Page 1023 - Politics

Libya talks to go ahead despite new fighting: UN envoy

A conference between Libya's warring parties set to start on April 14 is to go ahead despite renewed fighting around Tripoli, the United Nations' envoy said Saturday. "We are determined" to hold the talks "as scheduled" unless prevented by serious obstacles, Ghassan Salame said at a press conference in the capital, target of a new offensive this week by military strongman Khalifa Haftar. Haftar, commander of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA), launched an offensive on Thursday to take the capital, held by a UN-backed unity government and an array of militias. His forces clashed south of the capital Friday and Saturday with forces that back the country's unity government. The UN's conference of key players is set to draw up a "roadmap" to lead Libya towards legislative and presidential elections. Libya's rival leaders agreed in Paris last year to hold elections before the end of the year, but that vote never materialised as the two rival administrations and numerous ...

Bathinda will always be in my heart: Harsimrat

Amid speculation that the Akali Dal may shift her to the Ferozepur parliamentary seat for the Lok Sabha polls, Union Minister and party leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal Saturday said Bathinda will always be in her heart. Wife of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Harsimrat said she was "fine" with whichever seat the Akali Dal fields her from as her aim was to serve the people of Punjab. The SAD leader also attacked the ruling Congress and wondered how its candidates will seek votes as the party had "failed" to fulfil promises made before the assembly polls. "I have affection for the people here (Bathinda) where I have done hard work for 10 years. They stood by me during the toughest tests. I cannot ever forget that," the sitting MP from Bathinda said. "My heart is over here but of course my aim is to serve the people of the state. It is ok wherever I am sent (by party), I am fine. But Bathinda will always be in my heart," she added. Despite speculation that Harsimrat Kaur

Pakistan partially opens airspace for west-bound flights from India

Pakistan has opened one of its 11 air routes for west-bound flights from India and Air India has started using it, said a senior government official Saturday. "Pakistan has been opening its airspace in tranches. On Thursday, it opened one of the 11 routes for west-bound flights. Therefore, airlines such as Air India and Turkish Airlines have started using it," he said. Even though the route P518 was opened on Thursday evening, American airline company United Airlines announced on Friday its flight connecting Newark and Delhi has been suspended for two weeks. Pakistan had kept its airspace fully closed after an Indian Air Force strike on a terror camp in Balakot on February 26. However, Pakistan on March 27, opened its airspace for all flights except for Bangkok, New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur. "Since the route P518, that has been opened, passes over south Pakistan, the air travel time for west-bound flights from Delhi will not decrease substantially," the official clarified. Since ...

Google, Facebook, Twitter to testify on 'censorship'

Tech giants Google, Facebook and Twitter are slated to send their company representatives to testify at a Senate hearing next week about the alleged "censorship" of conservative voices.

Shatrughan Sinha joins Cong, terms BJP 'one-man show, two-men army'

Dissident BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha Saturday joined the Congress, which welcomed him with a Lok Sabha ticket, as he lambasted his former party, terming it a "one-man show and two-men army". The 72-year-old actor-turned-politician said he left the BJP, on its foundation day Saturday, with "immense pain and heavy heart". He alleged there is no place left in the party for dialogue and its leadership does not value its own veterans, and views its opponents as "enemies". Sinha also heaped praise on Congress president Rahul Gandhi. He is a dynamic, "tried, tested and successful" leader and the face and future of India, the Patna Sahib MP said. Within hours of joining, the Congress fielded Sinha from Bihar's Patna Sahib seat, where he will contest against BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Sinha had met Rahul Gandhi on March 28. Attacking the BJP's top leadership, Sinha said, "Today there is no place left for dialogue in the BJP anymore," and if one speaks the truth he is ...

Two terrorists killed in gunfight with security forces in J-K's Shopian

Two terrorists were killed in a brief gunbattle with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Saturday, police said. The terrorists opened fire on a patrolling party of the Army from an orchard in Shopian, following which the soldiers retaliated, a police official said. He said two ultras were killed in the exchange of fire. The identity and the affiliation of the slain terrorists were being ascertained, the official added.

