Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sworn in for second term amid crackdown on critics
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn in for a second term as Egyptian president amid a crackdown on his opponents, after a landslide victory in a March election in which all serious opponents had withdrawn.
Key points:
Mr Sisi has overseen a crackdown on political opponents, struggled to revive the economy
According to his supporters, his harsh measures were needed to protect the state
In March, Mr Sisi won 97 per cent of the vote after all serious contenders had withdrawn
Pedro Sánchez sworn in as Spain’s prime minister after no-confidence vote
Pedro Sánchez was sworn in as Spain’s new prime minister on Saturday, a day after the socialist leader overthrew his conservative predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a historic vote of no confidence provoked by anger over corruption in Rajoy’s party.
Sánchez, whose PSOE party relied on support from the anti-austerity Podemos party as well as Basque and Catalan nationalists to depose Rajoy, will have to govern with just 84 MPs in Spain’s 350-seat parliament.
The 46-year-old former economics professor has promised to address the “pressing social needs” of citizens in the country still plagued by high unemployment and the effects of the financial crisis, but he faces an uphill battle. Analysts warn that parliamentary consensus will be in short supply, making significant social reforms hard to achieve.
Whistleblower in ICICI-Videocon case levels new allegations against Kochhar in letter to prime minister
Arvind Gupta, the shareholder activist who raised serious concerns about questionable deals between Videocon Group and NuPower Renewables Ltd, a company owned by Deepak Kochhar, husband of ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar, has levelled fresh allegations against the husband-wife duo.
In a letter dated 11 May, 2018, dispatched to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several regulators and ministries, Gupta has said NuPower received round-tripped investments of Rs 453 crore from Essar Group, routed through an organistion called Matix Group and its holding entity Firstland Holdings Limited, both based in Mauritius. These firms are owned by Nishant Kanodia, husband of Smiti Ruia, who is the daughter of Essar Group vice-chairman Ravi Ruia.
India's Childhood Index Ranking Goes Up To 113, But Is Still Far Behind Countries Like China (
While 113 might seem like a very poor ranking for India in comparison to other countries in the Childhood Index Ranking, it is still an improved from the 116th place it stood at last year.
India finds space at 113 in Save the Children’s "End of Childhood Index 2018” which ranked 175 countries this year against indicators to determine the quality of childhood children have access to.
Ranked at 116 last year, the improvement in India’s overall score by 14 points from 754 to 768 on a scale of 1000, is being attributed to reduced rate of child marriage.
The Index this year ranked 175 countries with regards to where childhood is threatened as a result of poor health, malnutrition, exclusion from education, child labour, child marriage, early pregnancy and extreme violence.
FIFA lifts suspension of Guatemalan Football Association
IFA has today lifted the suspension that was imposed on the Guatemalan Football Association (FEDEFUT).
The decision follows a letter sent to FIFA on 30 May 2018 by the Chairman of the FEDEFUT Normalisation Committee, Juan Carlos Ríos, in which he confirms that the said committee, which was appointed by the Bureau of the Council on 18 May 2018, is fully operational.
An International Steering Committee composed of the following members will be responsible for overseeing and monitoring the implementation of the FEDEFUT Normalisation Committee’s mandate:
Pedro Chaluja, President of the Panamanian Football Association (FEPAFUT) and FIFA Council member
Luis Hernández, President of the Cuban Football Association and FIFA Council member
Decio de María, President of the Mexican Football Association
If any of the decisions taken by the Bureau of the Council are contravened, FEDEFUT will be automatically suspended once again.
Giuseppe Conte Sworn In As Italian Prime Minister
ROME: Giuseppe Conte was sworn in on Friday as Italy's prime minister, heading western Europe's first anti-establishment government bent on overhauling European Union rules on budgets and immigration.
Conte, a little-known 53-year-old law professor, is backed by the 5-Star Movement which grew out of a grassroots protest network, and the right-wing League who have issued a budget-busting agenda of sweeping tax cuts and higher welfare spending.
The government was formed after three months of political deadlock following inconclusive March 4 elections, with the pre-election rivals striking a last-minute deal on Thursday to avert a fresh vote in high summer amid growing market turmoil.
Widespread voter disenchantment has seen anti-establishment parties upset mainstream politics across the continent, including Germany and France, but it is the first time they will run the government of a major western European country.
Italy reaches a deal on a new government, ending a crisis that rattled global markets
ROME — Italy appeared Thursday to step back from the brink of a continent-rattling political crisis , with officials agreeing to a deal that averts the threat of fresh elections and puts two populist parties in charge of the euro zone’s third-largest economy.
The agreement was the latest twist in a topsy-turvy week for Italian politics, one that on Tuesday had sent global markets tumbling amid jitters that the country was careening toward a new vote and a possible euro exit. Investors feared an even greater populist surge if a fresh election were held.
But negotiations Wednesday and Thursday yielded an unexpected breakthrough, culminating in a presidential announcement late Thursday night that the country’s new government will be sworn in Friday.
Patanjali withdraws its messaging app ‘Kimbho’, will be launched later
While the world is crazy about the messaging app Whatsapp, Yoga guru Ramdev decided to give it a competition with its Swadeshi app called Kimbho. On Wednesday, Baba Ramdev launched a new messaging application called Kimbho under his flagship company Patanjali. However, a fresh update says that Patanjali has withdrawn its Messaging App saying "Technical Work In Progress". The company said it was just a "one-day trial", Ramdev's Patanjali said messaging app Kimbho will be officially launched soon.
Yesterday, Patanjali's spokesperson SK Tijarawala tweeted, "Now Bharat will speak. After launching sim cards, Baba Ramdev has launched a new messaging application called Kimbho. Now Whats App will be given a competition. Our own #SwadeshiMessagingplatform. Download it directly from Google Play store." Kimbho application is touted to be a competitor of the messaging app WhatsApp. The tagline of Kimbho is kept as "Ab Bharat Bolega".
Mariano Rajoy: Spanish PM forced out of office
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has been forced out of office by a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez, who filed the motion after Mr Rajoy's party was implicated in a corruption scandal, will become prime minister.
"We're going to sign a new page in the history of democracy in our country," Mr Sánchez said ahead of Friday's vote.
Mr Rajoy is the first prime minister in modern Spanish history to be defeated in a no-confidence motion.
The leader of the conservative People's Party has been prime minister since 2011.
Government Launches Online Tool To Monitor Foreign Contributions
New Delhi: The Centre on Friday launched a web-based analytical tool to closely monitor the flow and utilisation of foreign contributions received by different organisations registered or permitted under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
"The tool enables decision-makers in various government departments/Ministries to scrutinise the sources of foreign funds and their actual use in India. It gives them the capacity to take data-driven and evidence-based decisions regarding compliance with the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010," Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said while launching the tool.