stage set for penultimate phase of lok sabha polls

The 17^th Lok Sabha general elections phase NO.6 will be held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 seats in Haryana, eights constituencies each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, seven seats in Delhi and four in Jharkhand. The fate of several Union ministers including Radha Mohan Singh, Harshvardhan and Maneka Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia will be decided on Sunday in the penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in 59 constituencies in six states and Delhi. Over 10.17 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to choose among the 979 candidates in fray. The Election Commission has set up over 1.13 lakh polling stations for smooth conduct of polls. Elections in this phase are seen as a big test for the BJP which had won 45 of these seats in 2014, with the Trinamool Congress bagging 8, the Congress two and the Samajwadi Party and the LJP one seat each among others. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had won 13 of the 14 constituencies in 2014, the only exception being Azamgarh, won then by SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.However, the BJP had to face defeat in the bypolls in Phulpur and Gorakhpur constituencies last year.

missiles like these will start the war north korea tests showcase growing capability

In a preliminary report on Wednesday, the North Korea tracking website 38 North said the new missile looks similar to Russia’s SS-26 Iskander missile, and could exploit gaps in South Korean and American missile defence coverage. In a row North Korea’s second missile test on Thursday signals it is serious about developing new, short-range weapons that could be used early and effectively in any war with South Korea and the United States, analysts studying images of the latest launches say. The U.S. and South Korean militaries evaluated the two projectiles North Korea flew Thursday as short-range missiles, a South Korean military official said Friday, a day after the North's second launch in five days raised jitters about an unravelling detente between the Koreas and the future of nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. Photos released by state media on Friday showed Thursday’s test involved the same weapon. The tests have increased tensions after the last U.S.-North Korea summit collapsed in February in Hanoi with no agreement over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme. Photos released by state media on Friday showed Thursday’s test involved the same weapon. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said late on Thursday the launches seemed like a protest over the failed summit, while North Korea has defended the tests as routine and self defensive. Some analysts say the multiple tests show the missiles aren’t only for political show.

Tokyo 2020: First wave of Olympic tickets up for grabs

Olympics bell starts ringing in tokyo today. The first tickets for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics went on sale on Thursday (May 9), with Japanese residents able to enter a lottery to watch the sport of their choice.Tickets for the 33 sports range from the cheapest general tickets at ¥2,500 (US$23) to an eye-watering ¥300,000 (US$2,730) for the best seats at the opening ceremony. Those lucky enough to score the best seats for the showcase men's 100m final will pay ¥130,000 (US$1,200). But half of all tickets will be priced at ¥8,000 (US$73) or less and special tickets priced at ¥2,020 (US$18) are available for families resident in Japan with children, senior citizens, and people with impairments.Prices for domestic residents are "about the same as London 2012 but a little higher than the 2016 Rio Games," Yuko Hayakawa, senior 2020 marketing official, told AFP. The lottery - only for residents of Japan during an initial period - runs until May 28, with successful applicants notified on Jun 20 and payment due a fortnight later.The website saw high demand upon opening with a queue system in place even though tickets are not sold on a first-come first-served basis and everyone entering the lottery by May 28 having an equal chance of scooping tickets.Overseas applicants will be able to snap up tickets from Jun 15 via special "Authorised Ticket Resellers" in each country. Organisers have not offered a precise number of tickets available as various stadium configurations are still being finalised with just less than 450 days to go until the opening ceremony. But they said it would be roughly the same as the 7.8 million tickets they estimated when bidding for the right to host the Games.Of these tickets, an estimated 70 per cent to 80 per cent would be allotted to Japanese residents with the rest going to overseas fans. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will run from Jul 24 to Aug 9.

kabul attack on aid group ends; four killed, dozens wounded

Taliban fighters attacked the offices of a U.S based aid organization in the Afghan capital on Wednesday. Setting off a huge explosion and battling security forces in an assault that lasted more than six hours and killed at least five people, the Interior Ministry told the press.Dozens of civilian vehicles and shops were either destroyed or damaged, and several buildings were also damaged. A large plume of smoke rose from the area and the sound of sporadic gunfire could be heard.The ministry’s statement said four civilians and a police officer were killed and 24 others were wounded in the assault. It was not immediately clear if any foreigners were killed or wounded.The ministry’s statement said the attack ended after all five insurgents were killed by Afghan forces. “Around 200 people were rescued from both buildings within the compound,” it said.Johan Bass, U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, strongly condemned the attack on the NGO. He said the targeted organization helps local communities, trains journalists and supports the Afghan people. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in a statement also condemned the insurgents for deliberately targeting a civilian aid organization. `Today’s attack was particularly deplorable, hitting civilians helping Afghans,` the statement said.