Page 4 - Democracy

Tibetans call on India, other nations to press Beijing over Panchen Lama

The Tibetan government-in-exile on Thursday called on India and other democratic nations to press Beijing to divulge the whereabouts of Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and allow an independent fact-finding commission to examine his disappearance in China nearly 29 years ago. The demand was made at a grand event held in this Himachal Pradesh town commemorating the 35th birth anniversary of Choekyi Nyima who disappeared just three days after the Dalai Lama declared the then six-year to be the reincarnated Panchen Lama. A joint statement issued by leading Tibetan leaders called on foreign governments and the UN to direct their ambassadors in China to meet with the 11th Panchen Lama and ascertain his whereabouts and wellbeing. The Panchen Lama is the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism. "Our most pressing concern is whether the Panchen Rinpoche is still alive or not," said Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong or political head of Tibet's government-in-exile, in presence of hundred

Lok Sabha polls: Can India hold elections when it is too hot to vote?

The world's largest democracy is only going to struggle more with this as the planet warms. It will have to overhaul its hulking electoral machinery to keep up.

S Korea elections: Voters to decide President Yoon Suk Yeol's fate

The record-high turnout for early voting has garnered the attention to whether the final turnout would exceed 70%

PM Narendra Modi tore apart country's dignity, hurt democracy: Sonia Gandhi

Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of tearing apart the country's dignity and democracy and claimed that various tactics were being used to force opposition leaders to join the BJP. Addressing an election event of the party here, the former Congress chief claimed that for the last 10 years, the country has been in the hands of a government that left no stone unturned to promote unemployment, inflation, economic crisis and inequality. "Today our country's democracy is in danger. Democratic institutions are being destroyed and a conspiracy is being hatched to change our Constitution," she alleged, adding, "This is a dictatorship and we all will give a reply to this." "Considering himself great, Modi ji is tearing apart the dignity of the country and its democracy," Sonia Gandhi said. Addressing the event earlier, the party's national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra referred to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former ..

China may misuse AI to target polls in countries like India, US: Microsoft

China is likely to deploy Artificial Intelligence-generated content via social media to sway public opinion to boost its geopolitical interests during elections in countries like India, South Korea and the US, tech giant Microsoft has warned. Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats in India will take place between April 19 and June 4, spread across seven phases. South Koreans will go to the polls in a general election on April 10 while the US will hold the Presidential election on November 5. "With major elections taking place around the world this year, particularly in India, South Korea and the United States, we assess that China will, at a minimum, create and amplify AI-generated content to benefit its interests," Clint Watts, General Manager, Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, said in a blog post. Despite the chances of such content in affecting election results remaining low, China's increasing experimentation in augmenting memes, videos, and audio will likely continue and may prove m

Poor standard of living makes democracy difficult to maintain: Martin Wolf at BS Manthan

Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, London spoke in great depth regarding the factors that can influence the rise and decline of democracy in countries.

Not 'save democracy' but 'save family', hide corruption: BJP on Oppn rally

The BJP on Sunday slammed the opposition INDIA bloc's rally at Ramlila ground here, saying it is not a "save democracy" meeting as projected but a "save family" and "hide corruption" rally. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi cited corruption cases of a host of leaders, including those from the Congress, DMK and the RJD, to assert that all these charges date back to pre-2014 period amid the opposition's accusation that the Modi government is implicating them in graft probes due to its political vendetta. Ramlila ground once hosted "India against corruption" movement under the leadership of Anna Hazare, Trivedi said, adding that it is hosting on Sunday a rally for "everybody with corruption". People who trashed many leaders as thieves and crooks have joined hands with them, and it is a strange and startling sight, he said, in an apparent reference to the coming together of the Aam Aadmi Party with other opposition parties. Their leader is now Lalu Prasad Yadav, a convict in several .

Senegal's Constitutional Council confirms Bassirou Diomaye Faye as Prez

The announcement, made on Friday, sets the stage for Faye's inauguration, slated for April 2nd

China can be a democracy, says former Australian PM Scott Morrison

Morrison, who led Australia from 2018 to 2022, said the Chinese people care just as much about freedom as we do but sadly in mainland China they don't have the opportunity for it

Oppn figure who became Senegal's prez-elect won over 54% vote, results show

Senegal's little-known opposition figure who was elected president this week in a tightly contested race won over 54 per cent of the votes, according to results released on Wednesday. The presidential election on Sunday marked a stunning victory for 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was freed from prison less than two weeks ago and is now due to be the youngest leader of the West African nation. The government-backed candidate, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, conceded to Faye on Monday. President Macky Sall, who had backed Ba, also declared Faye the winner. At a news conference in Dakar, the court of appeals announced Wednesday that Faye won 54.28 per cent of the vote. Ba garnered 35.47 per cent of the votes cast. The results are preliminary -- after all the votes have been counted -- but are expected to be confirmed on Friday. Faye's release from prison followed a political amnesty granted just in time for the balloting. He was little known until popular opposition leader .

