BENGALURU/NOIDA, India, April 26 (Reuters): India voted on Friday in the second phase of the world’s biggest election, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his rivals raise the pitch of the campaign by focusing on hot-button issues such as religious discrimination, affirmative action and taxes. Almost one billion people are eligible to vote in the seven-phase general elections that began on April 19 and concludes on June 1, with votes set to be counted on June 4. Modi is seeking a record-equalling third straight term on the back of his economic record, welfare measures, national pride, Hindu nationalism and personal

Delhi High Court on Wednesday said allegations of conspiring against the prime minister amount to treason and cannot be levelled irresponsibly without any cogent material. The court was hearing a lawsuit by BJD MP Pinaki Misra against lawyer Jai Anant Dehadrai over his allegedly defamatory tweets and statements, including that the lawmaker — along with expelled TMC MP Mahua Moitra — conspired against the prime minister. Justice Jasmeet Singh observed that while a politician cannot be ”sensitive”, Dehadrai should await the outcome of his complaint to the authorities and cannot be ”trigger happy”. Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha

A Delhi court on Wednesday granted time to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to file response to the replies filed by the ED on his two petitions seeking revision against an order on allegedly evading the agency’s summonses in the excise policy case. Kejriwal had approached the special court against an order passed by a magisterial court summoning him on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly evading the agency’s summonses in the case. Special Judge Rakesh Syal on Wednesday granted two weeks to Kejriwal to file rejoinder on the ED’s reply on the AAP convener’s appeals. The

BERLIN/MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters): Germany is waging a charm offensive inside the Republican Party. Japan is lining up its own Trump whisperer. Mexican government officials are talking to Camp Trump. And Australia is busy making laws to help Trump-proof its U.S. defense ties. Everywhere, U.S. allies are taking steps to defend or advance their interests in the event former President Donald Trump returns to power in November elections, an even chance based on recent opinion polls in swing states. They want to avoid the cold slap that Trump’s “America First” policies dealt them last time around, which included trade