currently around $25 a barrel, compared with their five-year average of $32 a barrel. A similar picture has emerged in Europe, where northwest European diesel refining margins are some 22% below their five-year average at $16.4 a barrel. It is usually impossible to identify any one driver of near-term price dynamics in a complex global energy market. But in this case, the key factor is very likely the uncertainty gripping global markets over the economic outlook amid rising trade tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic stop-start rollout of tariffs on goods from major trading partners including China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union in recent weeks has roiled many global markets. On top of this, the potential for a ceasefire in Ukraine has muddied forecasts in energy markets, as investors attempt to assess the likely impact of any deal on sanctions, European energy policy and geopolitical alliances. Reflecting this market angst, the Baker Bloom and Davis Index, opens new tab of Trade Policy Uncertainty jumped this year to its highest point since its launch 40 years ago. The diesel price disconnect suggests that this negative sentiment – the deep uncertainty concerning the direction of global trade and manufacturing – is trumping the reality of tight supply-demand dynamics in the physical market. While the weakening diesel price may ultimately end up being an accurate signal – if the feared contraction in global economic activity materializes – investors may be getting ahead of themselves. The fundamental supply and demand picture in the diesel market continues to point toward higher refining margins, so if the facts on the ground do not change soon, prices likely will have to.
Reuters
20-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
EU does hasty reset of definition of defence spending
Summary New definition needed as spending caps eased 'Defence-relevant' items will qualify But some countries want broader scope BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) - When do state investments in arms factories, or the wages of tank crews and pilots not count as defence spending? Answer: When the EU rules say they don't. Until a few days ago that was the case, with the bloc sticking to a narrow definition of spending on defence hardware. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. On Thursday, EU leaders will study ways to mobilise hundreds of billions of euros to boost the military readiness of the bloc, which has hastily redefined what it classifies as defence spending. The revamp, needed because of Russia's threats to its eastern flank and concern over the U.S.' commitment to European security, means the region's 27 national governments will get a four-year reprieve from EU deficit caps that will allow them to spend more on defence. But while that spending - worth around 1.5% of Europe's total economy each year - will start to make up for decades of underinvestment in security, it can only be given the green light if everybody agrees on what defence spending actually means. Before a rule change agreed by finance chiefs last week, the building of an ammunition plant was classified as construction rather than defence - something Poland discovered when it pressed ahead with a new 5 billion zloty ($1.3 billion) factory. Until now, the defence category was quite narrow, allowing EU governments to apply it only to already-delivered hardware - tanks, planes, guns - while excluding the costs of training, hiring and paying new tank crews, pilots and mechanics. That will change as the EU broadens the category to include most things that are relevant to defence, including so-called "dual-use" goods that can be used by both the military and civilians. These include stronger roads and bridges to support the passage of tanks, or the production of drones, helicopters, satellites, radars and underground shelters. BORDERS? The wider definition is more aligned with what NATO classifies as defence spending as part of a longstanding target for such expenditure to reach 2% of GDP. But it still leaves a lot of room for interpretation by national capitals. "The debate went already very broad and now, of course, what you're seeing is specific member states coming with their own specific ideas on what else should be considered as defence," one senior EU official said. While Italy shares no borders with Russia, its arch-conservative government wants the wider definition to include what it spends on dealing with migrants coming from Northern Africa - a request that will not fly, EU officials said. EU officials say border protection can be defined as "defence" only if it is refers to part of a military installation built to prevent an invasion, rather than normal border guard spending on patrolling the sea to catch boats carrying migrants. Spain meanwhile has asked for climate change projects to be included in the defence category, an idea the Commission dismissed in the same way as it did migration-control spending. While cyber security in general would not make the defence list, EU officials said, computers bought by the military to prevent cyber attacks would qualify. "The idea is that it has to be of defence relevance," a second senior EU official said. ($1 = 3.8519 zlotys)
Reuters
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
UK's Starmer tries to revive hope for Ukraine peace at summit
Summary LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will try to revive hope for peace in Ukraine at a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other Western leaders on Sunday, two days after the Ukrainian leader and U.S. President Donald Trump clashed in Washington. After a heated row with Trump, who threatened to stop support for Ukraine after accusing Zelenskiy of being ungrateful for U.S. aid, the Ukrainian leader flew to London on Saturday to be greeted on Downing Street with a long, warm hug from Starmer. Zelenskiy will receive a pledge of support from Starmer and other European leaders, who face the stark question of whether they can take over the lead in providing Kyiv with weapons and finance before any peace talks begin. Lacking the weaponry and depth of ammunition stocks of the United States, European leaders have so far offered expressions of support after the Zelenskiy row, with Germany calling for the release of 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) for Ukraine. On Sunday, Starmer will hope they will offer more concrete means to support Ukraine and try to revive a possible peace deal with Russia by convincing Trump Europe can step up to defend itself. Some leaders might also encourage Zelenskiy to go back into talks with the U.S. leader. "Three years on from Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine, we are at a turning point," Starmer said in a statement, offering his "unwavering support for Ukraine" by doubling down on providing capacity, training and aid to Kyiv. "In partnership with our allies, we must intensify our preparations for the European element of security guarantees alongside continued discussions with the United States." At a meeting that has taken on added significance, Starmer will start Sunday by holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after welcoming Zelenskiy on Saturday with a clear message of support for a visibly shaken leader. They will then be joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, the EU's Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and leaders from Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Canada, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Romania. Turkey's foreign minister will also attend. BAD END TO GOOD WEEK Zelenskiy's row with Trump on Friday ended a week when Europe had appeared to be in a better position in its drive to encourage Trump to continue to offer support to Ukraine after cordial visits to Washington by Macron and Starmer. Both had pressed the U.S. leader to offer what is known as "a backstop" to a potential European peacekeeping force in the event of a deal between Kyiv and Moscow. While they had failed to secure a promise from Trump, he had not totally rejected the idea. But the rest of Europe is a long way from falling in behind the French and British leaders' plans to safeguard a peace deal, and Starmer will hope to take on a leadership role by suggesting Britain become a bridge between Europe and the United States. Sunday's meeting is a boost for Starmer, whose team felt his meeting with Trump last week had gone better than expected with Trump praising the British leader and even suggesting Ukraine could regain some lost territory in peace talks. Friday's disastrous meeting poisoned that mood, and Sunday's summit and an extraordinary EU one in Brussels next week will prove crucial to establishing whether European leaders can offer Ukraine something concrete and repair the damage done. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also called for an emergency summit involving the United States, European nations and allies to discuss how "to deal with the great challenges of today, starting with Ukraine". On Sunday, European leaders are expected again to press for peace talks to include Ukraine, to strengthen Kyiv's position and to secure the necessary security guarantees to ensure a long-lasting peace and to deter any future Russian attack. That would mean persuading Washington to offer a back stop, possibly in the form of air cover, intelligence and surveillance and a greater as yet unspecified threat if Putin again sought to take more territory. Starmer will update other leaders on his meeting with Trump, when the U.S. president praised his efforts to increase defence spending and offer to deploy peacekeeping troops. For now, Starmer wants to lower the temperature after the row in Trump's Oval Office. Some leaders will also urge Zelenskiy to try to rebuild bridges with Trump. NATO's Rutte and Polish President Andrzej Duda have urged the Ukrainian leader to find a way to restore the relationship. Nils Schmid, foreign policy spokesperson for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats, told Reuters on Saturday that Europe needed to maintain its contacts with Trump. "Generally speaking, we don't know where Trump will stand on all these issues in three or six months' time," he said.
