Mega Newspaper

Afternoon summary Ukip has sought to cast itself, after the Manchester Arena attack, as the party taking strong action against Islamic terrorism, using its manifesto launch to outline policies on security and immigration. Amber Rudd, the home secretary, has rejected a claim by Ukip’s deputy chairman that Theresa May must bear “some responsibility” for the Manchester Arena attack.  (See  2.10pm.) The Conservatives have raised more than £1.6m during the second week of the general election campaign, more than doubling the combined donations to all the other political parties over the same period, figures show. A surge in the number of Polish people and other European citizens leaving the UK since the Brexit vote means there has been an 84,000 drop in the UK net migration figure, to 248,000, the lowest level for nearly three years.   The  Institute of Directors  said the figures should be a “big worry” for employers. Seamus Nevin, the IoD’s head of em...

The  Conservatives  have raised more than £1.6m during the second week of the general election campaign, more than doubling the combined donations to all the other political parties over the same period, figures show. Donors to Theresa May’s party include a firm controlled by the founders of  Betfred , the bookmakers, and  Doug Ellis , the former chairman of Aston Villa football club. Details are contained within the latest release of Electoral Commission data unveiling the major donors to each political party in the week leading up to 16 May. Who should I vote for? The UK election manifestos compared Read more They show that  Labour  raised just under £383,000 while the Liberal Democrats brought in £160,000. Ukip’s donations have slowed down, with the party being given just £35,000. The Women’s Equality party and the Green party raised less than £19,000 each. Figures released on Tuesday  showed the Tories received £5.46m...

WASHINGTON — A Supreme Court that prides itself on trying to remain above politics will be forced to rule soon on what one justice calls the "always unsavory" process of drawing election districts for partisan gain. A case headed its way from Wisconsin, along with others from Maryland and North Carolina, will present the court with a fundamental question about political power: How far can lawmakers go in choosing their voters, rather than the other way around? Should the court set a standard — something it has declined to do for decades — it could jeopardize about one-third of the maps drawn for Congress and state legislatures. That could lead to new district lines before or after the 2020 Census, which in turn could affect election results and legislative agendas. “If the court makes a broad, sweeping decision … this could have a massive impact on how maps are drawn,” says Jason Torchinsky, a lawyer for the Republican National Committee. “I...

Last week, India's Tamil cinema superstar, Rajinikanth, again made noises about joining politics. Speaking  to his fans , the 66-year-old actor told them to be "ready for war" at the right time to take on the "corrupt" political system and a "rotten" democracy. "If God wills, I will enter politics tomorrow. If I do, I will be truthful and will not entertain the corrupt people," he said. "I'd like to tell those who want me to enter politics for their personal benefit, don't be disappointed if I don't enter politics. At the same time, just in case if it happens, I will not even let such people near me." The political uncertainty in the southern state of Tamil Nadu has given new meaning to Rajinikanth's remarks and has led to heated televised debates. The state plunged into crisis after the death of chief minister J Jayalalitha in December. It eventually  led to a split  in her ruling AIADMK party. The oppo...

The United States stock market  shuddered last week  on a report that President Trump  had tried to stop  an F.B.I. investigation of his former national security adviser, with the Dow Jones industrials falling 373 points in one day and drawing comparisons to the Watergate-era bear market. If you think politics is roiling United States markets, consider Brazil: The day after the Trump-induced turmoil on United States exchanges, the Brazilian market fell 10 percent and trading had to be halted after  news of a bribery scandal  engulfed its relatively new president, Michel Temer. In France, investors were relieved that the centrist Emmanuel Macron  decisively defeated  the far-right National Front leader, Marine Le Pen. An upset Le Pen victory would very likely have made the market reaction to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union last summer look tame. The so-called  Brexit vote  sent European stocks down 7 percent the da...

"Body slam" of reporter is another sign of America's broken politics If you thought our politics couldn't get any worse, just look at what happened on the eve of today's special congressional election in Montana. "A Montana sheriff has issued a citation for misdemeanor assault against Republican U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte after a newspaper reporter said the politician 'body slammed' him, an account that was backed up by witnesses," per  NBC News . Before Gianforte was cited for misdemeanor assault, his campaign blamed the reporter, Ben Jacobs of the Guardian, for the incident. "[A]s Greg was giving a separate interview in a private office, The Guardian's Ben Jacobs entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions… It's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ." An...