Page 1016 - Politics

Israel readies to vote with Netanyahu's future at risk

Israelis vote Tuesday in a high-stakes election on whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long tenure in power despite corruption allegations against him and a strong challenge by an ex-military chief. Bolstered by his reputation as guarantor of Israel's security and economic growth, Netanyahu has spent more than 13 years as premier and opinion polls show that he could well win again. He would be on track to surpass founding father David Ben-Gurion as Israel's longest-serving prime minister if he wins. In a last-minute appeal to right-wing voters, Netanyahu said Saturday he was planning on annexing Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins. The deeply controversial move could end hopes for a two-state solution with the Palestinians if done on a large scale. Netanyahu is fighting for his political life while facing a dual threat in this year's election. The possibility of indictment hangs over him while a centrist alliance headed by political novice Benny .

Singapore's 'fake news' laws upset tech giants

Tech giants have reacted with horror after Singapore proposed laws against "fake news" allowing authorities to order the removal of content and impose hefty fines, in what critics say is an assault on free speech. The government unveiled a bill last week containing tough measures, including powers for ministers to order social media sites like Facebook to put warnings next to posts authorities believe to be false and in extreme cases take them down. If an action is deemed malicious and damaging to Singapore's interests, companies could be hit with fines of up to USD 740,000. Individuals could face jail terms of up to 10 years. Authorities in the tightly-controlled country -- long criticised for restricting civil liberties -- insist the measures are necessary to stop the circulation of falsehoods which could sow divisions in the multi-ethnic city-state. But press freedom groups condemned the proposals, saying they could stifle online discussion, as did tech companies which have big ...

I-T raids at residence, other premises of MP CM's aide

The Income Tax department on Sunday conducted raids at the residence and other premises of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkad, sources said. The raids were conducted by a team of officials, who arrived from Delhi, at Kakkad's residence in Vijay Nagar area here and other places associated with him, sources in the I-T department said. They said documents seized during the searches were being scrutinised in detail. Further details were awaited. Kakkad, a former Madhya Pradesh police officer, was appointed OSD to Nath after the Congress-led government came to power in the state last year. He had earlier served as OSD to former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria during the UPA regime. Kakkad's family is associated with a number of businesses, including hospitality.

In electoral season, Deras are all-important in Punjab (IANS Special)

Deras, or sects, in Punjab hold a lot of importance in the electoral season. With each Dera capable of influencing scores of voters, who are their followers, political parties and leaders have no option but to look up to these during elections.

Netanyahu pledges to annex West Bank settlements after vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Saturday to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins the upcoming general election. His comments come just days before the closely-fought April 9 poll and could be seen as an appeal to rightwing voters, who do not believe in the feasibility of a peace agreement with the Palestinians. "I will apply (Israeli) sovereignty, but I don't distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements," he said in an interview with Channel 12 television. Settlements built on land occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War are deemed illegal by the international community and their ongoing construction is seen as a major barrier to peace. Annexation could prove to be the death knell for the two-state solution. Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said Netanyahu's statement on annexation was "not surprising." "Israel will continue to brazenly violate international law for as long as the international community will continue to ..

Locked out of power, MGP still holds the key to BJP's success in Goa

Humiliated, broken and pushed into a corner, the one political party in Goa which could prove to be a dark horse in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, is the one which isn't even contesting the polls.

Venezuelans protest as Guaido declares 'definitive' escalation

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Saturday launched what he promised will be a "definitive" escalation of pressure to force the country's embattled leftist leader from office. Addressing a giant anti-government rally in Caracas, Guaido -- whose claim to be interim president is supported by around 50 nations -- kicked off what he called "Operation Liberty," his plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro. "Everyone to the streets, let's start the final phase of the end of the usurpation!" he told supporters, speaking from the back of a pickup truck. He called for a huge nationwide turnout on Wednesday, and urged his followers to redouble their efforts to maintain pressure in the streets. "The greatest escalation of pressure we have seen in our history" has begun, Guaido said. The call comes amid massive blackouts and the collapse of water supplies affecting the nation, further exacerbated a growing political crisis. The United States meanwhile has stiffened its economic sanctions ..

