FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 12 Johnson takes first round of leadership vote

The seven contenders left in the race for leader of the Conservative party after the first round of voting.(L-R) Britain’s International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, Former Brexit Secretary , Britain’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary , former foreign secretary , Britain’s Foreign Secretary , Britain’s and Britain’s Health and Social Care Secretary .

and , who came art told reporters after watching Bookmakers have in second to May in the last lead- the results announcement. • ership race in 2016, failed to col- “I feel really inspired and en- ex-foreign secretary lect the required 17 votes and Obviously we’re couraged.” Boris Johnson as were knocked out. happy with the Hunt and Gove are widely their favourite “Obviously we’re happy with results but there’s seen as going head-to-head for the results but there’s still a long still a long way to votes from the more moderate May, who remains way to go to winning the con- go to winning the wing of the party which favours • test,” a spokesman for Johnson contest a softer line on Brexit negotia- prime minister, told reporters. tions with the . stepped down as party “You have to hold the numbers Raab, like Johnson, has to go through to the next round,” A SPOKESMAN FOR JOHNSON TOLD warned that he was ready to take leader on Friday REPORTERS the spokesman said. “That’s a Britain out of the EU without an , Esther challenge.” party members -- and the British agreement when the new Brex- • The outcome, if repeated in public at large. it deadline arrives in October, McVey, and Andrea subsequent rounds which will “This is now neck-and-neck if the EU does not offer better Leadsom failed to collect further whittle down the field going into the next round,” Stew- terms. the required 17 votes starting next Tuesday, is above and were knocked out the 105 votes Johnson would need to make the final two. The last pair standing will go up before 160,000 voting Con- servative Party members across the country. The winner will become new party leader and automatically replace May as premier, most likely at the end of July. Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt was a distant second with 43 votes. Environment Minister Mi- chael Gove was third with 37 votes, former Brexit minister Conservative MP Boris Johnson leaves his home in Dominic Raab picked up 27, Home Secretary Sajid Javid won London rowed to seven from 10. 23 votes, and Health Secretary The Brexit-backing former Matt Hancock had 20. oris Johnson overwhelm- foreign minister picked up 114 International Development ingly won the first round of the 313 votes cast in a secret Secretary Rory Stewart snuck Bof voting yesterday in the ballot of Conservative Party law- through in seventh place with race to replace outgoing British makers in the lower House of 19 votes after running an origi- Prime Minister , Commons. nal social media campaign that Theresa May with the field of candidates nar- Mark Harper, Esther McVey, endeared him to more liberal

Trump says will meet Putin at Pompeo says US open to dialogue with G20 summit in Japan Washington Washington, United States he United States is open S President Donald Trump Tto dialogue with India af- Usaid Wednesday he would ter taking away its preferential meet his Russian counterpart trading status, Secretary of State Vladimir Putin on the sidelines Mike Pompeo said Wednesday KNOW WHAT of the G20 summit in Japan as he prepares to travel to New later this month. Delhi. “I’ll be meeting with Putin at “I’m sure we’ll broach some India has been the sin- the G20,” Trump told report- tough topics,” Pompeo said in gle biggest beneficiary ers at the White House. a speech on US policy toward of that decades-old The US leader said last India. US program, which month he would meet with Pu- “We’ll probably discuss the allowed it to export tin at the G20, but the Kremlin recent decision on the GSP pro- $5.7 billion worth of indicated at the time there was US President Donald Trump (L) and gram,” he added, referring to goods, duty-free, to the no agreement on a bilateral his son Donald Trump, Jr., walk to a the Generalized System of Pref- meeting. erences. US in 2017, according motorcade from the North Portico of to figures from the US Trump’s last formal one-on- the White House in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo addresses the India Ideas Summit in one with Putin was in Helsinki Donald Trump removed New Delhi from the Washington, DC Congress. in July 2018, when the pair dis- system in early June, even as missed top aides for two hours Responding to a reporter’s Washington tries to boost ties and hope that our Indian friends opportunity.” the US vision of an Indo-Pacific of talks in a sharp break with question, Trump said it was with India as a counterweight to will drop their trade barriers Pompeo will visit India as part region that is “free and open” standard diplomatic practice. “probably easier” for their China and despite Trump’s stat- and trust in the competitive- of a tour of Asia from June 24- -- an idea designed to push back The US president previous- next meeting to involve addi- ed good relations with Prime ness of their own companies,” 30 with the aim of underlining against the expansionist aspi- ly met Putin on the sidelines tional participants. Minister Narendra Modi. Pompeo said. the importance of US ties with rations that Washington sees of a G20 summit in mid-2017, “I think it is probably easier In removing India from the He said that countries that India after Modi’s re-election in China. under a cloud of rebuke for if we have people in the room, GSP, Trump complained that it have offered the US fair and this month. “We realize it’s different to his reluctance to criticize the because you people don’t trust does not provide US goods with reciprocal trade since Trump On Wednesday, Pompeo deal with the likes of China or Russian leader over Moscow’s anything,” he told the jour- equitable and reasonable access came to power in January 2017 called for a strengthening of co- from across an ocean meddling in the previous nalists assembled in the Oval to its market. have “seen America open up operation with India in defense, than it is when they are on your year’s US elections. Office. “We remain open to dialogue, to them and they’ve seen real energy and space, and defended borders,” Pompeo said.