NEW DELHI: A Pew survey published weeks ahead of general elections showed that most Indians are happy with the direction of the country and economic prospects. However, the level of satisfaction has declined over time, the report said.

More than three-quarters of those polled said lack of employment opportunities is India’s biggest problem. The survey found out that the problem had not changed through most of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure.

The survey said concerns about terrorism and Pakistan loomed large.

Likewise, three-quarters of Indian citizens consider Pakistan a threat while 59 percent said terrorism had become worse.

54 percent people expressed satisfaction with the way democracy is working in the country, the survey found.

A total of 2,521 people were approached for their views in the survey run from May 23 to July 23, 2018. (Agencies)

PARIS: At a time when the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing is strolling following crisis involving it jetliner 737 MAX, its European rival Airbus has said it has strike a deal with China to sell 300 passenger jets, international media reported.

The agreement to that end was reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to France, CNN reported. China is major market for airline manufacturers and Boeing and Airbus face tough competition.

The order covers 290 planes from the A320 family and 10 from the A350 line, the statement said, adding the deal was a sign of strong demand from all areas of China’s rapidly expanding aviation market, including “domestic, low cost, regional and international long haul”.

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon chief said the Department of Defense shifted US$1 billion to build a 57-mile section of “pedestrian fencing”, lighting and road along United States and Mexico border.

The Pentagon, last week, gave Congress a list, which included $12.8 billion of construction projects for the construction along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in a bid to provide funding to build a border wall without congressional approval. (Agencies)

BEIRA, Mozambique: Cyclone Idai and its aftermath affected around 1.85 million people in Mozambique alone, U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA said.

Aid workers have raced to fathom the scale of the disaster, local media reports said.

OCHA coordinator Sebastian Rhodes Stampa said several will be in critical, life threatening situations.

Cyclone Idai destroyed houses provoking widespread flooding near the Mozambique port city of Beira on March 14. The cyclone then ripped through Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Around 686 people have been killed by the storm and its aftermath in three countries. (Agencies)

BANGKOK: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former prime minister, has alleged that Sunday’s election was plagued with “irregularities”.

Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile, said the inconsistencies in the elections “worried” him, according to BBC.

Early poll results showed the pro-military Palang Pracha Rath Party (PPRP) gaining a larger share of the vote.

The country’s Election Commission said the official results will be released in May. (Agencies)

PARIS: A group representing Muslims in France said it was suing Facebook and YouTube. The group has accused the social media platforms of inciting violence by allowing the streaming of footage of the Christchurch massacre.

The group, French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said the social media companies disseminated materials that encouraged terrorism. The group also alleged that the disseminated materials on Facebook and YouTube harmed the dignity of human beings.

It should be noted that the March 15 shooting at two mosques in New Zealand killing 50 people was live-streamed on Facebook, and then copied and shared on social media sites.

Later Facebook, however, said it removed hundreds of thousands of such copies. (Agencies)

WASHINGTON: Chandrayaan 2, India’s second moon mission scheduled to be launched in April, would be carrying a NASA science probe, media reports said.

The Chandrayaan 2 will carry NASA-owned laser retro-reflector arrays, which allows scientists to make precise measurements of the distance to the Moon, according to the US space agency officials.

Science instruments will also be flying to the Moon aboard the Israeli lander Beresheet, due to touch down April 11, Besides Chandrayaan 2, reports said.

BANGKOK: In what came as a surprise to many, Thailand’s opposition Pheu Thai party won 138 seats in the House of Representatives.

However, the winners of 150 of the lower house seats are still unclear, Thailand’s Election Commission said after the country’s first vote since a 2014 coup.

The overall winner of yesterday’s polls may not emerge for weeks. The Election Commission said it will announce the official results on May 9.

Pheu Thai is allied with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He was overthrown in a 2006 coup. (Agencies)

NEW DELHI: India’s main opposition Congress party said will provide 72,000 rupees to poor families every year if voted back to power.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi said this would be a “final assault” on poverty.

Gandhi on Monday said the program would benefit a total of 250 million of a population of 1.3 billion.

He labeled the program as an extremely powerful, dynamic, and a well-thought-through idea calling it a fiscally prudent scheme in phases.

Gandhi claimed they have done all the calculations, and asked the best economists. “Our party is going to implement it”, he said.

However, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rebuffed the idea as an enticement. (Agencies)