Ruling Tories on top in British local polls

The results of Thursday’s local elections in the United Kingdom may or may not be reflected in the June 8 mid-term polls, but the ruling Conservative Party put in its best performance in a decade while Labour suffered several losses.

The Conservatives gained much ground, Labour was humiliated and the UK Independence Party was obliterated in the local elections, during which 4,851 seats were up for grabs in 88 councils: 32 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and 34 councils and unitary authorities in England later on Friday, but at noon, the Conservatives had control of 10 authorities and 786 seats, a net gain of 215. Labour had control of five authorities and 517 seats, a net loss of 159.

The Liberal Democrats had 195 seats, a net loss of 24, and UKIP failed to win any seat.

Labour, which lost control of Glasgow, Bridgend and Blaenau Gwent, said the results were "disappointing" weeks before the mid-term election.

Analysts said the Conservative Party appeared to have been the main beneficiary of a sharp

The maritime implications of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project are causing a “sense of anxiety” in the region, said Admiral Scott Swift, commander of the US Pacific Fleet who is in India for consultations with his Indian counterpart and the defence ministry.

OBOR, the upcoming Malabar naval exercise and the carrier working group were among the topics of discussion.

Uncertainty over the OBOR initiative is being raised “in every country I visit”, Swift said. Chinese warships are making an “OBOR tour” of the Pacific Ocean now, he noted, and their actions may give some insight into what Beijing plans.

China’s actions are driving “increased dialogue on what is the intent of OBOR and where it is going”, he said.

Swift was in Australia and Indonesia before he came to India and plans to visit Singapore next.

“The Malabar exercises are coming up in July in the Bay of Bengal area, “he said. They began as navigational exercises but have grown in size and depth and now include anti-submarine warfare and air defence. Japan permanently joined the drill last

Asked about possible Austra lian participation, he said, “What countries are included is a dia logue that is robust and continu ing.” He spoke of a “step by step” approach and Canberra’s appli cation as an observer.

Swift said that while the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike force with Japanese and South Korean warships, had been deployed near North Korea, the US believed “diplomacy would be the best way forward” to deal with the situation in the Korean penin sula.

Swift said he saw the Indian Ocean as a “sea of stability” com pared to what was happening in places such as the South China Sea or even the Mediterranean Sea. He attributed this in part to India’s commitment to a rules based order, noting how India and Bangladesh took their mari time territorial dispute to arbitra tion and India had accepted an