Poor standard of living makes democracy difficult to maintain: Martin Wolf

Business Standard Manthan: Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times spoke on birth, rise and factors that may lead to the decline of democratic capitalism

AAP launches social media campaign for 'saving' Constitution, democracy

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday launched a social media campaign asking people to support it for saving the constitution and democracy in the country. Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Atishi addressed a press conference here to launch the social media "DP (display picture) campaign", urging people to join in. She said that all AAP leaders and volunteers will change their profile picture on X, Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media accounts with the new one showing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal behind the bars captioned "Modi Ka Sabse Bada Dar Kejriwal". Kejriwal is the only leader in the country who can challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi so he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate without any evidence just after the announcement of Lok Sabha polls, Atishi said. She claimed the ED could not produce even "one Paisa" of evidence despite its two-year-long probe into the alleged excise scam . She alleged that the BJP and Modi want to crush Kejriwal and add

INDIA bloc to hold maha rally on March 31 to safeguard democracy: Gopal Rai

The opposition INDIA bloc will hold a "maha rally" at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on March 31 to "safeguard the country's interests and democracy", AAP leader Gopal Rai said on Sunday. The announcement comes after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (55) was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday from his official residence in connection with an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. A court on Friday sent the AAP national convenor to the central agency's custody till March 28. Addressing a press conference, INDIA bloc allies AAP and Congress announced the rally. "We will hold a 'maha rally' at Ramlila Maidan on March 31 against what is happening in the country. The top leadership of the INDIA bloc will participate in the event," Rai, the AAP's Delhi convenor, said. "Democracy and the country are in danger. All the INDIA-bloc parties will hold this 'maha rally' to safeguard the country's interests and democracy," Rai added. Arvinder Singh Lovely, the Congress' D

Prez Putin wins Russia election in landslide with no serious competition

Russian President Vladimir Putin basked in a victory early Monday that was never in doubt, as partial election results showed him easily securing a fifth term after facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices. With little margin for protest, Russians crowded outside polling stations at noon Sunday, on the last day of the election, apparently heeding an opposition call to express their displeasure with Putin. Still, the impending landslide underlined that Russian leader would accept nothing less than full control of the country's political system as he extends his nearly quarter-century rule for six more years. Putin hailed the early results as an indication of "trust" and "hope" in him while critics saw them as another reflection of the preordained nature of the election. "Of course, we have lots of tasks ahead. But I want to make it clear for everyone: When we were consolidated, no one has ever managed to frighten us, to suppress our will and our ...

Why is South Korea hosting a 'Summit for Democracy', all you need to know

This year's summit agenda focused on digital threats to democracy, including misinformation, artificial intelligence, and deep fakes

Why populism prospers

Today's populist leaders, unlike the strong authoritarians of history, maintain political durability by keeping the masses in a state of consensual mediocrity and low self-esteem

Protests dethroned Nepal's king 16 yrs ago. Now, protestors want him back

Sixteen years ago, mass protests in Nepal forced then-King Gyanendra Shah to give up the throne and clear the way for a republic. Now, a new wave of protest is trying to bring him back. The capital of the Himalayan country is again teeming with demonstrators, this time demanding that Shah be reinstated as king and Hinduism brought back as a state religion. Royalist groups accuse the country's major political parties of corruption and failed governance and say people are frustrated with politicians. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want a monarchy, the crowd chanted at a rally last month in Kathmandu. Growing frustration with the present system has led to calls for radical change. Pro-monarchy rallies have been growing larger, and an increasing number of homes and businesses are displaying portraits of the ex-king and his ancestors. Gyanendra was a constitutional head of state without executive or political powers until 2005, when he seized absolute .

Biden slams Trump over Russia, democracy in fiery 'State of Union' address

Opinion polls show Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, closely matched in the race. Most American voters are unenthusiastic about the rematch after Biden defeated Trump four years ago

Hong Kong court affirms sedition conviction for pro-democracy activist

Criticizing laws or chanting anti-government slogans can be enough to jail someone for sedition in Hong Kong, an appeal court ruled Thursday in a landmark case brought under a colonial-era law increasingly used to crush dissent. Hong Kong's Court of Appeal upheld a 40-month sentence for pro-democracy activist Tam Tak-chi, the first person tried under the city's sedition law since Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Tam's lawyers had argued that his conviction should be overturned because the prosecution did not show he meant to incite violence. The prosecution is widely seen as part of Beijing's clampdown on dissent in the former British colony, following widespread anti-government protests in 2019. Tam was convicted on 11 charges in 2022, including seven counts of uttering seditious words." A judge at the lower court took issue with him chanting the popular protest slogan Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times words the government says imply separatism and criticisin

India, Japan global partners in world headed towards re-globalisation: EAM

India and Japan are natural partners in a world headed towards "re-globalisation", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday, asserting that the two nations also share basic affinities, being democracies and market economies. Jaishankar is in Tokyo for the second leg of his four-day visit to South Korea and Japan. Addressing the first Raisina Roundtable here, the minister said, "The world is heading for re-globalisation with the building of resilient and reliable supply chains and trusted and transparent digital transactions." The minister said the "top 20 or 30 nations today are not what they were two decades ago. Even less so. What they were four or eight decades ago." "Not only are the countries that impact us different but so are relative weight, importance and capability. As a result, new balances are being sought and occasionally achieved," he said. Jaishankar asserted that India and Japan are natural partners in the re-globalisation of the world as democracies