Passage 1
The national convention of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella organisation of more than 500 farmers’ outfits, will be held on January 16 in Jalandhar. The meeting will discuss alternative agriculture and industrial policies ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The farmers’ leaders will also chart strategies to defeat the BJP in the polls.
The SKM said in a release that around 1000 delegates of the constituent organisations from across the country will participate in the convention. “The Convention is to expose the pro-corporate economic policies of the BJP-led Narendra Modi Government, detrimental to farmers and workers and people at large, causing large scale unemployment, price rise, poverty, indebtedness, and unbridled rural migration,” a statement said here on Friday.
The meeting will also discuss the development narrative of the Centre based on GDP rate and the claims of the country becoming a three trillion-dollar economy. The SKM said such claims hide the decline in the per capita income, growing income inequality and denial of minimum support price to farmers and minimum wage to workers.
Source – https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/farmers-convention-to-chart-action-plan-against-bjp/article67735800.ece
Passage 2
Millions of Taiwanese voted on January 13 for a new President in the face of threats from China that choosing the wrong leader could set the stage for war on the self-ruled island.
Beijing slammed frontrunner Lai Ching-te, the current vice president, as a dangerous “separatist” in the days leading up to the poll, and on the eve of the vote, its Defence Ministry vowed to “crush” any move towards Taiwanese independence.
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Communist China claims self-ruled Taiwan, separated from the mainland by a 180-kilometre (110-mile) strait, as its own and says it will not rule out using force to bring about “unification”, even if conflict does not appear imminent.
Voting began at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) at nearly 18,000 polling stations across the island, with almost 20 million people eligible to cast ballots.
Source- https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/taiwan-voting-elections-president-result-january-13-2024/article67737022.ece
