Voters come out in large numbers during last phase

1.    Voters come out in large numbers during last phase

i. Brisk voting was recorded till noon on Monday in most of the 41 constituencies in three states during last phase of Lok Sabha polls in which the spotlight is on the high-profile contest in Varanasi where a controversy broke out over the Congress candidate sporting the party symbol.

ii. Over nine crore voters are expected to vote to seal the fate of 606 candidates, including BJP’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal (both Varanasi) and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav (Azamgarh) in the ninth phase of polling in the states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar.

iii. Voting was by and large peaceful except in West Bengal where 13 people were injured in a clash between CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress supporters in North 24 Parganas district.

2.    Government gets poll panel nod to appoint next army chief

i. The Election Commission on Monday gave a go-ahead to the defence ministry to initiate the process of appointing the next army chief, an issue that was caught in a controversy because of the BJP's protest.

ii. The ministry recommended Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag to be the next army chief. A recommendation was sent to the appointments committee of cabinet, sources said.

iii. In a communication sent to the defence ministry on Monday morning, the EC cited its March 27 order which makes it clear that appointments, promotions, tenders and procurements of defence forces are not covered under the model code of conduct in the ongoing elections as well as any other election in the future, sources said.

iv. The incumbent army chief Gen Bikram Singh will retire on July 31 and as per the tradition, the successor is to be appointed two months ahead of that.

3.    India cheapest major economy: Survey

i. Indian cities are the cheapest places for a movie and burger date, whereas London has been termed the most expensive city for a date. While Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai have been termed the cheapest places for a weekend holiday, Sydney is reportedly the most expensive, according to a new study.

ii. In its third edition of its annual survey of global prices, the agency has noted that as in previous years, Australia is overall the most expensive major economy, while the United States is generally the cheapest developed country. Brazil remains very expensive for a developing country.

iii. There are many cities in the world that are now more expensive than Tokyo. China remains very cheap in some categories like car rentals, but in many categories it is steadily converging on US prices. For a number of branded goods like Levi’s jeans, Adidas shoes and iPhones, the agency has found China to be more expensive than the United States.