PM launched Kisan scheme "eyeing polls," says DMK chief Stalin

DMK president M K Stalin Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of launching the Rs 6,000 per annum assistance to marginal farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls. Alleging that it has become Modi's habit to claim there was a danger to religion if he was targeted, Stalin said his party was confident that "young leader Rahul Gandhi will become the Prime Minister." Addressing a poll rally here, he praised the Rs 6,000 per month Minimum Income Support Scheme of the Congress party and said the BJP-led NDA's Kisan plan was however announced for the sake of the polls. "Prime Minister Modi made the Rs 6,000 assistance announcement (under the Kisan scheme) with an eye on the polls. Has any one got the assistance,?" he asked. Stalin said Modi also made several promises in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election and wanted to know if such assurances had been fulfilled. Training his guns on the AIADMK regime, which, he said, was in

Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav files nomination for Kannauj Lok Sabha seat

Samajwadi Party candidate and sitting MP Dimple Yadav Saturday filed her nomination papers for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in the presence of her husband and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and BSP general secretary Satish Misra here. Dimple Yadav, a two-time lawmaker from Kannauj, who has represented the Lok Sabha seat since 2012 when it was vacated by her husband after he became the chief minister, claimed that the victory margin will be "bigger" this time with the SP and the BSP entering into an alliance for the polls. She alleged that the BJP did not fulfil its promises and it was using the armed forces to divert attention. Before filing her papers, Dimple Yadav along with Akhilesh Yadav took part in a road show atop a rath (chariot) from Faguha Bhutta in the presence of large number of SP and BSP workers and leaders who chanted slogans. The roadshow, which stopped at the local SP office, was given a rousing reception by the women workers who braved the sun and showered flo

Yechury slams Rahul for contesting from Wayanad

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury here on Saturday said the Congress had been calling meetings of 21 opposition parties, including the Left parties, in Delhi, but its President Rahul Gandhi was contesting against the Left in Kerala's Wayanad.

BJP names 8 candidates for Haryana, retains 5 MPs

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday announced eight candidates, including three sitting lawmakers and two Union ministers, for 10 Lok Sabha seats of Haryana.

BJP youth leader to take on Nath in Chhindwara Assembly bypoll

The BJP Saturday nominated 38-year-old Vivek Sahu to take on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath for the Chhindwara Assembly bypoll and tribal leader Natthan Shah against Nath's son Nakul for the Lok Sabha polls there. The MP CM is a nine-time parliamentarian from Chhindwara while his son will be making his poll debut. The BJP also announced the candidatures of Vivek Sejwalkar and Mahendra Solanki for the Gwalior and Dewas Lok Sabha seats respectively. "With today's list, we have named candidates for 21 out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. Sahu, who will contest against Kamal Nath in the Chhindwara Assembly bypoll to be held on April 29, is our youth leader from the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)," MP BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal told PTI. Natthan Shah is a former MLA and RSS leader and his candidature against Nakul Nath for the Chhindwara Lok Sabha poll is being seen as a move by the BJP to cash in on the sizable tribal vote in the ...

BJP names 24 candidates, Uma Bharti among 10 dropped

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released a list of 24 candidates across seven states for the Lok Sabha elections, denying tickets to 10 sitting MPs including Union Minister Uma Bharti and five-time MP from Ranchi Ram Tahal Choudhary.

AAP-Cong alliance in Delhi possible if both fight polls jointly in Haryana, Chandigarh: Sources

The Aam Aadmi Party will stitch an alliance with the Congress in Delhi only if Rahul Gandhi's party agrees to fight the Lok Sabha polls jointly in Haryana and Chandigarh too, sources said Saturday. According to them, as another pre-condition for firming up an alliance, the AAP has asked the Congress to openly declare its support to full statehood for Delhi. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia, senior party leaders Sanjay Singh and Gopal Rai held a meeting over the issue Saturday and they were in agreement over the two pre-conditions set for an alliance with the Congress, a source said. "An alliance with the Congress is possible only if the party agrees to do it for 10 seats in Haryana, seven seats in Delhi and the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. Also, the party should also openly declare support to full statehood for Delhi if it wants to forge an alliance with the AAP," the source said. The AAP has reportedly conveyed to the Congress that it would support the ...

G7 ministers hope to seal commitments on global challenges

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies were wrapping up a two-day meeting in the French seaside resort of Dinard on Saturday where they hope to seal joint commitments on a range of global challenges and lay the groundwork for August's G-7 summit in Biarritz. Diplomats from G-7 countries, which include the US, France, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and the UK, walked side-by-side against the rocky Atlantic coast backdrop and in the fresh Brittany air to project a united front before a working lunch. They hope to agree on a joint statement on the fight against trafficking drugs, arms and migrants in Africa's troubled Sahel region, fighting cybercrime and stopping sexual violence against women in conflict zones, especially in Africa. But British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was missing from the group photo after attending Friday's session, as was US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, raising questions about the relevance of the G-7 meeting. US officials also said that .

