Page 1090 - Politics
'White House reversed security clearance denials'
A White House whistleblower has told Congress that dozens of rejected security clearance applications were overturned by the Trump administration.
British MPs vote against all Brexit alternative plans
British MPs voted against four possible alternative plans for Brexit Tuesday after also rejecting the government's deal with the EU three times. Proposed alternatives for retaining much closer economic ties after Brexit, holding a second referendum or stopping Brexit to prevent a no-deal departure all failed to win a majority of votes in parliament.
Arvind Panagariya: Congress' NYAY scheme does not have 'incentive compatibility'; PM Modi will return to power
Former vice chairman of Niti Aayog Arvind Panagariya said that Congress' NYAY scheme does not have "incentive compatibility" in comparison with NDA's PM-KISAN. He believes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will once again form the government in upcoming Lok Sabha elections."Scientifically, we should wait for the poll results, but I have seen that even their results are mostly not true. If I give my analysis on this, then in 2019 Lok Sabha election, approximately the same result will come out as it was in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will win again with almost the same majority," Panagariya told ANI here.Congress president Rahul Gandhi had earlier announced that if his party comes to power at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls, he will implement a "ground-breaking" NYAY scheme under which 20 per cent of the poorest families of the country will be entitled to get up to Rs 72,000 per year or Rs 6,000 every month.However, Panagariya feels there is a "big issue of credibility" in ..
Turkish local elections: Erdogan faces defeat, Opposition leads in Ankara, Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday suffered a major setback after his Justice and Development Party (AK) lost control of Ankara and Istanbul, considered to be its bastion since decades, for the first time since the party came to power in 2002.Anadolu Agency reported that the opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) won Ankara, AK's stronghold for decades, with more than 50 per cent of votes, and was leading with a narrow victory in Istanbul with 48.79 per cent votes.However, in the rest of the country, AK party, in alliance with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), held 51.63 per cent of the overall vote, while the opposition alliance claimed 37.55 per cent of votes respectively.Although Erdogan was not running the election race for the office on Sunday, he was the face of the election campaign and rallied tirelessly for two months ahead of Sunday's vote, which he described as a "matter of survival" for his nation.According to Al Jazeera, election observers viewed ...
US suspends F-35 deliveries to Turkey over Russian arms
The United States said Tuesday it was halting all deliveries and joint work with Turkey on the F-35 fighter jet programme after the NATO ally insisted on a major purchase from Russia. After months of warnings, the United States said that Turkey's decision to buy Russia's S-400 system was incompatible with remaining part of the emblematic US warplane program. "Pending an unequivocal Turkish decision to forgo delivery of the S-400, deliveries and activities associated with the stand-up of Turkey's F-35 operational capability have been suspended while our dialogue on this important matter continues with Turkey," the Pentagon said in a statement. US officials have voiced concern that, with Turkey in both camps, Russia could obtain F-35 data to improve the accuracy of the S-400 to shoot down Western aircraft. The Pentagon said that it had started to look at secondary sources to produce parts for F-35s that were being developed in Turkey. "We very much regret the current situation facing ...
Even Mulayam's dogs would have become MLCs if PM would have been from his family: BJP's Tejendra Nirwal
BJP leader Tejendra Nirwal made a controversial remark on Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav by saying that even his dogs would have become MLCs if the post of Prime Minister went to someone from his family.Highlighting the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally here, Nirwal said, "If the Prime Minister's post would have gone to Mulayam Singh Yadav's family, all of them would have entered the Rajya Sabha, even his dogs would have become MLCs. If this post would have gone to 'Behenji' (Mayawati), then all her near ones and neighbours would have become MLCs."He added, "I challenge all the candidates for the Prime Minister's post in Opposition to work for 18 hours daily for eight days. I can guarantee you, after eight days we will have to get all of them admitted in hospital."Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya was also present at the event.
