Page 112 - Politics
BJP took corrective steps in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, won LS polls: Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said the drubbing in the assembly polls in his state, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh prompted the BJP to take corrective steps ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, while the Congress remained in a "delusional" state. Terming the parliamentary polls as an "eye-opener" for some parties, he said this election ended dynastic and caste politics in the country. "People rose above caste and voted for development, welfare and nationalism. This election heralded a transformation in Indian politics," the BJP leader told PTI in an interview. The BJP, despite its loss in the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, swept the Lok Sabha elections in the three states with over 50 per cent vote share. In Madhya Pradesh, the saffron party won 28 of the 29 constituncies, while the Congress was restricted to the lone Chhindwara seat. The BJP in Chhattisgarh won nine seats and the Congress two, while in Rajasthan the BJP won 24 and .
Protesters block Hong Kong building access, plan new action
Protesters fearing an erosion of Hong Kong's legal autonomy blocked access to a government office building for nearly two hours Monday and plan more demonstrations to draw the attention of leaders attending the G-20 summit this week. About 100 demonstrators jammed the entryway and lobby of the Inland Revenue Tower, a skyscraper in the Wan Chai district in the city center. Earlier, one of the main protest groups announced a demonstration planned on Wednesday to try to draw the attention of world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Japan. The leaders of the Civil Human Rights Front said they hope the world leaders meeting in Osaka will hear the protesters' concerns over the weakening of the city's legal autonomy by mainland China. Hundreds of thousands of people have filled the streets and sidewalks in recent weeks to oppose legislation seen as increasing Beijing's control and police treatment of the protesters. The activists spoke on Monday near the city government ...
If Pak closed airspace, that's their problem: Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa
Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa on Monday said that Pakistan closing its airspace was a problem for them and the Indian Air Force (IAF) never stopped the civil air traffic in the country."They (Pakistan) have closed their airspace that is their problem. Our economy is vibrant and air traffic is a very important part. You have noticed that the Air Force has never stopped our civil air traffic," he said at a press conference here.Pakistan extended the ban on its airspace for all Indian flights till June 28. The country had fully shut its airspace on the eastern border with India after the IAF carried out aerial airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot on February 26.The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives on February 14.In March, Pakistan partially opened its airspace for all flights but not for Indian flights. Since then, foreign carriers using the Indian airspace have been forced to .
TMC MPs protest in Parliament complex against use of EVMs
Demanding use of ballot papers, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs on Monday staged a demonstration in the Parliament complex against the use of Electronic Voting Machines in the elections.TMC parliamentarians gathered in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue with placards reading 'No EVM, We want paper ballot' written in English, Hindi and Bangla.After the Lok Sabha poll results, Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had accused BJP of resorting to EVM tampering to win elections. "We want ballot papers back. We do not want EVM. Save democracy, bring back ballot papers," she had said.Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had also made a similar accusation against the ruling party and said the BJP hijacked the electoral process using EVMs.Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu had also asked the Election Commission to conduct elections through ballot paper.Several other Opposition parties have been claiming that there are chances of EVM ..
Mayawati announces to contest all elections - big and small - alone
BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday said that her party would contest all elections - big and small -alone in the future, which marks the abrupt end of nascent electoral bonhomie between her and Akhilesh Yadav led Samajwadi Party (SP).The BSP chief has blamed the post-Lok Sabha poll "conduct" of SP and the realisation that its alliance with Akhilesh-led political outfit was not enough to defeat the BJP, for the decision to chart an independent electoral course for herself."It is well known the BSP had forgotten all issues and concerns it had with the SP. We sidelined our concerns about anti-Dalit and anti-BSP decisions of SP in 2012-17, the anti-reservation stance of SP and deteriorating law and situation under the SP rule just for the larger interest of the public and has respected the alliance dharma," tweeted Mayawati."However, the conduct of SP after the Lok Sabha elections forces BSP to think whether it is possible to defeat the BJP by joining hands with the SP. It is not possible. ...
Kerala govt willing to operate Thiruvananthapuram airport:
The planned privatisation of five airports in the country with the Adani Group as their operator was opposed in the Rajya Sabha Monday, with a CPI(M) MP saying the Kerala government is willing to operate the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, K K Ragesh (CPI-M) said the Adani Group has emerged as the winner in privatisation bid of five airports at Lucknow, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram, Mangaluru and Ahmedabad. The Kerala government, he said, had expressed willingness to take over the Thiruvananthapuram airport but the Centre advised it to take part in the auction bid process. "It is regrettable that the state government is being considered on the same footing as the Adani Group," he said. The airport was built on land given by the state government and as such has a say in the operations of it, he said. He said Kerala chief minister at the recent NITI Aayog meeting told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state government was ...
Pompeo arrives in Saudi Arabia for Iran crisis talks
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Monday in Saudi Arabia for talks with the close ally amid mounting tensions with Iran. Pompeo is expected to meet in the Red Sea city of Jeddah with King Salman and the powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, before flying for talks in the United Arab Emirates, US officials said.
KCR is guardian of Telangana's interests, says TRS leader
Telangana Chief Minister and TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao is the uncompromising guardian of the state's interests and does not hesitate to fight with the Centre, any political party or even God in protecting it, a senior leader said Monday. The party's activists should take out this message to every home in Telangana, TRS working president K T Rama Rao said at an event in his Assembly constituency-Sircilla, where the foundation stone for a TRS office was laid. "We should all get one thought, that TRS is "Srirama raksha' (divine protection) for Telangana as long as a leader like KCR and the party called TRS existed. It is our responsibility to take this to every village, every home and every heart," he said. "Because, our leader KCR would not hesitate to fight, not only with the Central government, any political party or even with God in putting up an uncompromising fight in the matter of protecting the interests of Telangana," Rama Rao, son of the Chief Minister, ..
Iran denies being hit by US cyber attack
Iran said Monday that no cyber attack against the Islamic republic has ever succeeded, after American media reported the US launched one last week amid a standoff between the two countries. "The media are asking about the veracity of the alleged cyber attack against Iran. No successful attack has been carried out by them, although they are making a lot of effort," telecommunications minister Mohammad Javad Azarari Jahromi said on Twitter without referring to any US attack. US media on Saturday said Washington launched cyber attacks against Iranian missile control systems and a spy network this week after Tehran downed an American surveillance drone. The Washington Post said that after the drone shooting US President Donald Trump authorised US Cyber Command to carry out a retaliatory cyber attack on Iran. The attack crippled computers used to control rocket and missile launches but caused no casualties, according to the Post, which cited people familiar with the matter. Yahoo cited two
Yemeni rebel attack on Saudi airport kills one, wounds 21: coalition
A Yemeni rebel attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia killed a Syrian national and wounded 21 other civilians Sunday, a Riyadh-led coalition said, in a new escalation following a series of strikes on the site. The attack on Abha airport, which the coalition said left a McDonalds outlet at the site littered with shattered glass and damaged 18 vehicles, comes amid spiralling regional tensions with Iran. The escalation of attacks by Iran-aligned Huthi rebels on Saudi cities threatens a hard-won UN-sponsored ceasefire deal for the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, war-ravaged Yemen's main conduit for humanitarian aid. "A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Huthi militia on Abha airport... killed a Syrian resident and wounded 21 civilians," the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency. The wounded -- from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India and Bangladesh -- also included three women and two children who had been taken to hospital for treatment, the ...
Praja Vedika will be demolished: YS Jagan Mohan Reddy
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has ordered the demolition of 'Praja Vedika' building. The demolition will begin on Tuesday.'Praja Vedika' was constructed next to the residence of N Chandrababu Naidu by the previous TDP government. It was being used for both the government and the party activities.After the TDP's defeat in the recent Assembly elections, Naidu wrote to new Chief Minister Reddy on June 5, urging him to allocate the building to him in the capacity of Leader of Opposition.Naidu's TDP suffered a severe drubbing at the hands of Reddy's YSRCP which got the absolute majority in 175-member Assembly by winning 151 seats. In the Lok Sabha elections too, YSRCP bagged 22 seats while the TDP got just three seats.
Former Pak Foreign Minister passes away
Former Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar passed away on Sunday. He was 88."We are deeply saddened to announce that former foreign minister Abdul Sattar has passed away. He was an illustrious diplomat and an accomplished author," Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement.Sattar served as the Foreign minister under then-president Pervez Musharraf government from 1999 to 2002.He was the part of Mussaraf delegation who visited India for the historic Agra Summit in 2001.Sattar also served as the foreign secretary from 1986-88."We offer our profound condolences to the bereaved family and pray for the departed soul," the statement added.
Chennai: DMK president, cadres protest against TN Govt over water crisis
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President MK Stalin and party workers on Monday held a protest against the Tamil Nadu government over the acute water crisis in Chennai by carrying empty plastic pots in their hands.Stalin who also joined the protest here, said, "The pot is here, but where is the water. The ruling government should solve the water crisis in the state. It has not done anything to resolve the issue."DMK MP from Chennai Parliamentary constituency, Dhayanidhi Maran said, "The city is out of the water and present Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapadi Palanisamy blamed lack of rains behind the crisis."Meanwhile, DMK MP from Sriperumbudur, TR Baalu has given a notice in the Lok Sabha today over the water crisis issue in the state.Tamil Nadu has been reeling under acute water crisis stress for the past several months as Chennai's Porur Lake, one of the main sources of water has reached its lowest level.Moreover, scorching heat and delayed monsoon have further exacerbated the ...
Cong mulls options on action against T'gana MLA
Taking serious note of the alleged indiscipline of party MLA in Telangana Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy, the Congress Monday was mulling options with regard to action against him. The party's central leadership has taken a serious view of his "indiscipline" and his suspension was contemplated, Congress sources said. However, theparty plans to take legal opinion in viewof the argument that anti-defection law may not apply if he is suspended, they said. Rajagopal Reddy, MLA from Munugode, has recently blamed AICC incharge of party affairs in Telangana R C Khuntia and the state Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy for the party's poor showing in the Assembly elections held in December last year. He had hinted at joining the BJP. The Disciplinary Action Committee of the Congress in Telangana has issued a show-cause notice to him and reported the matter to the party highcommand. The Congress in Telangana is already facedwith a crisis as 12 party MLAs merged with the ruling ...
TMC MPs hold protest against EVMs in parliament premises
TMC MPs are holding a sit-in in front of Mahatma Gandhi's statue on the Parliament's premises , demanding election be held by ballot paper instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs). The party, which has been crying foul over the use of EVMs in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls, Monday said their agenda for the protest was - "No to EVMs, Yes to paper ballots." TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier raised questions over the electronic voting machines (EVMs) used in the polls and urged opposition parties to unitedly demand the return of ballot papers. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo said a fact-finding committee should be constituted to find out the details about the EVMs used in the recent polls.
Lawyer files complaint against Rahul Gandhi over tweet on Army Dog squad
A Mumbai based lawyer Atal Bihari Dubey filed a complaint against Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his tweet on the International Yoga Day on June 21 where Rahul has apparently mocked Army's Dog Squad performing Yoga.The complainant seeks an FIR against Rahul Gandhi under section 505 of IPC (statements Conducing to Public Mischief). The complaint has been submitted in Azad Maidan police station.It is imperative to mention that Rahul Gandhi on Friday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'New India' on the International Yoga Day by sharing the pictures of Army's dog squad imitating yoga postures done by their trainers, with a sarcastic jibe -- New India -- on the top of his post."While going through my Twitter account, I came to know that, Rahul Gandhi has twitted two pictures on June 21, 2019, at 4.12 PM in the caption of New India. In the said pictures were taken from Army Dog Unit wherein Dog are doing exercise with the army soldiers," said Atal B Dubey in his ...
Iran and US trade barbs ahead of new sanctions
The United States on Monday was due to tighten sanctions on Iran as the two countries traded barbs in a tense standoff sparked by Washington's withdrawal from a nuclear deal. Both nations say they want to avoid going to war, but tensions have spiralled as a series of incidents, including attacks on tankers and the shooting down of a US drone by Iran in the Gulf, raised fears of an unintended slide towards conflict. On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said a US-made MQ9 Reaper "spy drone" -- also widely used for carrying out military strikes -- had encroached his country's airspace on May 26. He made the allegation in a tweet that included a map purporting to show the drone had violated Iranian airspace. It was dismissed as "child-like" by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he headed to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for Iran talks with the two US allies. Zarif's statement came after Iran said it had shot down a US Global Hawk drone on Thursday for ...
Former Pak FM passes away
Former Pakistan Finance Minister Abdul Sattar passed away on Sunday. He was 88."We are deeply saddened to announce that former foreign minister Abdul Sattar has passed away. He was an illustrious diplomat and an accomplished author," Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement.Sattar served as the Foreign minister under then-president Pervez Musharraf government from 1999 to 2002.He was the part of Mussaraf delegation who visited India for the historic Agra Summit in 2001.Sattar also served as the foreign secretary from 1986-88."We offer our profound condolences to the bereaved family and pray for the departed soul," the statement added.
Australia planning new port in north for use by US Marines: report
Australia is planning to build a new deep-water port on its northern coast able to accommodate US Marine deployments as part of efforts to counter China's growing presence in the region, the ABC reported Monday. The national broadcaster quoted multiple defence and government officials as saying the facility would be about 40 kilometres from Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, which controversially leased its own port to a Chinese operator in 2015. The Darwin port already includes military facilities and hosts visiting US ships, but the ABC said the new port would offer large amphibious warships a more discreet and less busy base of operations. US Marine units of more than 2,000 troops regularly rotate through Darwin as part of the close military cooperation between the two allies. Both Australia and the United States have been building up their military presence across the western Pacific to counter moves by China to gain influence across the strategically vital region, notably
Erdogan's party loses re-run of Istanbul mayor election
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bruising defeat on Sunday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul's controversial mayoral election re-run romped to victory. Ekrem Imamoglu had won the first mayoral vote in March by a slim margin of 13,000 votes over Erdogan's chosen candidate, Binali Yildirim, who contested the results and a new election was ordered. After being stripped of that victory over disputed claims of fraud, Imamoglu vowed a "battle for democracy" that turned him into a household name. With some 99 percent of ballots counted by Sunday night, Imamoglu was winning by more than 775,000 votes -- 54 percent, with Yildirim on 45 percent, the Anadolu state news agency reported. "It was not a single group or party, but the whole of Istanbul and Turkey that won this election," Imamoglu said in his victory speech as scenes of his ecstatic supporters broke out across the city of 15 million. "Mr President, I am ready to work in harmony with you. I convey from here my ...