Page 1117 - Politics
Australia introduces 3-year jail norm to check social media rot
In an attempt to prevent more acts of terror and mass shooting, Australian government on Saturday introduced new laws under which government officials and bureaucrats will face prison up to three years for either posting or failing to remove "abhorrent" material from their social media platform as soon as possible.The new legislation will be introduced by the Australian government when the Parliament resumes on Monday.Alternatively, the platform will receive a fine worth 10 per cent of its global annual turnover, Xinhua news agency reported.The new laws were introduced following a crackdown on social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, launched by the Australian government in the wake of twin mosque shooting in Christchurch on March 15.The video of the terror attack was live streamed on Facebook and shared on Twitter and YouTube."This is about keeping Australians safe by forcing social media companies to step up and do what the community expects of them to stop terrorists
UPA use the Government money, round trip it through Contractors and beneficiaries to enrich themselves: Arun Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the UPA works on two fronts--the first is to use the government money, and the second is to pay a lip sympathy for federalism and destroy it whenever the opportunity arises."UPA style of functioning is to work on two fronts: Use government money, round trip it through contractors and beneficiaries to enrich themselves and then lip sympathy for federalism and destroying it whenever the opportunity arises. This is a very transparent self-goal," tweeted Jaitley.Finance Minister Jaitley, who also attached an article with his tweet, said that on March 28 an "unprecedented protest took place in Bengaluru.""Holding party flags, JDS and Congress leaders assembled outside the Income Tax Office to protest against income tax searches with a political motivation. They alleged that Ministers had been searched," he writes in the article."The best evidence they could provide for was that the "Nephew" of a Minister was searched. In an unprecedented
Air Marshal Dhillon is new Strategic Forces Command chief
Fighter pilot Air Marshal NS Dhillon on Saturday was appointed the new Strategic Forces Command Chief.The Strategic Forces Command looks after the strategic nuclear arsenal of the country.Born in 1961, Air Marshal Dhillon was brought up in Dhand village near Amritsar.Dhillon was graduated from the National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla in Pune. He also attended Defence Services Staff College in Wellington Cantonment and National Defence College in New Delhi.
Congress party must look beyond family politics, says Prakash Javadekar
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Saturday took a jibe at Congress leader P C Chacko for his "sycophant" behavior, stating that the Congress party must look beyond the "family politics" that they have inherited as a "legacy" from Jawaharlal Nehru."Truth must not be sidelined. Nehru was instrumental in starting the family politics. Congress was different earlier but he passed on the legacy to Indira Gandhi, which in turn brought in Rajiv Gandhi into the party fold. Due to them, we now have Sonia and Rahul Gandhi running the Congress. They must look beyond their family politics," Javadekar told media persons here.Lambasting Chacko for his recent comments that "Prime Minister Modi has a negative opinion for the 'first family' of India," he said: "Chacko is a perfect example of a sycophant at its worst. PM Modi does not have a negative opinion of their family. He has a negative opinion of the work they have done.""In my view, the Gandhi family is not the first family in India. For the ..
LS Polls: The odds are in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's favour
Ahmedabad (Gujarat)/New Delhi [India] Mar 30: Astrology is just a finger pointing at reality, the dictum goes, and if the astrological analysis is anything to go by, the future seems bright for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as far as BJP's performance in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls is concerned.With the elections just around the corner, the constantly building anticipation has reached the doors of stargazers, who are making a slew of predictions for the world's biggest polls starting in just less than three weeks.While local political parties continue to play a significant role in Indian politics, all eyes are set on Rahul Gandhi's Congress and Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the two have emerged as the lead competitors of the upcoming tug-of-war.'Who will win the 2019 elections?' is the single most important question dominating the world of politics these days. Bejan Daruwalla, a well-known Indian astrology columnist, has a simple answer to this- "Modi will steal the .
Rahul promises to employ lakhs in Gram Sabhas for protecting environment
Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that his party will employ lakhs of rural youth in Gram Sabhas to improve the environment."India needs to repair and restore our water bodies. Regenerate and afforest wasteland and degraded land. We will employ lakhs of rural youth in our Gram Sabhas to improve the environment," Rahul tweeted.His comment comes weeks before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.Seven-phase polls are set to begin on April 11 and will go on till May 19. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
LS polls: Odds in PM Modi's favour, say clairvoyants
Ahmedabad (Gujarat)/New Delhi [India] Mar 30: Astrology is just a finger pointing at reality, the dictum goes, and if the astrological analysis is anything to go by, the future seems bright for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as far as BJP's performance in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls is concerned.With the elections just around the corner, the constantly building anticipation has reached the doors of stargazers, who are making a slew of predictions for the world's biggest polls starting in just less than three weeks.While local political parties continue to play a significant role in Indian politics, all eyes are set on Rahul Gandhi's Congress and Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the two have emerged as the lead competitors of the upcoming tug-of-war.'Who will win the 2019 elections?' is the single most important question dominating the world of politics these days. Bejan Daruwalla, a well-known Indian astrology columnist, has a simple answer to this- "Modi will steal the .