'Modi ji ki sena': CEO Lucknow asks for factual report on Yogi's comment
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Lucknow has asked for a factual report from the District Election Office (DEO), Ghaziabad by Tuesday on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's description of the Indian Army as "Modi ji ki sena" (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Army) during an election rally.While addressing a rally in Ghaziabad on Monday, Adityanath referred the Indian Army as "Modi ji ki sena" while drawing a comparison between the steps taken by the BJP-led central government against terrorism and the previous Congress government."Things which were impossible for the SP-BSP, are now possible; it is possible since Modi is here. Congress used to feed biryani to terrorists but Modi ji ki sena (Prime Minister Narendra Modi's army) gives them only golis and golas (bullets and bombs). This is the difference," the Chief Minister said while addressing a rally here."Congress used to encourage terrorists. The BJP government is breaking the backs of Pakistan and Pakistan backed ...
Brazilian President arrives on 4-day trip to Israel, visits Western Wall with Netanyahu
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on Monday afternoon (local time).The Western Wall is a part of the retaining walls of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Considered to be one of the holiest places for Jews to worship, the international community, however, does not recognise East Jerusalem, including the Old City, to be a part of Israel.The Times of Israel reported that both the leaders placed notes in the cracks on the Wall and observed a few moments of silence for the prayers.After a short ceremony, they toured the Western Wall tunnels, which are located underneath the Old City's Muslim Quarter.After his arrival here on Sunday, Bolsonaro announced the opening of a "trade, technology and innovation office" that would be "an official office of the Government of Brazil, in Jerusalem," Netanyahu was quoted as saying."I hope that this is a first step toward the opening in ..
Trinamool leader dares Shah to contest from Birbhum
Challenging BJP President Amit Shah to contest the coming Lok Sabha polls from Birbhum constituency, a Trinamool Congress leader has predicted that he would lose by a margin of five-six lakh votes if he contests from there.
'Congress qualified from University of lies'
Taking potshots at Congress, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday said that the Congress party is well qualified from the "University of lies".
Cong fields Olympian Krishna Poonia from Jaipur Rural LS seat
The Congress on Monday fielded Olympian discus thrower Krishna Poonia from the Jaipur Rural constituency as it released another list of nine candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. With this, the Congress has so far announced the names of 325 candidates for the upcoming general election. Poonia, a three-time Olympic participant, is the MLA from the Sadulpur constituency in Rajasthan. She will contest against Union Information and Broadcasting Minister and Olympic medallist Rajyavardhan Rathore, who is the Jaipur Rural MP. Of the nine candidates the Congress named on Monday, six are from Rajasthan, two from Maharashtra and one from Gujarat. The party has fielded Mohan Joshi from Pune, a seat which was earlier represented in the Lok Sabha by tainted Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi. Poonia had won the gold medal in discus throwing in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
US peace envoy returns to Kabul to speak with Afghan government
US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad was in Kabul on Monday to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other officials, as part of an ongoing drive to find a way out of Afghanistan's 17-year-old war. The Afghan-born US adviser said on Twitter he had spoken with government representatives and "discussed the urgency of making progress on intra-Afghan dialogue." Khalilzad's visit to Kabul comes ahead of an expected new round of talks with the Taliban in Doha, reportedly due to begin in mid-April. Previous talks in the Qatari capital, where the Taliban has a political office, concluded last month with Khalilzad saying "real strides" had been made. On the table were proposals to get foreign armed forces out of Afghanistan, and for the Taliban to guarantee the country cannot be used as a springboard for terror groups to launch future attacks. The State Department last week said Khalilzad's trip was "part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that brings all Afghan parties ...
Cong looted nation through scams, BJP gave people schemes: Khanna
Seeking a second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna on Monday said the country had witnessed scams under the Congress rule, while the BJP had flooded it with welfare schemes. Campaigning for Union minister Jitendra Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Udhampur-Doda seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Khanna asked the people to compare the Congress era of multi-crore-rupee scams with the current BJP rule that brought multi-sectorial schemes. Addressing a large gathering of village heads, presidents and members of the municipalities of Kathua district, the BJP national vice-president and Jammu and Kashmir in-charge said, "India faced scams under the Congress rule, while the BJP has flooded the country with welfare schemes." Khanna said prior to the formation of the BJP government at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UPA-I and UPA-II had created "history" in scams. "The BJP formed its government at the Centre ..