JK parties make special status key poll issue

National security and corruption have emerged as some of the main issues in the Lok Sabha elections but regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir have kept protection of the state's special status under the Constitution of India as their key poll plank. The National Conference, its arch rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and new entrant People's Conference led by Sajad Gani Lone have been talking about protection of Articles 35A and 370 of the Constitution in their rallies in the run-up to the polling which is scheduled to begin on April 11, latching on to BJP chief Amit Shah's remarks that Article 35A will be repealed by 2020. "Protecting the special status of Jammu and Kashmir as guaranteed in the Constitution of the country, is one of the main cornerstones of our campaign for these elections," National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah told PTI. The former chief minister dismissed suggestions that six Lok Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir were numerically insignificant in ...

Alternative front minus Cong or BJP impossible: Nara Lokesh

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's son Nara Lokesh, who is contesting assembly elections for the first time, feels it is "impossible" to imagine an alternative force without the support of either the Congress or the BJP. He, however, wants the national parties to be prepared to play a supporting role if regional parties including Telugu Desam Party (TDP) win good number of seats in the Lok Sabha polls. "All coalitions have either the BJP or the Congress. But there is a role for regional parties at national level. So, I believe an alternative front minus the Congress or the BJP does not exist. It is impossible to imagine," Lokesh told PTI in an interview. He is contesting from the Mangalagiri assembly segment, a seat which the TDP has not won since 1985. His main rival is sitting YSRCP MLA, Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, who had defeated the Telugu Desam candidate by 12 votes in 2014. Asserting that India needs a prime minister who listens to states, the 36-year-old TDP ...

Success in Sikkim eludes national parties

Winning the Lok Sabha or assembly polls in Sikkim has eluded the national parties for the past four decades since the state came into being. It has been the regional parties - Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) of Nar Bahadur Bhandari and Sikkim Democratic Front(SDF) of Pawan Kumar Chamling which have won the lone Lok Sabha seat and the state assembly since 1979. In an exception, in the first Lok Sabha polls held in Sikkim in 1977, two years after its merger with India, the Congress had won unopposed to the Parliament. In respect to the assembly polls it has tasted limited success so far. The party had won an assembly seat in 1984, two in 1994 and a lone one in 2004. The BJP is yet to open its account in the 32-member assembly of the Himalayan state. The fortunes of parties like the CPI, CPI-M, Trinamool Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), who have contested in Sikkim at various times, have been equally disappointing so far with more than 60 per cent candidates .

Berlin spreads Guru Nanak's message by planting saplings

As the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, is being celebrated throughout the world this year, his message of love, peace, equality and brotherhood is being brought to the wider world -- both by the Sikhs and by Indian missions abroad.

Congress manifesto a mirage not reality (Column: Political Calculus)

After I finished reading the 55-page Congress manifesto for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I suddenly remembered a scene in the famous political satire British sitcom, 'Yes Prime Minister'.

Cong, TRS battle it out in Chevella LS seat

Located on the fringes of Hyderabad, Chevella parliamentary constituency in Telangana is a battleground where the TRS candidate is seeking to assert itself against Congress nominee, who quit the ruling party only a few months ago. Sitting MP Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, who was elected on a Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) ticket in 2014, had joined the Congress ahead of assembly elections in December last year, citing alleged neglect of leaders who fought for Telangana in TRS. He is seeking re-election on a Congress ticket in the April 11 election in the state. Vishweshwar Reddy, an engineer and entrepreneur, has an illustrious background. He is a grandson of Konda Venkata Ranga Reddy, former deputy chief minister in undivided Andhra Pradesh, and son of Justice Konda Madhava Reddy, former chief justice of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. He is a son-in-law of Pratap C Reddy, the founder and chairman of Apollo Hospitals. Vishweshwar Reddy's wife Sangita Reddy is the joint managing director .