Youth Cong's 'Main Bhi Berozgar' campaign to counter BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar'
In a bid to "deflate" the BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign, the youth wing of the Congress Saturday said it has come up with 'Main Bhi Berozgar' hashtag which, it claimed, is trending on social media. The Indian Youth Congress' national in charge of social media cell, Vaibhav Walia, said the 'Main Bhi Berozgar' hashtag was launched on Saturday morning and by evening it was used over one lakh times. He claimed that the hashtag was trending in India as well as globally. "This will deflate the BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign," IYC president Keshav Chandra Yadav claimed. The 'MainBhiBerozgar' hashtag was ideated and executed by the social media team of the IYC, to "blow out the facade" of the BJP's promise of generating two crore jobs in the country annually, IYC spokesperson Amrish Pandey said. "The trend initiated at 11 am on Saturday was at the top of Twitter trends in India and was one of the top trends worldwide," Walia said. Yadav alleged the nation was witnessing its "worst .
Maha govt declares phase-wise holiday for LS polls
The Maharashtra government on Saturday declared holiday on the four days the state will have Lok Sabha polls. The 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will see voting in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29. The holiday will be in force in the seats that go to polls on their respective dates. This holiday is applicable to those employees who are away from their parliament constituency. Besides, state and central government offices, semi-government offices, public sector enterprises, and non-agriculture and other universities, deemed universities, education institutions will also have a holiday. The government clarified that its notification will cover all autonomous corporations under the central government and establishments. In the first phase on April 11, polls will be held for Wardha, Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur and Yavatmal-Washim parliamentary constituencies. On April 18, Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, .
Red Cross to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuela in April
Venezuelan Opposition leader Juan Guaido on Friday (local time) announced that the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies will be delivering humanitarian aid to the crisis-stricken country next month.Shortly after the announcement, Guaido took to Twitter saying, "The #Operation Freedom is a work of each of us every day. The confidence in ourselves made the #Humanitarian Assistance a fact today. Now let's work with everything to return to live normally, in democracy and freedom.#VamosBien because we're going together!"CNN quoted the Opposition leader, who dubbed the move as a defeat to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, while adding, "The dictator will want to disguise his defeat, but we continue firm in our route and will move forward until the end of the usurpation. That is the great task that befalls us all."Red Cross president Francesco Rocca said that the organisation will have the "legal and technical conditions" to start humanitarian aid deliveries to
Three leaders join Delhi BJP
Three leaders, including one from the Congress, joined the Delhi unit of the BJP Saturday. Balbir Singh from the Congress, President of Uttrakhand Pravasiye Sangh Delhi Rakesh Singh Rawat and Pramod Sachdeva, who had contested assembly elections on a BSP ticket, joined the BJP, the saffron party said in a release. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said, "I am happy that the trust of the people is increasing in the BJP due to the influence of the policy of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' by Prime Minister Narendra Modi." "The Chief Minister of Delhi says that we divide the people but with these people joining the BJP, it is seen that the BJP unites people," he was quoted as having said in the release. Balbir Singh said the way opposition parties are opposing the nationalistic ideology of the BJP "exposes their real character" before the people. Former BSP Leader Sachdeva said the opposition parties should oppose the government but they should not oppose the country.
Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in J-K's Poonch
Pakistani troops Saturday violated the ceasefire by targeting forward posts and villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, a defence spokesperson said. The mortar shelling and small arms firing from across the border started in Mankote and Krishna Ghati sectors around 8.00 pm, he said. The spokesperson said the Pakistani troops initiated the unprovoked ceasefire violation, prompting befitting retaliation by the Indian Army. The cross-border firing between the two sides was continuing when last reports were received, he said, adding that there was no report of any casualty on the Indian side.
Tens of thousands protest at Gaza-Israel border as truce holds
Tens of thousands of Gazans gathered at the Israeli border Saturday to mark a year since protests and clashes erupted there, but fears of mass bloodshed were averted after late Egyptian-led negotiations. Israel deployed several thousand troops along the border, with the anniversary coming at a sensitive time ahead of its April 9 elections. Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, one during an overnight demonstration and a 17-year-old in clashes later Saturday, the health ministry in Gaza City said. Another 207 Gazans were wounded. But fears of a repeat of similar protests and clashes to those that saw more than 60 Palestinians killed on May 14, when the United States transferred its Israel embassy to Jerusalem, did not materialise. Egypt tried to mediate between Israel and Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas to rein in violence. Hamas officials said Friday an understanding had been reached that would see Israel ease its crippling blockade of Gaza in exchange for the protests remaining .