It is good if Malini Gaur is chosen over me: Sumitra Mahajan
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday said that it is good if the party has decided to field Malini Gaur instead of her from Indore in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.Speaking to the media here, she said, "There is no high command in BJP. The committee keeps their point before the central election committee and then candidates are chosen. A very important criterion for choosing a candidate wins ability. I was also new when I came into politics, so it is good if she is being given a chance."Her remarks come after reports suggested that Malini Gaur will contest from Indore constituency.The Lok Sabha speaker has held the Indore Lok Sabha seat uninterrupted since 1989.There are 29 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Madhya Pradesh, polling for which will be held in four phases - on April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19.Counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Shah to launch BJP's campaign in Karnataka on Tuesday
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah will flag off the party's campaign for the 2019 general elections in Karnataka's 28 Lok Sabha constituencies on Tuesday in this tech hub, a party official said on Monday.
Jaitley lashes out at Omar for 'Kashmir PM' remark
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday came down heavily on National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah for reviving the old demand that Jammu and Kashmir should have a separate Prime Minister and President, saying it was only intended to create a separatist psyche.
Jaitley hits out at Omar for his two PMs call, says New India will never allow this
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday hit out at former J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for demanding to revive the post of Wazir-e-Azam and Sadar-e-Riyasat in Kashmir, saying that New India would never allow this to happen.In his blog, Jaitley wrote: "The National Conference president's statement today that we will demand the revival of the post of Wazir-e-Azam and Sadar-e-Riyasat is only intended to create a separatists psyche. Little do these demandeurs realise how much they are hurting the country as also their own people. The new India will never allow any government to commit such blunders."In a veiled attack on the PDP and the National Conference, Jaitely said: "The two mainstream parties in Kashmir are increasingly losing their identity. The separatists and the terrorists want a part of the State to segregate from India. India will never accept this. It has already given a loud and clear message both to the separatists/ terrorists and Pakistan that 'Azadi' is not a ...
Kim may be invited to South Korea-ASEAN summit in November
South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold a meeting with the leaders of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries in November this year, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un also possibly in attendance during the summit.Making the announcement, South Korea's Presidential office said that the special South Korea-ASEAN summit will be held at Busan, located around 450 km from Seoul, on November 25 and 26. The meeting will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between South Korea and ASEAN, Yonhap News Agency reported."As the largest international conference to be held in our country since the launch of the incumbent administration, the summit is expected to review the development of South Korea-ASEAN relations over the past 30 years and suggest a new vision for development in the next 30 years," Yoon Do-han, the senior secretary to the President for Public Relations, told reporters here on Monday.Later, an official from the ..
Money laundering case: ED files charge sheet against Umer Madani in Delhi Court
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday filed a prosecution complaint against Mohd Umer Madani, allegedly an active member of banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba in a money laundering case.The charge sheet was filed in the special court, PMLA, Patiala House Court."Investigation under PMLA was initiated on the basis of FIR by Special Cell, Delhi Police. Police recovered Fake Indian Currency equivalent to INR 50000/-, USD 8000, Nepali Currency (NPR) 4067 besides other incriminating documents from the possession of Mohd. Umer Madani, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant based in Nepal, who was operating as an organizer for the banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba," the statement mentioned.During the investigation under PMLA, it was revealed that Madani was maintaining various bank accounts in Nepal wherein huge amounts of cash was deposited and subsequently withdrawn by him. It is on record that he didn't have a source of income except the money provided by his handlers from ...
If not PM, who should have spoken about A-SAT launch: Rajnath hits out at Congress
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday rejected Congress' allegations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi trying to take credit for the successful test of the A-SAT missile."Congressmen are asking why Prime Minister should have taken the credit for A-SAT. If not Prime Minister, then who should have spoken about it?" Rajnath asked while addressing a rally here."Our scientists were ready with A-SAT in 2007 itself but these (Congress) people did not allow it. Our Prime Minister told the scientists to march ahead. If some country attempts to destroy our satellite, our missile will destroy the hostile missile," he claimed.Lauding the Narendra Modi-led central government for its development initiatives and tough stand vis-a-vis terrorism, Rajnath said, "We won't let the country's head down."He lamented the Congress party for asking the number of casualties inflicted in air strikes saying that "no one was able to escape (unharmed)".The Home Minister also criticised the Congress party for ...