In 1st list, BJP retains 5 sitting MPs in Haryana, fields state minister from Kurukshetra

The BJP has retained five sitting MPs and fielded a state minister in the first list of Lok Sabha candidates for Haryana announced Saturday. It has dropped its Karnal MP and fielded a former Indian Revenue Service officer from Sirsa. The party has not yet announced candidates from Hisar and Rohtak seats, currently held by opposition INLD and Congress respectively. Haryana has 10 Lok Sabha constituencies. The BJP has retained its MPs from Gurugram (Rao Inderjit Singh), Faridabad (Krishanpal Gurjar), Ambala (Rattan Lal Kataria), Sonipat (Ramesh Chander Kaushik) and Bhiwani-Mahendergarh (Dharamvir Singh). It has fielded Haryana minister Naib Singh Saini, who enjoys good rapport with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, from Kurukshetra. Its sitting MP from Kurukshetra Raj Kumar Saini had turned rebel and floated his own outfit last year. The party has dropped its Karnal MP Ashwani Kumar Chopra, who has been critical of the BJP leadership for some time, and fielded its state general ...

Dismissed IPS officer, wife in BSP list for Rajasthan

A dismissed Indian Police Service officer and his wife are among the six Lok Sabha candidates announced by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Saturday for Rajasthan. Pankaj Choudhary, a 2009-batch Rajasthan-cadre officer, will contest from Barmer, while his wife, Mukul Choudhary, has been fielded from Jodhpur. Former Indian Administrative Service officer Umrao Salodia will contest from Jaipur, Bhagirath Bishnoi from Jalore, Shivaram Meghwal from Pali and Jagdish Sharma from Chittorgarh, BSP state president Sitaram Meghwal said. Pankaj Choudhary will contest from Barmer against Congress' Manvendra Singh, who is the son former BJP leader Jaswant Singh. The IPS officer was dismissed from service last month over an alleged extramarital affair. Mukul Choudhary had announced that she would contest against then chief minister Vasundhara Raje in last year's assembly election, but later changed her mind. She is the daughter of Shashi Dutta, who was the law minister in former chief minister ...

Rahul's south India remark is divisive politics: Kerala BJP

The BJP in Kerala Saturday criticised AICC chief Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the Narendra Modi-led government was neglecting south India. The saffron party said the allegation was part of Gandhi's "divisive politics" and further criticised him for contesting the general elections from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency with the support of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). Speaking to newspersons here, BJP state chief P S Sreedharan Pillai alleged the IUML and the Communist party had favoured the partition of the country. When the country gained independence, the Communists had wanted to divide the country into 16 sovereign republics and to carry out a referendum, Pillai alleged. "Gandhi's allegation that the Modi government is neglecting south India is divisive politics. Even the Congress party has not raised such an allegation so far," he said, while speaking at a meet-the-press programme here. The attitude of the Congress to field its party chief from a constituency with the .

No provocative speeches, says J-K Governor to state politicians

Jammu and Kashmir is ready to welcome tourists and Lok Sabha elections will be held here in a peaceful manner, said Governor Satyapal Malik on Saturday. He urged candidates of political parties to desist from making provocative speeches that could "incite terror and threaten peace in the valley"."Candidates of both parties (National Conference and People's Democratic Party) will be given as much security as they need for the elections. I would request candidates not to make speeches that could incite terror and threaten peace in the valley," he said.Talking about steps to revive tourism in the state, the Governor told reporters: "We are holding a conference in New Delhi soon where we will invite ambassadors from different countries and persuade them to take away the advisories on Kashmir.""The ban on the National Highway will be reconsidered today," he added.The terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama in which 40 security personnel were killed, followed by a grenade attack in Jammu .

Complaint filed against Goa CM for violating election code of conduct

A complaint has been filed against Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for allegedly violating the election's Model Code of Conduct by holding meetings with government officers.A copy of the complaint, filed by an advocate, has been sent to the Chief Election Commissioner of India.Pointing out that the 2019 Model Code of Conduct strictly prohibits ministers from having any official discussions with officers, advocate Aires Rodrigues in his complaint has stated that Sawant and some of his ministers have been blatantly holding meetings with government officials.Rodrigues alleged that the chief minister had held a meeting of police officials on 3rd April at the Secretariat.Rodrigues in his complaint has sought that the flying squads of the Election Commission be directed to maintain a strict vigil at the offices and residences of Sawant and his cabinet colleagues to ensure that the Model Code of Conduct is strictly adhered to.Rodrigues in his complaint has called upon the Chief Electoral ...

Sonia Gandhi accuses BJP of favouring big corporate companies

United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government of making policies to favour the "big corporate companies" of the country.Addressing a People's Agenda Programme endorsed by more than 200 organisations here, Sonia said: "The incumbent government makes policies which suit big corporate companies. We should revolt against it. In the past few years, the government has crushed the very soul of the nation."She added, "When the UPA was in power, under the leadership of Manmohan Singh, the government and civil society worked together," she added.Taking a jibe at the incumbent government, Gandhi said: "Regressive forces have systematically dismantled our institutions. The current government has undermined the welfare architecture that was laid down over the last 65 years."She also accused the BJP-led NDA government of not enduring anyone who revolts against it. "BJP government turns its face when people are ...