SP-BSP-RLD to hold joint rally in Uttar Pradesh

The SP-BSP-RLD alliance will kick-off its joint campaign for the Lok Sabha elections on Sunday, holding its first rally in Saharanpur's Deoband town.

Can Priyanka Gandhi distinguish between sugarcane and chari, asks Suresh Rana

Can Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or other members of the Gandhi family distinguish between sugarcane and chari, a locally-grown fodder crop, asked Uttar Pradesh minister Suresh Rana. This was his reply when he was asked about Priyanka Gandhi's attack on the government over a recent news report that claimed dues of sugarcane farmers had crossed Rs 10,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh. "When the Congress was in power, it did not pay dues to the farmers. If Priyanka Gandhi or any other member of the Gandhi family can distinguish between sugarcane and chari, I will start believing that they have the right to speak on farmers," he told PTI in an interview. The UP minister of state (independent charge) for sugarcane development and sugar mills also claimed that Congress president Rahul Gandhi has "accepted moral defeat" and has "fled from Amethi". On the steps taken by the Yogi Adityanath government for cane farmers, Rana said, "When our government was formed, there were ...

Maha: Ruling, oppn alliances in direct fight in 1st phase

The first phase of Lok Sabha elections covering seven constituencies in Maharashtra will see a tough contest between the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena and the opposition Congress-NCP alliances. The Congress is in a direct fight with the BJP in four of these constituencies and with the Shiv Sena in two others. Besides, the NCP is locked in a battle with the BJP in one seat. There are 116 candidates in fray and over 1.30 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 14,919 polling centres. Of the total voters, 66.71 lakh are men, 63.64 lakh women, and 181 belong to the third gender category. Voting for 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. In the first phase, Wardha, Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara- Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur and Yavatmal-Washim constituencies will go to polls. In Nagpur, Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari and Congress' Nana Patole, who quit the saffron party in 2017, are pitted ...

Tough battle for Konkan, which gave 7 Bharat Ratnas

A keen tussle is on for four Lok Sabha seats in the lush green coastal Konkan region of Maharashtra, known for its proximity to the country's commercial capital, besides giving seven Bharat Ratnas to the country since Independence, and the world-famous Alphonso mangoes.

Will annex West Bank settlements if re-elected: Netanyahu

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would extend the country's sovereignty over parts of the West Bank if re-elected in the April 9 legislative polls, a major policy shift that would stir Arab opposition.

Two Indian naval ships to take part in Chinese Navy's 70th anniversary celebrations

Two Indian naval ships -- INS 'Kolkata' and 'Shakti' -- would take part in the Chinese Navy's 70th anniversary of celebrations later this month. The two ships are scheduled to visit Chinese port of Qingdao from April 21 to 26 to participate in an International Fleet Review to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, an Indian Embassy press release said here on Sunday. During the visit, Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri long with the Commanding Officer of INS Kolkata, Captain Aditya Hara, will host an on-board reception for the public. INS Kolkata is the lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. It lists of armaments reportedly included Brahmos supersonic anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles. INS Shakti is tanker and supply ship. The PLA Navy which is fast expanding its fleet including the aircraft carriers as China intensified efforts to increase global presence and influence plans to have grand ...

Former Maldives president makes comeback with landslide win

The exiled former leader of the Maldives has led his party to a landslide victory only five months after returning to the country, preliminary results showed Sunday. Ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, 51, was set for a dramatic return to the top of the national parliament, with his Maldivian Democratic Party headed for a two-thirds majority in the 87-member assembly. Saturday's poll was the first test of public opinion since autocratic former president and Nasheed's arch-rival Abdulla Yameen was forced to stand down after his five-year term, facing charges of money laundering and embezzlement. Nasheed returned to the country after his former deputy President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won an unexpected victory in September presidential elections for the MDP. Yameen had barred Nasheed from contesting. Preliminary results from Saturday's election showed the MDP winning 50 out of the 87 seats, while private media reports projected the party eventually getting up to 68 seats. "The Maldives is about