Guj LS poll: 7 candidates file their nominations on Saturday
Seven candidates Saturday filed their nominations for the April-May Lok Sabha polls, taking the total to fourteen since the notification was issued on March 28, a release by state Chief Electoral Officer, S Murli Krishna stated. Saturday was the third day of filing nominations. Prominent among them was BJP chief Amit Shah who is contesting from Gandhinagar, a seat held multiple times by BJP patriarch LK Advani. An Independent candidate, Keshav Kachhadia, also filed his nomination for the Gandhinagar seat on Saturday. According to the release, Ayeshabanu Pathan of the Ambedkar National Congress has filed her candidature for Kheda constituency. Others who submitted nomination papers were Ramkrishna Rajyaguru, an Independent candidate for Jamnagar seat, and Tapan Dasgupta of the Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) party for Vadodara seat, said the release. Uttam Vasava, who is being fielded by the Chhotu Vasava-led Bharatiya Tribal Party for Bardoli (ST) seat, also .
AAP hits out at Manoj Tiwari for saying SC refused to grant full statehood to Delhi
The Aam Aadmi Party has hit out at Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari for reportedly saying that the Supreme Court refused to grant complete statehood to Delhi, challenging him to show which case was filed in the apex court regarding the issue. According to media reports, responding to a question on the issue of full statehood, Tiwari Friday said that the BJP never took a U-turn on the issue but the Supreme Court made it clear that it cannot be done. Senior AAP party leader Gopal Rai hit out at Tiwari, accusing him of lying on the issue and misleading the people of the city because the BJP was afraid of the growing popularity of full statehood. "The AAP will not allow the BJP to escape its decades of false promises with the people of Delhi and its ultimate treachery with Delhiites," he told reporters. He claimed it was not possible for a member of Parliament to not know the process of how Delhi would attain statehood, particularly when his own party kept promising it to the people of ...
BJP to spend Rs 90,000 crore in elections: Bhushan
The Bharatiya Janata Party would be spending Rs 90,000 crore in the 2019 general election, claimed noted Supreme Court lawyer and anti-graft activist Prashant Bhushan on Saturday.
French 'yellow vests' stage 20th day of protests
French "yellow vests" demonstrators on Saturday staged their 20th week of anti-government protests despite bans in hotspot areas, as banks called for an end to violence against branches, cash machines and personnel. Police had struggled the previous weekend to contain violence by highly-organised demonstrators who smashed shop windows and set fire to newspaper kiosks and a bank in the capital. Local authorities on Saturday declared iconic sites such as the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris and the centre of Bordeaux, in southwestern France, off limits to demonstrations. The presidential Elysee palace and the National Assembly were also cordoned off by police. President Emmanuel Macron has reacted to the Saturday protests, which began last November, by embarking on a cross-country tour as part of a "Great National Debate" aimed at encouraging disgruntled citizens to express themselves through a structured dialogue. The protests began in rural France on November 17 over fuel tax increases
Javadekar hits out at P C Chacko for calling Gandhi family India's first family
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Saturday hit out at Congress leader P C Chacko for describing Gandhi family as the first family of the country. He said the Gandhi family had no familiarity with the family of Mahatma Gandhi and Chacko's statement reflects nothing but sycophancy culture prevailing in the Congress. "PC Chacko described Gandhi family as the first family of the country .This is the Congress' mindset and culture of sycophancy which resembles Devkant Barooah who used to say during emergency Indira is India, India is Indira," Javadekar said at a press conference here. "For the BJP, poor family is the first family of the country and not any dynasty. Dynasty is Congress' culture," said Javadekar, who is also BJP's state election in-charge. Meanwhile, state BJP leaders presented a chargesheet against the Congress government for not fulfilling promises after 100 days of forming the government here. "Promises made by the state government before assembly elections have proved (to .
Dhirendra Chauhan rejoins BJP in Uttarakhand
Senior leader from Kotdwar Dhirendra Chauhan, who had quit the BJP during civic body polls in the state, rejoined the party on Saturday along with his supporters. Welcoming him back into the party fold, Uttrakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said his return would further bolster the BJP's chances in Pauri. Chauhan, who is considered to be an influential leader from Kotdwar segment of Pauri (Garhwal) Lok Sabha seat, had left the saffron party after his wife was denied a ticket in the mayoral elections in the state. He said he may have quit the party over some differences but his "heart always belonged to it". "I will work wholeheartedly for the party's victory from the seat," Chauhan said. Describing party nominee from Pauri Tirath Singh Rawat as a man from a military family who led a simple life, the chief minister said when he was first fielded by the party in an election, he had no money to contest but registered a "big victory". "This time again, he is heading for a big ...
NPP supporter abducted, killed in Arunachal Pradesh
A National People's Party (NPP) supporter was killed and another seriously injured by suspected Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isaac Muivah (NSCN-IM) rebels in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh.